Price of Groceries

TheFinalThird

I remember being 14-15 years old back in the Dark Ages (mid-1970's). My father would take me grocery shopping so that I could help carry bags of groceries into our apartment. I grew up with five siblings, so he bought groceries for 8 people. And we were poor. So saving money mattered.

One thing I remember the most is him telling me, "if you can get groceries for $10 per bag, before discounts, coupons and mail-in rebates, you're doing well." My dad was one of the most feared shoppers in a fifteen mile radius of the Rockaway peninsula. Check-out ladies and grocery store managers alike cowered in fear when my father would make his way through the store with his neatly organized notebook of grocery ads (for price matching), coupons, proofs of purchase, and rebate forms. After a really good day of couponing (we're talking double and triple off, and free items, here), my dad could LEGALLY leave a grocery store with 8-10 bags of groceries for $10-15. And not the crazy stuff that most people don't need or use. We're talking toothpaste, soap, canned goods, frozen foods, etc. etc. etc.

A few days ago, my wife and 13 year old son went grocery shopping. Admittedly, it was at a pricey grocery store. Admittedly, we bought sushi, wine, imported cheese, some really high quality imported produce and some prepared foods from the hot deli. We spent $117.48 on three bags of groceries. That was an average of over $39 per bag.

During the drive home, three thoughts came to mind.

First, I'm glad that my dad is no longer around to see what has happened to grocery prices. If he saw the receipt for our trip to the grocery store, surely it would have killed him.

Second, I am eternally grateful that my parents emphasized the value of education and hard work as a means to escape crushing poverty. It is only through their patient (and sometimes not so patient) guidance that five out of six of their children obtained college degrees, and four of those obtained post-graduate degrees. We have all given back (particularly, my sister the cardiologist, and my other sister, the dietician) in exchange for the opportunities we were provided.

Third, I worry about the future of our country. I was a beneficiary of the "war on poverty" in the 1960's and 1970's. It is only because of social security, food stamps, subsidized housing, financial aid, and, yes, at times, welfare, that I was able to put myself in a position to escape a federally funded housing project and now spend 40% of my otherwise billable time giving back to society through pro bono activities. With each passing year, our nation becomes more polarized. The rich become richer and the poor become poorer. The escape routes from poverty become less and less with each passing session of Congress. If it hadn't been for social programs three and four decades ago, my own son might not be the cancer researcher that he is today. The same for my other son who is a high school mathematics teacher. I wonder what I might have done... what might have become of me... if the combination of social programs and my hard work had not afforded me a legal and socially acceptable way out of poverty. And, perhaps, more important, what will happen to today and tomorrow's youth if they see that the top 10% and 1% have "pulled up the ladder" and made the Horatio Alger stories that our parents and grandparents grew up with all but impossible to achieve.

I hope we realize what is at stake before it becomes too late to change the inevitable results of the path we find ourselves on today.

HelenDootson

Sadly not just a problem on your side of the Atlantic, happening here too . Let us hope that there are enough people that care so the lessons of the past are not forgotten

JoRocka

I usually can get what I need for 1.5 peoples (I eat and I sort of feed my roommate) for a week at 40-70$

I can do less than that but i don't like to. I'm a grown *kitten* adult and I hate the idea of skimping just because. If I want ice cream- I work- I have a job- I pay my bills. therefor I get ice cream.

but that being said- i can function of beans and rice and eggs and bacon fairly well for several months. And it's cheap.

But yeah- when I go to Wegmans... GAH. it's always 50+ bucks and I never walk out with more than 2 bags. normally for my week it's 4- and it's at most 70/75.

happysherri

Yes, I remember when my mom used to feed all of us with hamburger helper. We ate hamburger a lot because it was cheaper. Uhm, now I go and even the fatty 70% lean ground beef is expensive! Groceries are crazy. Luckily since it's mostly just me and sometimes I'll cook for my boyfriend. I can go and get a bag of frozen chicken, eggs, bread and lettuce and have breakfast, lunch and dinners for a week sometimes a week and half.

