Have you noticed grocery prices creeping up? Predictions for sharp increases to come.

[budbeerlady]

I have been stock piling with my coupons and sales. Love IT!!!! I can tell some stuff is definitely going up but we can live without bacon. It took me several months but I am only buying what is on steep sale for the week and a loaf of bread. I am too lazy to make my own bread but I did notice the "cheap" store version of bread is now up to $1.79.

 

[Ava]

Actually, I paid $2.09 for a gallon of milk today and I don't live in a dairy state. That was for regular, fat-free, store brand milk. The same price it has been for months now.

Wow, the cheapest I can find milk now is $3.29 a gallon. For a while a local store was selling it for $2.99 but their price went back up a while ago. Stop & Shop is running a sale this week, $2.50 a gallon for their store brand. Too bad you can't stock up on milk! I do plan to buy another gallon on Thursday before the sale ends so I at least get 2 weeks worth at that price.

 

[Motherofboys]

Actually, I paid $2.09 for a gallon of milk today and I don't live in a dairy state. That was for regular, fat-free, store brand milk. The same price it has been for months now.

I haven't noticed prices going up here. Not yet, at least. Of course, they are generally high to begin with. I shop a lot at Trader Joe's and they try hard to keep their prices down. Maybe that helps, too.

I shop a lot at TJ's too...the dozen eggs I buy every week for $.99 was up to $1.49 this week. The milk is at $3 a gallon too, up from a few months ago.

I watch prices like a hawk, b/c I have too. I'm one of those annoying people who actually watches the grocery prices as they are scanned

Butter is back up to $3 a pound here Hate that with holiday baking right around the corner. Bread prices seem to be creeping up too.

Gas was just over $3 a gallon last week, no idea why -- I get really tired of the futures trading driving up the costs, I really wish there was something that could be done to stop them from driving up prices based on what some analysts "think might happen".

 

[Swimalie]

Wow, the cheapest I can find milk now is $3.29 a gallon. For a while a local store was selling it for $2.99 but their price went back up a while ago. Stop & Shop is running a sale this week, $2.50 a gallon for their store brand. Too bad you can't stock up on milk! I do plan to buy another gallon on Thursday before the sale ends so I at least get 2 weeks worth at that price.

Milk is one of the few things I wish I could stock up on. Even our small family of 3 goes through it a lot. I wish I could stock up on bananas, too. I eat 2 to 3 a day. Guess that makes me a . I make more trips to the store just for bananas. I so need a banana tree but they won't grow where I live

 

[C.Ann]

Yes, it is scary and depressing, C.Ann. Buy the stuff now, that you like and that won't expire too quickly.

Jut thought I'd give a heads up. I know there are nay sayers and they are welcome to their opinion. Mine happens to be different, based on numerous credible sources that say the food price increases are coming. So I'm stocking up. I watch the expiration dates and don't buy anything I wouldn't ordinarily eat or don't fancy.

I've been buying extras of all sorts of things. In case my dishwasher detergent gets too high, I've been stocking up on plain dish detergent from the dollar store. It'll get used and it won't go bad. But the price may go up, so I'm getting it now.

I've been shopping sales on food stuff too.

Well - as my mom would say - "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.." Might as well go ahead and prepare..

Over the summer my Dson-in-law would call up here every Thursday night to get my grocery list so he could pick up my items along with theirs (much, much cheaper down there) and then they would bring them up on Friday nights when they came for the weekend..

About midway through the summer I noticed that every week I was pretty much getting the same things over and over, but the prices kept creeping up.. They've been gone since the 3rd week of October and I haven't needed anything but milk now and then, so I can only imagine how much higher the prices have gone..

Can you imagine what this will do to people with families who are out of work - yet in that "gray" area where they don't quite qualify for food stamps?

 

[leadfootlevi]

Can you imagine what this will do to people with families who are out of work - yet in that "gray" area where they don't quite qualify for food stamps?

That's what I was thinking. Something's got to give. Health care is rising, food is rising, gas is rising. Where's my raise?!

