Rising food prices?
ReenieHJ
Posts: 9,724 Member
Time to buckle down and really shop the sales and go without more of the luxury type items I guess. 
Passed by cantalope yesterday and my jaw dropped due to the price.
How are you all planning to save money now? Things like peanut butter, are now going on sale for 'non-sale' prices from just 2 months ago.
I do wish I could get dh on the save money band wagon with me though. It ain't gonna happen.
Passed by cantalope yesterday and my jaw dropped due to the price.
How are you all planning to save money now? Things like peanut butter, are now going on sale for 'non-sale' prices from just 2 months ago.
I do wish I could get dh on the save money band wagon with me though. It ain't gonna happen.
6
Replies
-
And gas. Why does gas never go on sale?
I've always been pretty cheap but I started low key watching how much I paid for food once my very possibly not having a job ongoing scare started. So I'm going more with store brand items and buying like the bigger bags of cereal (to the detriment of my tendency to stick my hand in there for handfuls that I never weigh and log). I'm also going to the dollar store more for items I normally buy.5 -
I'm a pretty frugal shopper. I used to be even more so (would only pay absolutely rock bottom for everything, used a lot of coupons and figured out how to stack/get things for free), but thankfully our budget is not quite so tight anymore and I don't have to spend quite so much time on it. When I set my food budget I use the USDA guidelines based on family size here: https://www.fns.usda.gov/cnpp/usda-food-plans-cost-food-reports-monthly-reports
When we started buying local food as much as possible (which can seem more pricey because for some things you buy upfront, like a CSA membership or bulk meat), I did get a little nervous because it took up more of my budget, but according to the USDA stats I'm actually doing very well - my family of seven eats for under their typical low-cost plan for a family of four, and we eat very, very well. So some of it was adjusting expectations.
I think the best strategies to save money are food are: buy whole foods and learn how to cook them. Eat food that's in season and grown to close where you are and supplement with minimally processed canned, dried, or frozen options. You definitely pay hefty convenience fees to have a company prep it and ship it to you. I make my own convenience foods by doubling and freezing. We eat almost all of our meals at home. Even though we're not entirely plant-based we don't rely just on meat and dairy for protein and eat meatless at least once a week (part of that is religious observance too).
If you have Aldi where you are, shopping there changed my life. I am not brand loyal to many things, but I am loyal to them.4 -
Oh, another trick I've learned is that many trendy items can be bought for much less at ethnic grocery stores if you have them around. A regular or high-end supermarket will charge you an arm and a leg for what's a staple for everyone, regardless of income level, in another country.4
-
Just renewed my Sams Club membership, after taking a year off, to help offset the rising costs. It's also almost farmers market time where I live so for the summer months I'll be getting most of my fresh produce locally, which tends to be cheaper. Normally I only do this a few times a summer, mostly for the experience, but this summer I'm going to make going weekly a priority.1
-
And gas. Why does gas never go on sale?
I've always been pretty cheap but I started low key watching how much I paid for food once my very possibly not having a job ongoing scare started. So I'm going more with store brand items and buying like the bigger bags of cereal (to the detriment of my tendency to stick my hand in there for handfuls that I never weigh and log). I'm also going to the dollar store more for items I normally buy.
It's so wild how much stuff fluctuates based on location. I'm in the midwest and we're still under $3 a gallon, which is very normal for our area. I was reading an article this morning though, that said CA could hit $7 a gallon this weekend?!!2 -
And gas. Why does gas never go on sale?
I've always been pretty cheap but I started low key watching how much I paid for food once my very possibly not having a job ongoing scare started. So I'm going more with store brand items and buying like the bigger bags of cereal (to the detriment of my tendency to stick my hand in there for handfuls that I never weigh and log). I'm also going to the dollar store more for items I normally buy.
It's so wild how much stuff fluctuates based on location. I'm in the midwest and we're still under $3 a gallon, which is very normal for our area. I was reading an article this morning though, that said CA could hit $7 a gallon this weekend?!!
WFT? I'm in CA!!! (Wait, California or Canada?
)
I just spent almost $3 on a medium soda at Subway because the gas station's soda fountain where I normally get it for $1.08 was on the fritz and it...killed...me...dead.2 -
And gas. Why does gas never go on sale?
I've always been pretty cheap but I started low key watching how much I paid for food once my very possibly not having a job ongoing scare started. So I'm going more with store brand items and buying like the bigger bags of cereal (to the detriment of my tendency to stick my hand in there for handfuls that I never weigh and log). I'm also going to the dollar store more for items I normally buy.
It's so wild how much stuff fluctuates based on location. I'm in the midwest and we're still under $3 a gallon, which is very normal for our area. I was reading an article this morning though, that said CA could hit $7 a gallon this weekend?!!
WFT? I'm in CA!!! (Wait, California or Canada?)
I just spent almost $3 on a medium soda at Subway because the gas station's soda fountain where I normally get it for $1.08 was on the fritz and it...killed...me...dead.
Northern California is what the article was about.0 -
Aldi opened a store in my area right at the beginning of the pandemic. My grocery bill was easily halved, even with still needing to go to Publix for certain things that Aldi doesn't carry. With very few exceptions, the quality of the food I've bought at Aldi has been more than acceptable for the price.4
-
What works for me...
Buy in bulk. Buy seasonal. Couponing. Gardening. Foraging. Discover new foods (especially from so called "ethnic grocery stores")
But my gracious, nothing will ever stop me from getting light roast coffee beans, sun-dried tomatoes, PROPER maple syrup, dark chocolate, eggs or salmon 🤷🏿♀️9 -
And gas. Why does gas never go on sale?
I've always been pretty cheap but I started low key watching how much I paid for food once my very possibly not having a job ongoing scare started. So I'm going more with store brand items and buying like the bigger bags of cereal (to the detriment of my tendency to stick my hand in there for handfuls that I never weigh and log). I'm also going to the dollar store more for items I normally buy.
It's so wild how much stuff fluctuates based on location. I'm in the midwest and we're still under $3 a gallon, which is very normal for our area. I was reading an article this morning though, that said CA could hit $7 a gallon this weekend?!!
WFT? I'm in CA!!! (Wait, California or Canada?)
I just spent almost $3 on a medium soda at Subway because the gas station's soda fountain where I normally get it for $1.08 was on the fritz and it...killed...me...dead.
Northern California is what the article was about.
Phew! Not that I actually drive much....1 -
goal06082021 wrote: »Aldi opened a store in my area right at the beginning of the pandemic. My grocery bill was easily halved, even with still needing to go to Publix for certain things that Aldi doesn't carry. With very few exceptions, the quality of the food I've bought at Aldi has been more than acceptable for the price.
Aldi is the BEST! A few months before the pandemic, I had eight $5USD coupons when spending $25. Since I was determined to use all eight coupons and save $40, I ended up buying freezer, pantry and pet food. Plus, I'd canned and frozen quite a bit from my garden. When COVID hit, I had a prepper's pantry thanks to my frugal ways. I didn't need a darned thing!
And another vote here for checking out ethnic markets. I just got two large daikon radishes, a big bag of baby bok choy, and a 3 lb. bag of sprouts for less than $4!1 -
And gas. Why does gas never go on sale?
I've always been pretty cheap but I started low key watching how much I paid for food once my very possibly not having a job ongoing scare started. So I'm going more with store brand items and buying like the bigger bags of cereal (to the detriment of my tendency to stick my hand in there for handfuls that I never weigh and log). I'm also going to the dollar store more for items I normally buy.
It's so wild how much stuff fluctuates based on location. I'm in the midwest and we're still under $3 a gallon, which is very normal for our area. I was reading an article this morning though, that said CA could hit $7 a gallon this weekend?!!
WFT? I'm in CA!!! (Wait, California or Canada?)
I just spent almost $3 on a medium soda at Subway because the gas station's soda fountain where I normally get it for $1.08 was on the fritz and it...killed...me...dead.
Northern California is what the article was about.
That's an isolated/remote station that overcharges. It's averaging just over $4/gal, which is a bit above where it was pre-pandemic. The gas in CA is higher than other states due to the special blend for emissions and higher than average fuel taxes.4 -
What works for me...
Buy in bulk. Buy seasonal. Couponing. Gardening. Foraging. Discover new foods (especially from so called "ethnic grocery stores")
But my gracious, nothing will ever stop me from getting light roast coffee beans, sun-dried tomatoes, PROPER maple syrup, dark chocolate, eggs or salmon 🤷🏿♀️
I am with the salmon and it has to be wild
I am lucky we don't eat meat/chicken, hardly ever buy eggs - mostly spring mix salad and lots of vegetables.
Love Costco. I know people say that Wholefoods is expensive, but there are certain things that I refuse to give up - Wholefoods harvest rolls ($1 each), Costco mixed nuts, salmon burgers, carrot juice and organic lactose milk to name a few things4 -
The_Enginerd wrote: »And gas. Why does gas never go on sale?
I've always been pretty cheap but I started low key watching how much I paid for food once my very possibly not having a job ongoing scare started. So I'm going more with store brand items and buying like the bigger bags of cereal (to the detriment of my tendency to stick my hand in there for handfuls that I never weigh and log). I'm also going to the dollar store more for items I normally buy.
It's so wild how much stuff fluctuates based on location. I'm in the midwest and we're still under $3 a gallon, which is very normal for our area. I was reading an article this morning though, that said CA could hit $7 a gallon this weekend?!!
WFT? I'm in CA!!! (Wait, California or Canada?)
I just spent almost $3 on a medium soda at Subway because the gas station's soda fountain where I normally get it for $1.08 was on the fritz and it...killed...me...dead.
Northern California is what the article was about.
That's an isolated/remote station that overcharges. It's averaging just over $4/gal, which is a bit above where it was pre-pandemic. The gas in CA is higher than other states due to the special blend for emissions and higher than average fuel taxes.
Yes, some of this varies state to state because of regulations. Several states have controls on dairy prices, for example - it doesn't matter where you shop, a gallon of milk will cost the same (unless it's organic or has some other prestige thing going on where it would be even more expensive.) Generally this applies to any 100% milk product - so it would include products like sour cream or half and half, but not cheese. Milk is a common "loss leader" product in some grocery stores (in states where the price isn't controlled) - the price will occasionally be set so low that the store loses money on it, but they are betting that by getting you in the door to buy the milk you'll also buy something else, too - and it works!
You can learn some of the tricks that stores use and consciously work against them, too - stick to a specific list, bring a calculator/use the one on your phone to check unit prices (some stores are tricky and will change the units used for the unit price to make it harder to figure out which is the better deal), look above and below eye level, don't take their word for it that something is on sale for cheaper than it usually is (one local chain is a big violator of this - things marked as "specials" that are actually higher than their typical retail!) I used to keep an actual price book, then spreadsheet, but now I have it mostly memorized for commonly purchased items.
This is kind of counter-intuitive but buying in bulk doesn't always work out if you can't use something up before it goes bad.2 -
Going back to this after seeing @penguinmama87 comment on loss leaders, gas doesn't go on sale because it's ALWAYS on sale. Gas stations make their profit on the convenience store and other services such as car washes. The gas is sold at next to no profit and just serves to bring traffic to the location.And gas. Why does gas never go on sale?
I've always been pretty cheap but I started low key watching how much I paid for food once my very possibly not having a job ongoing scare started. So I'm going more with store brand items and buying like the bigger bags of cereal (to the detriment of my tendency to stick my hand in there for handfuls that I never weigh and log). I'm also going to the dollar store more for items I normally buy.