My mom and dad taught me to be frugal with money and honest, very honest. However, they didn't push college, because my father had a job from young until he retired and thought it was just spending money you didn't have to. So, unfortunately the college thing wasn't stressed in our family.

iechick

You can still get a bag full of groceries for around $10 at stores like Save a Lot and Aldis. Or look into local options like farmers markets and small farms/orchards that sell to the public. This summer I would walk out of the farmers market with three bags for around $13. Yesterday I bought two grocery store sized plastic bags of apples from a local orchard (so heavy she had to double bag them), for a total of $6. The good prices are still out there, you just have to find them

eta-this is true for meat as well-look into local options (craigs list is a great place to start)-we can get local, grass fed beef for $2.50lb (that's including processing fees). That includes steaks :bigsmile:

We're a family of five and our weekly grocery budget is $90. This also includes food for three packed school lunches five days a week as well as things like tp, shampoo etc.

glitterstreet

Well, from the outside looking in (I am not an American) and living in a country where there is free health care, welfare, interest free student loans etc I feel really sorry for the poor in America, the so called "greatest country" on planet earth. I could go on a rant but I am not going to. I think apathy is the problem. Americans need to revolt because it is just going to get worse and worse and before you know it, America will be almost feudalistic.

If I was an American, and having given the same circumstances I found myself in growing up I would have never had had the opportunity to be studying law at an elite university as I am now and that makes me feel really uneasy.

HollisGrant

Great topic. Since April of this year, I've spent about $100 a month on groceries for one person, or about $25 a week. I don't cut coupons and I'm not going out of my way to save money. I eat a simple diet of brown rice, dried beans - mostly lentils - for protein (one cup of lentils has the protein of 3 eggs), steel cut oats that I order online for a discount, and loads of fresh vegetables. I eat an apple when I want something sweet. Other people might not like this type of food, which is fine, but it works for me.

frommetobetterme

I remember being 14-15 years old back in the Dark Ages (mid-1970's). My father would take me grocery shopping so that I could help carry bags of groceries into our apartment. I grew up with five siblings, so he bought groceries for 8 people. And we were poor. So saving money mattered.

One thing I remember the most is him telling me, "if you can get groceries for $10 per bag, before discounts, coupons and mail-in rebates, you're doing well." My dad was one of the most feared shoppers in a fifteen mile radius of the Rockaway peninsula. Check-out ladies and grocery store managers alike cowered in fear when my father would make his way through the store with his neatly organized notebook of grocery ads (for price matching), coupons, proofs of purchase, and rebate forms. After a really good day of couponing (we're talking double and triple off, and free items, here), my dad could LEGALLY leave a grocery store with 8-10 bags of groceries for $10-15. And not the crazy stuff that most people don't need or use. We're talking toothpaste, soap, canned goods, frozen foods, etc. etc. etc.

A few days ago, my wife and 13 year old son went grocery shopping. Admittedly, it was at a pricey grocery store. Admittedly, we bought sushi, wine, imported cheese, some really high quality imported produce and some prepared foods from the hot deli. We spent $117.48 on three bags of groceries. That was an average of over $39 per bag.

During the drive home, three thoughts came to mind.

First, I'm glad that my dad is no longer around to see what has happened to grocery prices. If he saw the receipt for our trip to the grocery store, surely it would have killed him....

Not taking into consideration your social commentary on getting out of poverty, and the benefits of social programs here. I'm just going to address the issue about people complaining about the cost of food.

1. Your dad might not have been appalled by the price of food, but on how you spent your money on 'fancy' foods that are not necessary or that you most likely be able to make cheaper at home.

2. If you really want to compare the price of food, you would have to take into consideration the value of money (i.e. inflation and $ from 70's vs $ from today).

3. Sounds like you live in the US , couponing is still alive and well, and you might not be able to get quite the same amount as your dad did, but you could probably come close. In Canada, couponing is a joke, honestly not really worth the time (IMO), and sales are pretty much the only thing worth watching (some coupons are worth the trouble, but not most as we can't use them on more than one item or stack them like in the US)

4. You sound like you are fortunate enough to purchase expensive fancy foods. You cannot compare 'fancy' shopping to 'normal' shopping. For your 119$USD.. I did $90CAN worth of groceries the other day, it was 2 bags worth, + 2 milk bags (bags of 3 pouches) but those were the big reusable bags, so more like 4-5 regular bags + milk, so really 7 regular shopping bags. I got a roast (big enough for leftovers), pork chops (family pack of 8, enough for two meals), 2 bags of milk (1% and homo), and some fruit (we had plenty of veggies at home. For the extra $30 you spent, , I could have bought all the veggies we needed, plus the rotissery chicken that is on sale on Tuesdays for $8 (cheaper than making your own as an uncooked chicken of the same size here is $13). US food is generally cheaper than into Canada, for your $120, I get for over a week (for a family of 2 adult, a 7 and a 2 yo). Not knowing the size of your fathers grocery bags and assuming they are similar in size than the plastic bags from the grocery store, I spend about the same amount per bag that your father did. Even if I had paid a bit more, it's still not enough IMO to blame the food industry for the nations money woes.


Now for social issues.

Yes, some people are genuinely poor, I won't take that away from them. But if I wanted to complain about 'what society is becoming' I would concentrate more about the price of housing and on how people now consider tons of electronic gadgets necessities and spend money on that instead of on the 'real' necessities. I have many times heard people on public transportation complaining about not having money for groceries while they were talking on their cell phones, wore expensive brand clothing (that didn't look second hand) and had just finished smoking a cigarette. Consumerism is often the big issue of why people don't have money, not the lack of social funding from governments. But again that is my opinion. People who complain about having no money while spending frivolously are a big pet peeve of mine.

brraanndi

When I moved to Los Angeles and saw the grocery prices I wanted to cry.

There are so many different grocery store chains and alot of them were pricey. I spent some time looking for the hispanic supermarkets and started hitting up the 99 cent stores and it saved me alot. Years later I'm still bitter I have to go to multiple places if I want to get a decent price on things.

Coming from Texas, I just really miss HEB, everything was a totally acceptable price there.

Fullsterkur_woman

If I was an American, and having given the same circumstances I found myself in growing up I would have never had had the opportunity to be studying law at an elite university as I am now and that makes me feel really uneasy.

I just wanted to give you the other side of the coin. My husband and I both grew up poor (though we did have the benefit of government cheese, school lunches, and sometimes WIC food stamps) and in dysfunctional, abusive homes and both of us managed to achieve a college education. I was the first four-year degree in my family apart from possibly a great uncle. It was made possible by student loans (no scholarships/grants) and working most of the time, and also my husband went into the service, so he got the education benefits from that, which enabled him to attend a fairly prestigious law school here as well. We're both in public service, so we're not raking in the dough, but we could if we wanted to. Our younger siblings had the same opportunities if not more, and most of them are far less stable than we are. At some point, the burden falls on the individual to make something of him or herself with the opportunities given.

I think that the level of public assistance that was available in the 1970s and early 80s is adequate to prevent people who are willing to work hard from falling through the cracks.

I never went to bed hungry, and I don't think anybody really has to do that today either.

Fullsterkur_woman

people now consider tons of electronic gadgets necessities and spend money on that instead of on the 'real' necessities. I have many times heard people on public transportation complaining about not having money for groceries while they were talking on their cell phones, wore expensive brand clothing (that didn't look second hand) and had just finished smoking a cigarette. Consumerism is often the big issue of why people don't have money, not the lack of social funding from governments. But again that is my opinion. People who complain about having no money while spending frivolously are a big pet peeve of mine.

It's this... a pet peeve of mine since I was old enough to ride the bus to a part-time job back in high school, when it was beepers, not cell phones.

seltzermint555

My fiancé and I are among the college-educated underemployed poor. We do not qualify for any govt assistance and we don't need it. We choose a childfree life. We have insurance, fortunately. We don't have smartphones or e-readers or tablets. We each own a laptop and basic mobile phone. Our groceries come from Aldi and a handful of things from the "regular" supermarket or Asian food market. We eat well on less than $200 per month (often FAR less than that). We don't have cable or satellite and we rarely turn our TV on. Books & movies are accessed freely online, from the library, or at our local recycling center where we volunteer. We cut our own hair and buy secondhand clothing - and both get lots of compliments on our appearance, too. We exercise at home and outdoors, not in an expensive gym. Our bills are paid early every single month. It's not a problem for us to drive our older, paid for vehicles to interesting museums and other events every weekend and we have a great lifestyle IMO. We barely make over minimum wage, but we have $0 in debt.

I don't say these things to brag. But we have sooooo many friends & family who cannot "survive" on TWICE our household income and in our area, with a low COL, that's ridiculous to me.

seltzermint555

You can still get a bag full of groceries for around $10 at stores like Save a Lot and Aldis. Or look into local options like farmers markets and small farms/orchards that sell to the public. This summer I would walk out of the farmers market with three bags for around $13. Yesterday I bought two grocery store sized plastic bags of apples from a local orchard (so heavy she had to double bag them), for a total of $6. The good prices are still out there, you just have to find them

eta-this is true for meat as well-look into local options (craigs list is a great place to start)-we can get local, grass fed beef for $2.50lb (that's including processing fees). That includes steaks :bigsmile:

We're a family of five and our weekly grocery budget is $90. This also includes food for three packed school lunches five days a week as well as things like tp, shampoo etc.

