Diane it is just starting to bother me. I am terrible with prices, never really on top of them, but I starting to get some sticker shock at the cash register!

I stopped at a local grocery store to pick up a few things on the way to the cottage.

A piece of watermelon
Some shrimp, maybe 10
1 tomato
1 box of chicken broth
head of Romaine
head of iceburg
1 cucumber
1 vidalia onion
some provolone, havarti and ricotta

$54.35 !!! I darned near flipped

Makes me think I need to rethink some of the dishes I make and the price point to make them.

Could loose the watermelon, some of the cheese, 1 of the lettuces, the shrimp and still have a lovely weekend of eating.

I have to agree about the prices.

Theyve really gotten my attention.

Like Chase, I went to the store the other day to buy milk, bread, some half and half, bananas, eggs, a box of cereal, and a few other items that are normally a nominal price.

My bill was 42 dollar and change.

Because of doing our taxes this year, we saw the big leap in our budget that groceries and fuel are costing us and we were very surprised that it amounted to so much money over a year's time.

Since the last two or so months, I have been trying to have one or two meals a week that are "light" and generally meatless.

We are also cutting back on "snacks" like special cheeses or things like peel and eats that we've always picked up for weekend munching.

For my lunches during the day I am usually having a glass of OJ and a piece of fruit or a little bowl of raw veggies. Also, I am using some boiled eggs for protien in our entree salads.

I am saving leftover breads and vegetables and freezing things to make soups and dumplings and other uses rather than the quick toss in the garbage or down the disposal.

So far, with some cutting back, watching sales, and being more conservative in my cooking I have trimmed about 20-30 dollars a week off our grocery bill.

I've always grown and canned and frozen much of my own food, so that hasn't changed.

I'm more careful to use up leftovers, though, and am diligent in eating more fruit because I can't stand to throw it out at today's prices. I've cut way back on butter, it's gotten pretty pricey. The prices of laundry soap, cat food and paper products have sure made me pause and think too. Baking supplies are up too, but it's still cheaper to buy flour than bread.

I've given up Diet Coke pretty much altogether because I just refuse to pay $5 for 12 cans of carbonated water, artificial sweetener and some caramel color. Sheesh.

Annie

I've been gritching about this for almost a year here. Swearing off out of season produce...and then relenting (rationalizing) when I realize the recipe I'm wanting to try for a dinner party DOES include grape tomatoes at $3.99 for about 15 of them!
While in the Blackhawk (che che) area of San Fran last week I paid $1.29 for a few sprigs of parsley...a few sprigs. And I'd been having a hissy fit about paying 89cents here.
I think long gone are the days of really sticking to a food budget...I remember when my kids were young having exactly $100.00 to shop for two weeks. As the cashier was ringing up items, I'd be asking them for a sub-total, making sure I could afford what I'd put in my basket and having to choose what would be put back if it went over. Biting my lip worried the whole time.
I know my daughter is feeding a family of five on a budget...which from what I can see, doesn't know how to stick to it. When they're "flush" it's all organic. By the end of the month, well, you know. I feel bad, because they can't feed their family in a really healthy way on the income they have. As far as growing their own? I'm just the mom okay? LOL.

I shop at 3 or 4 different grocery stores each week. I know which item has the lowest regular price at which store. I go through the ads for each store before I shop (except for TJ who does not have sales). If I want to buy something that is not on sale anywhere, but I suspect might be on sale the next week, I wait for a sale. And of course, if there is a really good sale (like when my detergent is $2.99 a bottle, I have 15 in the basement right now) I stock up. I can always count on one of the stores to have milk, eggs, bread, and our favorite fruits on sale. It would be quicker to shop at just one store, but we go out for breakfast on Saturdays and there are two store right next door to the restaurant, Jewel and Dominicks are across the street from each other less that 1 1/2 miles from my house, and Meijers is worth the 4 mile drive since I can get most of my basics there cheaper without a sale than on sale at Jewel or Dominicks. One weekend when I just didn't have time to hit more than one store I spent twice as much at Jewel than I usually spend on groceries, and I didn't even get everything on my list!

