Food prices that piss you off

shunggie

You guys need Aldi. Fresh fruit and veggies cheap!

sue_ham3

You guys need Aldi. Fresh fruit and veggies cheap!

I can get cheap food as I'm in the Los Angeles area (Asian, Latino, Armenian markets, 99-cent only store, Trader Joe's, Walmart,
Costco, Fresh 'n Easy, next to Mexico, California agriculture, etc.). However we eat organic, in-season, try for local, humanely-raised, nutrient-dense now. So almost EVERYTHING we buy is going to cost a lot more. And yes, I use coupons at Whole Foods and Sprouts and ask for discount at the farmer's market at closing time.

For those of you that have access to ethnic markets, do consider shopping there. The turnover on produce is high volume so it's very fresh. There won't be "organic" but you can eat very well for not much money which is what we did for many, many years. The
Armenian markets carry lots of fresh/packaged European goods too.

Berries - 99-Cent-Only store in Los Angeles area has blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries. There's also other fresh produce (sometimes organic).

Salmon - Target has frozen wild caught Alaskan keta salmon, often on sale and sometimes with their Cartwheel app you get another 5 - 10% off. I know, not fresh or defrosted...but just put in a bowl of room temp. water and defrost yourself. Individually packaged too. Get with skin, it's cheaper.

And consider Freecycle, Craigslist and food share/swaps in your community. We have local group that shares extra things from our backyard gardens. I've seen people ask for lemons and such on Freecycle.

hannhr

Spices! The last time I bought cinnamon I was astounded by the price.
Goji berries, $20 for a pound?!

skytoads

Pistachios and beef jerky

snazzyjazzy21

Basically anything gluten free. I don't even buy bread because it costs me $7 for a 400g loaf...

Elsie_Brownraisin

For any Brits that love asparagus still reading, Aldi has small bunches of thick British asparagus for 79p at the moment. It's coming up to the end of the season.

MysteriousMerlin

Just the prices of fruits and vegetables in general. I wish I had the ability to grow what I need, but seem to have a deadly touch with plants.

ianthy

I love eating fish especially Tuna ( not tinned) and swordfish. I went to my local Coop in Italy yesterday and Swordfish €24.90 kg. This seems a crazy price - I can buy a whole chicken for €6.00 and 10 Italian sausages (large and very meaty) for €8.00. I really love fish so ended up buying salmon steaks instead €10.00 kg.

minnie_mousse

Berries I love blackberries and blueberries but they are so expensive.

Nuts, tropical fruits, fish/seafood in general, the list goes on and on. I also live way north, so everything is shipped up here by trucks and has a bunch of added costs. BLARGH

mpmama2re

so what is a good price for quest bars? I got 4 at gnc for $9. It's my first time trying them so I don't know much about the prices for them. my HEB had them 2/$5.

almond butter. $7- $8 a jar here.

kittykat1994

Fresh meat. It's all too expensive on a students budget! Argh!!

Oi_Sunshine

Chicken and good cheese.

knra_grl

extra lean ground beef - I don't like the taste of if with too much fat so paying over $8 for 1.25 lbs seems like a lot when ground beef used to be a staple because you can do so much with it. Mind you, I usually get a big pot of chili or meat sauce from one package.

and yes good cheese as someone else said

knra_grl

.
Whole roasting chickens!! - between $15-$20 per chicken.

Where do you live?

I can get a whole chicken for like $6

I pay $18 for Mary's organic air-chilled whole roasting chickens from Whole Foods in Pasadena, California.
Regular defrosted chickens are in the $6 range.

I buy free range chickens a case of 10 for $115 and they about double the size of the ones in the grocery stores and taste way better. Check your local chicken farms out you can probably get them cheaper.

knra_grl

Peanut butter without added sugar, why are you harder to find and cost more?

Kraft makes all natural peanut butter - peanuts are the only ingredient and it's the same price as other peanut butters.

Ulwaz

i think all healthy stuff is so expensive, especially some fruits and stuff, its stupid they want people to eat healthier but make bad foods cheaper? stupid really

IcanIwill1

I can get cheap food as I'm in the Los Angeles area (Asian, Latino, Armenian markets, 99-cent only store, Trader Joe's, Walmart,
Costco, Fresh 'n Easy, next to Mexico, California agriculture, etc.). However we eat organic, in-season, try for local, humanely-raised, nutrient-dense now. So almost EVERYTHING we buy is going to cost a lot more. And yes, I use coupons at Whole Foods and Sprouts and ask for discount at the farmer's market at closing time.

For those of you that have access to ethnic markets, do consider shopping there. The turnover on produce is high volume so it's very fresh. There won't be "organic" but you can eat very well for not much money which is what we did for many, many years. The
Armenian markets carry lots of fresh/packaged European goods too.

Berries - 99-Cent-Only store in Los Angeles area has blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries. There's also other fresh produce (sometimes organic).

Salmon - Target has frozen wild caught Alaskan keta salmon, often on sale and sometimes with their Cartwheel app you get another 5 - 10% off. I know, not fresh or defrosted...but just put in a bowl of room temp. water and defrost yourself. Individually packaged too. Get with skin, it's cheaper.

And consider Freecycle, Craigslist and food share/swaps in your community. We have local group that shares extra things from our backyard gardens. I've seen people ask for lemons and such on Freecycle.

