buckytom
Chef Extraordinaire
if you ever sneak into the back of a walmart, there's dozens of little malnourished, dirty asian kids slicing and packaging everything...
What is your limit?
- Thread starter deelady
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The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Aunt Bea
Master Chef
Everything in this area has gone up 20 to 25 cents per item in the last few weeks. I am still holding the line on my weekly budget of $35.00 by using more basic frozen vegetables and by shopping the local farmers market. I have also been using less meat and almost no beef. I also shop the "dead bread" store near my home for 100% whole wheat bread at $1.19/loaf. The other day I bought a half peck bag of early apples from a farm stand for $5.00 and was shocked. The more I thought about it though I began to realize that I had never been shocked at the price of a bag of cookies or a cake from the bakery so I should not be shocked at the price of some real food, farmers gotta live too. It is what it is, one foot in front of the other!
tinlizzie
Head Chef
The other day I bought some fresh peaches at Walmart for a cobbler - happened to be there for (oh joy) a box of septic tank treatment and some light bulbs. I was surprised to find the peaches at $1.25/lb. as opposed to Publix's $1.79/lb "on sale." They were very good. Also got a large, fresh bunch of cilantro for $.79. All their produce looked fresh and unblemished and merits another look, I think. I haven't looked in the meat department, and don't buy much if any processed, so I can't vouch for those prices or quality.
I used to shop at Harris-Teeter when I lived in another state, and liked their store brand -- nearly always as good as the big brands. Down here, I don't have H-T or Aldi's, which was good for basics - some of their brands turned out to be perfectly good, too. Around the holidays, they carried some well-priced, tasty chocolates.
Bucky,
!!
I used to shop at Harris-Teeter when I lived in another state, and liked their store brand -- nearly always as good as the big brands. Down here, I don't have H-T or Aldi's, which was good for basics - some of their brands turned out to be perfectly good, too. Around the holidays, they carried some well-priced, tasty chocolates.
Bucky,
!!
jusnikki
Head Chef
I "try" to stay under $100. There's no one home now but me, my daugher, and my husband and I still end up spending at $100. But I know alot of that is fresh fruits and veggies. The price of them is outrageous here.
Would anybody believe that a gallon of Barbers milk has went up to over $6 here. When I saw that I darn near dropped in the floor. Shoot, a pack of Oreos is almost $4.
Claire
Master Chef
Under $100 a week? You must be related to my mom. I do see that you live in the south. In most of the states I've lived in, I could feed myself, for that, but not my husband and certainly not my parents & family.
peacefulkat
Assistant Cook
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2011
- Messages
- 11
We don't eat out at the moment. We use vouchers etc. to try and cut back wherever we can on food products.
vitauta
Executive Chef
i'm feeding two in our family. meat used to comprise at least half my food bill. today, that has shrunk to 1/10 or so. and i'm still a meat lover, but the days of a one lb. prime rib on my plate or a cold pork chop in each hand are gone. there are many meatless days in my life these days. i eat more fruits and vegetables but they can be terribly expensive too! i'm constantly looking for new ways to save money at the supermarket. this forum has become my best source of information for most of my food questions.
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jusnikki
Head Chef
I can remember when $100 would get you a cart full of groceries. Now, I fill up one of those little "quick carts" and can easily spend over $100.00.
I hear how much more expensive things are in the cities...I wouldn't make it, lol.
buckytom
Chef Extraordinaire
lol, nikki. those carts are supposed to be for kids to pretend shop alongside mom or dad!
doesn't your back get tired?
doesn't your back get tired?
jusnikki
Head Chef
lol, nikki. those carts are supposed to be for kids to pretend shop alongside mom or dad!
doesn't your back get tired?
LOLOL
, Just the image of that in my head, I almost spained my spleen laughing at that!! (silly)LOLOL
Steve Kroll
Wine Guy
Just my wife and I. We average about $60 a week on groceries (we also eat out once or twice a week). I say "average" but summer months are cheaper than winter months, when I can grow produce or buy almost everything at farm markets. Canned items and proteins we get at a co-op. We also bake bread from scratch and tend to use a lot of bulk food type items. Meat and dairy is the most expensive thing in most stores, and we eat only locally sourced meat/cheeses, so in our house it's more of a luxury item. We try to eat more "European", where veggies are the main (or only) course and meat is the side dish.