I love Aldi. I know I already mentioned it in my response too, but yeah...I usually fill four reusable cloth bags for $50-70, and we're talking about LARGE bags filled to the brim with 2 weeks worth of food.

frommetobetterme

If I was an American, and having given the same circumstances I found myself in growing up I would have never had had the opportunity to be studying law at an elite university as I am now and that makes me feel really uneasy.

I just wanted to give you the other side of the coin. My husband and I both grew up poor (though we did have the benefit of government cheese, school lunches, and sometimes WIC food stamps) and in dysfunctional, abusive homes and both of us managed to achieve a college education. I was the first four-year degree in my family apart from possibly a great uncle. It was made possible by student loans (no scholarships/grants) and working most of the time, and also my husband went into the service, so he got the education benefits from that, which enabled him to attend a fairly prestigious law school here as well. We're both in public service, so we're not raking in the dough, but we could if we wanted to. Our younger siblings had the same opportunities if not more, and most of them are far less stable than we are. At some point, the burden falls on the individual to make something of him or herself with the opportunities given.

I think that the level of public assistance that was available in the 1970s and early 80s is adequate to prevent people who are willing to work hard from falling through the cracks.

I never went to bed hungry, and I don't think anybody really has to do that today either.

Exactly, grants and free education aren't the only way. it makes things easier, I think it also promotes people who go do studies and then goof around and waste everyone's money. I didn't grow up in a poor family. We did go on social assistance for a while when my father got laid off and had trouble finding work, but overall we grew up in lower middle class, not living beyond our means. I also did my schooling with student loans, and so did my husband. I worked 2-3 jobs at a time while going to school and living in an apartment because there were no post secondary institutions close to where I lived. Living as a 'poor' student thought me to be resourceful and that you get what you work for. We're still paying our loans back (10 years after finishing, but almost done!), but I believe that our studies were an investment, so that's ok... it's why I have the salary I have today.

Education in the US is more expensive than in Canada, but there are also more scholarships/grants available there than in Canada where a portion of our post secondary system is publicly funded. So in the end, it might be more difficult to get an education if you're poor, but it's not impossible.

frommetobetterme

My fiancé and I are among the college-educated underemployed poor. We do not qualify for any govt assistance and we don't need it. We choose a childfree life. We have insurance, fortunately. We don't have smartphones or e-readers or tablets. We each own a laptop and basic mobile phone. Our groceries come from Aldi and a handful of things from the "regular" supermarket or Asian food market. We eat well on less than $200 per month (often FAR less than that). We don't have cable or satellite and we rarely turn our TV on. Books & movies are accessed freely online, from the library, or at our local recycling center where we volunteer. We cut our own hair and buy secondhand clothing - and both get lots of compliments on our appearance, too. We exercise at home and outdoors, not in an expensive gym. Our bills are paid early every single month. It's not a problem for us to drive our older, paid for vehicles to interesting museums and other events every weekend and we have a great lifestyle IMO. We barely make over minimum wage, but we have $0 in debt.

I don't say these things to brag. But we have sooooo many friends & family who cannot "survive" on TWICE our household income and in our area, with a low COL, that's ridiculous to me.

Exactly, people want more gadgets, bigger homes... we're not poorer than our parents/grand-parents, most of us just tend to spend more than we NEED to. I admit, we have a mortgage and lots of payments and sometimes are over our heads, but I refuse to complain about it, it's a lifestyle chose we make. When things get tough, we cut back on the extras. It's not a big sacrifice and it keeps us accountable and teaches our children that you can live without many things that people think are necessities (i.e. gadgets and movie outings, take out food, etc)

seltzermint555

My fiancé and I are among the college-educated underemployed poor. We do not qualify for any govt assistance and we don't need it. We choose a childfree life. We have insurance, fortunately. We don't have smartphones or e-readers or tablets. We each own a laptop and basic mobile phone. Our groceries come from Aldi and a handful of things from the "regular" supermarket or Asian food market. We eat well on less than $200 per month (often FAR less than that). We don't have cable or satellite and we rarely turn our TV on. Books & movies are accessed freely online, from the library, or at our local recycling center where we volunteer. We cut our own hair and buy secondhand clothing - and both get lots of compliments on our appearance, too. We exercise at home and outdoors, not in an expensive gym. Our bills are paid early every single month. It's not a problem for us to drive our older, paid for vehicles to interesting museums and other events every weekend and we have a great lifestyle IMO. We barely make over minimum wage, but we have $0 in debt.

