Is anyone else noticing lower food prices at the grocery store?

[caseydog]

Well, 10 years ago people just cooked from home. In fact, that's what I do. The absolute only time I pay to have food delivered is when I order pizza. And I don't do that very often anymore either because just the cost of pizza delivery has gone up so high that I can't really afford it now.

For example, Domino's delivery used to be $2.99. Now it's $5.99. And that's not including the tip. More often than not, I make homemade pizzas or buy frozen ones when they're on sale.

Pizza delivery is something I think of as an occasional treat. I have a pizza delivered a couple times a year. But, I see a lot of food deliveries in my neighborhood.

When I do eat out, also rare, I have noticed food delivery bags lined up at the host stand or on the bar waiting for a service like GrubHub or UBER Eats to pick them up.

CD

 

[Linda0818]

Pizza delivery is something I think of as an occasional treat. I have a pizza delivered a couple times a year. But, I see a lot of food deliveries in my neighborhood.

When I do eat out, also rare, I have noticed food delivery bags lined up at the host stand or on the bar waiting for a service like GrubHub or UBER Eats to pick them up.

CD

It's pretty much the norm now, to have food delivered. Like I said previously, there are many different reasons for ordering delivery. And I know that many people do it simply because they can. However, I personally have never used Uber eats or Grub Hub. I've heard too many horror stories of food being 'sabotaged' or even half eaten if the delivery driver is unsatisfied with their tip. Plus, like you stated, it's expensive.

If I'm unable, for whatever reason, to go pick up the food myself, I just fix something at home.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I think the psychological reasons for how some people feel about the current economy, and credit card debt, is interesting. I keep reading about young people who think nothing of spending $20 for delivery of some chicken pho when they're sick, for example.

Why Credit Card Debt Is So High Right Now

Inflation has helped drive credit card debt higher, but there are ways to start chipping away at your balance that feel manageable.

time.com

We've been married for almost 40 years and have almost always paid off our credit card bills every month. That doesn't seem to be so common anymore.

I agree.

Years ago most people kept a couple cans of soup on the shelf or scrambled an egg and made some toast when they were too tired to go out.

I notice with my nieces and nephews that they manage to a pool of credit card debt instead of managing to cash.

They tend to use a credit card with rewards for everything and use their paychecks to manage the balance but rarely pay it off until they receive an annual income tax return or some other windfall.

IMO using cash for routine purchases makes you more mindful of the cost and more importantly the value of individual purchases.

They are all doing fine but I believe that they could be doing much better if they focused on needs vs wants and value vs cost.

Rant over!

 

[caseydog]

They tend to use a credit card with rewards for everything and use their paychecks to manage the balance but rarely pay it off until they receive an annual income tax return or some other windfall.

Another thing I learned early when I had a company job was how to manage tax withholding. So many of my fiends and colleagues looked forward to a big tax refund every year. That makes no sense. The IRS does not pay you one penny of interest on the money you overpaid in taxes withheld from your paychecks. You are giving the US Government a free loan, and getting nothing in return. Then, you run up your credit cards because your paycheck is smaller.

My goal was to get almost no refund, or even have to pay a small amount (but not enough to owe interest or penalties). Yes, you have to pay the IRS interest if you underpay, but they don't have to pay interest to you if you overpay.

[Rant Warning]

As for credit cards, the only time I ever got deep into debt on credit cards was when I was treated for cancer back in the 2000s. I charged my deductibles and copays, because everything happened so fast, and I was more focused on staying alive than credit card debt. MBNA (now Bank of America) saw all the charges to hospitals and doctors, and cut off my credit, jacked my interest rate to 29.99%, and demanded huge minimum monthly payments. My other credit cards saw what MBNA did, and did the same thing. My credit card payments were twice as much as my house payments.

CD

 

[Aunt Bea]

Another thing I learned early when I had a company job was how to manage tax withholding. So many of my fiends and colleagues looked forward to a big tax refund every year. That makes no sense. The IRS does not pay you one penny of interest on the money you overpaid in taxes withheld from your paychecks. You are giving the US Government a free loan, and getting nothing in return. Then, you run up your credit cards because your paycheck is smaller.

My goal was to get almost no refund, or even have to pay a small amount (but not enough to owe interest or penalties). Yes, you have to pay the IRS interest if you underpay, but they don't have to pay interest to you if you overpay.

[Rant Warning]

As for credit cards, the only time I ever got deep into debt on credit cards was when I was treated for cancer back in the 2000s. I charged my deductibles and copays, because everything happened so fast, and I was more focused on staying alive than credit card debt. MBNA (now Bank of America) saw all the charges to hospitals and doctors, and cut off my credit, jacked my interest rate to 29.99%, and demanded huge minimum monthly payments. My other credit cards saw what MBNA did, and did the same thing. My credit card payments were twice as much as my house payments.

CD

I kept my withholding to a minimum too.

My most powerful saving/investment tool was payroll deduction for savings and mutual funds.

Each time I got a raise I increased those deductions before I became used to having the additional money.

For me, saving and investing was a few simple boring repetitive habits that eventually yielded enormous results.

Starting early, time and compounding of interest did most of the work without any significant risk.

 

[GotGarlic]

And it's an apparent fact that credit card debt is at an all time high and that people are using credit for things they don't really want to use it for (buying necessities, paying bills, etc).

Well, people's definition of necessities now apparently includes food delivery for a single meal when they don't feel like making something for themselves. These things are related.

My CC rates are higher than they've ever been and more taxes are being taken from my paychecks (not to mention I'm getting back way less on my tax returns than I used to). That's just my personal experience.

We pay our credit card bills off every month, so I don't know or care what the interest rate is.

Nothing major has changed with the tax code since 2017, so I'm not sure what that's about. However, the tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires from 2017 will not change next year, but the tax cuts for regular people will go away.

 

[caseydog]

Nothing major has changed with the tax code since 2017, so I'm not sure what that's about. However, the tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires from 2017 will not change next year, but the tax cuts for regular people will go away.

It seems that more and more, people are confusing "feelings" with "facts." People feel that the economy is bad, and assume that means it is bad. Your comment about tax code not changing is an example. I had the same thought.

Inflation is definitely a fact, and a problem. Sadly, one of the fastest ways to end inflation is with a recession, where millions of people lose their jobs. That drives prices down, for sure. That doesn't seem like a pleasant trade-off, to me.

As far as taxes, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) was intentionally written into law as "temporary" because that made the cost of those tax cuts lower, in relation to the deficit and national debt. Now, congress has to make the hard choice of whether or not to extend it before it expires in 2025, which will add trillions to the national debt. Why 2025? I'm not allowed to discuss that here, but 2025 was seen as kicking the can down the road just far enough.

CD

 

[Kathleen]

I confess that I use a credit card for nearly everything. I also pay it off in full every month. There are several reasons for this:

1. I live in the city where crime is running rampant. I don't want to carry cash. After being robbed once, I have opted to go basically cashless with the exception of a few dollars where a CC does not make sense - (vending machine.)
2. I can easily figure out how much I spend on groceries, gasoline, presents, wants, needs, etc. each and every month. (Much cheaper than a personal accountant.)
3. Yes, the rewards. I love the rewards. Since I do not get hit with interest because I pay it off each month, the rewards are simply nice. I've used rewards for travel, splurges, etc.

Sadly, I have seen many people use cc's to pay bills and will bounce balances between then. It's an easy pit to fall into - especially for those who live paycheck to paycheck.

 

[dragnlaw]

Kathleen, that's exactly what I do. So easy to keep track. Pay off immediately - all's good.

 

[Linda0818]

Kathleen, that's exactly what I do. So easy to keep track. Pay off immediately - all's good.

Not all of us have that luxury. Granted, I always pay more than the minimum amount due. But it sometimes takes me 2-3 payments before my CC balance is back at $0.

I don't use my CC's for bills. But I have to balance payments on everything to make sure I have enough to pay my CC bills, as well as the rest of the bills for the month, including rent and utilities. And once I pay everything I need to pay just to keep my home, I don't always have enough to pay the full balance on my CC's. Might be easy for some, but it's not easy for me.

Since losing my husband to cancer in 2018, and since we no longer have his salary coming in every month, I'm on my own and I'm barely keeping my head above water. Thankfully, though, I only use my CC's when it's absolutely necessary. However, I also use them for small purchases just to keep my accounts active because, in the past, I've had CC's shut down for inactivity. I need my CC's, just in case. I can't afford to have anymore of them closed simply because I'm not using them.

 

[caseydog]

1. I live in the city where crime is running rampant. I don't want to carry cash. After being robbed once, I have opted to go basically cashless with the exception of a few dollars where a CC does not make sense - (vending machine.)
2. I can easily figure out how much I spend on groceries, gasoline, presents, wants, needs, etc. each and every month. (Much cheaper than a personal accountant.)

I do this, too. I used to use a debit card for most purchases, but someone managed to use it go on a shopping spree for women's clothing, and my (former) bank determined they were legitimate charges, made by me. That was PNC Bank, by the way. They bought my bank of 25 years and proceeded to trash it. Avoid PNC like the plague.

I now use credit cards as I used to use my debit card. CCs have much more reasonable policies when fraud happens.

I live in one of the 50 safest cities in the US (Frisco, not Dallas), so crime is not an issue. But, with cash, it is harder to track my spending.

CD

 

[Andy M.]

I also use a CC for most purchases, including my monthly cell phone bill and monthly streaming service charges (FUBO) because I don't have a choice for these specific charges. Then every year I get cash back! I pay oof my balance monthly to avoid fees.

 

[taxlady]

I have been in the situation where it was a tightrope walk to pay off everything. I was doing mental gymnastics about what to pay. E.g., Hydro Quebec (electricity) doesn't cut you off in winter was a consideration. We weren't running up a lot of charges, but DH had lost his job and the employment insurance had run out. The credit cards were, of course, charging interest and making that certainly didn't help. People can get behind on credit cards even when they aren't misusing them.

