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

[Pixiedust34]

I've noticed that grocery prices, especially on dairy products, seem to be increasing quickly.

As a previous poster stated, Target has some pretty good food sales this week so I'm hoping to get there to get some Thanksgiving food (5 lb. potatoes for $1.99, Stove Top Stuffing, etc.) and to stock up on canned veggies, etc. If butter and cheese are on sale, I hope to stock up on that too.

I bought a turkey last week for 49 cents/lb. and will buy another one for Christmas this week. We freeze leftover meat in well wrapped batches and make turkey noodle or rice casseroles, turkey salad, turkey and dumplings, turkey enchiladas, turkey pot pie, etc. for a while and that's a great way to stretch a meal budget.

I've also noticed gas prices creeping up nearly every time we fill the tank.

 

[j's m]

If coffee cans get any smaller, they'll be single serving size!

And I still don't understand the cost of bacon, regular pork has not gone up anywhere near that. Shoprite did have it on sale last week for $ 2.50. When we've run out of our stockpile of bacon/scrapple/pork roll, my DH complains, but I refuse to pay their regular prices but junk meat.

Smaller packaging has been my biggest complaint. They make it look like the same size, but it isn't. When you grab when you're quickly shopping, it's hard to check sizes. Sugar now 4 lbs, cranberry sauce last year went to 12 ozs, cereal all air.

I'm a couponer and stockpiler. I have certain price points that I won't go above, but I'm going to have to move up the prices. When I buy a lot of one thing, DH and DS look at it and say, " One sale, with a coupon"

 

[disneychic2]

A friend told me a couple of days ago that Fox news had a segment on some individual who has a mission in life to bankrupt USA. I don't know much about it or him, where he gets his power etc., but she said Fox was saying a Hershey bar would cost $70. That's the only example I remember, but it was all about food prices being impossibly high. I dismissed the whole thing, but after reading these posts, it doesn't sound so far fetched.

 

[SaraJayne]

I haven't seen an increase in any grocery products. Gas, yes. Grocery, no.

I just went grocery shopping yesterday and paid $1.98 for a pound of butter, $2.25 for a gallon of milk and $2.99 for a pound of pre-cooked bacon.

A bag of Dunkin Donuts coffee (ground) was $6.25, regular price.

I'm just not seeing yet what everyone else is talking about in this thread.

 

[SaraJayne]

And I would encourage everyone to do their research on exactly what the NIA is before they buy into the fear-mongering.

 

[Pixiedust34]

I haven't seen an increase in any grocery products. Gas, yes. Grocery, no.

I just went grocery shopping yesterday and paid $1.98 for a pound of butter, $2.25 for a gallon of milk and $2.99 for a pound of pre-cooked bacon.

A bag of Dunkin Donuts coffee (ground) was $6.25, regular price.

I'm just not seeing yet what everyone else is talking about in this thread.

I think some areas have a higher cost of living (homes, gas, food) than others. Perhaps some of the price increases mentioned in this thread are regional.

I'd be thrilled to find butter at $2.00 (Target has it for $2.25 this week and I'm buying several because it's been a while since I've seen it that low, plus we use a lot for holiday baking) and milk for only $2.25. I don't buy bacon often, so I have no idea what the usual price for that is. I know that dh had to buy flavored coffee for a work function last week (he forgot until the last minute, so we didn't shop around or wait for a sale) and paid $7+ for Dunkin Donuts coffee. Prices can vary depending upon where you live.

 

[Ava]

Watch for cotton goods to possibly go up a lot too if they haven't already. I read that weather and other issues have caused cotton itself to become quite a bit more expensive and while some middlemen and retailers hope to absorb a lot of the increase, they won't necessarily be able to handle all of it.

This is definitely happening. I work in product development for a retailer & we are seeing steep increases in the price of cotton goods.

 

[crusoe2]

A friend told me a couple of days ago that Fox news had a segment on some individual who has a mission in life to bankrupt USA. I don't know much about it or him, where he gets his power etc., but she said Fox was saying a Hershey bar would cost $70. That's the only example I remember, but it was all about food prices being impossibly high. I dismissed the whole thing, but after reading these posts, it doesn't sound so far fetched.

Most likely they were talking about George Soros. He has been associated with the downfall of currencies in other countries and some believe he deliberately manipulates the markets to profit when that happens. Opinions of him vary widely tho - some praise him as being quite a philanthropist. I don't know which, if either, is true. The outrageous prices probably came from a report from the National Inflation Association. After doing a little research on this group, I will take anything they say with a grain of salt (or ten). But I am seeing prices go up here and it's starting to look like prices of maybe a fifth or quarter of what the NIA predicted might not be unrealistic. I'm not in panic mode but I've been thinking about the economy of the 70's and how my parents dealt with it and we're kind of using that as a model for how to prepare and cope. We're stocking up where we can and planning a garden for next spring as well as some other money-saving measures like breaking my sewing machine out of mothballs so that I can make more of mine and DD's clothes if need be.

ETA - I just realized that my post could send this thread off in a political discussion and that was honestly not my intent. At any rate, I'm not sure it matters anymore who is responsible for getting our economy into this mess - we just need to continue sharing information and ideas on how to cope.