I don't say these things to brag. But we have sooooo many friends & family who cannot "survive" on TWICE our household income and in our area, with a low COL, that's ridiculous to me.

Exactly, people want more gadgets, bigger homes... we're not poorer than our parents/grand-parents, most of us just tend to spend more than we NEED to. I admit, we have a mortgage and lots of payments and sometimes are over our heads, but I refuse to complain about it, it's a lifestyle chose we make. When things get tough, we cut back on the extras. It's not a big sacrifice and it keeps us accountable and teaches our children that you can live without many things that people think are necessities (i.e. gadgets and movie outings, take out food, etc)

Exactly! Oh, and I'll clarify that no debt doesn't mean we own a home mortgage-free ;-) I owned homes in the past, and they were affordable, and wound up selling after my divorce and opted not to buy again. We might someday, but for now it's really nice renting a duplex that includes maintenance and is in a great walkable neighborhood, but very low priced.

frommetobetterme

To me, renting may or may not be as good as owning depending on what you want. Where I am, we have a semi-detached house and even factoring in all the expenses, it's about the same cost to own than to rent, especially if you want a yard. It's more work, but to us it was worth it (though I do miss having less maintenance from our condo sometimes). We did the apartment thing with a high energy child. When the second once came around, we chose (not needed) to move somewhere where they could run more freely. If rent was cheaper by a more significant amount, we might have made different choices in our accommodations.

JoRocka

I love Aldi. I know I already mentioned it in my response too, but yeah...I usually fill four reusable cloth bags for $50-70, and we're talking about LARGE bags filled to the brim with 2 weeks worth of food.

I really dislike Aldi's. I can't stand their product or their meat. it's usually really sketchy looking.

I'm not wildly picky about my food- organic grass fed pesticides whatever- but I don't want stuff that look sketchy- OR has a life in my house of 2 days. I only want to go once a week for product and 9/10 it's not edible in 3 days. unaccpetable.

that and they have a crap ton of processed food that is just icky- like mac and cheese stuff- I don't like that what so ever.
sometimes spending a little extra is worth it to me- and getting food that looks edible and will last the week out- that's one of those things. I'm all about a good deal- and I do well for myself I have a system... but I found that I'm not willing to skimp on certain things.

iechick

My fiancé and I are among the college-educated underemployed poor. We do not qualify for any govt assistance and we don't need it. We choose a childfree life. We have insurance, fortunately. We don't have smartphones or e-readers or tablets. We each own a laptop and basic mobile phone. Our groceries come from Aldi and a handful of things from the "regular" supermarket or Asian food market. We eat well on less than $200 per month (often FAR less than that). We don't have cable or satellite and we rarely turn our TV on. Books & movies are accessed freely online, from the library, or at our local recycling center where we volunteer. We cut our own hair and buy secondhand clothing - and both get lots of compliments on our appearance, too. We exercise at home and outdoors, not in an expensive gym. Our bills are paid early every single month. It's not a problem for us to drive our older, paid for vehicles to interesting museums and other events every weekend and we have a great lifestyle IMO. We barely make over minimum wage, but we have $0 in debt.

I don't say these things to brag. But we have sooooo many friends & family who cannot "survive" on TWICE our household income and in our area, with a low COL, that's ridiculous to me.

I think your my soul mate :laugh: Though I do have a smart phone-we're piggy backing off of my in-laws family plan and it's $40 a month, including the data package :bigsmile:

iechick

I love Aldi. I know I already mentioned it in my response too, but yeah...I usually fill four reusable cloth bags for $50-70, and we're talking about LARGE bags filled to the brim with 2 weeks worth of food.

I really dislike Aldi's. I can't stand their product or their meat. it's usually really sketchy looking.

I'm not wildly picky about my food- organic grass fed pesticides whatever- but I don't want stuff that look sketchy- OR has a life in my house of 2 days. I only want to go once a week for product and 9/10 it's not edible in 3 days. unaccpetable.

that and they have a crap ton of processed food that is just icky- like mac and cheese stuff- I don't like that what so ever.
sometimes spending a little extra is worth it to me- and getting food that looks edible and will last the week out- that's one of those things. I'm all about a good deal- and I do well for myself I have a system... but I found that I'm not willing to skimp on certain things.

It must depend on the location-our local one has lots of organic options, great produce, meat etc. I also love their baking supplies-their olive oil has been rated one of the best out there in terms of quality and you can get a big bottle for like $4

jpolinisse

tl;dr

But, I've noticed the price of groceries has gone up a lot from even a few months ago. Maybe because I changed cities.