Great Post.
I live in the UK and being creative, with where I do my shopping has meant regularly eating stuff I would not have considered as affordable as often as I can have them now. This is because I go to places that sell them cheap like freezer shops in markets where fresh caught sea food sells for 20% or less of the supermarket prices.
Jumbo prawns that are £3.50 in regular supermarkets for 180g (5oz) packs, I have never paid more than £1 for.
Salmon fillets ditto.
Markets are fantastic places for fresh produce. I have never seen very large heads of cauliflower for more than 50p (.80 USD)
I also buy loads of meat and sea food products when on sale and freeze.
In my own experience fresh produce is way cheaper than the stuff that has been processed.

b_e_l_l_a_a_a_a_a_a

BEEF JERKY :brokenheart:

Sure it's not really a health food but it's BEEF JERKY and sooo expensive for such a tiny amount.

edit: and almonds!!! almonds are so damn expensive.

oxers

Brussels sprouts.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS.

I would eat them EVERY SINGLE DAY if they weren't four bucks a pound!

eylia

I'm always sad after a shop as 80-90% of my buy is vegetables and fruit and it's always more than I think it'll be, I try to stay in season, because it makes a difference. I'm always shocked when one lonely passionfruit is 89c though. A $6 cauliflower seems ridiculous, but then I remind myself I spend almost that much on one coffee out, and it doesn't seem so bad. I sort of compare everything to 'coffees'...

SharonNehring

Like others, I try to grow as much as possible. We have strawberry plants and 5 apple trees. Each year I plant tomatoes, peppers, onions, cucumbers, melons, beans and whatever else sounds good. This year it's cilantro for my salsa. I don't have a lot of sunny space in our yard, so most of these are grown in large pots on our deck.

I make, can or freeze everything I have space for. I trade apples with friends who have other produce to share. It helps that I grew up in the country where we had large gardens, raised beef and chickens, hunted and fished, even got fresh milk from the dairy farm next door.

Our store prices aren't as high as many listed but are definitely much higher than even a year ago. We try to buy in season and take advantage of sales of course.

logicman69

Sea Scallops. $16/lbs for frozen, and I have seen up to $26/lbs for fresh. That is just crazy!

stevemcgurkin

Bulk foods is the only way to manage food costs. Dried beans, rice, unsalted nuts/seeds, etc. Fresh leafy greens, tomatoes, potatoes, bananas, apples and oranges are all I will buy in the produce area. For dairy its almond milk, unsalted butter, and an 18 pack of eggs. All the berries, broccoli and some other veggies will be frozen. I only white meat and the very occasional small slab of salmon when I can spend it. That's my typical run every 2 weeks and comes out to about $100 - $120. By cooking all meals from scratch, I'm feeding a family of 5 on that and it seems to be working.

xMermaidx

First of all, STEAK! Delmonicos, NY strip, lobster, scallops are now ridiculously expensive. And lastly, pineapples, $5 dollars for one pineapple is absurd!

CipherZero

Peanut butter without added sugar, why are you harder to find and cost more?

Kraft makes all natural peanut butter - peanuts are the only ingredient and it's the same price as other peanut butters.

Unfortunately, also hydrogenated oils I also despise.

IcanIwill1

Walking into Morissons and seeing jaffa cakes 50p a box, penguin chocolate bars £1 for 12 instead of 9, cadbury big bags of chocolates NOW ONLY £1!! Arghhhh!!!!! Why cant they do offers like these on fruit and veg?!?! No wounder the majority of the population is obese! :explode:

hehehe...broccoli is only 50p (335g size but usually works out at 500g or more) both in Asda and Tesco.
loads of frozen veg are £1 or less, and frozen veg is usually more nutritious unless grown locally, since most of the so called fresh produce in the aisles has been travelling for days, before being collected in a distribution center, then sent off on more travels to the store.
The so called fresh veg could have been travelling for over a week. Whereas the frozen ones are frozen within hours of being harvested there and then on the farm.

thankyou4thevenom

Walking into Morissons and seeing jaffa cakes 50p a box, penguin chocolate bars £1 for 12 instead of 9, cadbury big bags of chocolates NOW ONLY £1!! Arghhhh!!!!! Why cant they do offers like these on fruit and veg?!?! No wounder the majority of the population is obese! :explode:

hehehe...broccoli is only 50p (335g size but usually works out at 500g or more) both in Asda and Tesco.
loads of frozen veg are £1 or less, and frozen veg is usually more nutritious unless grown locally, since most of the so called fresh produce in the aisles has been travelling for days, before being collected in a distribution center, then sent off on more travels to the store.
The so called fresh veg could have been travelling for over a week. Whereas the frozen ones are frozen within hours of being harvested there and then on the farm.

Exactly why I habitually buy frozen fruit and veg. People think I'm crazy but it's cheaper and so much better for you.

Alatariel75

Went shopping yesterday, $8 for a flippin' cauliflower. Frozen for me this week! Broccoli is also $7 a kilo, and potatoes were $4. I think it is the unseasonably warm weather playing havoc with the winter veg harvests.

I know frozen has more nutrients but I much prefer the texture of fresh...

tmauck4472

All food in MS, seriously, how the hell can poor people even think of buying food in the state of MS with these prices.

Serah87

Gas price's went up big time a few weeks ago, so what happens the food prices go up big time and then the gas prices come back down, BUT the food prices stay up and so on and so on. This happens all the time I have noticed.

Milk a few weeks ago $4.10, now $4.30. :grumble: