Grocery Prices Going Up, Up, Up!!!

[stahshee]

well I am going shopping tomm. I have been looking at some sale adds that I will go to Walmart with or go to the store directly.


1. Kmart has VO5 Shampoo for 69cents.. 15 oz
they also have Pop Tarts 3/5$ (to bad I dont need them)
2. Rite Aid has Suave on sale for 88 cents.. 15 oz....now the freebee thread has a printable coupon for 1$ off Suave
Scott TP 12 rolls for 5.99 ( I have a 75 cents coupon to)
anyway I have to do about 250$ worth of shopping with about 150. so I will see how it goes

 

[denisenh]

I have noticed that the prices are going up and it happens in a matter of days. I have since put together a spreadsheet with the prices of common items purchased and the prices at all of the stores that I shop at, so I know I am getting the best price all around.

I have also elminated buying things premade, like cookies, brownies, muffins, cupcakes. Now they are made from scratch, yes it takes more time, but the savings is a good trade off.

I keep hoping that my wages go up this fast!!!

Krystine

The prices of everything are killing me! My paycheck went down because my health insurance at work is nearly $300 a week now.

So, I have to think of it all as a challenge. My kids have never heard the word "no" so much. I would generally give them what they wanted, within reason, and now "fahgitaboudit" is the message. I must say that they are very good about the sudden change. No complaining. I spend more time with them which they like. We all chat in the kitchen while I cook and clean. I do it as a diversion because they like my attention still, even though they are 11 and 15.

Anyway........

I have been doing more baking lately too. Today I made a delicious apple crisp for desert. It was what I had handy, 5 large apples that needed to be used, flour sugar cinnamon butter.
I was tired from the day and was also making biscuts to go with dinner but I feel better about feeding food to my family when I know whats in it.
Everyone is satisfied and not looking in the kitchen for "late" snacks.

I have a few errands to run tomorrow but I am going to try to use a bag of frozen blueberries to make waffles and muffins to freeze as well as homemade pizza or a quiche for supper..I'll even peel and slice fresh carrots to steam instead of canned.

We haven't bought carbonated beverages in a while now. I have been buying 100% juices and using filtered water and ice from the fridge dispenser, served in goblets to make it more tempting.
We do use several gallons of 1% milk each week, though.
At least its not all empty calories. I am trying to pay more attention to getting the nutrients needed for the $$$ we spend.

DH did our shopping from a list this week as well. I explained about "shopping the perimeter" (dairy, meat, fruit, veggies) and he had coupons for our toiletries.
He did complain about the price of eggs because I ask him to buy the "egglands best". I honestly don't even know how much they are.


I like reading about other folks ideas on saving money.

Good luck to us all!

 

[neatokimmo]

I am in TN, faced with those choices I would of done the apples and pears. I always have frozen strawberries (they are frozen ripe and are very good!). I like Clementines but that is our normal price for them and they go on sale for $5.49 a box every so often.

If salmon was that much I'd never eat it! I can get strip steak for that price. I mean I like salmon but steak is better

Neatokimmo - Where are you located? I would LOVE to be able to buy food at that price. I just came from the grocery store and here's what's for sale.

Grapes 3.99 a lb.
Apples 1.79a lb.
Pears 1.69 a lb.
Cantaloupe 2.50
Strawberries 3.99 a qt.
Clementines - 6.99 for a 5lb box.

I checked out some fish and the cheapest was salmon filet for 7.99 a lb.

I'm telling ya...these prices are killing us!!!

Heather

 

[SandraVB79]

I'd be curious to know what everyone's limits are on groceries.

These are mine:

Fruit $1 a pound for things like apples, pears...
$1.50 a pound for berries (I can get 4 pound bags of frozen strawberries for $5.50 that are so good, like sorbet when you blender them)

Meat
Chicken $2 a pound boneless $1 pound with bones
Beef $2 ground $3 roast type cuts
Pork $1.50 a pound for it's various forms
Fish $2.00 a pound for white fish, $4 for others
I don't eat things like lunchmeat or tuna in a can ( i can get fresh for $4 sometimes and I stock up)

Veggies
$1.50 for fresh of frozen, but they are usually $1 on sale

If things fall out of this range then I just don't buy them, everything cycles through a sale at some point.

To me, all these prices are very very very cheap.
1 kg of ground beef here costs more than 10 eur, so about 15 usd.
a bottle of shampoo (8 oz or even less!) is about 4 eur (+/- 6 usd). that's regular store shampoo, not the fancy salon kinds (count about 15 eur for that)
Steak is about 20 eur per kg (30 usd)
2 eur for a bottle of 1.5 l Coke.

