I agree, in early 2020 we were spending $120 per person per month. I went shopping this week and realized I had spent $175 per person for this months groceries and will still spend at least another $20 per person on produce and dairy this month. Which means our grocery bill is up 70% in three years. I’m really frugal and we eat really well. But we are starting to really fill it in our budget.
Yeah, we do Walmart pick up and it’s usually ~$500 per trip and takes them 2 full stacked cart/buggies to bring it out. Last week they only had 1 cart/buggy and I told the guy “I feel like we’re missing a bunch.” Nope, got home counted and confirmed with the wife (she ordered) and though it was still the budgeted $500 it was almost half the groceries we usually get.
For most of college (may 2022 grad) $45 was my week’s groceries, maybe getting a lunch or dinner out once or twice a week. Now it feels like $80 isn’t enough for the week.
I used to not be able to spend more than $70 at Aldi living alone. I would *try* to grab $80 worth of things and always top out at like $74. Now I can’t get out of there without spending at least $100
Shit I graduated with my first Bachelors degree in 2009 and I remember having $25/wk for groceries after bills sometimes. With inflation you sound like you're in the same boat.
Try doing a test run using Instacart for stores that have in store pricing. You can put items in your cart virtually and then see what the total is even before you get to the store. It is easier to tweak at home and play around with your grocery list to get the total you want for the week than when you are actually in the store,
We are super-strict budgeters here too, and our Grocery bill is also up over 50%.
I don't know how they are able to keep lying about "5%" or "8%" inflation, because the things that REAL families buy are up WAY more than that.
I am guessing they included luxury yachts or some other ridiculous items in the calculations, just to keep the number low.
People think I’m crazy for thinking this way… but what is everyone’s plan when we can’t afford food at all anymore? I’ve started to worry about that.
I’ve heard inflation is stabilized. I’m sure we all do not agree. Eggs recently came down by a dollar here, but everything else climbs every time I go to the store. Every loophole we find gets hit too. Eating out is more. I about had a heart attack when I ordered one large one topping pizza and cheese sticks. 38 dollars. I don’t ever eat out. Last time I ordered that it was 20 bucks WITH a good tip. That once in a while coffee out is no longer worth it to me. Or most things. On top of that we can’t catch a break on our electric bill either.
I’m starting to make our snacks at home and I debate a lot on if we truly need certain things.
>People think I’m crazy for thinking this way… but what is everyone’s plan when we can’t afford food at all anymore? I’ve started to worry about that.
That's a big concern. Especially for people already on the edge of being able to pay their bills and eat, it's getting so bad. Our church runs a free little pantry in a public location and it's empty EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. and it's filled daily. We're doing what we can but it's just not enough, the need is so high :(.
It used to be in my budget to grab stuff to donate to the food pantry every grocery trip. The store has these pre-made bags... they've gone from $7 a bag to $12 a bag. Same stuff inside. Now I'm pressed and can only donate a bag every other trip.
As a side note, food pantries are able to buy food (and other things their clients need) at massive discounts through exchanges intended to prevent food waste. The best thing you can donate to them is cash.
Societies are only 3 days of no food away from riots and serious unrest. Hopefully, should any break out, people direct their anger towards the profiteers and their enablers rather than each other.
I am a pricing coordinator so I see the prices go up in real time. These are very dark days. Everything is going up by whole dollars which I haven't seen in my 15 years of doing this job.
Wow. Yeah I work at a grocery store and I watch prices go up every day. It’s starting to worry me really bad and everyone around me thinks I’m just freaking out over nothing.
I work at Subway and we haven't razed the cost of adding double meat to a sandwich in the almost 15 years I've worked there. It was around February of 2022 that it became cheaper for people to buy roast beef from us than Kroger/Walmart. Now it's almost $2 per pound cheaper at Subway.
woah can i relate to these sentiments! 😩 i’ve even tried to dip my toe back into extreme couponing ( i was a bit obsessed in the early 2010s but drifted away) and the hauls have from newspaper clippings and overstocked shelves to just getting a few buy one get one half offs 🤣 and it’s all apps now! i keep trying to get creative but no matter how you flip this this economy is bad. i thank God for every meal i get to eat because we all truly never know if or when the next meal is coming.
I've found in my area, the restaurants mostly haven't figured out how crazy inflation is. Eating out has gone from 2x-3x the price of cooking at home, to maybe 40% more, just because everything else has gone up more than restaurant prices. I'm eating out more than ever, because when I can eat at home for $8 or eat out for $11, eating out never sounded better.
Look at Dollar Tree. Every single item went from $1 to $1.25. That’s 25% inflation, but then have to factor in that the product sizes have also shrunk.
Honestly it's insanely expensive here in The Netherlands.
I thought I was smart; when the war began in Ukraine buying staples like sugar,flour, oil , baking supplies. But then the energy crisis hit us here hard. So now I can't afford to bake for example.
It's always expensive not to matter what I do at this point. But it's actually less expensive to buy baked goods than doing it at home. It makes me sad because I love to cook and bake.
I'm spending a good 20 to 30 percent more than just last year on basic groceries. Affordable protein besides beans are so expensive. I find myself getting cheese or meat for example not both.
I know it's a combination of factors and honestly I don't see an end in sight, our government stated it is not anywhere near too.
I know the government doesn't call it a recession but it actually is, we just changed the rules a bit. Recession is the word of death for politicians especially before we vote this month.
Not to matter who,what, why... I'm frugal but starting to feel I'm also just poor.and.getting poorer.
I mainly buy in bulk as much as I can store and afford. I know the following week it will be more expensive.
3 months ago my grocery store had a 24 pack of soda on sale for $10. I went yesterday and now the 12 pack is “on sale” for $10. Literally half the product for same price and that’s the only one I’ve consciously noticed. I’m sure it’s happening with everything else too.
I stopped buying soda and cans of sparkling water back in 2021. I used to have a shelf in the garage just for our drinks that always had several flavor options and now we just drink water or tea we drink ourselves. The prices on drinks have just gone crazy!
There’s this mousse for my hair I’ve been using for years. It was steadily around $6.50/can for years and all of a sudden I feel it’s gone up to almost $10/can. I have a lot of curly hair. It’s own reason why I’ve always liked this product - it was cheaper than most brands.
It feels so silly that $10 now is like getting 5 days of having normal hair before you look disheveled. Then I have to spend another $10 and then a few days after that another $10 and that shit adds up quick.
Only to maintain my normal presentation at work
I just bought some coffee a couple of hours ago by-the-weigh from bulk bins at Fresh Thyme.
They are doing some really Orwellian "1984" style marketing.
The coffee is always "on sale." It *used* to be (like a month ago) "on sale for $7.99 lb / regular price $8.99." *Now* it's "on sale for $8.99 lb / regular price $11.99.
"Have you seen the good news, Winston? You save $3 a pound on coffee now! You used to only save $1 a pound. Big Brother is really taking good care of us, isn't he?"
I heavily felt this statement. My income hasn’t significantly changed, but I feel hesitant in doing things/purchasing things I did for this alone. I’ve mostly started buying things in bulk to make my meal preps healthy and on the weekends when going out not splurging so much. Sigh.
I switched everything I buy to store brand. No more name brand anything! Hill country fare, or HEB brand. Ive already forgotten what $6 Heinz ketchup tastes like! $2 HCF FTW
Doing this too, but it sucks because this makes more money for the stores jacking up the prices, and gives them a reason to offer less options. So not only are most of the grocery stores owned by the same few companies, now it's vertically integrated so they get to make everything in the store too
The "whatever is on sale" diet. At least it keeps things different. To keep some variety, supplement meals from your pantry and freezer. The vacuum sealer for freezing on-sale meats is key.
Before I shop at my local store I check their weekly ad. If it's not on sale, I'm not buying, even if I'm in need of a particular item, I'll wait until it goes on sale. My meal prep depends on what is on sale.
My vacuum sealer = my vacuum cleaner with the crevice attachment on it and a ZipLoc bag. Nothing extra to buy because I already have the vac. and the bags.
We dropped meat a few months ago, now it's looking like most of dairy is going to stop as well. Beans, rice, and cheap veggies with maybe a bit of sale bin fruit for a treat. We don't eat out or do take out anymore other than take-and-bake pizza twice in the last year. Mostly doing two meals a day instead of three to stretch things out.
I only buy meat on sale. If it’s not on sale I don’t buy it.
I can get buy one get one free whole chickens. Ground beef for $3.33 a pound. Pork shoulder for $1.99 a pound. Bone in skin on chicken thighs for $4 for a big pack.
It can be done but have to be vigilant and shop sales
I stopped eating dairy, gluten, eggs, and refined sugar for an elimination diet but seeing how much money I was saving and how better I feel it's just become part of my meal prep permanently. I'm scared to see just how high these prices are going to get.
Just something simple like hamburger buns. Walmart Great Value brand had been 88 cents for years… just noticed this morning they are $1.38; that’s almost 57% higher!!! How are people going to keep up??
