They want $1.99 per Ball Smooth standard quart jar with lid and ring. These have no embossing on them whatsoever on any side or on the bottom. If they didn't have the Ball paper label inside, I'd never even know they were canning jars.

But the big one is the wide mouth half gallon Ball jars. They want $5.99 per jar with lid and ring. For less than twice that, someone could go to a number of other places and get a box of 6 half gallon jars.

I know you can spend outrageous amounts online with shipping and other costs. But in person at a store on a shelf ready to go, this is pretty expensive.

And I've noticed that even Goodwill is upping their charge for canning jars, usually without a lid of any kind. Used to be 25 cents 10 years ago, and it has made it to 99 cents now. I found some pint elites for 75 cents a couple months ago, but they had those white plastic caps on them, so I got those. It's not like I need them, but it's nice to have them. :-)

Yeah, I bought some blue special edition pints at Target for $8.99 (half dozen) but won't buy others there. Actually, I think they're a little less than the grocery store - I think quarts were 10.99 at Target and they're $12.99 at grocery store. Still less than Goodwill - I'll pick up a jar now and then when they're half price, and sometimes have gotten quilted crystal (some brand new unopened cases) for $8 there but not often I luck out like that. I passed up a case of GH quarts last month thinking I had plenty but then I got the PC and started doing tomatoes, wish I'd snagged them.

Walmart is still the cheapest, though if they keep going up, Bog Lots (GH jars) will be - but they don't carry them year-round.

TSC has pints and quarts on clearance now, but only in-store, not online. Guess I have to stop by this weekend and see what my local store has.

Target and the craft stores are the only places I've seen the smooth jars - but Joann's has them on sale now $16.49 for a case of 12.

A few weeks ago, Meijer's (a regional chain supermarket here) was selling Ball half-pint and 12 oz. quilted jelly jars for $7.99 a case.

For Ball pints and quarts the prices are between $9-12 a case depending on the store and whether you want wide mouth or regular. Wide mouth costing more.

Pints and quarts at the Salvation Army Thrift Store sell for 99 cents a piece, with half-pints selling for 49 cents. I buy the half-pints whenever I see them.

The only place I've seen Golden Harvest jars (I believe they were pints) was at Dollar Tree and they were $1 a piece. So not exactly a deal.

Rodney

I've already emptied my freezer of all of the strawberries, plums, cherries and have used about 1/2-3/4 of the blueberries and about 1/4-1/3 of the red grapes and concord grapes. I'm only doing the jams at this time, and canning up the juices for jellies later.

BTW, I found regular mouth lids at my local Kmart for $1.34 per dozen. Needless to say, I stocked up with another 20 boxes. I should have got more, but I didn't want the cashier to think I was any crazier than she does with 20 dozen.

The wide mouth weren't on sale yet. Neither was the jars. I picked up another 6 dozen of 1/2 pint (not quilted) at WM for $7.97 per dozen.

Marla

TSC sold out in my area. Too bad - I wanted to pick up some salt. I don't know about Mrs. Wages, I did like the Ball salt I got a couple of years ago (just used the last of it this year). Morton's was less $, but used that this year for fermenting and my dills & half sours turned out really salty. Must be ground finer than Ball - next year I'm going to have to weigh it instead of measuring.

I don't need any pectin, but am watching for fruit fresh to go on sale (clearance last year was down to 50 cents per jar). I picked up some Mrs. Wages Salsa mix for 99 cents per pouch, instead of the 2.99 regular.

This year I made a mistake and put the pasta sauce mix into instead of the salsa, then added the salsa. Came out better than only salsa. Now I have to make more of the 'special' salsa. The grandkids love it, but not the plain salsa or pasta alone.