When my kids were smaller, we would shop at the military commissary once a month and then pick up other things locally at the sales. When my husband retired from the Navy 8 years ago, we stopped the Commissary run because of the drive.

Now, we've gone back to that habit. Of course it helps that Miramar really improved their commissary when the Marines took over the base! I've also gone back to looking at the local store flyers and deciding if its worth a trip/stop to pick up things. It depends on what they have on sale and how many things, and also what store it is.

This past week I did something I haven't done in years - I planted a couple of tomato plants up in my retaining wall. We used to have a great produce place here in town that always had great tomatoes (and prices) in the summer. But last September, they went out of business. I figured out - if the two plants survive, and I can get at least 4 tomatoes out of them, I will have broke even pricewise (compared to the grocery store's prices on tomatoes). Of course homegrown tomatoes are ALWAYS better than grocery store tomatoes! That's about all I really feel comfortable with growing on my own, and don't really have much more room for lettuce, cukes, carrots, or peppers.

DonnaR/CA

I never served beef very much because of the price and the fat content. Now I practically never serve it. I've been looking at watermelons all winter and haven't succumbed yet.

Like Annie, I'm trying to make sure I use leftovers. It sure is hard though because you can't disguise the taste of leftover pork or chicken. I've found it easier to just cook less of those items for a meal and if I didn't get as much as I wanted - too bad.

I'm accumulating a nice little file of bean recipes.

Just tried a nice crockpot recipe that takes 2 cups dried pintos, black or red beans after being soaked all night, a couple of tomatoes, other veggies that you like in a stew such as onions, bell peper are optional.

The most important ingredients are:

2 T Balsamic Vinegar,
1 T honey and
2 T mustard (I use spicy brown).

Also, add 1 T Chile Powder and 1 T Cumin.

Cook on low for 8 hours. The sauce is quite nice. I'm going to try it next with Italian seasoning instead of the Chile powder and cumin.
(I also boil the beans for 10 minutes in a separate pot after soaking them all night and before adding them to crockpot to remove any toxins some say are in red beans. Also eliminates possibility of gas in those who partake.)

Donna, I laughed when you added " I figured out - if the two plants survive, and I can get at least 4 tomatoes out of them, I will have broke even pricewise (compared to the grocery store's prices on tomatoes). "!!! LOL, because 'ain't that the truth of it?!
I did NOT see eggs on sale during Easter! I have never seen that before...were they in your area?

I haven't increased our $50/week grocery budget (2 adults and that's for groceries ONLY), although I thought I might have to. So far this year I've spent $537.93 out of $650.

I used to have a $2/pound limit for meat (LOL)! We eat several meatless meals each week, and several low-meat (stir-fry) meals each week. Honestly, I don't think my husband even noticed less meat.

I'm saving the excess money from each week to purchase grass-fed beef and free-range chickens this summer, as well as some grain and a year's supply of Morning Moo's Whey-Based Milk Alternative. Once the garden is in full swing, I don't need as many groceries so I can use the money for things I purchase a year's supply of. I make all our baked goods and mill the flour, so that saves a TON...

I use a lot of homemade sprouts instead of lettuce on sandwiches/wraps in the winter - they are cheap and easy to make. I have an Aero-Garden so I can grow tomatoes, lettuce, or herbs in the winter. In the past, I've also grown leaf lettuce in flower pots in a sunny south window, and always have fresh herbs indoors. I avoid out-of-season foods because they are horribly over-priced.

I dehydrate and freeze in-season fruits/vegetables to use during the winter. I'm almost ready to pick spinach, leaf lettuce and turnip greens from my cold frame (even though it snowed on it 3 times). The Romaine lettuce is just getting started as well.

I maintain about 12-months of essential foods in storage. When eggs went up so high, I used powdered whole eggs from the storage foods because it was cheaper per egg. No difference in baked goods using powdered eggs instead of in shell eggs.

I've also used Morning Moo's for many years now as an inexpensive alternative to milk. It also tastes like regular milk. If you purchase the 50# amount (which yields 70-gallons), it will cost about $1.26 per gallon. I usually purchase the 24.25# bucket each year or will split 50# with someone else.

Since I try to stick to whole foods, I can still maintain the budget pretty well. I don't know how anyone with growing kids does it anymore? I don't normally go down the cereal isle and was shocked by the prices. Do you realize there's about 17 cents of grain in that box??? I make our own cooked cereals and mill my own flakes for only pennies.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Morning Moo's Dry Milk Alternative

I need to start moving my family in a more "whole" foods direction as well. It's really hard to get the boys beyond a few convience foods..so I'm buying them in the Organic/Health food section. LOL
Although our favorite cereal bars were marked down a whole dollar at the co op, so I stocked up. They are supposed to only have one a day, but I think my oldest has been hitting them a bit more. Grrrr....

Yes increasing prices will make us stretch meat a bit more..I have to serve meat in every meal. Or hubby would revolt...

So far I've planted 6 early cabbages and broke up a starter pack of lettuce mix. (Bought the starts from the Co-op for 1.49/6 or 6pack size on the lettuce. I also purchased 2 containers of strawberries for 1.49 each. Got 2 plants per container.
We've had some light freezing at night and today the high..34F(snow rain mix all day)...so I've not started any seeds out doors yet. Nor indoors..because I have no place to grow/keep seedlings.

But I will make sure that I pick much more at the berry farm this spring and summer. And grow what I can in the garden space I've neglected for a few years. And fingers crossed my apples come in this year. Last year I got 2 apples off 2 trees!!!!

Other than TP, my paper product bill is low as I use a ton of rags for cleaning and such. Cleaning sprays are streched with water and bleach.

Meats/fish/poultry I buy when on sale and only on sale. Veggies come from the produce market and usually seasonal. A winter melon or tomato, any type is never good around here or so damn expensive, I cannot justify it. Leave it for a summer treat and eat seasonally.

Leftovers are take for lunch at work (where it can run you $7 for a sandwich) or reheated if not morphed into another dish. Leftover lamb roast was made into a greenbean, potato and lamb stew last night. The bolengense from tonight went right back to the freezer for next month.

I grow some of my own vegies, tomatos, green beans, peppers, leeks, red cabbage and are canned or frozen. Sales from the produce market meet the same fate. Asparagus is .79/# this week and I will blanch and freeze it, then foodsaver. Onions were .49/3 # bag last sweek so I had Dad slice and dry them in the Nestco. I do the same for fresh mushrooms.

Now gasoline prices are $3.45 per gal here. UGH!

Food prices are crazy, aren't they? I buy eggs in a carton of 18. I was upset when they went to $2.63 a few months ago and stayed there. Last week they went to $2.93. That is the highest price I have ever seen for eggs in my lifetime. I live in a state with a lot of rural area and understand that more people have ordered baby chicks this year than they have for many years. I would love to have a few hens but my husband hates to have them. He sure does like those breakfast eggs tho!

I guess I was lucky! I got my eggs for Easter at $1.19 a dozen, they are usually $1.99. I do try to get my meat cheaper. I used to buy a lot of meat at the local butcher. Now I get it more often at Meijer or Jewel on sale. I recent weeks I picked up pot roast for $1.99 lb ($6.59 at the butcher), pork tenderloins buy one get one free so I got 4 lbs of tenderloin for $12.00 ($6.99 lb at the butcher, of course the trim it and pound it for me), whole chicken for $ .59 lb, and large shrimp for $6.00 lb (frozen). I saved a lot of money over just going to the butcher. I would always go there for a filet roast, but I can't see paying double or more for a piece of meat I'm going to braise! I have cut back on meat some (today we had baked oatmeal for dinner) but that is just to help us eat healthier not to save money. I would probably save money buying crumby frozen meals instead of fresh vegetables which are at a premium in the winter.

Food prices must be crazy for me to notice. And I have been big time. I typically never paid much attention, a couple of months ago I started with this sort of uneasy - wasn't that sort of a lot of money? to now - YIKES sticker shock. Still trying to figure out how to deal with it. I have noticed more people in the grocery store with coupons, standing in front of sale stickers reading ingredients on store brands etc. I think everyone is scrambling.

Being only two of us in the house, and my wife on a perpetual diet we exist on very little. As I wandered a local gourmet market yesterday (I wasn't hungry...which was a good thing) I noticed a few things that made me pause. Tomatoes at 3.99 a pound. Nope, my homegrown maters will taste extra good when they finally come in. A slice ..a slice...of watermelon was 4.19. And I did look to see if the halibut was in, it was. 19.99 a pound. I considered it since it is a special treat, but if memory serves it will be on sale next week or the week after for 14.99. I wander and hit the deals too. Got ground chuck last week for 1.89 a pound. Spaghetti and taco's can make a few meals for me. I can see how it would be tough for families though.

It is what it is.

:-)

Duane

I have noticed the increasing prices too, how could one not?
Bought a 5 lb bag of KA flour a week ago to finish my Hot Cross buns...on sale for $4.29. Bought a 10 lb bag at BJ's two days ago for $4.99. Saw a gallon of skim milk at Han Ah Reum for $3.99, passed on it. Bought a gallon of skim milk at BJ's for $2.79 When Perdue Oven Stuffer Roasters were on sale a few months ago for $.89/lb, I bought about 6 and froze them. I always buy the meats priced for quick sale, but they must have already been marked down or it's not worth it. I buy the eggs when it's BOGO for the 18 pack, but I'm not sure what the 18 pack is costing. I've cut down on a lot of convenience foods for the kids b/c that adds up way to fast. We don't really drink sodas. OJ has really been on the rise...I try not to pay more than $5/gallon. That and apple cider are the only juices I buy. I made homemade pizza from scratch last night and I know that was a considerable savings. Feeding a growing family of 6 is really killing us.

Nancy

How many of you check your receipts? 96% of the time, there's a mistake on mine - especially at one store! While hubby loads the groceries on the "belt", I watch the monitor as the clerk scans the items.

We check out at least 4 flyers to see what's on sale. Then we decide what to buy and how much. Beef is usually bought when on sale, except for ground beef. Baby back ribs are wayyyy to expensive here - $38 for 3 racks! I don't usually buy stuff at full price... like big blocks of cheese... I wait till they're on sale, except for Reggiano Parmesan.

Speaking of meat... do you buy that "cryovac" wrapped meat? It's often on sale here, but it looks soooo gross!

I've been incensed at the prices both in NYC and CT.

The city is almost justifiable because of rents; every square foot of space has to generate enough revenue to meet the rent. Almost, but certainly not on a lot of items. Then there is the perceived value thing.

I have been watching expenditures for about a year now. Just budgeting everything and I have a generous allowance. I just won't participate in supporting ludicrous prices. Produce is through the roof! Onions at $1.99 a pound! It's an onion, for Pete's sake!!! We have a new green-grocer whose prices are right now the lowest generally as compared to CT and upstate. For example, a small pink grapefruit is 50¢ each, as compared to the lowest price 99¢ elsewhere or $6.99 for a bag of 6. Dairy is obscene. I want organic milk and will have to pay for a 1/2 gallon fat free, anywhere from $3.49 to $6.25 depending on state and store.

Paper towels: one roll of Bounty is $2.49 in NYC. I get 15 rolls for 12.99 or so in Hannaford's, a chain, in the store on route to CT. They are still in NY but in Patterson. We use cheap cloth bar-mops for all but the greasiest clean-up in the kitchen and cloth only around the house for everything else. I don't think that we use more than a roll a week of paper towels and we used to use a roll a day. I use white vinegar for a lot of cleaning instead of other products. Everything gets very clean.

Unfortunately as a country, have all gotten to comfortable buying pre-bagged or containerized produce. It's horrible for the environment too. I'm buy whole wherever possible. I'm also reusing containers to shop with. I bring those plastic rectangular ones back for refill and have asked my fish monger and meat market to only give me paper. I don't want to digress, sorry.

I set up an excel spreadsheet and log all my general categories of household purchases. Separating food and other grocery supplies to see where the money is going.