 

[paysensmom]

Milk is one of the few things I wish I could stock up on. Even our small family of 3 goes through it a lot. I wish I could stock up on bananas, too. I eat 2 to 3 a day. Guess that makes me a . I make more trips to the store just for bananas. I so need a banana tree but they won't grow where I live

I am pretty sure that you CAN freeze milk

 

[hopeandtink]

Why can't you stock up on milk. I buy milk and freeze it all the time. I just open and pour a little off the top, replace the cap and throw it in the freezer. I thaw the milk in the sink for about 6 hours and it is ready to drink, just shake before pouring. I have 4 children and none of them can taste any differance and I aslo cook with it.

Milk is one of the few things I wish I could stock up on. Even our small family of 3 goes through it a lot. I wish I could stock up on bananas, too. I eat 2 to 3 a day. Guess that makes me a . I make more trips to the store just for bananas. I so need a banana tree but they won't grow where I live

 

[crusoe2]

Don't forget about powdered milk. It may not be the greatest option but it would do in a pinch.

 

[happygirl]

It's really scary how much stuff is going up. Our gas went up 4 cents over night

 

[sylvenmaid]

I agree some groceries are on the rise, but not to the point some have seen yet. Our milk has been pricey since Katrina and it's up to $4.50/gal and has been for awhile now. We had cut back, but my ds now has decided he loves it. It's much cheaper than almond milk which I was drinking but have quit. Dh is also drinking more, but we don't drink any soft drinks. So I would rather spend $4.xx for a gallon than $8+ for soft drinks. I noticed that a case is up to $8 at WM! So glad I don't drink them anymore.

I keep thinking I should do a winter garden since our temps don't get nearly as cold as many (deep south on the gulf coast). We hardly get any rain so not sure if I want to waste the seeds. I would love some fresh spinach, lettuce, kale, green onions, and broccoli. We don't eat any packaged foods anymore (just clean eating) and my bill has really dropped. I do splurge on one Fage greek yogurt each week and it's $6 a container! I'm tempted to look into making my own yogurt. It would probably be a lot cheaper. This is another reason why I want to raise my own chickens and have a milk goat. We have over an acre of land and it would be nice to have fresh eggs and my own milk. I could make yogurt, cheese, and maybe my own soap. DH refuses to let me have a beef cow. He says we don't have enough room and he's probably right. Then we would have to find someone to butcher it for us.

Luckily our ins rates didn't go up. I was so happy and my premiums went down a whole penny each week starting next year. I'll take it and just thankful b/c I was worried when they sent out a letter saying the costs went up b/c of the new reforms. They did something different and are charging by how many dependants you have. We are a family of 3 so I'm thinking that's why it didn't go up. Some of his co-workers with more kids did see an increase. DH finally got a raise this year after 2 years for a total of (drum roll please)............33 cents!!! I am grateful he got an increase and not a pink slip but still. It's hard to keep up with the massive inflation when your pay barely increases.

 

[crusoe2]

Have any of you tried the vacuum sealers for storing food? DH wants to buy one but they are not cheap and I've wondered how expensive they are to use. I'm worried the bags for them will make the whole process more expensive than it's worth.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Don't forget about powdered milk. It may not be the greatest option but it would do in a pinch.

I'm going to get some. Nice to have on hand.

 

[PatriciaH]

Our local grocery store is sooooo much cheaper than our Publix was in Florida so I am loving the grocery prices here in MA. They always were cheaper here though. We don't eat much meat. Eggs and dairy are pretty cheap here even for cage free and organic. I will stock up this week if I see some good sales. We just got a ton of paper and house goods so we are good on those for a while! I will get soup, flour, rice, beans, frozen and canned veggies, etc. this week if they are looking good- just in case. Our farmers market is great too. Lots of local farms. I was so happy to see it goes until 12/19!

 

[Ava]

Why can't you stock up on milk. I buy milk and freeze it all the time. I just open and pour a little off the top, replace the cap and throw it in the freezer. I thaw the milk in the sink for about 6 hours and it is ready to drink, just shake before pouring. I have 4 children and none of them can taste any differance and I aslo cook with it.

I don't have an extra freezer (or the space for one), only the one attached to my fridge. If I stockpiled gallons of milk it would take up the whole thing, lol.