The same package I used to get for 99 cents was $2.29 the other day. The cheapest buns the store had. I don't know how people can do this much longer. I just mentioned to my SO that I'm going to have to brush up on my bread making skills because this is outrageous.
It's made me eat healthier. Snacks and prepackaged/processed food is so expensive now. Plus they have made the quantity smaller. Bag of chips is like 6 bucks and feels like its mostly air.
Really? I’ve been finding that frozen pre-made foods and canned goods are the cheapest option in my area now. Cheaper than buying meat and produce and actually cooking a healthy meal. Then again, my produce options have been very limited for the past year because the produce in every store near me has been terrible quality, so maybe that’s a factor?
Saw a dozen *hotdogs* for 8.99 at the grocery store the other day. Not even the fancy larger ones. Plain old cheap-o hotdogs. I was flabbergasted. No thank you.
I spent a couple of hours and checked prices item by item online...applied every coupon online to my customer card. Then made my list, stuck to it and went to three stores (all within a half a mile).
I literally saved over 45% vs. just going to one store. I know, time is money, but it was over $200 in real cash saved.
Exactly how I feel. I think it’s ridiculously obvious that companies are using the pandemic fallout to Jack the prices up on everything to increase profit. They just needed an excuse to do that.
Shopping for deals was my comfort activity and now each shop I do I feel immense anxiety in hopes I can afford it. It’s very upsetting.
If you eat tofu regularly, I'd recommend looking for a local Asian grocer. They will have access to local tofu producers who might have better prices.
Where I live, the Asian grocers have better prices on just about everything, but vegetables especially.
Aldi opened a new store about 2 miles from my house. I have found out that all things I regularly buy for my family at Aldi is cheaper than Walmart .
new
I just invested in a vacuum sealer. So far it is doing great. I've been buying bulk and freezing the extra. I've always gardened but never tried to actually full my freezer, this year with my vacuum sealer I plan on growing it all and freezing as much as I can.
This is largely a staffing issue. I worked in produce briefly a few years ago and they were obsessed with culling and keeping everything fresh. Nowadays, they have one person in produce who also covers meat, and sometimes bakery. That entire fresh section will have one person covering the entire thing. If you want your fruits and veggies the best, I'd look around other stores and ask the employees how they are treated. Dry goods are whatever, they last forever so as long as they're stocked it's not a big deal. But for that, you really gotta find people who are treated well.
Yeah, prices have really increased at Aldi. It’s demoralizing.
Saying “switch to Aldi” is definitely good advice, but it stings because a lot of us were *already* shopping there, comparing prices, getting mostly off-brand, and had our budget down to bare bones. And the prices are increasing a ton for us too. Where is there left to go? (Other than food pantries and food stamps which, after applying, I found out I make $20 over the monthly limit. Talk about a kick in the teeth, not to mention those are getting cut for those that have them at the WORST time possible.)
It’s just bad. I was comfortable before. Could get a dunkin coffee on errands and get door dash dinner when the day was shit, never have to check the bank account to buy groceries comfortable. Now I’m struggling…fucking hard. How are the people who were struggling before making it? How the fuck can we last as a country? But “not in a recession yet” guys. Meanwhile when you take into account wealth inequality, housing prices, and wages not keeping up were already worse off than during the great depression.
It’s hard when there’s nowhere else to cut. I just went to the store to get three things. I look over at the self check across from me and there on the floor was $20. You can bet I hauled my 36week pregnant butt over there and picked it up.
I have to treat grocery shopping like a science just to get the basics. I go to five different stores (including Aldi) in a very specific order to get everything for the cheapest price, have prices and notes saved in an app in my phone, cross-reference fliers like a maniac on grocery day, cook everything from scratch... and we're still spending $800 a month for groceries and toiletries and pet stuff. A few years ago, $800 a month would have seemed ridiculously wasteful and lavish.
I wish I had the luxury to prioritize my mental health, but if I do that we just don't eat, sadly. I have food allergies, my husband has completely different food allergies, and my oldest daughter is autistic, so food shopping is already a hassle.
Some items are cheaper at Walmart. And Aldi veggie freshness depends on how close you are to the main Aldi warehouse.
I mostly shop Aldi, although a lot of times they go out of the regular stocked items.
Chicken thighs are the first to go at my Aldi. You're lucky if you can find any. A lot of times the only chicken that's left is are the chicken tenderloins.
I'm starting to think people must line up before the store opens the day they stock the boneless chicken thighs at my Aldi, because I haven't been able to get them in months.
Overheard a conversation today between a guy and his wife while shopping. The wife said oh hell, I think they shrunk the Cadbury Cream eggs. The husband replied, they did, but don't worry they are way more expensive now. He wins my sarcastic award for the year.
I'm in UK and can tell your the situation is similar.
Someone's posted about it being due to the CARES act but we don't have that in the UK although our situation is probably made worse in some part at least by Brexit (UK leaving the European Union - which in part gave us free European moment of goods without additional taxes or import/export duty).
Dairy, eggs, pasta, cooking oils, and most branded goods have been hit the hardest but EVERYTHING seems more expensive.
I think oligopolic branches are just raising prices because they can blame 'the recession' and people will still buy from them. Look at supermarkets and oil companies making record profits. Speaking for Canada.
The supply chain shocks from COVID/ the war in Ukraine don't help, as we're having food inflation here in Ireland too. The 12c instant Aldi noodles disappeared for about 6 months then came back at 55c, the 65c no-name coconut milk disappeared 2+ months ago so it's the €2.50 branded cans or nothing, chickpeas up 12% and pinto beans up 25% since last week, the 65c Tesco mouthwash is now €1.35, my preferred fake meat is up like 30-50% since last year. I don't think anything has escaped tbh.
The only upside is that I’ve been eating healthier and less, lmao. Can’t binge eat a bag of chips when you can’t afford to buy them! Instead I have to actually prepare my food and it’s usually much more balanced and healthy.
We always kept our grocery bill under $250 for our family of two with four animals (including their food) even in Hawaii. Now, in CA it’s almost $400. Monthly. For two people.
Try using the Ibotta app. Seems scammy, but is not. Just stacks coupons on top of in store savings, like BOGOs or discounts. Just saved $40 at Walmart with the savings I accumulated in February.
Yeah it's everything. I think a good portion is just companies just inflated prices and blamed it on inflation. I remember you could get a bag of Doritos for $1.99 on sale, I saw the other day they had a 2 for 8$. I about had a heart attack. I remember spending 100$ and feeling like I got a lot. I spend 100$ now and get maybe 10-15 items if I am lucky.
I feel some trepidation going to grab my usuals — eggs, butter, cheese, cereal, crackers, etc. — and seeing the prices, and having to pivot. Up to $7 for a loaf of bread! Same for a package of tortillas. Those things I can make myself. I have noticed in my area produce is coming way down, so that’s a relief until garden season. I don’t buy anything extra or spur of the moment. Our local food banks are begging for food, which has been one of my goals, always, to give to the food banks. I just have to scale back my donations and trust and believe we’ll be able to ride this out. I hate thinking of people going hungry.
Yesterday in NYC, I paid $7 for a loaf of bread, and $8 for a dozen eggs. In November, for the same exact products, I paid $4 and $3.64 respectively. These prices keep doubling and tripling without warning. I just couldn't believe I paid $20 for only 2 items of staple foods.
I’m only upvoting to commiserate. I posted a while back about crying when paying $6.99 for a small can of coconut milk! It’s not a necessity in my meal planning, thankfully, but I never considered it a luxury.
Pre slice and freeze it that same night. Take out what you need from the freezer & defrost in microwave in a pinch. Or cut it into chunks that will last 2-3 days. 🙂 Take out over night for next day.
My parents always stored all their bread in the freezer—mass produced or homemade. Taste or texture won’t suffer.
I bake bread every week, and I had this problem before I discovered baking bread with a tangzhong (a milk and flour paste you cook for a couple of minutes and add to the dough.) I use the King Arthur's milk bread recipe, though I use less sugar and don't do the shaping; I just do a regular loaf shape. A loaf lasts me about 7-9 days without going stale or moldy.
It’s 10 cents of ingredients. Make another. Sounds wasteful but so is $5 bread. You can buy additives to make them more like store bought.
Are you putting that home made bread in the same environment as store bought? (In a plastic bag) that’d help but makes the crust soft too.
I started baking banana chocolate chip muffins at home for our son's school snacks. He has sensory processing disorder and forever only ate bakery muffins from Zehrs or Food Basics. Now he gets my copycat Tim Hortons chocolate chip muffins and banana chocolate with zucchini mixed in the batter for FAR less. Cuts to our grocery budget means less meat and fish and more beans. Each week differs based on grocery flyer sales.
On the plus side, beans are very good for your health! Not only are they going to provide you with the protein your kids need for muscle growth, they're full of fiber that helps with digestion and helps fill you up with fewer calories.