2 -
The_Enginerd wrote: »
Going back to this after seeing @penguinmama87 comment on loss leaders, gas doesn't go on sale because it's ALWAYS on sale. Gas stations make their profit on the convenience store and other services such as car washes. The gas is sold at next to no profit and just serves to bring traffic to the location.And gas. Why does gas never go on sale?
I've always been pretty cheap but I started low key watching how much I paid for food once my very possibly not having a job ongoing scare started. So I'm going more with store brand items and buying like the bigger bags of cereal (to the detriment of my tendency to stick my hand in there for handfuls that I never weigh and log). I'm also going to the dollar store more for items I normally buy.
Kinda like movie theaters and them making money from the concession stands? 😀
But it also completely went up once people started going back to work.
Not gonna lie, I miss the quaranteen days. 😀0 -
I was very surprised to see we were middlin’ on that chart, because we buy fresh fruit and vegetables by the cartload. The only frozen veg I buy is riced cauliflower.
Lidl opened up within bicycle distance late last year. I loooooove Lidl. It’s like a higher class, cleaner Aldi (our Aldis are gross for some reason) with more national brands, a very good in-store European style bakery, and similar prices.
I’ve started treating myself to a big $6.99 bouquet every couple weeks, so that’s part of the budget now, too.
Now what did get next to me was the sunflower chips I bought yesterday, to feed the birds and thusly entertain the spoiled cat. $52.99 for a bag. I didn’t even look at the receipt til I got home and nearly dropped my teeth.
Is there a bird channel on Netflix?1 -
There are several bird channels on YouTube. My kitty loves them.
A big new Nepalese grocery just opened across from Aldi. The selection is phenomenal and I am looking forward to trying lots of new things. Planning a a field trip soon.1 -
And gas. Why does gas never go on sale?
I've always been pretty cheap but I started low key watching how much I paid for food once my very possibly not having a job ongoing scare started. So I'm going more with store brand items and buying like the bigger bags of cereal (to the detriment of my tendency to stick my hand in there for handfuls that I never weigh and log). I'm also going to the dollar store more for items I normally buy.
Yes The highest gas near me in California $4.75 a gallon, why. I just walked to and from the dollar tree nearest me a wealth of savings. I purchased 2 healthy choice chicken noodle soups, mom have these for dinner some nights,, 4 frozen rigatoni pasta dishes. My mom have these for lunch, 2 packs frozen breakfast sausage, 2 frozen breakfast sandwiches I like these and when I'm totaled these work but I mostly always cook but convenience foods are nice, a couple bottles of comet cleaning spray and the kids mamba candy.
I purchase condiments, oatmeal, rice and veggies here when needed, for savings if I haven't purchased in bulk from my main Grocery store or if this is only what fits my budget at the time.
Hope things are ok for you or get better.🤗2 -
goal06082021 wrote: »Aldi opened a store in my area right at the beginning of the pandemic. My grocery bill was easily halved, even with still needing to go to Publix for certain things that Aldi doesn't carry. With very few exceptions, the quality of the food I've bought at Aldi has been more than acceptable for the price.
2nd (or 3rd) this. I'm a HUGE Aldi fan.
I started going there years ago for the European items (it's owned by a German company and they have great "fancy" european items at great prices, especially at the holidays), and I found myself buying more and more staples there as well.
Their "house" brands are mostly very good.
They have lots of organic staples at REALLY good prices.
Their low carb flour tortillas are The BOMB at 80 calories, and half the price of other stores.
The only thing I wasn't a big fan of was their meats (beef, especially), but this has gotten much better in recent years.
Yes, you will have to occasionally go to the "regular" supermarket for some things, especially if there are brands you really want (for me, it's Hershey's chocolate syrup - there is no substitute!), but the savings from getting the bulk of your shop at Aldi is significant.1 -
Rising prices on consumer goods.
1. Inflation has hit and is rising after many years of no inflation, or extremely low rates.
2. Some industries supply chains are still impacted by the pandemic. Not food as much as other goods, but over the past few months there have been articles on glass bottles, plastic containers and other food packaging being hard for manufacturers to obtain, especially smaller producers.
3. Many ranchers sold off cattle in the pandemic. I believe what I read was that they couldn’t afford to feed them because demand was down so they sold some off.
4. The big freeze in Southern states back in February damaged a lot of the crops. Livestock was lost as well, especially chickens.
5. Transportation costs have increased because there aren’t enough truck drivers post-pandemic.
These are some of the reasons for rising prices. I am just recalling what I’ve read over the past few months to put together the bigger picture. Oh, and I saw a story on the news this weekend that packaged products manufacturers are shrinking their boxes again. The 12.8 Oz box of cereal in going down to 11.4 (or ?) to reduce costs. And the manufacturers know most people aren’t going to initially notice.2 -
Rising prices on consumer goods.
1. Inflation has hit and is rising after many years of no inflation, or extremely low rates.
2. Some industries supply chains are still impacted by the pandemic. Not food as much as other goods, but over the past few months there have been articles on glass bottles, plastic containers and other food packaging being hard for manufacturers to obtain, especially smaller producers.
3. Many ranchers sold off cattle in the pandemic. I believe what I read was that they couldn’t afford to feed them because demand was down so they sold some off.
4. The big freeze in Southern states back in February damaged a lot of the crops. Livestock was lost as well, especially chickens.
5. Transportation costs have increased because there aren’t enough truck drivers post-pandemic.
These are some of the reasons for rising prices. I am just recalling what I’ve read over the past few months to put together the bigger picture. Oh, and I saw a story on the news this weekend that packaged products manufacturers are shrinking their boxes again. The 12.8 Oz box of cereal in going down to 11.4 (or ?) to reduce costs. And the manufacturers know most people aren’t going to initially notice.
Don't forget fuel prices up close 50% in the US in the last year or so.2 -
Rising prices on consumer goods.
1. Inflation has hit and is rising after many years of no inflation, or extremely low rates.
2. Some industries supply chains are still impacted by the pandemic. Not food as much as other goods, but over the past few months there have been articles on glass bottles, plastic containers and other food packaging being hard for manufacturers to obtain, especially smaller producers.
3. Many ranchers sold off cattle in the pandemic. I believe what I read was that they couldn’t afford to feed them because demand was down so they sold some off.
4. The big freeze in Southern states back in February damaged a lot of the crops. Livestock was lost as well, especially chickens.
5. Transportation costs have increased because there aren’t enough truck drivers post-pandemic.
These are some of the reasons for rising prices. I am just recalling what I’ve read over the past few months to put together the bigger picture. Oh, and I saw a story on the news this weekend that packaged products manufacturers are shrinking their boxes again. The 12.8 Oz box of cereal in going down to 11.4 (or ?) to reduce costs. And the manufacturers know most people aren’t going to initially notice.
I believe in most cases ranchers slaughtered cattle rather than "selling it off." Who do you sell cattle to if demand is so low you can't afford to feed them? There aren't a lot of people buying cattle for pets.
1 -
goal06082021 wrote: »Aldi opened a store in my area right at the beginning of the pandemic. My grocery bill was easily halved, even with still needing to go to Publix for certain things that Aldi doesn't carry. With very few exceptions, the quality of the food I've bought at Aldi has been more than acceptable for the price.
I do a good portion of my shopping at Aldi. I can't get everything there because of food restrictions (especially soy), but normally at least half of my shopping list every week I can get. When I started shopping there I was shocked how much I could get for such a small amount of money. Currently I do the Farmer's Market, Aldi, and Fresh Thyme. Once every couple of months I will also hit the Indian and Asian markets, Trader Joes, and a larger store like Meijer for those things I can't get elsewhere and stock up. Then a few times a year I will go to Costco. I am coming up on needing to make those extra trips soon... mostly Trader Joes and Costco.