 

[C.Ann]

I'm going to get some. Nice to have on hand.

No way I could use dry milk, but the one thing I am considering (since I bake so much) is buying powdered eggs.. Someone on the CB provided me with a link and if I remember correctly, even after they're opened they last practically forever..

I would only use them for baking (and other recipes) - some say they don't taste good as scrambled eggs - but no difference at all with baking and cooking recipes..

I should probably do that before they go sky high, huh?

No room to freeze/store milk (here or at DD's - where I go for the winter), but I only use evaporated can milk for my coffee (could stock pile that), drink lots of Boost for health reasons (that will probably go sky high too - and it's already quite pricey) - so "regular" milk I could get by without if I had to..

I think my Christmas budget just got a whole lot smaller..

Maybe I should buy everyone food for Christmas!!

 

[happygirl]

No way I could use dry milk, but the one thing I am considering (since I bake so much) is buying powdered eggs.. Someone on the CB provided me with a link and if I remember correctly, even after they're opened they last practically forever..

I would only use them for baking (and other recipes) - some say they don't taste good as scrambled eggs - but no difference at all with baking and cooking recipes..

I should probably do that before they go sky high, huh?

No room to freeze/store milk (here or at DD's - where I go for the winter), but I only use evaporated can milk for my coffee (could stock pile that), drink lots of Boost for health reasons (that will probably go sky high too - and it's already quite pricey) - so "regular" milk I could get by without if I had to..

I think my Christmas budget just got a whole lot smaller..

Maybe I should buy everyone food for Christmas!!

I have always wonder if powered eggs would be okay in reciepes

 

[nunzia]

You live in a dairy state (WI). Its not surprising that dairy products like milk and butter are cheap there. In PA we have a minimum price set by the state for milk. It applies across the board, even to school lunches! You cannot buy milk for less than the set price.
Perhaps you didnt get a pound of pre cooked bacon for that price. More than likely it was a package weighing closer to a couple of ounces.
The coffee price isnt too far off from what dunkin donuts is here in PA. For now. But if you pay any attention to the futures markets, you would know to expect the price of coffee to skyrocket while the size of the containers shrink. I dont buy into the whole "the sky is falling" hype but I dont think that its smart to ignore the warning signs either. We're in for a bumpy ride as the value of the dollar falls in worldwide markets. And it is expected to fall when qe2 is enacted in the spring or shortly before than in anticipation of the move.

This is pretty much how I feel. No, the sky is probably not falling, but there are warning signs aplenty and with our debt and the gov't buying it back the dollar will be in for a fall..how far is anyone's guess. I can only imagine that what we've been doing is totally unsustainable and what England and Greece are doing is in our future. I was an adult in the 70's and remember the lines and inflation. Our first house had the decent interest rate of 13%, so what we see as crazy now can change to a new normal pretty quickly. Being frugal and stocking up and being prepared is not a bad idea.

 

[nunzia]

Milk is one of the few things I wish I could stock up on. Even our small family of 3 goes through it a lot. I wish I could stock up on bananas, too. I eat 2 to 3 a day. Guess that makes me a . I make more trips to the store just for bananas. I so need a banana tree but they won't grow where I live

PS..you can stock up on milk..it freezes well. We do it all the time.
and I NEED my bacon...

 

[OceanAnnie]

No way I could use dry milk, but the one thing I am considering (since I bake so much) is buying powdered eggs.. Someone on the CB provided me with a link and if I remember correctly, even after they're opened they last practically forever..

I would only use them for baking (and other recipes) - some say they don't taste good as scrambled eggs - but no difference at all with baking and cooking recipes..

I should probably do that before they go sky high, huh?

No room to freeze/store milk (here or at DD's - where I go for the winter), but I only use evaporated can milk for my coffee (could stock pile that), drink lots of Boost for health reasons (that will probably go sky high too - and it's already quite pricey) - so "regular" milk I could get by without if I had to..

I think my Christmas budget just got a whole lot smaller..

Maybe I should buy everyone food for Christmas!!

I'm thinking I'll probably use the dry milk in cooking. I'm going to get the powdered eggs for cooking too. Just to stock up.