 

[rszdtrvl]

I told DH yesterday that I had to go to the store because of store and manufacturer coupons on stuff we use!

On Saturday, I spent $5 for a sale pack of bacon. By using store coupons (Safeway) I got 4 pounds of bacon for $12 - the good Oscar Mayer bacon. I got a box of Ritz crackers for $.88, by using a store sale plus mfr. coupon. I got a bag of Starbucks coffee for $3.99 by using a store coupon plus mfr. coupon.

I told him that I HAVE to start couponing again! I was couponing years ago, but now with a budget and food prices, it is a must! I just need to make sure that I don't buy massive amounts of stuff that we won't eat because "it was a good deal", as was the reason I stopped couponing.

I did get 2 turkeys - $5.xx each - by going to 2 different stores and doing the turkey deal (purchase xxx amount of groceries, pay $.27/pound). We are hosting Thanksgiving this year, so I have been buying meal items for the past month.

 

[iheartnmr's]

Mwstar seems to be a buyer in the business so I would expect they have a pretty good grasp on what is to come.

ANd yes, regional differences make a huge difference in cost of living/food prices. I happen to live in one of the cheapest areas of the country for food costs so I don't expect to see appreciable increases but a couple hours north, they certainly will.

 

[Disneycrazymom]

I think we will experience inflation similar to the 70's. I was a teen but I remember gas lines and my parents talking about prices. For my family we are preparing by cutting back and thinking about our spending habits but I don't think we will see $70 coffee and chocolate. I hope not at least! Inflation and paying back all this debt will change our economy and cash flow for at least the next 4 - 5 years IMHO. The key to coming through ok is to plan and spend wisely.

 

[paysensmom]

A friend told me a couple of days ago that Fox news had a segment on some individual who has a mission in life to bankrupt USA. I don't know much about it or him, where he gets his power etc., but she said Fox was saying a Hershey bar would cost $70. That's the only example I remember, but it was all about food prices being impossibly high. I dismissed the whole thing, but after reading these posts, it doesn't sound so far fetched.

Nevermind.... too close to politics...

 

[leadfootlevi]

The show on Fox is Glenn Beck. He mentioned canybars going to 17 dollars, the $70 was for the small can of coffee!!! I believe a lot of what he says on that show. He has a lot of people that work behind the scenes doing research and he always says, "dont take my word for it, do your own homework" Scary times.... I just pray he isn't right.

So I'll have to do without candy bars and coffee? I have been through worse...

How about they talk about the price of things we CANNOT live without? Flour, milk, etc? Those prices are projected to go nearly as high, so they don't report on those, they sell fear.

 

[Planogirl]

I doubt that a candy bar will ever cost $17. Manufacturers can only charge what the market will bear and I don't think that too many people will spend that kind of money.

Prices are definitely going up here though and it's on the weirdest items. Onions have gotten very expensive for example. I don't get that one.

 

[Marionnette]

I haven't seen an increase in any grocery products. Gas, yes. Grocery, no.

I just went grocery shopping yesterday and paid $1.98 for a pound of butter, $2.25 for a gallon of milk and $2.99 for a pound of pre-cooked bacon.

A bag of Dunkin Donuts coffee (ground) was $6.25, regular price.

I'm just not seeing yet what everyone else is talking about in this thread.

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.

 

[Marionnette]

So I'll have to do without candy bars and coffee? I have been through worse...

How about they talk about the price of things we CANNOT live without? Flour, milk, etc? Those prices are projected to go nearly as high, so they don't report on those, they sell fear.

He also mentioned that a loaf of bread would be well over twenty dollars. It wasn't all snack foods and beverages in his analysis.

 

[C.Ann]

Well this is a scary and depressing thread.. Appreciate the info though..

There are certain food/beverage items that I need (for health reasons), so I can't afford to take chances.. I guess I better start stocking up.. Fortunately they are all items that won't spoil and/or I can freeze them..

 

[crusoe2]

So I'll have to do without candy bars and coffee? I have been through worse...

How about they talk about the price of things we CANNOT live without? Flour, milk, etc? Those prices are projected to go nearly as high, so they don't report on those, they sell fear.

Here is a link to the report -- http://inflation.us/foodpriceprojections.pdf --
and it does touch on some things that might be considered more of a necessity - bread and cotton tee shirts for example. But let me reiterate that I take this report with a huge grain of salt. I believe that prices will rise but this group seems more interested in pushing stocks than in giving any advice that I deem to be truly practical. Also, when I did a search on this group, I got hits that indicated that they were involved in something called a "pump and dump" stock scam. I wasn't able to research that any further because the links all seemed to lead to what my DS tells me are "rabbit holes" - links that go nowhere.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Well this is a scary and depressing thread.. Appreciate the info though..

There are certain food/beverage items that I need (for health reasons), so I can't afford to take chances.. I guess I better start stocking up.. Fortunately they are all items that won't spoil and/or I can freeze them..

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.

 

[Swimalie]

You live in a dairy state (WI). Its not surprising that dairy products like milk and butter are cheap there.

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.