Weekly grocery bill rising?

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97guns

Senior Cook
Joined
Jan 24, 2010
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133
just wondering if you are seeing your weekly grocery bill increase and the package sizes getting smaller or are their inflation charades working as planned
 
I have noticed that prices on some things are up as much as 25% this summer. I have been keeping costs down by shopping the specials and the dips.

I have taken on some voluntary price increases due to my self imposed diet restrictions. I have been buying more single serving items for things like meat, potatoes, rolls, bagels, etc... It's a price I 'm willing to pay as a fat old single person! :ermm::ohmy::LOL:

In my area I'm very lucky to have 5 or 6 major grocery chains within three miles of me. I think the competition helps to keep costs down. It also makes it easy for me to catch the specials that each one offers without going out of my way.
 
Actually the opposite here. My grocery bill usually goes DOWN this time of year once the kid heads back to college. That, coupled with using a lot of home grown and farm market produce, seems to help. We've been eating quite well for around $50/wk or less (not including dining out).

And regarding "package sizes", I buy very little food that comes in packages.
 
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just wondering if you are seeing your weekly grocery bill increase and the package sizes getting smaller or are their inflation charades working as planned

This isn't news to me. When I was writing for a living I wrote a piece, probably 15 years ago now, about the changes in packaging and the NOT changing of price. In other words, the package/container held less but the price did not go down.

It's particularly irksome when one is planning to prepare a dish from an older recipe that calls for a specific-sized package or can of something.

We'll certainly see more of this as time passes. At our house we're not much on using packaged goods but simple goods like canned fruits and vegetables have fallen victim to this attack. Same holds true for their frozen counterparts.

This only gives more weight to having a garden if you can and putting up your own stores.
 
I try to shop more sale prices so I save money.

And yes everything at the store is getting chopped down in size.
 
We have noticed it too. We rarely buy ice cream or beef any more because the price is just too dear. Thankfully we can sub venison or pork for the beef most times. My brother who is a truck driver says the recent changes in the trucking industry regulations are going to cause prices to skyrocket and having been a driver myself I don't think he is far off the mark. We are already doing everything we can to keep our food costs down. We do garden in our very limited space but I am thinking that next year we may have to see if we can find a community garden that is very close to us. If it's more than a short distance away the fuel costs may negate any savings we would reap from growing and canning our own food. It would not be so bad if we could incorporate inexpensive c a r b s in our diet but dh is diabetic and I am supposed to watch c a r b s too. I know it sounds awfully pessimistic but frankly I fear for this country. And if this nation is seeing such struggles how must it be elsewhere?
 
I am on a very limited budget. I have switched to mostly vegetarian meals because meat is so expensive. Having the gardens helps a LOT. I have noticed flour and pasta have really gone up in price over the last couple of years. And, I'm really glad I stopped drinking coffee--the price for coffee is ridiculous.

I hardly eat any carbs from pasta. I prefer whole grains. Look for a source at a bulk store or an ethnic store.
 
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It's become a hobby to find the best deals that I can.

I'm not a typical grocery shopper since I work in a grocery store. I cruise the meat case every morning for markdowns (going out of date the next day). Even if I don't need it that day, and it's something we like, I'll buy it, bring it home and vacuum seal it, and freeze it. We often get first crack at overstocks since we are in the store. I haven't paid full price for meat in quite some time. When I do pay full price it's in the club store which is usually priced much better than the grocery store. I stock up whenever the price hits what I consider a good deal.

I also go to Aldi for certain things, some of their prices can't be beat. Things like cheese, cream cheese, butter, oatmeal, canned tomatoes, frozen vegetables etc... are priced great every day. I never need to pay more than $1 for a 28 oz. can of tomatoes between Aldi and the club store.

I can avoid the "Shrink Ray" as some call it, by limiting the prepared foods that I buy. I guess if you have the time, and have prices in your head or written down, shopping multiple stores can save you a lot of money. I can look at anything that I regularly buy and know in an instant if it's a good deal, or a better deal somewhere else.
 
I am one of those persons who everyone complains about. I am on the dole. I live in assisted housing and receive a free cell phone and food stamps. All my medical needs are completely met with no copays. I receive $160 in food stamps each month. I go shopping once at the beginning of the month. I usually spend no more than $75. During the rest of the month if I need a loaf of bread, some half and half, or anything else, Spike picks it up for me with what I have left over in my food stamp allotment. And I usually have $5-$10 left to carry over to the next month. Any meats I buy in family size packs and freeze in individual size. Sometime I treat myself to a nice steak. Sure prices are going up, but I still manage to spend $10.00 each month for the food bank. It is something that is very important to me. It is my way of feeding my soul.

I do not buy packaged foods. And very few frozen ones. But I am going to have to adjust my eating habits. Which means adjusting my grocery shopping. I have to find a way to buy for single me. I don't use five pounds of potatoes. So I am going to have to buy the two or three I know I will eat. My produce shopping is going to have to change drastically. No more packaged tomatoes. One will do. No more packaged produce. Single items only even though they cost more.

I will adjust. There is no choice. I am an avid label reader. I avoid any foods that are loaded with ....oses. If it ends in ose, it is sugar. Something I don't need or can't have. Now I just have to learn to stop cooking for an army. After all these years, it is a hard thing to learn. :angel:
 
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