Is it just me, or the city I live in, or have groceries gotten REALLY expensive?

[smirkymonkey]

I mean, not like a little more expensive, but a metric f**k ton more expensive. Like in some cases, it seems like certain items have almost doubled. I can understand creeping inflation, but this has gotten to the point where I am cutting things out of my diet due to the increase in prices.

About a month ago, I started intermittent fasting, which sort of reduces the amount of food I eat anyway and the food I do eat now is strictly whole foods - nothing processed, however even vegetables, nuts, hummus, certain dairy products, green juices, frozen fruits and veggies (for smoothies), etc. have just skyrocketed.

I am trying to eat a bit more seafood and lean protein, but that is so expensive I can only eat it about 2 or 3 days per week. I try to make the most of plant protein, but that is going up in price too.

I just wonder if this is temporary or if it's going to continue for a while. I have a little balcony and come spring, I may consider growing some low maintenance plants out there.

[bamagal62]

1. They are outrageous.

But, I do find Trader Joe’s is lots cheaper than my regular grocery store.

[TexasBushwhacker]

18. Trader Joe's cousin, Aldi, is cheaper too

Aldi has good prices on frozen fish. A 2 pound bag of wild caught salmon or cod is usually less than $15. They have flounder too and bay scallops for less than $7 a pound.

I only eat 2 meals a day because I'm just not hungry until 1 pm or later most of the time. All groceries put their weekly ads online on Wednesdays except for Target and Walmart. When something is a good price, I stock up, but I'm also careful about wasting food. Eggs are still a bargain and I love eggs!

[FoxNewsSucks]

2. Seafood has always been one of my favorites,

but it's ridiculously priced now. I noticed that actually started 3-4 years ago.

Sprouts seems to be the best place around here to buy meat, especially lean beef, shrimp, scallops and other fish. I get the big frozen bags to get the better price & keep them in my freezer.

I would hate to have to buy anything out of the fresh case the way things are priced now.

[smirkymonkey]

7. I see that you live in Kansas, seafood must be ridiculously expensive for you being

so far away from the ocean. However I am sure other things are much cheaper for you than they are here on the coast since you are in the heartland.

I think a lot of it has to do with supply chain issues and trucking. I just think there are shortages of pretty much everything right now.

I live in Boston and even seafood here is ridiculously expensive. I can sometimes get deals on the frozen stuff, but the fresh seafood is out of control. We will have some at Thanksgiving that my sister and her husband are bringing from Maine (They have some friends who own a wholesale seafood business) and I can't wait!

[FoxNewsSucks]

9. It is,

We don't get a lot of actual "fresh", people at the seafood department told me that what they have in their case is mostly those same frozen bulk packages which they thaw out for double the price. That's when I started planning ahead and buying those same bags and just thawing out what I need. Anything "flown in fresh" is unaffordable.

Pork and sometimes chicken are the only things here that are fairly cheap regularly. Beef has really gone up, and only the weekly specials are reasonable.

[TexasBushwhacker]

19. I buy 10 lbs of chicken leg quarters for less than $5

I just lay them all out on a couple of pans, season them well and put them in the oven. A 10 lb bag yields about 6 pounds of meat, which I freeze in 2 lb portions. Then I use those portions to make things like chicken curry, Tikka masala, chicken Alfredo, chicken enchilada soup, etc. Even with the extra ingredients, I get 12 nice dinners for about $3 each and I use the bones and skin to make my own broth.

[Skittles]

3. for a long time they have been reducing sizes / amounts

no they just up the prices

[smirkymonkey]

8. Yes, I have noticed that as well.

Prices stay the same, but the volume/sizes shrink.

[spooky3]

4. Grocery prices have risen near me, too. nt

[blm]

5. Repubs are riding that pony nonstop till Election Day.

[FoxNewsSucks]

10. As with everything else,

it's mainly because there is no real competition in the grocery industry. They can jack up the prices because there's nothing to stop them.

[smirkymonkey]

12. It's not because of the Dems. That is not what I was implying.

I think this is a lag left over from the republican economic disaster.

[blm]

14. Of course it is, but they'll get their version out first.

They already are, and it will be constant, and it will stick.And media will let them.

[jimfields33]

6. This is the worst. It affects every American even more then gas does.

Not sure what can be done, but something needs done soon. Send every American a couple hundred bucks to make up for the high prices should be considered.

[VarryOn]

11. We're past it being transitory...

It seems it's going set in for a while. Maybe if the supply chain problems can work themselves out, things can improve some.

Many households coming out the pandemic have increased savings since they were hunkered down and not spending as much. Not eating out as much, not going to the movies, not taking family vacations, not buying gas to commute to work, and so forth allowed them to save up. Now, they're out spending.

My wife have been noticing just how packed restaurants are when we dine out. Even on week nights, we've had to wait a few times. And they're even more packed on weekends. I just think people are just so happy to get out...and they're spending like crazy.

[smirkymonkey]

13. I think it will eventually even out, it's just one of those things that happen when

unexpected pandemics show up. Nobody can ever predict or pre-plan this kind of thing. We just do the best we can.

[zanana1]

15. My grapes are mushy.

Last edited Fri Nov 19, 2021, 09:34 AM - Edit history (1)

I picked up some grapes yesterday. Usually, they're nice and firm and kind of crunch when you bite into them, but I picked one grape and just had grape goo on my fingers. I guess it's the supply chain problem.

[smirkymonkey]

16. I noticed that too!

Mushy grapes. They go bad really quickly and they are really poor quality, even at the better stores. Very limited supply of decent produce.

[Ahpook]

21. I noticed that as well

I recently saw some asshole eating grapes right out of the bag but didn't buy them.

If looks could kill she would have keeled over instantly. But, she just shrugged and sauntered off.

It'd be nice if they didn't sell grapes in those open bags. Thankfully I did find some that are held in a closed plastic container. That seems to keep their grubby hands away from them.

[FakeNoose]

17. No it's not just you, everything has gone up steadily in the past 6 months

I'm sure the higher gasoline prices are driving a lot of other things. We all need to find ways to get by on less. I'm conscious of sometimes wasting money on unnecessary purchases, and I can't let myself continue down that road.

Pinching pennies is my new hobby.

[TexasBushwhacker]

20. Yeah, living on disability for 2 years (less than $1200 a month)

I learned how to be really frugal. That was 7 years ago and I never really lost the habit.

[highplainsdem]

22. Not just you. Grocery prices are up everywhere. This morning what I noticed most was

$3.49 for a head of romaine lettuce. I eat a very large salad almost every day, for lunch, so I'm not going to stop buying romaine, but I think that's the highest I've ever paid.

I buy very little processed food, skip most of the center aisles and get most of my groceries from the produce, meat and dairy sections. All the prices are way up.