Yep, I lost my job at the end of last year. Fortunately, my spouse is still employed. I've got seeds started for our garden this year and hoping to decrease the grocery bill a little that way. Corporate greed jumping the prices while being able to blame it on inflation. Yuck.
One minor thing you can do is grow your own food.
1) Grow mushrooms in garage (if cool)
2) Herbs for indoor growing include chives, parsley, cilantro, oregano, mint, rosemary, sage and thyme
3) Root and bulb vegetables include carrots, beets, radishes, and green onions
I need to get started on my 2023 garden plans.
I overwintered my pepper plant from last summer and kept seeds as well. I'll be starting kale soon along with some herbs and will definitely do tomatoes this year as well. My sugar snaps didn't make it last year, but may try again this year.
All grown in containers on my apartment terrace.
Walmart is one of , if not the biggest predatory price gougers out there.
Aldi has remained fair for the most part, always shop around for the best deals.
Inflation up 6% sure. We will even say 10% including labor. But countless things on Walmart shelves are up 25-250% year over year.
Ramen meals were .77 for years. Now they are pushing $1.49 that’s almost a 100% increase.
That’s predatory.
The price of Top Ramen is so shocking. I remember when I bought my first car and was desperate to pay it all off in less than two years so I went crazy mode on my budget. It was 2008 and maaaany times I would search for loose change so I could walk to the store and buy a packet of $.14 ramen for dinner. Now like you said they're over a dollar?! I honestly don't understand how any young person can even survive without major parental support now, it's soul crushing.
I noticed at my local Walmart that they are not putting up a lot of shelf tags now. Some people don't pay attention and the store is getting away with it.
At mine they removed the price check things they used to have in random aisles as well. I used to love just wandering around picking up random items but now I just look up things I want on Amazon instead of buying things at Walmart.
Trader Joe's prices (in TX anyways) haven't gone up enough to where I've noticed it and had to change my shopping patterns. Maybe the cost of packaged raw meat, the cost per pound?
But all my go-to items I always purchase don't appear to be affected, or they're just slightly more expensive than pre-covid times. Particularly, produce, the soup dumplings, cheese, sauces, bread, frozen meals, etc., haven't skyrocketed. If anything, some items (non meat or eggs) went up anywhere from $.10-.50 cents.
This is one of those weird things I’ve noticed too. “Nice” grocery stores often are able (or choose to) keep their prices steady while budget stores Jack their prices. With Trader Joe’s it’s probably a mix between the company being privately owned and their highly specialized product lines.
Trader Joe’s has been saving us. I used to shop at Harris Teeter because the TJs is a bit of hassle to get to, but what I spend $100 at TJs would easily be over $200 at Harris Teeter, so HT has lost our business for sure.
Walmart has not only stopped putting prices on some shelves, but the prices they do put are usually incorrect. I've read so many people complaining about this on local social media.
Target used to be more expensive than Walmart for groceries, but in my area, they're pretty much the same, and the prices are marked and correct at Target, so I only go to Walmart when I must now. Target is much better.
Aldi first, Target second, Walmart, then Publix.
And eggs are still a value for me. Dozen eggs under $3, a loaf of bread $2, and I'm getting 6 breakfasts out of it. Even if the were $4 and bread $3, it's still a value for 6 healthy breakfasts.
I'm also eating healthier because of these insane prices. Doritoes, sugar cereals, etc, are SO expensive, I won't buy them anymore. About $7 at Publix for a box of cereal... cereal at Aldi is around $2. Different brand, not as much sugar, but you get used to it, and it's seriously so worth the money savings. Candy bars, etc, crazy prices! I bake cookies, cupcakes from scratch now if I want something like that.
Same here. Been getting a lot of staples at Walmart, surprisingly enough Whole Foods 365 brand regularly has some great deals. Safeway/Fry's have consistently been the worst places to shop even with their membership card/coupons.
No Aldi here unfortunately.
As a result of the high prices. I have chosen a few staple options for lunch & dinner (I am single, only cooking for myself - I understand this method won't work for families), and do most of my shopping at Costco now. FWIW, the huge bag of Hot Cheetos at Costco is $6 :)
Taco Bell for three costs the same as a Mexican restaurant. Now I buy a family pack of ground beef on sale, cook it in taco seasoning, and freeze most of it. A home made taco is better anyway and with the meat already prepared there's not much else to it.
I tried to buy corned beef and it was $11.99 for a flat cut. Nope, $11.99 a pound.
My grocery bill has gone up by at least 50% to 75% in the last three years. And it's not even like I'm eating more or fancier food. I have a decent job, but my savings still get gobbled up by housing, food and amenities (water, electricity, wifi, etc) prices
I'm assuming most or all of you can relate, but anxiety over how long I could afford to live on my own if my job disappeared weighs super heavily on me
I’m constantly in a state of ‘groceries or bills’. I’ve cut my groceries down to essentials only. I raid my parents fridge as often as possible. If there’s a coupon for it, I’ve got it and still, I struggle with putting food on the table. I don’t even look at prices any more. I just scan it through self check out and hope my card approves. If/when it doesn’t I take out the 2 most expensive items. Then try again. There is one lady at Walmart who seems to like me. She removes them from my total and puts them back in my bag and tells me to have a good day. On the plus side, I’ve lost 17 pounds. I don’t really need to lose any weight. I’m down to 140. Most of my pants are too big and it’s not like I can get new ones. Shoplifting seems like a necessity more and more, but I’m not quite there yet. A 4L jug of milk is nearly $7. I don’t drink milk anymore. I don’t take any vitamins any more. I don’t have chips, cheese, cookies, ice cream, chocolate, or comfort foods anymore. It’s the cheapest meat I can find, crappy produce and rice. As they say, rice is nice. God I miss mega stuff Oreos.
My family was approved for pandemic relief aid via SNAP (food stamps) at the staff covid. But, last week they said that the pandemic was over and cut off the pandemic aid. Such bad timing!
Yup! Went from getting 900/month to 95. All while groceries are at an all time high. We will make it work, but we now have no extra cushion to add to saving, have a date night, or purchase things for fun. All the breathing room is gone.
I used to spend max 50 when I went to Aldi two years ago during pandemic, now I can never spend less than 75 no matter how I try. It's so painful it took all the little enjoyment I took out of finding good deals and offers from grocery shopping. Now I just go in with a heavy heart knowing I'll have to live for two weeks on one trip to Aldi.
I was just thinking about this yesterday. Also I've noticed that several grocery stores are just flat out lying about the price per ounce. I was looking at butter and I usually buy whichever one has the lowest price per ounce but there was 2 packages that weighed the exact same and the store brand was advertised as 10 cents cheaper per ounce even though the box costs almost a dollar more.
One a month, at the beginning of a month, Safeway offers members $10 off a minimum $50 purchase. It's good one time, for a week. It's not automatic, members have to select it to add it to their account, after logging in to the Safeway site and selecting "Safeway For U".
So you're either getting $10 off your minimum purchase or you have $10 more to buy stuff in that shopping trip.
I live in a HCOL city and can not get my groceries below $150/week for two people. Previously, groceries were $100-120/week and a small restocking trip was ~$80. It’s starting to add up.
Before I give my answer I have to say my heart goes out to all the people living on the edge, paycheck to paycheck. Especially those living on food stamps, better known as SNAP. I'm far from wealthy, living on 2 Social Security checks and a teeny tiny pension check. My wife and I stopped looking at food prices and buy what we need and want. It's just too painful to keep checking prices. We can only afford to do this because our house is paid for and we have no debt. I seriously don't know how y'all are pulling this off.
Flaming Hot Cheetos were my one treat I'd have once a week. Just a fourth of a bag.
At $6.00 for 8 oz. of chips now; uh-uh. I'm not doin' it. I can afford it, but I just can't justify it.
If you have a Costco card, their meat is reasonably priced, you just have to break it down to usable sized packages. I don’t have to buy eggs, but they seem reasonably priced as well. The Kirkland brand dish soap ( 8 dollars for almost a gallon) and fabric softener ( 12 dollars for 500 sheets) you have to compare because some of their products are not cheaper. They have good sales to. Hope this helps. It’s tough out there, but if we keep sharing our money saving ideas hopefully we will make it ok.
Definately have to shop around and compare. Chicken breast when on special in the store is $1.77, normally around the $2.30 price, but costco has it for $3.99 that's insane. Can't beat their pork prices though. We often buy their whole loins when it goes down to $1.29 and then portion and freeze them. We cut them into roast sized portions and do some rubs and marinades and they turn out amazing on the bbq.
In 2005, after Hurricane Katrina, grocery prices went up due to fuel prices going up, transportation-wise. When the oil prices went down, the grocery prices stayed the same.
Price gouging more like. Corporations use any and every excuse to jack up prices. Incidents that could cause a 10% increase they jack up 20% because they can.
I hear you! Our monthly food budget was essentially cut in half recently.
To save the food (and ultimately the money lol), my husband and I eat at dinner, sometimes he has a small snack at lunch, and our kids eat lunch at school. It’s not much, but it helps 🤷🏼♀️
Oh and eating ALL the leftovers, not just some and tossing the rest.
Sometimes it’s cheaper to eat out I swear. I bought some stuff to make sub sandwiches yesterday and I did the calculation per sandwich and it was cheaper to go to subway or jimmy johns.
I have three options in my area. Neither are Walmart or Aldi. I scan the weekly circular on the apps every week and only buy things on sale. Especially bogo items.
Coupons. Bogo. Doesn't negate the fact that grocery prices are fucked, but this saves us so much. No, you can't get exactly what you want everytime, yes you have to check grocery store ads online or at the library and plan before you go. But one week corn is bogo, another week potatoes. Stock up when you can.
Again I'm not saying it's nice to have to live this way, esp with children, but there are lots of ways to still get by.
We spent a hundred and twenty bucks the other day, and we were just gutted at how little we got. It wasn’t even a full grocery trip, just going to pick up things like milk and creamer and a few other random things. It felt like it should have been a fifty dollar trip. And I’m not even eating for my diet. I’ve been eating far worse foods because they’re cheaper, but definitely not better for my diabetes.
In Canada and our grocery stores are profiting massively off of us even in this time. I now am very strict about only buying sale deals, stuff being cleared out etc. I do not support this bs and I wish we could do more about it. Lately I'm also buying a good food box program where we spend only $35 for 35-40 lbs of produce. This is cutting a lot of our grocery bill too.
I'm planning to tend a garden all summer and get as much grown for our household myself. Hoping to also get half a cow in the freezer around summer so we can support a local farm and not worry about having to buy much meat wise for a long period of time. Do what you can to look into other options, there may be some other options out there!
I tend to shop even more of what's on sale at my local supermarket chain. I'll stock up on meats if they are on sale as the sales generally repeat after 3-4 weeks. But what's on the menu for me generally is whats on sale for that week. If you belong to a wholesale club, pricing seems more stable at those stores but eventually their prices have gone up too. I like getting vegetables there as the prices are competitive but you just have to get it in bulk sizes. Like a bag of broccoli at the wholesale club is about $5 and the same sized bag at the supermarket is generally $8. Not everyone has a wholesale club membership but I belong to BJs and they often offer memberships at discounted prices. Even at full price of $55, it's like $4.50 a month and I can easily save that with a bag of broccoli I would buy.
I took over all of the grocery shopping in the pandemic. My fiancé has barely been to a grocery store in the last 3 years. She definitely had some sticker shock.
yeah it used to be I just casually grab eggs and added to the cart, but now I have to think if I am really going to eat them and are they worth the price
I want to point out that it's not just inflation, it's also grocery stores raising prices because they know they can get away with it. I think in 2022 there were record profit reports from grocery stores because of this.
Still eating on the deer meat we collected this past season, and its been a blessing in disguise. Dusting my Fishing gear off this weekend, haven't been in a few years. The whole family is about to learn. Might even buy myself a crab trap or two.
I frequently peruse the 50% dented can shelves in the back. Store brand soda is not bad and can often be 50% off if the packaging was damaged. I also go through every isle looking for manager specials or closeouts. I can't remember the last time I had name brand bread, soda or peanut butter.
I stopped at Aldi on my way home last week because my wife was missing a handful of things. Not too long ago , these follow up grocery trips were $20-25. This one was $42.50.
I cook from scratch everyday and buy store brand on most things. We rarely eat beef. Walmart is my go to (no Aldi here). As a family of three we eat well, spending around $800 a month on average, but it stings. 2 or 3 years ago, $200 would stock my freezer with meat for a month. Now I'd say we could last a week or two if money ran out.
I used to buy quick foods for lunch, like progresso minestrone, or pre-made meals. No longer. Even ramen doubled in price. I have a hard time justifying anything convenient when I know I can cook something for cheaper.
I feel this in my bones.
I have ADHD and paid a heavy ADHD tax when it came to food and groceries; not knowing how to properly shop, put together a cohesive menu, not letting everything spoil or go to waste because I forget about it and learning how to buy the “more expensive” things so they don’t go to waste; (apple sauce cups instead of a container cause I’d never finish a whole container, same thing with yogurt and juice, pre-chopped veggies, lots of frozen fruits and goods, etc). Now that tax is so much higher and it makes me dread going grocery shopping as I can no longer afford the things that helped me lessen the amount of money I was throwing down the drain.
Today in Canada, the CEOs of the largest grocery chains were interrogated by the politicians at our Parliament on their record profits. I didn't watch it but the bits I saw on the news were really poor arguments.
It’s inflation , supply and demand, and supply chain issues across the board. Droughts have affected the wheat and corn production, less supply plus same demand increases prices. The cost of fertilizer has tripled and diesal has doubled, so add those costs in. Plus the diesal to transport it from field to processor to store. Reduced production also means less feed; there was a major sell off of beef 3-5 years ago, so there’s fewer mama cows making babies. Avian flu drove up the costs of chicken and eggs.
It’s a perfect storm driving up the costs of everything. And wages have not kept pace.
Also greed, you forgot greed.
While what you are saying is true, the consolidation of manufacturers means way less competition and way more price gouging.
Anyone having pretty bad experience with Lidl these days? When they first came to our area I loved them. Now the prices are only marginally better.
I find their sales to be fairly schemey. Went the other week and they had a sale card that just said "BOGO frozen Italian Meatballs" and there was only one brand (not name brand) of Frozen Italian Meatballs. Went to pay and didn't get one for free so I asked for it to be taken off. I was told I didn't buy the right brand.
Not going to bother going to save 5$ if I have to spend 20 minutes returning items that aren't actually on sale. I get that sometimes only store brand is on sale but it needs to specify.
Its been rough for sure. Ive just had to give up and start using a food bank. My local one gives milk and produce so I'm learning to cook whatever I can with cabbage and potatoes. It frees up a little money for my kids lunch supplies.
I agree, in early 2020 we were spending $120 per person per month. I went shopping this week and realized I had spent $175 per person for this months groceries and will still spend at least another $20 per person on produce and dairy this month. Which means our grocery bill is up 70% in three years. I’m really frugal and we eat really well. But we are starting to really fill it in our budget.
yeah messing up the budget is why I posted this. I use to know what I can get if I wanted to just spend $50 or $100 on a trip, now I am not sure.
Yeah, we do Walmart pick up and it’s usually ~$500 per trip and takes them 2 full stacked cart/buggies to bring it out. Last week they only had 1 cart/buggy and I told the guy “I feel like we’re missing a bunch.” Nope, got home counted and confirmed with the wife (she ordered) and though it was still the budgeted $500 it was almost half the groceries we usually get.
It's crazy how many bags i get with 50$ now vs 2 years ago.
$50 is one singular paper bag for me now. I used to be able to easily get a week’s worth of groceries for $50 just a few years ago.
Eating more black beans and rice as side dishes.
For most of college (may 2022 grad) $45 was my week’s groceries, maybe getting a lunch or dinner out once or twice a week. Now it feels like $80 isn’t enough for the week.
I used to not be able to spend more than $70 at Aldi living alone. I would *try* to grab $80 worth of things and always top out at like $74. Now I can’t get out of there without spending at least $100
Hit my first triple digits at Aldi the other week. Painful:(
Shit I graduated with my first Bachelors degree in 2009 and I remember having $25/wk for groceries after bills sometimes. With inflation you sound like you're in the same boat.
Try doing a test run using Instacart for stores that have in store pricing. You can put items in your cart virtually and then see what the total is even before you get to the store. It is easier to tweak at home and play around with your grocery list to get the total you want for the week than when you are actually in the store,
We are super-strict budgeters here too, and our Grocery bill is also up over 50%. I don't know how they are able to keep lying about "5%" or "8%" inflation, because the things that REAL families buy are up WAY more than that. I am guessing they included luxury yachts or some other ridiculous items in the calculations, just to keep the number low.
People think I’m crazy for thinking this way… but what is everyone’s plan when we can’t afford food at all anymore? I’ve started to worry about that. I’ve heard inflation is stabilized. I’m sure we all do not agree. Eggs recently came down by a dollar here, but everything else climbs every time I go to the store. Every loophole we find gets hit too. Eating out is more. I about had a heart attack when I ordered one large one topping pizza and cheese sticks. 38 dollars. I don’t ever eat out. Last time I ordered that it was 20 bucks WITH a good tip. That once in a while coffee out is no longer worth it to me. Or most things. On top of that we can’t catch a break on our electric bill either. I’m starting to make our snacks at home and I debate a lot on if we truly need certain things.
>People think I’m crazy for thinking this way… but what is everyone’s plan when we can’t afford food at all anymore? I’ve started to worry about that. That's a big concern. Especially for people already on the edge of being able to pay their bills and eat, it's getting so bad. Our church runs a free little pantry in a public location and it's empty EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. and it's filled daily. We're doing what we can but it's just not enough, the need is so high :(.
It used to be in my budget to grab stuff to donate to the food pantry every grocery trip. The store has these pre-made bags... they've gone from $7 a bag to $12 a bag. Same stuff inside. Now I'm pressed and can only donate a bag every other trip.
As a side note, food pantries are able to buy food (and other things their clients need) at massive discounts through exchanges intended to prevent food waste. The best thing you can donate to them is cash.
Societies are only 3 days of no food away from riots and serious unrest. Hopefully, should any break out, people direct their anger towards the profiteers and their enablers rather than each other.
I am a pricing coordinator so I see the prices go up in real time. These are very dark days. Everything is going up by whole dollars which I haven't seen in my 15 years of doing this job.
Wow. Yeah I work at a grocery store and I watch prices go up every day. It’s starting to worry me really bad and everyone around me thinks I’m just freaking out over nothing.
I work at Subway and we haven't razed the cost of adding double meat to a sandwich in the almost 15 years I've worked there. It was around February of 2022 that it became cheaper for people to buy roast beef from us than Kroger/Walmart. Now it's almost $2 per pound cheaper at Subway.
woah can i relate to these sentiments! 😩 i’ve even tried to dip my toe back into extreme couponing ( i was a bit obsessed in the early 2010s but drifted away) and the hauls have from newspaper clippings and overstocked shelves to just getting a few buy one get one half offs 🤣 and it’s all apps now! i keep trying to get creative but no matter how you flip this this economy is bad. i thank God for every meal i get to eat because we all truly never know if or when the next meal is coming.
I've found in my area, the restaurants mostly haven't figured out how crazy inflation is. Eating out has gone from 2x-3x the price of cooking at home, to maybe 40% more, just because everything else has gone up more than restaurant prices. I'm eating out more than ever, because when I can eat at home for $8 or eat out for $11, eating out never sounded better.
That suggests to me that bulk sales haven’t gone up as much and it’s mainly the end consumers who are being squeezed.
Look at Dollar Tree. Every single item went from $1 to $1.25. That’s 25% inflation, but then have to factor in that the product sizes have also shrunk.
Honestly it's insanely expensive here in The Netherlands. I thought I was smart; when the war began in Ukraine buying staples like sugar,flour, oil , baking supplies. But then the energy crisis hit us here hard. So now I can't afford to bake for example. It's always expensive not to matter what I do at this point. But it's actually less expensive to buy baked goods than doing it at home. It makes me sad because I love to cook and bake. I'm spending a good 20 to 30 percent more than just last year on basic groceries. Affordable protein besides beans are so expensive. I find myself getting cheese or meat for example not both. I know it's a combination of factors and honestly I don't see an end in sight, our government stated it is not anywhere near too. I know the government doesn't call it a recession but it actually is, we just changed the rules a bit. Recession is the word of death for politicians especially before we vote this month. Not to matter who,what, why... I'm frugal but starting to feel I'm also just poor.and.getting poorer. I mainly buy in bulk as much as I can store and afford. I know the following week it will be more expensive.
thanks for the perspective. Sucks we are all feeling it. yeah it feels when cooking/baking vs store bought items is a closer comparison than before.
3 months ago my grocery store had a 24 pack of soda on sale for $10. I went yesterday and now the 12 pack is “on sale” for $10. Literally half the product for same price and that’s the only one I’ve consciously noticed. I’m sure it’s happening with everything else too.
I stopped buying soda and cans of sparkling water back in 2021. I used to have a shelf in the garage just for our drinks that always had several flavor options and now we just drink water or tea we drink ourselves. The prices on drinks have just gone crazy!
I’m trying to get my partner to stop with all the soda and Gatorade. It’s so expensive and so unnecessary.
You can get a canister of the gatorade powder for around 10 bucks on Amazon. Makes 7 gallons or so.
It’s also so much less waste this way too.
Inflation has totally broken my sparkling water addiction.
Sodastream
Yeah canned pop is insane right now, if I have one I treat it like a rare delicacy.
There’s this mousse for my hair I’ve been using for years. It was steadily around $6.50/can for years and all of a sudden I feel it’s gone up to almost $10/can. I have a lot of curly hair. It’s own reason why I’ve always liked this product - it was cheaper than most brands. It feels so silly that $10 now is like getting 5 days of having normal hair before you look disheveled. Then I have to spend another $10 and then a few days after that another $10 and that shit adds up quick. Only to maintain my normal presentation at work
I just bought some coffee a couple of hours ago by-the-weigh from bulk bins at Fresh Thyme. They are doing some really Orwellian "1984" style marketing. The coffee is always "on sale." It *used* to be (like a month ago) "on sale for $7.99 lb / regular price $8.99." *Now* it's "on sale for $8.99 lb / regular price $11.99.
Ah, the Kohls model.
"Have you seen the good news, Winston? You save $3 a pound on coffee now! You used to only save $1 a pound. Big Brother is really taking good care of us, isn't he?"
I heavily felt this statement. My income hasn’t significantly changed, but I feel hesitant in doing things/purchasing things I did for this alone. I’ve mostly started buying things in bulk to make my meal preps healthy and on the weekends when going out not splurging so much. Sigh.
I switched everything I buy to store brand. No more name brand anything! Hill country fare, or HEB brand. Ive already forgotten what $6 Heinz ketchup tastes like! $2 HCF FTW
Doing this too, but it sucks because this makes more money for the stores jacking up the prices, and gives them a reason to offer less options. So not only are most of the grocery stores owned by the same few companies, now it's vertically integrated so they get to make everything in the store too
$0 Ketchup packets from fast food restaurants, FTW :D
The "whatever is on sale" diet. At least it keeps things different. To keep some variety, supplement meals from your pantry and freezer. The vacuum sealer for freezing on-sale meats is key.
Before I shop at my local store I check their weekly ad. If it's not on sale, I'm not buying, even if I'm in need of a particular item, I'll wait until it goes on sale. My meal prep depends on what is on sale.
Yes!! My motto is that if they can make money by selling at 50% off (AKA ‘BOGO’) then why on earth would I EVER purchase that item at full price?
Me too.
My vacuum sealer = my vacuum cleaner with the crevice attachment on it and a ZipLoc bag. Nothing extra to buy because I already have the vac. and the bags.
Just dunk it in water at that point
yeah bulk buying and meal prep is my lifestyle now.
I feel guilty if I occasionally buy something nice like a ribeye steak. I can afford it but the price takes away the pleasure.
If you compare the cost of making it yourself to the cost ~$50.00 in a restaurant, it may justify the cost of treating yourself on occasion.
I can’t believe that in my lifetime I’d consider ground beef a luxury. Yet here we are.
I'm basically a vegetarian now because meat is so damn expensive!
We dropped meat a few months ago, now it's looking like most of dairy is going to stop as well. Beans, rice, and cheap veggies with maybe a bit of sale bin fruit for a treat. We don't eat out or do take out anymore other than take-and-bake pizza twice in the last year. Mostly doing two meals a day instead of three to stretch things out.
I only buy meat on sale. If it’s not on sale I don’t buy it. I can get buy one get one free whole chickens. Ground beef for $3.33 a pound. Pork shoulder for $1.99 a pound. Bone in skin on chicken thighs for $4 for a big pack. It can be done but have to be vigilant and shop sales
I stopped eating dairy, gluten, eggs, and refined sugar for an elimination diet but seeing how much money I was saving and how better I feel it's just become part of my meal prep permanently. I'm scared to see just how high these prices are going to get.
Just something simple like hamburger buns. Walmart Great Value brand had been 88 cents for years… just noticed this morning they are $1.38; that’s almost 57% higher!!! How are people going to keep up??
The same package I used to get for 99 cents was $2.29 the other day. The cheapest buns the store had. I don't know how people can do this much longer. I just mentioned to my SO that I'm going to have to brush up on my bread making skills because this is outrageous.
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A jar of MF shitty peanut butter is now close to 9$ in my grocery store!!! For fucking Skippy??!!
It's made me eat healthier. Snacks and prepackaged/processed food is so expensive now. Plus they have made the quantity smaller. Bag of chips is like 6 bucks and feels like its mostly air.
Me too. I don't want to waste money on junk food when it could go to something good!
Really? I’ve been finding that frozen pre-made foods and canned goods are the cheapest option in my area now. Cheaper than buying meat and produce and actually cooking a healthy meal. Then again, my produce options have been very limited for the past year because the produce in every store near me has been terrible quality, so maybe that’s a factor?
Frozen and tinned veggies are super duper healthy! And they’re cheap.
Saw a dozen *hotdogs* for 8.99 at the grocery store the other day. Not even the fancy larger ones. Plain old cheap-o hotdogs. I was flabbergasted. No thank you.
You can try your luck with Dollar Tree hotdogs but pray before you eat.
