Food prices going through the roof!

[pearlieq]

It has been a different pattern here too. Prices did climb quite a bit last year, but they came down a lot this past year. I've seen a few prices creep up, but for the most part everything is back to its previous price.

I did notice milk creeping up a bit. A gallon today was $2.15. It had been as low as $1.85 and usually hovers just under $2. At the peak I think it was around $3.85/gallon.

 

[Planogirl]

Meat is through the roof here and so are grain products. It looks like most veggies and fruits have stabilized a bit though but only after increasing drastically too.

Low inflation figures make no sense to me because I KNOW that things have gone up a lot no matter what the numbers say.

 

[MsDisney23]

I just made dinner, and I made enough just for the two of us, myself and dh, no left overs. no waist! a small meatloaf, mashed pot. and green beans. Prices went up here last year and the package size got smaller, again prices are climbing here like crazy!

Looking forward to Spring to start our garden!

 

[manning]

Bolding mine. This is what I've noticed more than the prices going up. Peanut butter is 16oz now for the same price it was at 18oz (and the label says new container is greener or whatever...yeah because it's smaller!) The frozen veggies at Kroger used to be 16 oz packages but are now 12oz. Those are just a couple of examples.

If I got this right

the peanut butter went up 33.33%

The peas went up 25%

Certainly higher than inflation.

 

[HsvTeacher]

I think meat prices are ridiculous. Even "on sale" the prices are high.

One thing I noticed last week was Rice Chex cereal. I had gotten a box at Wal-Mart for $2.00. The next week that same box was $3.34!! That is quite a jump all at once. A few cents is understandable, but $1.34? Or maybe they raised the Chex cereal prices for the holidays, knowing people are buying them to make Chex mix for snacking?

Our nearest Walmart is notorious for doing this. We've noticed that they will lower their prices to match Publix's sale prices, then jack the price way up after the sale is over. That and charging more than the price shown on the shelf. That's why we avoid them if possible and just buy our groceries at Publix.

 

[kydisneyfans]

Huge increase last year, almost as much of a decrease this year.
The grocery ads have not been exciting lately, and milk has gone back up just a little. Aldi couldn't keep milk at .99 a gallon too long, I paid $1.69 tonight.

 

[IDoDis]

Wow, I can't remember the last time I paid 33 cents for a can of veggies. They've been close to a dollar a can and up to $1.39 a can here for maybe 2 years. Milk here is still cheap though. I can usually get 3 gallons for $5 on most weeks. The worst sales are 2 gallons for $5. Overall, the food prices have been expensive.

Prices climbed quickly when gasoline prices were out of control. Now that gas is lower, I'm still waiting for the food prices to come back down. Something tells me I'm going to be waiting a long time.

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

I am on the boat of prices previously being ridiculous but have now been reduced... I feel like before things are are currently consistantly $2 or less were over $3 last year i.e. bread, milk, butter and eggs. Last year I would have been stoked to see my brand of butter at $2.50 now I commonly get it at $1.25. Bread that was once $3+ is often $1.58 or $1.78. Milk is hardly ever more than $1.60 for a gallon and a dozen eggs are just over a dollar.

The thing I have noticed costing more are canned vegetables... but that's ok, I've been trying to buy everything fresh now. Also, I don't buy pre-cut lettuce anymore, spinach is about a dollar for the 6-8oz(?) bag and it was more previously, I don't buy baby carrots anymore nor do I purchase broccoli florets. I have stopped purchasing spices by the mini jar, instead I buy the spice in bulk and only for the amount I need.

And as for meat, buying a bunch is so much cheaper per pound. If buy a bigger amount and freeze it, you'll definitely save more money. Another thing I have been doing lately is buying a single NY strip steak, cooking it then splitting it in half for 2 people... it's actually the perfect portion size... I get my favorite cut and get more value out of it.

 

[MIGrandma]

My Walmart has the same sale on Rice Chex occaionally. I don't think this is the everyday price though, just a good sale that they get shipments in of. Once in awhile, I hit the jackpot with it but otherwise I think the 3.34 is their regular price. I love the 2.00 sale, I save up my coupons just for it and buy a lot. I use the Rice Chex for cereal, homemade Chex mix and Monkey Munch, some call it Puppy Chow, Muddy Buddies (the recipe is on the box). It is a great deal when you can find it for that.

Oops. I didn't realize $3.34 was their regular price. Let me retract my complaint then.

 

[happygirl]

It's funny to me how prices are so much different all over the country. Here they have went up, other people say they are down. I wonder what cause the difference in price.

 

[MichelleVW]

I got Walmart brand milk for 1.98 last night. Milk seems to be way cheaper these days.

Thankfully I am retired Air Force and we have a commissary near by where I buy all our meat because it's crazy expensive at the grocery store!!