Sir_Loin_of_Beef
Chef Extraordinaire
I used to do that. When there were three of us, all taking sack lunches to work every day, I could buy a 5 pound ham, a whole turkey breast or a cooked beef roast and slice it myself and it was quite cost effective. Now that I am all by my lonesome and am not gainfully employed, I just buy the two pound packages at the warehouse store and put half in the deep freeze. The same with butter. I buy a three pound package, put two pounds in the freezer, one in the refrigerator, and ¼ pound at a time from the refrigerator in the butter dish in the pantry.
I have found that I can save quite a bit of money buying things that I can freeze part of in a small restaurant supply/warehouse store. Costco or Sam's packaging is way too big for me alone. For instance, sliced Swiss and Meunster cheeses freeze rather well, where cheddar doesn't. It gets brittle and almost impossible to separate, even if there are parchment papers between the slices. I buy two pound packages and split them, one pound in the fridge and one in the deep freeze.
I buy all my baked goods at the Used Bread Store at a significant discount. For example, a loaf of Oroweat bread sells for $4.39 in the supermarket on Monday morning. I get that same loaf for $1.99 on Tuesday morning, and seeing it's gonna take me most, if not all, of the week to eat it, I don't care if it was baked on Sunday night or Monday night.
I buy practically all my meats from Omaha Steaks, but only items that are drastically reduced. I save the advertisements they send me to compare prices, and I have told them several times that "free shipping is not free if the prices have been raised, so don't urinate down my neck and try to tell me it's raining!" What I like best about Omaha Steaks is, if you are not happy with something, for whatever reason, they will refund the full purchase price, no arguments and no questions asked. In fact I will be placing an order this week.
Walmart, K-Mart and Target are great places to buy toiletries and household cleaning products, but not groceries.
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vitauta
Executive Chef
lol, nikki. those carts are supposed to be for kids to pretend shop alongside mom or dad!
doesn't your back get tired?
really? are you sure, bt? i see adults using them all the time. i don't use them myself because my shins get all banged up. (ouch)
Snip 13
Master Chef
When I first saw those I thought they were for the "height challenged" I was so ashamed for thinking that once I found out they were for kids
vitauta
Executive Chef
thanks, sir loin, for some great tips. in the future i'll be buying extras on the sale cheese for the freezer. just as soon as i can come up with a comprehensive list of all my needs in the areas of paper and cleaning goods, house wares, health and first aid stuff, etc., i will make a box store trip. in the past, i have never been able to combine these needs into a workable shopping list, however. it's almost too ambitious for me....
vitauta
Executive Chef
When I first saw those I thought they were for the "height challenged" I was so ashamed for thinking that once I found out they were for kids
we must be talking about different carts. the ones i'm referring to are the same height as the regular carts, only with a much smaller basket area. many seniors use them.
jusnikki
Head Chef
I think BT was kidding around, I hope, lol. But we have the really little ones for kids small kids. Then there are the ones that are the same height as the big carts but the basket part is smaller. It doesn't hold but a few items. About double maybe triple the size of those held held baskets.
CWS4322
Chef Extraordinaire
Well, ground lean beef is advertised at $3.49/lb this week. A whole 3 lb chicken is $6.99. Turkey is $1.29/lb, side of sirloin is $1.88/lb. Ground beef was always the standby, inexpensive meat. I'm buying the sirloin and grinding it (have a craving for meatballs this week). I have 2 turkeys in the freezer, so am going to eat those before buying another, but instead of chicken, Ill be buying turkey. No wonder people are having a hard time feeding their families--the standby foods have gone up in price...
Aunt Bea
Master Chef
You can only cut your expenses to the bone once, then the price of the bone goes up! 
My food stamps went from $48 to $33 based on my $29 SS cost of living raise. It's strange that neither food stamps or social security take into account the rising price of food.
