How are you handling rising food and energy costs?

[RamblingMad]

Since when?

Since the pandemic started, it's been hit or miss by me. My local Fry's is the same. Maybe it's regional, but I struggle to get consistent produce at my grocery stores.

 

[DCLMP]

Since the pandemic started, it's been hit or miss by me. My local Fry's is the same. Maybe it's regional, but I struggle to get consistent produce at my grocery stores.

Gee why do you think that is? It must be your great economy.

 

[Colleen27]

Since the pandemic started, it's been hit or miss by me. My local Fry's is the same. Maybe it's regional, but I struggle to get consistent produce at my grocery stores.

Produce is highly regional, even at the bigger chain supermarkets. Potatoes are plentiful here right now but almost all the potatoes you find in groceries in my area where grown in Michigan or Ontario, so adverse weather in Idaho wouldn't effect our supplies. Likewise, I doubt you see much impact on things like strawberries when Florida had a late freeze or apples when Michigan got ice storms during blossom season, since those things likely come from growers in California/Mexico and Washington at groceries in the west. When stores have to look outside their usual supply chain, not only are prices higher but quality suffers for the longer transport distances and availability can be spotty because the newcomer looking for a short term supply is lower priority than the ongoing relationships with other companies.

 

[mrodgers]

I don't get the angst over the cost of turkey. Compared to any other meat it's cheap. Even at 2 dollars a pound.

The cheap stuff is garbage. The good stuff is expensive, pretty much the same as ground beef which is expensive. It's a rather large chunk of money to put out.

Folks are too use to sub-par quality. I would rather pay the money for something good as I'm feeding my entire family for one fabulous meal. I don't know how people eat the Butterball and similar junk. Ham on Christmas and Easter as well.

 

[mrodgers]

I


Id cook turkeys more often, but that would take the fun out of Thanksgiving.

I use to love the Thanksgiving turkey meal. I grew up mostly Italian cooking. Then I got married and for every holiday or special day (birthdays and such) her family had turkey. I grew to really dislike it because it was no longer a special meal that came now and then.

 

[DLgal]

The cheap stuff is garbage. The good stuff is expensive, pretty much the same as ground beef which is expensive. It's a rather large chunk of money to put out.

Folks are too use to sub-par quality. I would rather pay the money for something good as I'm feeding my entire family for one fabulous meal. I don't know how people eat the Butterball and similar junk. Ham on Christmas and Easter as well.

Truth. Those cheap turkeys are about 10% chemical laden salt water anyway, which leads to mushy, gummy textured meat. Gross.

We buy a bone in, skin on breast from Whole Foods every year and I brine it myself. We usually get a 5 pounder, and it costs like $9/pound, but it tastes fantastic. The rest of the meal is dirt cheap to make so I splurge on the turkey. I also don't buy cheap ground beef. Grass fed is healthier for you so that's what we buy.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Weeeeeeeee

Someone passed this along to me. Too bad I don't have one of these nearby.

 

[disneyseniors]

I can tell you a great way to use up extra clementines: cake!!

I have a great easy adaptation recipe for Orange cake that's actually made with clementines. Use your favorite vanilla box cake mix, and for whatever liquid they direct, substitute 1 part Clementine juice and 1 part Buttermilk, and then add 1 tbsp of clementine zest. Frost it with cream cheese icing. Everyone I know loves this cake, and it normally takes the juice of about 6 clementines to make it.

Thank you so much for this recipe. I've been looking for Duncan Hines orange cake mix, but they don't carry it where I live.
Your recipe sounds great and I can't wait to try it.

 

[NotUrsula]

Thank you so much for this recipe. I've been looking for Duncan Hines orange cake mix, but they don't carry it where I live.
Your recipe sounds great and I can't wait to try it.

I tried it in just this situation; needed to use up some clementines, and it was a great discovery. For whatever reason, clementines create a much more orang-ey flavor than regular oranges. You can also use yellow cake mix, but orange-vanilla is one of my favorite flavors, so I prefer using vanilla.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Weeeeeeeee

Someone passed this along to me. Too bad I don't have one of these nearby.

View attachment 717643

Ha! Not only do I have several near me, but they just opened up a new one, so they're one of the stores that sent me "$10 off $50" coupons. Unfortunately, I never shop there, they're way overpriced. And I lost my rewards card years ago, and never bothered to replace it, so I'd have to get a new one.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Ha! Not only do I have several near me, but they just opened up a new one, so they're one of the stores that sent me "$10 off $50" coupons. Unfortunately, I never shop there, they're way overpriced. And I lost my rewards card years ago, and never bothered to replace it, so I'd have to get a new one.

They're the hoity toity Kroger. HAHA.

 

[RamblingMad]

The cheap stuff is garbage. The good stuff is expensive, pretty much the same as ground beef which is expensive. It's a rather large chunk of money to put out.

Folks are too use to sub-par quality. I would rather pay the money for something good as I'm feeding my entire family for one fabulous meal. I don't know how people eat the Butterball and similar junk. Ham on Christmas and Easter as well.