While I have seen an increase I have easily been able to counter it by just being stricter with what I buy. I actually recently decreased my grocery budget and have had no problem sticking to it the majority of the time. I only seem to go over if I find a really great deal on meat so I stock up or if it's just a stock up time.0 -
penguinmama87 wrote: »Oh, another trick I've learned is that many trendy items can be bought for much less at ethnic grocery stores if you have them around. A regular or high-end supermarket will charge you an arm and a leg for what's a staple for everyone, regardless of income level, in another country.
Oh, yes, anyone into Asian food and near Boston, MA should check out Kam Man in Quincy - it's a super Walmart-sized store full of staples for many different Asian cuisines.
http://www.kamman.com/quincy
They also have stores in NY and NJ.0 -
Living in a small town we have a locally owned grocery store, where I do most of my shopping and then a smaller chain store where I go only when they're having good enough deals. I go to a natural food store when I need spices because they sell in bulk and it's so much cheaper.
But Aldi's, Costco, and all those types of stores we don't have closer than a 90 drive. We do have Shaw's about 20 miles away but I've only had limited experience with them. We just don't have the options here. I guess my main issue is buying things we(he) really needs, like Diet Coke. Even on sale we easily spend 20 bucks a week just on soda. But if anyone tries to take away my B&J's ice cream, beware.
He and I just have different priorities and ways of spending money I guess; Just have to learn to accept it and let it go.1 -
Living in a small town we have a locally owned grocery store, where I do most of my shopping and then a smaller chain store where I go only when they're having good enough deals. I go to a natural food store when I need spices because they sell in bulk and it's so much cheaper.
But Aldi's, Costco, and all those types of stores we don't have closer than a 90 drive. We do have Shaw's about 20 miles away but I've only had limited experience with them. We just don't have the options here. I guess my main issue is buying things we(he) really needs, like Diet Coke. Even on sale we easily spend 20 bucks a week just on soda. But if anyone tries to take away my B&J's ice cream, beware.
He and I just have different priorities and ways of spending money I guess; Just have to learn to accept it and let it go.
I imagine it is the same here in MA - Shaw's has great loss leaders but their non-sale prices are higher than all the other stores I go to.
There is a Shaw's a mile from me so I go there every time they have good sales. I was there this AM, and then to Walmart for staples - it's a mile away in the other direction.
When I move in the fall the nearest Shaw's will be 13 miles away and I imagine I will go far less often.0 -
And gas. Why does gas never go on sale?
I've always been pretty cheap but I started low key watching how much I paid for food once my very possibly not having a job ongoing scare started. So I'm going more with store brand items and buying like the bigger bags of cereal (to the detriment of my tendency to stick my hand in there for handfuls that I never weigh and log). I'm also going to the dollar store more for items I normally buy.
I use the Stop & Shop rewards program to get discounts on gas. The particular Stop & Shop gas station happens to be in an area where prices are lower than elsewhere to start with, or I wouldn't bother.
My mom is a member of BJ's and gets gas there.0 -
The only things I save on are things I can buy at Costco in bulk. Quality food is important to me especially when it comes to meat and seafood so I'll continue to splurge on that. If I'm ever in the position of having to cut back it'll be in other areas of my life. Luckily the Kroger Simple Truth (Organic) brand is pretty good quality and cheaper than national brands or some of the smaller specialized brands.4
-
kshama2001 wrote: »And gas. Why does gas never go on sale?
I've always been pretty cheap but I started low key watching how much I paid for food once my very possibly not having a job ongoing scare started. So I'm going more with store brand items and buying like the bigger bags of cereal (to the detriment of my tendency to stick my hand in there for handfuls that I never weigh and log). I'm also going to the dollar store more for items I normally buy.
I use the Stop & Shop rewards program to get discounts on gas. The particular Stop & Shop gas station happens to be in an area where prices are lower than elsewhere to start with, or I wouldn't bother.
My mom is a member of BJ's and gets gas there.
I rarely even drive anymore...not if I can walk somewhere. I only ever really drive to work now so basically fill up my gas talk once every two to three weeks.1
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.2K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 421 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions