Those Darn Grocery Prices
What are we going to do about these prices?!
Because grocery stores require a bit of travel time and planning on my part, I have long kept a well stocked pantry. It's rare I'm caught shorthanded. Still, every once in a while I have to restock. It makes me cringe every time I go shopping.
I will admit, part of the reason groceries are more expensive is because we no longer eat out as much. When a meal for two is upwards of $50, we have to draw the line. We don't even buy drinks. That's for the meal and tip alone. And that's lunch, not dinner.
When it comes to grocery shopping, I still hunt for things on clearance, and will stock up if something is really low priced, but those days are few and far between.
My garden is in so I'm getting some veggies and fruit.
The biggest thing that's helped me is that I'm a much more creative cook. I am creative on so many levels, but creative cooking is not where I shine. I've really had to work on that. I'm constantly searching for substitutions and different ways to prepare common recipes.
I have the added burden of cooking for a diabetic so I'm very mindful of ingredients, particularly when it comes to carbs, which ironically, are the cheapest ingredients to buy. Whenever possible I'll substitute vegetables for carbs.
Other hints:
- I buy nothing prepackaged.
- I will buy frozen fruits and vegetables when they're not in season. Not only are they fresh when flash frozen, but they're generally cheaper.
- I buy frozen chicken wings, tenders, and the occasional rotisserie chicken from Costco. The chicken is easy to dress up and can be used in a variety of recipes. Buying a cooked rotisserie chicken from Costco is cheaper than buying it raw.
- Waste nothing. I find ways to use up most everything. The veg scraps are either fed to the chickens if they're fresh, or the compost bin.
Hints if you live in a larger city:
- Look for grocery stores that sell damaged goods. Prices are really good.
- Do a search for bread outlets. Their prices cannot be beat.
- See if your city has co-ops and overstock foods. If you can get in on their group, you will never lack for variety.
It's tough out there. For people living from paycheck to paycheck, it might even be dire.
Strangely enough, I still see plenty of 30-40-somethings buying overpriced coffee or flocking to expensive steakhouses. I'm going to assume they've got money to burn, otherwise they're going to be mighty disappointed when it comes time to retire.
I've read several articles stating that the young workforce today are disillusioned and upset that the older generation was so focused on work.
I think they got that wrong. We weren't focused on work. We were focused on a comfortable retirement. Like it or not, that takes work. Trust me. You don't want to be putting in 40 hour weeks when you're 70 years old.
On a happier note, the weather has improved. We found out later those tornadoes caused more damage than we realized. We were lucky compared to our neighbors. The damage is widespread though. Very few escaped untouched.
On another happy note, we dodged a bullet with Jammy, the cat. Last week, he refused to eat. I noticed his gums were pale and he was dehydrated. His temperature was pretty low. This all happened overnight. He was perfectly fine the night before, but by morning, I knew he wasn't himself.
After fluids, x-rays, and blood work, they still couldn't find a cause so he was treated symptomatically. He was better within a couple of days and several hundred dollars later.
Do you eat out as much as you used to? Have you noticed the rise in your total grocery bill?
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Comments
We have a zillion grocery stores near us and have them sorted by who has what cheapest. We've found one who habitually marks down produce a few days before expiry (we are lazy and love bagged salad but paying $5 is a no-go... this store marks them down to $1.50 about 3 days before they expire, and we grab six every time). They also have bread marked WAY down regularly, as well as meat that I can toss in the freezer. There's a weird stigma about buying marked down food for some reason, but I find that really weird. The cashier last time exclaimed at the savings we had last time.
Even better, Winco has an ASTOUNDING bulk section here and I can get very nearly anything there FAR cheaper than buying off the shelf.
Unless I'm really desperate, I never pay full price at the store.
And, scary about Jammy ... poor critter has had a time of it. He's lucky to have you.
Here's my secret, on Saturday's, I plan out recipes for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday... Thursday and Friday, its fix whatever you want as long as it's got the good food groups. HOWEVER, there are times I will cook and make the recipe in bulk which then takes me into Tuesdays and Wednesdays! On down days, we do a breakfast or a pizza or egg salad sandwiches on toast, grilled cheese and tomato soup, stuff like that.
We do eat at times. Special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, etc. very far and few between, though! It's gotten "redonculous" wayyyy too expensive. Hugs 🤗
re: rotisserie chicken
I'm glad Costco has that loss leader. It's one of the most versatile foods you can buy.
That cat really scared me. I thought that was it for him. I just wish it didn't cost so much to find out they didn't know what was wrong with him. At least the antibiotic and b vitamins snapped him out of it.
Greg is doing remarkably well. It's getting hot so we stay in during the worst.
He buys high dollar stuff, but he really seems to enjoy it. He misses his coffee if something comes up that gets him out of the house too early.
We grow veggies in our garden and swap produce with neighbors who grow different things. We try to shop for what we can't grow at local farms and farmer's markets during the spring and fall seasons. I go to four different grocery stores and the flea market now to get the best bargains, and it's exhausting keeping all the prices in my head. Still, I refuse to pay $200.00 a week to feed two people.
I'm always trying to think of ways to stretch our food, too. Once a week I make a big salad and rolls instead of a traditional dinner. We're also doing at least one sandwich meal per week during the summer. I've always make double of what I can freeze, but presently I've reduced by half the amount of meat I put into pasta sauce and chili. I bake a lot of the bread and all of the cookies and cakes we used to buy.
We will buy certain things like ice cream or packaged bagels, but only when we can get them on a BOGO sale. I freeze the extra. I'm also only buying beef (which is astronomical here) on sale or in bulk packages which are lower $ per pound.
I have become a coupon saver, too. We found we can get two huge subs on a BOGO coupon at a local shop and make them last for two meals, which works out to $3.25 per meal. Since they pile on the ingredients very generously that's cheaper than I can make them myself.
Worse than that, I found regular commenters in the "Awaiting Moderation" folder. I don't understand why.
My better half is not quite as easy going as yours when it comes to food. He doesn't like to share--or we can't agree on what to share. So many times I bring home leftovers, but I'm still left cooking for him.
It's tough and it's hard work to stay on a budget. I'm good at it and I still struggle. I can't imagine how other people manage.