I feel for families trying to make ends meet. The economy is worsening. We haven't seen the bottom yet. Any tips we share can only be very helpful.

I think a thread for using left-overs might be helpful.

Renée

I tried to sign on to this post yesterday and the form kept telling me they were temporarily down.
I have noticed that the prices are getting high here too.
I have always clipped coupons but now I make sure to use them all the time.
I have cut down on what I buy too; I use to keep extra mayo in the pantry so when the one in the fridge was empty I had a back up to go to. Now I just make sure if I'm low on a staple that I put it on my shopping list....
I have always had a freezer stocked, buying meats on sale, but lately I don't have as much in the freezer.
Since it's just the two of us now, I have cut down on buying as much to keep on hand.

Linda

I sent my husband to the store the other day, which is something I do very rarely. He came back shocked! So now, he understands better why I do some of the things I do.

I haven't really changed our diet, but have been upping my energy usage...not electricity, MY energy. :D

Going across town to the cheaper grocery store instead of the one on the next block saves quite a bit..a head of iceburg lettuce at the closer store was $1.50 the other day, .79 cents at the cheaper store.

At that store, I can also buy a 10 pound bag of chicken leg quarters for $6.99. I cut them up into legs & thighs, and then the back section gets used to make soup. .70 cents a pound for chicken is a heck of a lot better than the price of already cut pieces at the fancier store, which last I checked were at around $1.79 per pound.

Buying various pork/beef roasts and cutting them into chops or steaks & using the trimmings to make ground meat is another thing that saves quite a bit.

Buying family packs when they're on sale, and then separating the pieces of meat, wrapping and freezing them in meal sized portions (there's just the two of us) helps as well.

When I was a kid, we were quite poor, and so I learned a lot of things about how to eat well on less so we do pretty well. I make a lot of Indian foods, a cuisine especially suited for using inexpensive ingredients, also Chinese & Thai which rely more on vegetables and inexpensive cuts of meat. My penchant for soups helps as well, because little is wasted.

All in all, even with prices going up, I can't complain. We are blessed in this country with a bounty & variety of available foods unprecedented in the history of the world...and no matter how the grocery bill smarts, few of us work hard,all day long for just the handful of grain or legumes that will feed our family for one more day, like so many people do on this Earth.

IN many ways I am lucky because I buy many locally produced items and they have not gone up as much in price. My winter CSA share just ended and having to buy veggies again is tough. However the items I have to get at teh grocery store seem to have skyrocketed. I just received $500 in gift certificat4es to a grocery store and in a few weeks I have used half. That does not calculate in my Costco purchases and the meat and veggies etc I have on hand.

Bubbe, here grapefruit is always at elast a dollar each. I feel like we pay for getting the produce here from NYC. Produce always costs less when I visit the city. OT: Next time you are in Hannaford pick up the March/April issue og Fresh Magazine.

I have stocked up on King Arthur Flour at Costco because of the coming price inceases. I bought three 25 lb bags for $9 a piece. Last weekend I went to the King Arthur store where they were 4 dollars more for 25 lbs.

-Robin

I've noticed it here as well. I'm in sticker shock after each visit to the store! As it's just the two of us I do as Lynda does, stock less on hand. DH hates left overs--especially reheated meats, but I try and sneak them in, or I take them for lunch. I've been trying to make lunch for both of us more often--but the darn sliced deli turkey is outrageous! I did have an Ah ha moment the other day- I had nothing to bring for lunch and went to the local Ralph's looking for something. I bought a grilled chicken breast from the deli case. It was tougher than mine, lightly seasoned and cost $3.99! A H@ll of price to pay for slightly overcooked, inferior meat!
I'm not a huge fan of frozen meats, so I try and buy as we need it, but there are times you just have to keep things on hand. It's also hard with caloric and other restrictions to keep things less expensive. The price of fish just floors me!