The worst was our bank. We refinanced our mortgage, explaining that we wanted to pay off the high interest credit cards. They said we were being reasonable. They processed the refinancing and screwed us over. They paid off our low interest credit cards with them, the ones we were never even late with and left us with not nearly enough cash to pay off the high interest credit cards with other banks. That was absolutely not worth doing.

Nowadays, credit cards get paid off in full every month. Nothing gets charged that cannot be paid in full even if expected income were to fail for some reason.

 

[blissful]

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/15/candy-makers-cocoa-prices.html?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us

The price of cocoa may go up and everything chocolate. I'm about half stocked up and I'll stock up again.
Which kind to get? Dutched, raw....https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2022/10/20/types-of-cocoa-explained

 

[caseydog]

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/15/candy-makers-cocoa-prices.html?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us

The price of cocoa may go up and everything chocolate. I'm about half stocked up and I'll stock up again.
Which kind to get? Dutched, raw....https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2022/10/20/types-of-cocoa-explained

It's long overdue. Thanks to the big Chocolate companies, like Hersheys and Mars, cocoa farmers have been living in poverty for years.

Cocoa farmers

Chocolate is one of the world’s favourite foods but growing cocoa is a hard task. Fairtrade is helping to make it more sustainable.

www.fairtrade.org.uk

CD

 

[caseydog]

The US inflation rate dropped below 3-percent in July.

I also noticed at the grocery store the other day that half the products in the store seemed to be on sale. Instead of just lowering the regular prices, stores are just putting all kinds of things on sale. I guess from a marketing perspective, that makes sense, because those bold, bright sale tags draw attention to the lower prices, and create a sense of urgency... buy now while it's on sale!

CD

 

[Aunt Bea]

It’s still a mixed bag here.

Some of the routine sale offers remind me of a fisherman reeling in a big fish.

Gradually increasing the sale price in an effort to get us used to the new higher prices.

I’ve noticed some of my favorite products are being discontinued. The latest to disappear is Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter.

I suppose it’s an effort to make room for less expensive family friendly products or products with a slightly higher profit margin.

It’s good news that inflation is cooling but unfortunately higher prices are here to stay.

 

[Linda0818]

I watched a video last night that was taken by a woman living in Alaska. She took us to the grocery store with her and I about fell off my chair when I saw the price tags on everything.

Examples:

$10 for a loaf of bread
$15 for a jar of peanut butter
$11 for a bag of Doritos
$18.79 for a large bottle of ketchup
$8 for a can of beans
$47 for one steak
$26 for a 10 pound bag of potatoes
$13 for a bottle of Ocean Spray cranberry juice
$9.79 for a pack of flour tortillas
$37 for a sheet of bottled water

And those are only a few of items. There was literally nothing in that store that I could afford to buy on a consistent basis. I'd starve to death, more than likely. Or close to it.

One woman commented that she has a daughter living in Alaska and she sends her daughter a couple boxes of groceries every month just so she can eat. And it made me wonder if there were others who live there in that type of situation.

I'm sure not all parts of Alaska have groceries this expensive (or at least I hope!) but wow, that was beyond stupid.

 

[caseydog]

I watched a video last night that was taken by a woman living in Alaska. She took us to the grocery store with her and I about fell off my chair when I saw the price tags on everything.

Examples:

$10 for a loaf of bread
$15 for a jar of peanut butter
$11 for a bag of Doritos
$18.79 for a large bottle of ketchup
$8 for a can of beans
$47 for one steak
$26 for a 10 pound bag of potatoes
$13 for a bottle of Ocean Spray cranberry juice
$9.79 for a pack of flour tortillas
$37 for a sheet of bottled water

And those are only a few of items. There was literally nothing in that store that I could afford to buy on a consistent basis. I'd starve to death, more than likely. Or close to it.

One woman commented that she has a daughter living in Alaska and she sends her daughter a couple boxes of groceries every month just so she can eat. And it made me wonder if there were others who live there in that type of situation.

I'm sure not all parts of Alaska have groceries this expensive (or at least I hope!) but wow, that was beyond stupid.

Alaska and Hawaii both have crazy high prices on things. But it is due to how far things have to travel to get there. That's nothing new... I'm sure K-Girl could talk all about prices in Hawaii. Rural areas in Alaska are especially expensive, because they are even harder to get to with truckloads of products.

CD

 

[Linda0818]

Alaska and Hawaii both have crazy high prices on things. But it is due to how far things have to travel to get there. That's nothing new... I'm sure K-Girl could talk all about prices in Hawaii. Rural areas in Alaska are especially expensive, because they are even harder to get to with truckloads of products.

CD

I get higher prices on everything right now, but those prices in that video blew me away. I was like, wow. Wow wow wow.

Like Aunt Bea said, though, the higher prices are more than likely here to stay. Even if grocery stores could get away with taking prices back down on many items, they won't.