My car drives on diesell, it's about 1.2 eur per liter (that would be more than 6 usd per gallon)

I don't think we make more money than in the us. I just calculayed my gross yearly income (33800). substract about 45% for income tac. so that's not a whole lot, and yet I have one of the better paying jobs.

It's like that "where or you on the list of the richest people in the world": there is always worse

 

[Darcy03231]

Neatokimmo - Where are you located? I would LOVE to be able to buy food at that price. I just came from the grocery store and here's what's for sale.

Grapes 3.99 a lb.
Apples 1.79a lb.
Pears 1.69 a lb.
Cantaloupe 2.50
Strawberries 3.99 a qt.
Clementines - 6.99 for a 5lb box.

I checked out some fish and the cheapest was salmon filet for 7.99 a lb.

I'm telling ya...these prices are killing us!!!

Heather

Heather - you must live in the Northeast too! Those are the prices where I live (southern NH, just north of Boston). I used to just wait until stuff went on sale, but lately the only things that are in our flyers that are "on sale" is soda, chips, premade cookies, etc.. The last time fish was less than $7.00 a pound was back in November.

 

[tbrenk73]

Heather - you must live in the Northeast too! Those are the prices where I live (southern NH, just north of Boston). I used to just wait until stuff went on sale, but lately the only things that are in our flyers that are "on sale" is soda, chips, premade cookies, etc.. The last time fish was less than $7.00 a pound was back in November.

I am in NJ and clementines were $7.99 a box this AM. I haven't seen grapes under $4 in awhile. Shop Rite had them this morning for $2.49 and I grabbed them. Strawberried under $4 are hard to find as well.

 

[pjlla]

I' m not great at keeping track of what I spend on groceries, so I can't compare there, but I totally agree about prices going up. I keep a price book (casually since about 1995) and NOTHING is available for the 1995 prices any more.... or even the 2005 prices!

I kind of have a "mental" limit of what I will spend on certain things.... especially meat. I figure that my family is getting the same nutritional value from a 79 cent/lb package of chicken thighs that they are getting from the $5.99 roast or steak so obviously I opt for the chicken. But I will admit that it really limits the diversity of our meals.

Most of what you all have written makes me start thinking about my Tightwad Gazette books and what they say about groceries. As far as milk goes, could you possibly use instant milk?? Maybe just for recipes? Or mixed 1/2 and 1/2 with "real" milk? I KNOW it would take some getting used to, but it maybe worth it.

As far as fruits and veggies go, try buying stuff that is IN SEASON somewhere near you. Of COURSE strawberries (coming from California and Florida), and grapes (also coming from California) are going to be pricey. Think about how much gas it costs to ship those to New England... not to mention keeping them at the right temperature,, etc. Meanwhile the local apples and winter squash that were picked in September and October and stored locally are usually quite a bit cheaper. And frozen fruits and veggies are always a reasonable alternative, at least occasionally.

Maybe it's time to find some new recipes that call for cheaper ingredients and/or are meatless (or use less meat anyhow). And make sure that nothing goes to waste.

I'm just trying to offer some alternative ideas. Hope someone might be helped.................P

 

[stahshee]

well I went to Walmart and did the price add compare . ( I would hate to wait in line behind me) here were my deals
ok I did get the VO5 Shampoo for 69 cents each
I did get the Scott 12 roll tp for 599 and I had a 75 cents off coupon
I bought 2 paks of the Slim fast Optima bars 45 cents each ( I had 2 coupons for 3$ off a box)
I got a free Pasta Birilla noodles( I did a survey)
I also got a free Pasta Barillia spag sauce
I got a free 4c tubes ( looks like Crystal light drink mix). I had to buy 4 c drop inns (works great I was planning on takeing that to Disney)
anyway my total was 97 befor coupons after was 77

then I went to Dollar General
I bought the Suave shampoo for 1$ and I had 1$ off coupon
I bought 2 Palmolive dish soap for 1$ each and then I had a1$off coupon
Then I went to Aldi and spent 170 on veggies, meat and paper products

 

[PatriciaH]

I just looked in our Publix sale flyer.

Peaches: $2.49/lb
Cantaloupe: $2.50
Strawberries: $2.50/16 oz
Cherries: $2.49/lb
Red Grapefruit: $2.50
Florida Natural Orange Juice: $3.00/64 oz
Sabrett beef franks: $2.50/16 oz package
Pork Loin: $2.59/lb
Top Round: $3.49/lb
DiGiorno Pizza: $4.50
Red Potatoes: $2.00/5 lb bag
Publix oven roasted turkey breast: $5.19/12 oz package
Publix potato salad: $2.39/16 oz
Lysol: $4.99/19 oz
Purina One dog food: $15.99/20 oz bag


I find lean ground beef to be about $4/lb- crazy! I remember 2-3 yrs ago it was about $1.85/lb.