Very interesting thread. I hope others keep it going.
As someone on a fixed income I also watch what I spend. Leftovers are frozen. Fruit is bought one or two pieces at a time. All sticker prices are checked. When I bake bread, one loaf goes in the freezer, the other is double bagged in plastic and refrigerated between use. It helps it stay fresh longer. Soup is a mainstay. The other day I made 'freezer soup'. It ended up tasting like taco soup. Really good.
In our area milk and eggs and bread and flour, all the staples, have gone up. Lunch meats and cheeses ( just the ordinary ones) are rediculous: around $6.00 for swiss, ham, etc. There is a combo convenience/gas station that sells meats and cheeses for around $3.50--$4. +, so it pays to shop there. Wal-mart is very aggressively competing against the other groceries in town. I picked up avocadoes for .20 cents each. Oranges .50 cents each. Cabbage around .50 a pound. Big, beautiful onions were on special for .79 cents a pound.
I frequently buy the marked down meats and veggies. The meats are marked on the "best by" date. So I get them.
Chocolate and chocolate candies are much higher.
I feel guilty if I waste food, so I really try to watch my leftovers.
However, I still get real cream and fresh ground coffee. (:

cream_please wrote: However, I still get real cream and fresh ground coffee. (:

Well, there are certain things that are non-negotiable for everyone! :D

Not really. I've been in high conservation mode for the last year or so anyway because I'm saving to pay cash for my next car. Since I'm just one person, I usually get what I want. Sometimes I don't even look at the total! When I do it's about 50 dollars (no matter if I go twice a week or once every other week, it's 50 dollars)! I do not buy expensive cuts of meat, and I try to buy frozen fruits so I don't waste. I don't buy things that wouldn't buy even if prices weren't increasing if that makes sense! I used to make my own bread and not buy many convenience products. Now, sadly, I'm getting a little lazier and buying more premade stuff.. Dried beans and rice are great for economy eating! I get organic spinach and fresh fruits and veggies when I think I'll eat them. I still get steak sometimes, and buy name brand products. I was raised by people who weren't just frugal, they were CHEAP and I try to be as different from them as I possibly can.

I buy paper towels and cat food in the larger economy sizes now and that is a savings... just hard to store. I also wait as long as possible to stock up on certain things... right before I run out. I feel like I keep my money longer!

I have historically spent a lot on pricey paper towels. In the last 6 months, I have cut that in half by using reusable food service towels that I found cheap at Big Lots. I started pick up a lot of everyday items at Big Lots that I use to buy at the grocery store e.g. cleaning supplies, makeup, chips and crackers, hair products, etc.

I've always been stingy with paper towels - I use them only when necessary. Anything edible is a different story. I did see on the news yesterday that food prices have risen dramatically - like 25% since February, I think, due to rising costs of fuel. Food is still a small enough portion of our budget that I'm not that concerned at the moment, and my income this year has risen much faster than my costs. I've always been rather frugal with food, but I'm also unwilling to give up on the extravagances - such as expensive fish. I do cut back on salmon when it is out of season, however, and I only buy wild caught, even though it is more expensive than farm raised.

If I had more time, I could grow more of my vegetables, but I prefer to have the space in my yard. I do keep herbs, however, but that's for taste as much as for price. Last year my tomatoes did not do well at all, and I'm not sure why. The ones that grow wild in the yard do better, but the gardener tends to cut everything down, if I'm not there to stop him.

Lars

We have Meijers here, and have noticed a genuine scam. Not that it is anything new, but the $ amount has been especially noticable. Buy one get one free. Frozen chicken breast (2 lbs) at $14.99. Hmmmm.. What a deal. I don't think so. It sounds good, but really..if you think about it...not such a great deal. Sometimes I really think it is cheaper to eat out (take-out) for one or two persons than to buy at the grocery store. Sometimes even better, depending on how you cook and given the expensive add-ons and spices/sauces involved. I can get a large pizza from a family run outfit for about 10.00 which is good for dinner and lunch for 2 people. And it is delicious. I don't think I could buy the ingredients and cook it considering the energy use etc. for the same price. You just have to wonder how high prices are going to go in the long term.

I truly think every person should grow at least a small veggie garden if they have the space. Not only is it fun and gets people outside and away from the T.V., but it really is great to know where your food comes from and the great taste is just unbelievable. Hopefully we are coming back to that. We really should.

Duane