If I really want to switch it up, I'd go for duck instead.

 

[barkley]

If I really want to switch it up, I'd go for duck instead.

wabbit season

 

[mrodgers]

Truth. Those cheap turkeys are about 10% chemical laden salt water anyway, which leads to mushy, gummy textured meat. Gross.

We buy a bone in, skin on breast from Whole Foods every year and I brine it myself. We usually get a 5 pounder, and it costs like $9/pound, but it tastes fantastic. The rest of the meal is dirt cheap to make so I splurge on the turkey. I also don't buy cheap ground beef. Grass fed is healthier for you so that's what we buy.

It's difficult to eat beef from any store as I still get beef from my ex father-in-law. The ex use to send it with my girls, but we're on a good page between us and she just calls me and I come grocery shop in her freezer, LOL. The stuff farmed in a manufacturing way is disgusting from meats to produce.

 

[QueenIsabella]

They're the hoity toity Kroger. HAHA.

I've never been to a Kroger. I find Harris-Teeter confusing--they don't send out flyers, and when you check their website for weekly ads, they're in list form, versus flyer form, and I find them tough to browse for specials that interest me. There's one across from the high school that the kids call "The Teet".

We do have Food Lion, which is my go-to (after Walmart, Aldi's and Lidl). Food Lion has the same parent company as Hannaford, which was where I did some shopping when I lived in the northeast. It was great when I first moved here--it was an 800 mile move, so there was a lot of unfamiliarity, and seeing the same store brands helped my adjustment.

 

[AndreaDM]

I was curious what the turkey prices were here (NE Ohio) and as luck would have it, I got all of the sale fliers yesterday. Giant Eagle as their brand for $.49 a pound, that's the lowest I've seen, they are selling Butterball for $1.99 a pound. I will probably just get a breast, I think there will be only 6 of us and 2 of those are 3 and 5 years old.

Years ago we lived in a town where the local paper gave away all these turkeys, one per business that participated. My daughter and I made it a game to clip out every entry form from the paper, fill them out and then drive around depositing them into the boxes in the stores. I think we won one 3 years in a row. I could afford a turkey, but she looked forward to helping and would tell everyone that SHE won a turkey for the family, it was so cute.

 

[Christine]

I've never been to a Kroger. I find Harris-Teeter confusing--they don't send out flyers, and when you check their website for weekly ads, they're in list form, versus flyer form, and I find them tough to browse for specials that interest me. There's one across from the high school that the kids call "The Teet".

We do have Food Lion, which is my go-to (after Walmart, Aldi's and Lidl). Food Lion has the same parent company as Hannaford, which was where I did some shopping when I lived in the northeast. It was great when I first moved here--it was an 800 mile move, so there was a lot of unfamiliarity, and seeing the same store brands helped my adjustment.

As to the Harris Teeter weekly ads--you can view them in circular form. I've done it right here: https://www.harristeeter.com/weeklyad

I also don't get their circulars in the mail because I live about 8 miles from one. Apparently that's too far. My coworker gets the weekly ad though.

 

[QueenIsabella]

As to the Harris Teeter weekly ads--you can view them in circular form. I've done it right here: https://www.harristeeter.com/weeklyad

I also don't get their circulars in the mail because I live about 8 miles from one. Apparently that's too far. My coworker gets the weekly ad though.

I actually tried today, and got the circular versus the list. I have no idea what I did differently, I've tried periodically for years. In any event, I will be cherry-picking some specials there tomorrow, and I just got another "$10 off $50" coupon in the mail today (for next week).

 

[Christine]

I actually tried today, and got the circular versus the list. I have no idea what I did differently, I've tried periodically for years. In any event, I will be cherry-picking some specials there tomorrow, and I just got another "$10 off $50" coupon in the mail today (for next week).

It's like you have to go through the big circle below the turkey ad versus the link they have on top for weekly savings. I know what you mean about that, I've gone in one way and never get the option for the circular.

I shop at HT about once a month to just pick up the loss leaders. One of my favorite types of jarred spaghetti is Rao's. It's very expensive normally, in every store, but HT is the only one who puts it on sale about once a month. Granted, the sale is running about a $1 a jar higher than 2 years ago but I like it and use it. So I'll be going tomorrow.

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

I have not changed the way I shop, but there's just DH & I. We never really had snack foods in the house and I'm sure that is a category where stuff has really increased. For years each week when I make out the list for the week I look over the flyer to help me decide what to make for dinner. Avocados are really cheap, well then we're having tacos one night and I'll make guac. Tenderloin is on sale, we'll grill it up in the summer or stir fry it in the winter. But there's not enough on sale to plan the entire weeks worth of meals on ads so we still have what we have a taste for.

We also hate running around and doing errands or shopping in general. I am only in the office 2 days a week so I grocery shop on the way home from work one day so I don't have to run back out. Not necessarily for the gas savings, more the fact I don't want to leave the house to grocery shop.

I also feel very fortunate it is not a struggle for us, I'll be buying some extra toys this year for the toy drive to do my part in helping others.