 

[ohiomom28]

Our's hasn't been going up so much. Our milk is around $1.75 a gallon and canned veggies are around $.75 a can...

 

[happygirl]

Our's hasn't been going up so much. Our milk is around $1.75 a gallon and canned veggies are around $.75 a can...

Wow, I wish our milk was that cheao it like 3.00 something at Walmart

 

[RangerPooh]

I was thinking about this last night while at Safeway. I gallon of milk was almost $4!!!! I fondly remember when it was 2/$4 just a few years back. Meat is another area that's pricey, but then when we do buy it I usually just buy ground beef 90 or 93%, which always costs more. But when mixed into pasta goes farther. I need to get back into the habit of clipping coupons, but stopped when there weren't any that I really used.

Anyone else notice that their stores are carrying fewer store brand products these days? I noticed it at both of our Safeways.

 

[CF'er]

Our local store milk Ingle's is $2.99/gal. Kroger has it on sale for $1.99 and WalMart is still $1.98.

I did notice the other day that a box of powdered milk was over $7.00 a box. And that was WalMart brand. What's up with that????

 

[dizluvah]

I agree food prices are high - I have a couple "rules" that I stick to for groceries but it is getting harder and harder - I have to wait for sales that happen much less frequently than they used to.

I will only pay 50 cents per can for veggies (used to have fairly frequent sales on Del Monte or Green Giant cans - now I have to get store brand and I still waited many many months before the canned veggies finally went on sale before Thanksgiving). I have room to keep some stock in the pantry so when on sale I will buy 30 cans. The cashier usually looks at me like I am a crazy person but I have to do what I have to do. When I have run out of canned veggies I have had to go up to .60 cents per can.

My second rule is that I will not pay more than $2 per lb for any kind of meat. This is easier around here -with sales I can get boneless skinless chicken breast for $1.88/lb, pork chops from .99 cents to 1.69/lb depending on cut and whether they are boneless etc. Hamburger is actually the toughest item to get for under $2/lb but it is doable.

Milk and bread I figure I have to pay what it costs, I used to buy bread at the bakery outlet but now I find Costco has a better deal - I get two loaves for 3.84 - I was paying $2 loaf for Arnold whole grain loaves.

Another item that is skyhigh is a box of pasta - $1 is not uncommon for one 16 oz. box of dry pasta - what!@#%$#%^ in the not so distant past I could get a sale price of 39 cents per box of pasta - not anymore!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Anyone else notice that their stores are carrying fewer store brand products these days? I noticed it at both of our Safeways.

Ours is the opposite situation. One of our local main chains is doing away with a ton of name brand in favor of their store brand.

I buy 2% milk which is higher in price than the skim.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

- I was paying $2 loaf for Arnold whole grain loaves.

Our WalMart sells Arnold at 1.63/loaf.

 

[N.Bailey]

There are a LOT of ways one can try to save money on their grocery bill.

1. clip coupons
2. shop a variety of stores for sales items
3. stock up during a sale

I'm sure many of you could add a lot more to that list. Meat, milk, bread, that type thing, I find it harder to get a good price on. Meat goes on sale, but there are some staples that really don't. Eggs might be another example, though they go on sale, it's not normally by much. You can't really stock up on most staples, either. You can stock meat if you have a freezer, but otherwise, you can forget it (we do have a freezer but unless it's fish or chicken, I like fresh).

For coupons though, there are SO many online sources you can turn to. A lot of these sites have the same coupons as the others, but sometimes, they do have exclusives, or coupons that other sites just don't have. Sometimes the store will double them, sometimes not. I know the main store where I shop doubles the first coupon of a given product, but will not double subsequent coupons for the same item. If you live close, maybe you could make different trips during the week to take more advantage of that (personally, I think that would be a pain, but I've heard that some people do this).

The Consumer Reports Shop Smart Guide for July listed these 3 sites, but there are a LOT more out there www.SmartSource.com www.Coupons.com www.Coolsavings.com They even recommend that you visit the websites of the stores where you shop. First, you can view the weekly circular, but they might also have other deals and/or coupons listed on the site somewhere (I know my favorite store has specials if say you buy 4 of these, you save $3 at checkout, and they also have their own coupons listed there).

 

[N.Bailey]

I just made dinner, and I made enough just for the two of us, myself and dh, no left overs. no waist! a small meatloaf, mashed pot. and green beans. Prices went up here last year and the package size got smaller, again prices are climbing here like crazy!

Looking forward to Spring to start our garden!

When you're only cooking for a couple people, it's still better to buy in bulk and repackage it. You can even make a couple of meatloaves and freeze them. Pull it out for a quick dinner when you don't have time to make a bigger one.