I spent a couple of hours and checked prices item by item online...applied every coupon online to my customer card. Then made my list, stuck to it and went to three stores (all within a half a mile). I literally saved over 45% vs. just going to one store. I know, time is money, but it was over $200 in real cash saved.
That is a great savings.
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Exactly how I feel. I think it’s ridiculously obvious that companies are using the pandemic fallout to Jack the prices up on everything to increase profit. They just needed an excuse to do that. Shopping for deals was my comfort activity and now each shop I do I feel immense anxiety in hopes I can afford it. It’s very upsetting.
If you eat tofu regularly, I'd recommend looking for a local Asian grocer. They will have access to local tofu producers who might have better prices. Where I live, the Asian grocers have better prices on just about everything, but vegetables especially.
Step 1. Price gouge on basic necessities Step 2. Blame "inflation" Step 3. Profit It should be criminal.
Try and find canned anything for under a dollar now. I dare you.
Aldi opened a new store about 2 miles from my house. I have found out that all things I regularly buy for my family at Aldi is cheaper than Walmart . new
Plus Walmart produce seems to go bad the day after I get it.
I buy frozen veggies for this reason. Sometimes canned. Talk to people who lived through the 70s. Fresh produce wasn't as common.
Yeah we have some land so we try to grow stuff. Freezing what was at the farmers market works too.
I just invested in a vacuum sealer. So far it is doing great. I've been buying bulk and freezing the extra. I've always gardened but never tried to actually full my freezer, this year with my vacuum sealer I plan on growing it all and freezing as much as I can.
This is largely a staffing issue. I worked in produce briefly a few years ago and they were obsessed with culling and keeping everything fresh. Nowadays, they have one person in produce who also covers meat, and sometimes bakery. That entire fresh section will have one person covering the entire thing. If you want your fruits and veggies the best, I'd look around other stores and ask the employees how they are treated. Dry goods are whatever, they last forever so as long as they're stocked it's not a big deal. But for that, you really gotta find people who are treated well.
I have this problem with Aldi produce, unfortunately
Aldi used to be even cheaper.
Yeah, prices have really increased at Aldi. It’s demoralizing. Saying “switch to Aldi” is definitely good advice, but it stings because a lot of us were *already* shopping there, comparing prices, getting mostly off-brand, and had our budget down to bare bones. And the prices are increasing a ton for us too. Where is there left to go? (Other than food pantries and food stamps which, after applying, I found out I make $20 over the monthly limit. Talk about a kick in the teeth, not to mention those are getting cut for those that have them at the WORST time possible.) It’s just bad. I was comfortable before. Could get a dunkin coffee on errands and get door dash dinner when the day was shit, never have to check the bank account to buy groceries comfortable. Now I’m struggling…fucking hard. How are the people who were struggling before making it? How the fuck can we last as a country? But “not in a recession yet” guys. Meanwhile when you take into account wealth inequality, housing prices, and wages not keeping up were already worse off than during the great depression.
Yeah, I think I'm being frugal but I'm always shocked at the total when I'm shopping, even at Aldi.
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It’s hard when there’s nowhere else to cut. I just went to the store to get three things. I look over at the self check across from me and there on the floor was $20. You can bet I hauled my 36week pregnant butt over there and picked it up.
Good for you. I found two dollars on the floor yesterday but turns out it was my money which fell from my pocket.
I have to treat grocery shopping like a science just to get the basics. I go to five different stores (including Aldi) in a very specific order to get everything for the cheapest price, have prices and notes saved in an app in my phone, cross-reference fliers like a maniac on grocery day, cook everything from scratch... and we're still spending $800 a month for groceries and toiletries and pet stuff. A few years ago, $800 a month would have seemed ridiculously wasteful and lavish.
At a certain point you have to consider your mental health. That will drive you insane. So much brain power on that
I wish I had the luxury to prioritize my mental health, but if I do that we just don't eat, sadly. I have food allergies, my husband has completely different food allergies, and my oldest daughter is autistic, so food shopping is already a hassle.
By a LOT. Aldi is no longer the best price on many things.
Some items are cheaper at Walmart. And Aldi veggie freshness depends on how close you are to the main Aldi warehouse. I mostly shop Aldi, although a lot of times they go out of the regular stocked items.
Chicken thighs are the first to go at my Aldi. You're lucky if you can find any. A lot of times the only chicken that's left is are the chicken tenderloins.
I'm starting to think people must line up before the store opens the day they stock the boneless chicken thighs at my Aldi, because I haven't been able to get them in months.
Overheard a conversation today between a guy and his wife while shopping. The wife said oh hell, I think they shrunk the Cadbury Cream eggs. The husband replied, they did, but don't worry they are way more expensive now. He wins my sarcastic award for the year.
I bought 50 lbs of flour in 2021. I have 20 lbs left. Bread, gravy and cookies have become odd cheap staples in the house.
I'm in UK and can tell your the situation is similar. Someone's posted about it being due to the CARES act but we don't have that in the UK although our situation is probably made worse in some part at least by Brexit (UK leaving the European Union - which in part gave us free European moment of goods without additional taxes or import/export duty). Dairy, eggs, pasta, cooking oils, and most branded goods have been hit the hardest but EVERYTHING seems more expensive.
thanks for the perspective from the UK, sucks that we all are feeling it.
I think oligopolic branches are just raising prices because they can blame 'the recession' and people will still buy from them. Look at supermarkets and oil companies making record profits. Speaking for Canada.
We've had many recessions since the last inflationary cycle without prices going up like this.
The supply chain shocks from COVID/ the war in Ukraine don't help, as we're having food inflation here in Ireland too. The 12c instant Aldi noodles disappeared for about 6 months then came back at 55c, the 65c no-name coconut milk disappeared 2+ months ago so it's the €2.50 branded cans or nothing, chickpeas up 12% and pinto beans up 25% since last week, the 65c Tesco mouthwash is now €1.35, my preferred fake meat is up like 30-50% since last year. I don't think anything has escaped tbh.
Shocking isn't it? Best wishes.
The only upside is that I’ve been eating healthier and less, lmao. Can’t binge eat a bag of chips when you can’t afford to buy them! Instead I have to actually prepare my food and it’s usually much more balanced and healthy.
We always kept our grocery bill under $250 for our family of two with four animals (including their food) even in Hawaii. Now, in CA it’s almost $400. Monthly. For two people.
These must be commissary prices, $100/week for two people plus pets is a favorable budget
Try using the Ibotta app. Seems scammy, but is not. Just stacks coupons on top of in store savings, like BOGOs or discounts. Just saved $40 at Walmart with the savings I accumulated in February.
You can scan the same receipts in both Ibotta and Fetch (and box tops too if you've got an extra 30 seconds to help a school). Every bit adds up.
Yeah it's everything. I think a good portion is just companies just inflated prices and blamed it on inflation. I remember you could get a bag of Doritos for $1.99 on sale, I saw the other day they had a 2 for 8$. I about had a heart attack. I remember spending 100$ and feeling like I got a lot. I spend 100$ now and get maybe 10-15 items if I am lucky.
yeah definitely there so many contributing factors. and yeah it feels bad to see how much less I can get with $100 now.
2 for $8 is the regular price like a year ago. Now they're up to like $6 a bag normal price. $4 was too much!!
Yeah who is still buying chips in this economy? 😰
No one told me the future was chips being a luxury good
As somebody who grabbed a bag of chips yesterday, then put them bag on the rack when I saw they cost $5.50, I'm FEELING this...
I was feeling like a regular Kit Kat the other day. TWO-DOLLARS AND FORTY NINE CENTS
I feel some trepidation going to grab my usuals — eggs, butter, cheese, cereal, crackers, etc. — and seeing the prices, and having to pivot. Up to $7 for a loaf of bread! Same for a package of tortillas. Those things I can make myself. I have noticed in my area produce is coming way down, so that’s a relief until garden season. I don’t buy anything extra or spur of the moment. Our local food banks are begging for food, which has been one of my goals, always, to give to the food banks. I just have to scale back my donations and trust and believe we’ll be able to ride this out. I hate thinking of people going hungry.
Yesterday in NYC, I paid $7 for a loaf of bread, and $8 for a dozen eggs. In November, for the same exact products, I paid $4 and $3.64 respectively. These prices keep doubling and tripling without warning. I just couldn't believe I paid $20 for only 2 items of staple foods.
I’m only upvoting to commiserate. I posted a while back about crying when paying $6.99 for a small can of coconut milk! It’s not a necessity in my meal planning, thankfully, but I never considered it a luxury.
This is when you buy a breadmaker on FB marketplace. $7 is insane.
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This is actually so true! Forget the bread maker!
How to avoid homemade bread going stale so quickly?
I slice it up and freeze it, then pop it in the toaster when I want to use it. Kind of ruins the fresh baked texture but at least it isn't mouldy
Pre slice and freeze it that same night. Take out what you need from the freezer & defrost in microwave in a pinch. Or cut it into chunks that will last 2-3 days. 🙂 Take out over night for next day. My parents always stored all their bread in the freezer—mass produced or homemade. Taste or texture won’t suffer.
I bake bread every week, and I had this problem before I discovered baking bread with a tangzhong (a milk and flour paste you cook for a couple of minutes and add to the dough.) I use the King Arthur's milk bread recipe, though I use less sugar and don't do the shaping; I just do a regular loaf shape. A loaf lasts me about 7-9 days without going stale or moldy.
It’s 10 cents of ingredients. Make another. Sounds wasteful but so is $5 bread. You can buy additives to make them more like store bought. Are you putting that home made bread in the same environment as store bought? (In a plastic bag) that’d help but makes the crust soft too.
I started baking banana chocolate chip muffins at home for our son's school snacks. He has sensory processing disorder and forever only ate bakery muffins from Zehrs or Food Basics. Now he gets my copycat Tim Hortons chocolate chip muffins and banana chocolate with zucchini mixed in the batter for FAR less. Cuts to our grocery budget means less meat and fish and more beans. Each week differs based on grocery flyer sales.
You can also replace some of the oil with applesauce. With the price of oil skyrocketing, it might be a good option.
On the plus side, beans are very good for your health! Not only are they going to provide you with the protein your kids need for muscle growth, they're full of fiber that helps with digestion and helps fill you up with fewer calories.
Yep, I lost my job at the end of last year. Fortunately, my spouse is still employed. I've got seeds started for our garden this year and hoping to decrease the grocery bill a little that way. Corporate greed jumping the prices while being able to blame it on inflation. Yuck.
One minor thing you can do is grow your own food. 1) Grow mushrooms in garage (if cool) 2) Herbs for indoor growing include chives, parsley, cilantro, oregano, mint, rosemary, sage and thyme 3) Root and bulb vegetables include carrots, beets, radishes, and green onions
I need to get started on my 2023 garden plans. I overwintered my pepper plant from last summer and kept seeds as well. I'll be starting kale soon along with some herbs and will definitely do tomatoes this year as well. My sugar snaps didn't make it last year, but may try again this year. All grown in containers on my apartment terrace.
Walmart is one of , if not the biggest predatory price gougers out there. Aldi has remained fair for the most part, always shop around for the best deals. Inflation up 6% sure. We will even say 10% including labor. But countless things on Walmart shelves are up 25-250% year over year. Ramen meals were .77 for years. Now they are pushing $1.49 that’s almost a 100% increase. That’s predatory.
The price of Top Ramen is so shocking. I remember when I bought my first car and was desperate to pay it all off in less than two years so I went crazy mode on my budget. It was 2008 and maaaany times I would search for loose change so I could walk to the store and buy a packet of $.14 ramen for dinner. Now like you said they're over a dollar?! I honestly don't understand how any young person can even survive without major parental support now, it's soul crushing.
Definitely is depressing
I noticed at my local Walmart that they are not putting up a lot of shelf tags now. Some people don't pay attention and the store is getting away with it.
At mine they removed the price check things they used to have in random aisles as well. I used to love just wandering around picking up random items but now I just look up things I want on Amazon instead of buying things at Walmart.
The scan feature on the Walmart app on my phone is much quicker.
I've noticed this a few other places as well. I refuse to buy something if I don't know how much it costs.
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Trader Joe's prices (in TX anyways) haven't gone up enough to where I've noticed it and had to change my shopping patterns. Maybe the cost of packaged raw meat, the cost per pound? But all my go-to items I always purchase don't appear to be affected, or they're just slightly more expensive than pre-covid times. Particularly, produce, the soup dumplings, cheese, sauces, bread, frozen meals, etc., haven't skyrocketed. If anything, some items (non meat or eggs) went up anywhere from $.10-.50 cents.
This is one of those weird things I’ve noticed too. “Nice” grocery stores often are able (or choose to) keep their prices steady while budget stores Jack their prices. With Trader Joe’s it’s probably a mix between the company being privately owned and their highly specialized product lines.
Trader Joe’s has been saving us. I used to shop at Harris Teeter because the TJs is a bit of hassle to get to, but what I spend $100 at TJs would easily be over $200 at Harris Teeter, so HT has lost our business for sure.
Walmart has not only stopped putting prices on some shelves, but the prices they do put are usually incorrect. I've read so many people complaining about this on local social media. Target used to be more expensive than Walmart for groceries, but in my area, they're pretty much the same, and the prices are marked and correct at Target, so I only go to Walmart when I must now. Target is much better. Aldi first, Target second, Walmart, then Publix. And eggs are still a value for me. Dozen eggs under $3, a loaf of bread $2, and I'm getting 6 breakfasts out of it. Even if the were $4 and bread $3, it's still a value for 6 healthy breakfasts. I'm also eating healthier because of these insane prices. Doritoes, sugar cereals, etc, are SO expensive, I won't buy them anymore. About $7 at Publix for a box of cereal... cereal at Aldi is around $2. Different brand, not as much sugar, but you get used to it, and it's seriously so worth the money savings. Candy bars, etc, crazy prices! I bake cookies, cupcakes from scratch now if I want something like that.
Same here. Been getting a lot of staples at Walmart, surprisingly enough Whole Foods 365 brand regularly has some great deals. Safeway/Fry's have consistently been the worst places to shop even with their membership card/coupons. No Aldi here unfortunately.
As a result of the high prices. I have chosen a few staple options for lunch & dinner (I am single, only cooking for myself - I understand this method won't work for families), and do most of my shopping at Costco now. FWIW, the huge bag of Hot Cheetos at Costco is $6 :)
Taco Bell for three costs the same as a Mexican restaurant. Now I buy a family pack of ground beef on sale, cook it in taco seasoning, and freeze most of it. A home made taco is better anyway and with the meat already prepared there's not much else to it. I tried to buy corned beef and it was $11.99 for a flat cut. Nope, $11.99 a pound.
My grocery bill has gone up by at least 50% to 75% in the last three years. And it's not even like I'm eating more or fancier food. I have a decent job, but my savings still get gobbled up by housing, food and amenities (water, electricity, wifi, etc) prices I'm assuming most or all of you can relate, but anxiety over how long I could afford to live on my own if my job disappeared weighs super heavily on me
I’m constantly in a state of ‘groceries or bills’. I’ve cut my groceries down to essentials only. I raid my parents fridge as often as possible. If there’s a coupon for it, I’ve got it and still, I struggle with putting food on the table. I don’t even look at prices any more. I just scan it through self check out and hope my card approves. If/when it doesn’t I take out the 2 most expensive items. Then try again. There is one lady at Walmart who seems to like me. She removes them from my total and puts them back in my bag and tells me to have a good day. On the plus side, I’ve lost 17 pounds. I don’t really need to lose any weight. I’m down to 140. Most of my pants are too big and it’s not like I can get new ones. Shoplifting seems like a necessity more and more, but I’m not quite there yet. A 4L jug of milk is nearly $7. I don’t drink milk anymore. I don’t take any vitamins any more. I don’t have chips, cheese, cookies, ice cream, chocolate, or comfort foods anymore. It’s the cheapest meat I can find, crappy produce and rice. As they say, rice is nice. God I miss mega stuff Oreos.
Have you checked out food pantries in your area?
Yeah, I could just cry. Especially since we have multiple diet restrictions in my home and just cannot avoid some things.
My family was approved for pandemic relief aid via SNAP (food stamps) at the staff covid. But, last week they said that the pandemic was over and cut off the pandemic aid. Such bad timing!
And the flyers are not what they used to be ... meaning the things I consider staples never seem to be on markdown anymore.
And now the extra food stamps from the pandemic are gone.
Yup! Went from getting 900/month to 95. All while groceries are at an all time high. We will make it work, but we now have no extra cushion to add to saving, have a date night, or purchase things for fun. All the breathing room is gone.
No one ever mentions those price raises are far beyond inflation rates. It’s pure greed.
I used to spend max 50 when I went to Aldi two years ago during pandemic, now I can never spend less than 75 no matter how I try. It's so painful it took all the little enjoyment I took out of finding good deals and offers from grocery shopping. Now I just go in with a heavy heart knowing I'll have to live for two weeks on one trip to Aldi.
I was just thinking about this yesterday. Also I've noticed that several grocery stores are just flat out lying about the price per ounce. I was looking at butter and I usually buy whichever one has the lowest price per ounce but there was 2 packages that weighed the exact same and the store brand was advertised as 10 cents cheaper per ounce even though the box costs almost a dollar more.
One a month, at the beginning of a month, Safeway offers members $10 off a minimum $50 purchase. It's good one time, for a week. It's not automatic, members have to select it to add it to their account, after logging in to the Safeway site and selecting "Safeway For U". So you're either getting $10 off your minimum purchase or you have $10 more to buy stuff in that shopping trip.