 

[Darcy03231]

I' m not great at keeping track of what I spend on groceries, so I can't compare there, but I totally agree about prices going up. I keep a price book (casually since about 1995) and NOTHING is available for the 1995 prices any more.... or even the 2005 prices!

I kind of have a "mental" limit of what I will spend on certain things.... especially meat. I figure that my family is getting the same nutritional value from a 79 cent/lb package of chicken thighs that they are getting from the $5.99 roast or steak so obviously I opt for the chicken. But I will admit that it really limits the diversity of our meals.

Most of what you all have written makes me start thinking about my Tightwad Gazette books and what they say about groceries. As far as milk goes, could you possibly use instant milk?? Maybe just for recipes? Or mixed 1/2 and 1/2 with "real" milk? I KNOW it would take some getting used to, but it maybe worth it.

As far as fruits and veggies go, try buying stuff that is IN SEASON somewhere near you. Of COURSE strawberries (coming from California and Florida), and grapes (also coming from California) are going to be pricey. Think about how much gas it costs to ship those to New England... not to mention keeping them at the right temperature,, etc. Meanwhile the local apples and winter squash that were picked in September and October and stored locally are usually quite a bit cheaper. And frozen fruits and veggies are always a reasonable alternative, at least occasionally.

Maybe it's time to find some new recipes that call for cheaper ingredients and/or are meatless (or use less meat anyhow). And make sure that nothing goes to waste.

I'm just trying to offer some alternative ideas. Hope someone might be helped.................P

A lot of these are great ideas. I've been cooking with instant milk for a long time and no one in my family has ever noticed the difference. I did it to help cut down on fat. It's also helped in that I'm definitely not buying as much milk to drink.

While I wouldn't mind meatless dishes, there is no way DH would go for that! He's a real meat and potatoes kind of guy. I can just imagine the look on his face if I didn't serve some kind of meat or fish for dinner. DS would most likely have the same look too! They'd think they were being punished.

Fortunately, we're still able to continue buying as I always have, it just costs more. I know I could cut a lot of it out if I had to (such as strawberries, blueberries, melon, grapes) but right now I'm just cutting back on discretionary spending in other categories (ie eating out) to make up the difference. I really feel for the people who don't have any discretionary spending left in their budget.

Another way to save is to cook meals that can be used for two nights. I posted this on another thread. Some of the things I do are:

I make up a big batch of spaghetti sauce and meatballs and a big salad. One night we have meatball subs with salad and the next we have spaghetti and meatballs with salad and garlic bread.

Cook a good size turkey. On night one have a turkey dinner. For the second night I cut up the leftover turkey and put it in gravy with mixed vegetables and serve over biscuits. We also have enough left over for turkey sandwiches and I make turkey noodle soup (which gives us a third meal).

Cook a large ham. On night one have ham, baked potatoes, vegetable and salad. On night two cube the ham and add to macaroni and cheese and add a package (or can) of peas and serve with the remainder of the salad.

If your family doesn't like to eat the same things in a row each night, you can do the meatballs on night 1, turkey on night 2, ham on night 3, spaghetti & meatballs on night 4, turkey w/biscuits & gravy on night 5 and ham w/macaroni on night 6.

 

[grlpwrd]

I have noticed prices creeping up everywhere around here ... WM, Food Lion, Costco, etc.

I have been online forever and I used to be really active with the natural, make your own forums, websites, and e-groups. These are my ideas:

- I plan to garden more this year. For now I plan to use up what I stockpiled (frozen and some dehydrated and canned stuff). I think learning how to preserve food in the future will come in handy. This includes canning, dehydrating, and freezing.

- I have always stockpiled, fortunately. I have the usual toiletries and basic stockpile, but thanks to my Mormon cousins I have collected food that I store in my closet. I am talking big 10# cans of stuff. My husband was laid off many, many times and this will come in handy. It might be late in the game for some, but it's an idea that may be used in the future.

- I cook more - way more - and I have made more changes. I have cookbooks galore, like Taste of Home, Mennonite cookbooks, Amish cookbooks, etc. I already make dishes with rice, beans, grains, legumes, and pastas. Plus, soups, salads, vegetarian, and ethnic foods. I already do the theme nights and now my kids help cook, too.

I also shop at ethnic grocery stores more. Yet I noticed their prices have gone up a little, too. ugh Now I make our own pizza, muffins, waffles, pancakes, hotdog buns, hamburger buns, etc. I also make my own baking mixes which can be used to make rolls, biscuits, etc. with one recipe or by adding to a basic recipe.

- I use less milk, too. I choose other foods with calcium or drink other milks, like soy or rice milk. We rarely buy canned juice, but I did buy a used Vitamix mixer from ebay to make our own drinks.

- I eat out less. Now we're down to eating out only once per month at the most. I make our own "copycat" recipes.

- Popcorn is our friend. Really, it's a great, inexpensive snack - except be careful giving it to little one's because it's a choking hazard. I pop it using a regular popper that I have since we were married. I make all types of my own seasonings (pizza, cheese, etc.) with recipes I have collected over time from online sources.

- I do the usual make my own cleansers using natural products. I also use vinegar for many, many things, like for cleaning and as a clothes rinse in my washer.

- I buy locally. I have always gone to farmer's markets and also use pickyourown.org. I can't wait until it gets warmer!

- I stretch meals, too. I do what is called the "rubber chicken" which is stretching chicken to use over several meals. I only eat chicken now, but you can also do this for other meats. Cook your meat and then plan for other meals liek someone has already mentioned.

- I also barter with friends and neighbors. If I have a surplus of tomatoes, I trade for some cucumbers or whatever. I also donate my excess produce from my garden to food banks. I know the food banks are really aching this year.

Hope this helps anyone out there...

 

[CyndiK]

Hi everyone:

Here are a few tips that I can share that really help me:

1) Find the best sales and add coupons: One thing that I have learned that always helps to minimize the cost impact is to pre-shop and hunt down the best deals on your staples (or your weekly list) and then add coupons to the sale prices to get the absolute lowest possible deal. I moderate a Forum at our site (MyGroceryDeals.com) and I hear incredible stories of how people pay mere pennies for things that would normally be expensive and not fit into their budget. Then throw in coupon doubling and tripling and some shoppers even get MONEY BACK from their purchases!

2) Buy reduced: Meat and product departments will have fabulous deals on perishables as they approach their expiry date. Just last week, I bought 2 large dishes of pre-cut melon that were expiring the next day. It was priced by weight, one was $5.93 and the other was $6.03. That's alot of money for cut melon! However, because they were expiring the next day, they had $5 OFF peelies on each. So, for $1.96, I got enough melon to feed my kids fresh melong for dessert for the rest of the week. I don't know what I was thinking because the way that my kids eat, it only lasted 2 days! I often buy meat this way and either use it the same day or freeze it immediately.

3) Use MyGroceryDeals.com: I know this sounds like a plug, but I wouldn't do it unless I believed it worked! USE OUR SITE AND PRINT OUR COUPONS Our site will instantly serve up all the deals in your area and you can cherry pick the best ones then add coupons. You can even search for individual products and items. It's free, so don't worry about being out of pocket.

Hope this helps, I really enjoyed reading all of your posts!

 

[staceyfe]

I usually buy shredded cheese at Sams--5# for about $10. Today the price was $14. I couldn't believe it!

 

[HeatherC]

DARCY03231 - You are right! I'm in the Northeast...Central Mass. to be exact. Prices definitely seem to be higher here than some other areas.

I was just reading another post about budget dinners and somebody listed a lb of ground beef for $1.50. There is NO way that I could find it that cheap where I live.

Guess we'll just have to keep plugging along.

Heather

 

[kydisneyfans]

I have seen ground beef at 3 different stores for .99/lb over the past month. Granted, it is the cheapie stuff. (75/25?)

Grapes were .99 at a roadside stand last week-I actually made a uturn in the middle of the road and bought some once I saw that sign. How can a hole in the wall in the middle of KY sell them at a 1/4 of the cost of Meijer/Kroger/Walmart?

Over the past 2 weeks I have seen:
Strawberries-2.28 lb
Cantalope-1.33 each
Oranges-4 lbs for 1.99
blueberries/raspberries-.99 1/2 pint
Milk-2.50

I have seen prices take a jump over the past few weeks also, it's now more important than ever to match ads with coupons and buy seasonal produce.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

I also shop at ethnic grocery stores more. Yet I noticed their prices have gone up a little, too. ugh Now I make our own pizza, muffins, waffles, pancakes, hotdog buns, hamburger buns, etc. I also make my own baking mixes which can be used to make rolls, biscuits, etc. with one recipe or by adding to a basic recipe.

I would like to start doing this more, too. Can I ask, what is a good resource for recipes for bread products like that?