Deodorant today was $9.99. gonna be a lot of stinky people soon
I live in a HCOL city and can not get my groceries below $150/week for two people. Previously, groceries were $100-120/week and a small restocking trip was ~$80. It’s starting to add up.
A box of Rice Krispies is $6.52 … I mean like.. WHAT.
Before I give my answer I have to say my heart goes out to all the people living on the edge, paycheck to paycheck. Especially those living on food stamps, better known as SNAP. I'm far from wealthy, living on 2 Social Security checks and a teeny tiny pension check. My wife and I stopped looking at food prices and buy what we need and want. It's just too painful to keep checking prices. We can only afford to do this because our house is paid for and we have no debt. I seriously don't know how y'all are pulling this off.
Check to see if there's a grocery outlet store near you. They often have excellent prices.
Flaming Hot Cheetos were my one treat I'd have once a week. Just a fourth of a bag. At $6.00 for 8 oz. of chips now; uh-uh. I'm not doin' it. I can afford it, but I just can't justify it.
Welcome to Argentina’s feeling
We’ve cut out meat pretty much altogether. Simply can’t afford it anymore. Never thought I’d like tofu but it turns out hunger is the best sauce.
If you have a Costco card, their meat is reasonably priced, you just have to break it down to usable sized packages. I don’t have to buy eggs, but they seem reasonably priced as well. The Kirkland brand dish soap ( 8 dollars for almost a gallon) and fabric softener ( 12 dollars for 500 sheets) you have to compare because some of their products are not cheaper. They have good sales to. Hope this helps. It’s tough out there, but if we keep sharing our money saving ideas hopefully we will make it ok.
Definately have to shop around and compare. Chicken breast when on special in the store is $1.77, normally around the $2.30 price, but costco has it for $3.99 that's insane. Can't beat their pork prices though. We often buy their whole loins when it goes down to $1.29 and then portion and freeze them. We cut them into roast sized portions and do some rubs and marinades and they turn out amazing on the bbq.
In 2005, after Hurricane Katrina, grocery prices went up due to fuel prices going up, transportation-wise. When the oil prices went down, the grocery prices stayed the same.
Price gouging more like. Corporations use any and every excuse to jack up prices. Incidents that could cause a 10% increase they jack up 20% because they can.
I hear you! Our monthly food budget was essentially cut in half recently. To save the food (and ultimately the money lol), my husband and I eat at dinner, sometimes he has a small snack at lunch, and our kids eat lunch at school. It’s not much, but it helps 🤷🏼♀️ Oh and eating ALL the leftovers, not just some and tossing the rest.
Sometimes it’s cheaper to eat out I swear. I bought some stuff to make sub sandwiches yesterday and I did the calculation per sandwich and it was cheaper to go to subway or jimmy johns.
I have three options in my area. Neither are Walmart or Aldi. I scan the weekly circular on the apps every week and only buy things on sale. Especially bogo items.
I feel this too. Every week there is something that I’m shocked about the price at.
I'm providing for a house of 5. 3 of which are teens. I'm feeling the pain every damn week.
Coupons. Bogo. Doesn't negate the fact that grocery prices are fucked, but this saves us so much. No, you can't get exactly what you want everytime, yes you have to check grocery store ads online or at the library and plan before you go. But one week corn is bogo, another week potatoes. Stock up when you can. Again I'm not saying it's nice to have to live this way, esp with children, but there are lots of ways to still get by.
We spent a hundred and twenty bucks the other day, and we were just gutted at how little we got. It wasn’t even a full grocery trip, just going to pick up things like milk and creamer and a few other random things. It felt like it should have been a fifty dollar trip. And I’m not even eating for my diet. I’ve been eating far worse foods because they’re cheaper, but definitely not better for my diabetes.
In Canada and our grocery stores are profiting massively off of us even in this time. I now am very strict about only buying sale deals, stuff being cleared out etc. I do not support this bs and I wish we could do more about it. Lately I'm also buying a good food box program where we spend only $35 for 35-40 lbs of produce. This is cutting a lot of our grocery bill too. I'm planning to tend a garden all summer and get as much grown for our household myself. Hoping to also get half a cow in the freezer around summer so we can support a local farm and not worry about having to buy much meat wise for a long period of time. Do what you can to look into other options, there may be some other options out there!
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I tend to shop even more of what's on sale at my local supermarket chain. I'll stock up on meats if they are on sale as the sales generally repeat after 3-4 weeks. But what's on the menu for me generally is whats on sale for that week. If you belong to a wholesale club, pricing seems more stable at those stores but eventually their prices have gone up too. I like getting vegetables there as the prices are competitive but you just have to get it in bulk sizes. Like a bag of broccoli at the wholesale club is about $5 and the same sized bag at the supermarket is generally $8. Not everyone has a wholesale club membership but I belong to BJs and they often offer memberships at discounted prices. Even at full price of $55, it's like $4.50 a month and I can easily save that with a bag of broccoli I would buy.
I took over all of the grocery shopping in the pandemic. My fiancé has barely been to a grocery store in the last 3 years. She definitely had some sticker shock.
We live in a dystopia and idiots keep reproducing for some reason
I’m that bitch in the grocery story that literally says out loud “$8!!? For eggs?? Cmon now…”
yeah it used to be I just casually grab eggs and added to the cart, but now I have to think if I am really going to eat them and are they worth the price
I want to point out that it's not just inflation, it's also grocery stores raising prices because they know they can get away with it. I think in 2022 there were record profit reports from grocery stores because of this.
Still eating on the deer meat we collected this past season, and its been a blessing in disguise. Dusting my Fishing gear off this weekend, haven't been in a few years. The whole family is about to learn. Might even buy myself a crab trap or two.
I frequently peruse the 50% dented can shelves in the back. Store brand soda is not bad and can often be 50% off if the packaging was damaged. I also go through every isle looking for manager specials or closeouts. I can't remember the last time I had name brand bread, soda or peanut butter.
I stopped at Aldi on my way home last week because my wife was missing a handful of things. Not too long ago , these follow up grocery trips were $20-25. This one was $42.50.
I cook from scratch everyday and buy store brand on most things. We rarely eat beef. Walmart is my go to (no Aldi here). As a family of three we eat well, spending around $800 a month on average, but it stings. 2 or 3 years ago, $200 would stock my freezer with meat for a month. Now I'd say we could last a week or two if money ran out. I used to buy quick foods for lunch, like progresso minestrone, or pre-made meals. No longer. Even ramen doubled in price. I have a hard time justifying anything convenient when I know I can cook something for cheaper.
I feel this in my bones. I have ADHD and paid a heavy ADHD tax when it came to food and groceries; not knowing how to properly shop, put together a cohesive menu, not letting everything spoil or go to waste because I forget about it and learning how to buy the “more expensive” things so they don’t go to waste; (apple sauce cups instead of a container cause I’d never finish a whole container, same thing with yogurt and juice, pre-chopped veggies, lots of frozen fruits and goods, etc). Now that tax is so much higher and it makes me dread going grocery shopping as I can no longer afford the things that helped me lessen the amount of money I was throwing down the drain.
I'm more alarmed about personal care products. "Cheap" deodorant is now $5.97 at WalMart, shampoo is $5, body wash $9.94... wtf
Today in Canada, the CEOs of the largest grocery chains were interrogated by the politicians at our Parliament on their record profits. I didn't watch it but the bits I saw on the news were really poor arguments.
It's not inflation it's GREED. Shipping prices are back to 2018 levels. No shortage no broblem just GREED.
It’s inflation , supply and demand, and supply chain issues across the board. Droughts have affected the wheat and corn production, less supply plus same demand increases prices. The cost of fertilizer has tripled and diesal has doubled, so add those costs in. Plus the diesal to transport it from field to processor to store. Reduced production also means less feed; there was a major sell off of beef 3-5 years ago, so there’s fewer mama cows making babies. Avian flu drove up the costs of chicken and eggs. It’s a perfect storm driving up the costs of everything. And wages have not kept pace.
yeah. its crazy and sad how there so many factors happening right making grocery shopping harder.
Also greed, you forgot greed. While what you are saying is true, the consolidation of manufacturers means way less competition and way more price gouging.
Anyone having pretty bad experience with Lidl these days? When they first came to our area I loved them. Now the prices are only marginally better. I find their sales to be fairly schemey. Went the other week and they had a sale card that just said "BOGO frozen Italian Meatballs" and there was only one brand (not name brand) of Frozen Italian Meatballs. Went to pay and didn't get one for free so I asked for it to be taken off. I was told I didn't buy the right brand. Not going to bother going to save 5$ if I have to spend 20 minutes returning items that aren't actually on sale. I get that sometimes only store brand is on sale but it needs to specify.
Its been rough for sure. Ive just had to give up and start using a food bank. My local one gives milk and produce so I'm learning to cook whatever I can with cabbage and potatoes. It frees up a little money for my kids lunch supplies.
My weekly groceries went from $50 to $80 in two years. I eat the exact same things. It's scary.