Are grocery prices high in your area?

[CoffeeCat]

I was wandering through the grocery store last night, and I could not
help but notice how expensive everything is. Is it me or has the price
of groceries (food, paper products, health & beauty items) risen significantly?

Between the price of groceries and gas, I really worry about people making it.
I thought I might start donating more to our local food pantry.

I was wondering if anyone else noticed higher prices in their areas.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

1. Across the board -- probably a 20 % increase over the last 3-4 months.

It kills me to go to the grocery store.

[aquart]

2. YES.

Can't believe you only just noticed.

[CoffeeCat]

9. Well....

I'm complaining about the price of groceries, but I am a bit insulated from
these fluctuations, because I am a "couponer". I get multiple copies of the
Sunday coupons and I have been doing this for five years. I stockpile
food/toiletries/paper goods--and I'm at the point now where I have a huge
stockpile of everything--and I only buy when I can get it for free or nearly free.

So...I really didn't notice any changes until last night--because I was meandering
around the grocery store--and paying attention--not just shopping the sales. I was totally shocked.

I wish everyone would learn how to coupon. This week I got 50 bottles of Patene Shampoo
for $2.00 total, and yesterday, I got 6 boxes of Golden Grahams cereal for 15 cents each.

I know there are other DUErs who coupon too.

[yy4me]

26. May I request thar you give us a tutorial, please?

I use coupons and shop the sales (Better yet, sale w/coupon) at the 2 more reasonable markets near us. The only market that doubles is so pricey to begin with that it is not worth a trip to use my coupons there. I could never come close to what you have just done. What in heaven did you do for the shampoo?

I think I really need lessons.

[Squatch]

3. No, not really.

Gas is at $2.60 a gallon right now and my gorcery bill has remained relatively constant.

[5X]

12. You must live in a governmental protected zone or something over there....

in Virginia.

edit to say governmental protected zone, instead of senatorial.

[Squatch]

15. Nope. It's a pretty average neighborhood.

I usually shop at the local Latino/Asian markets because they have cheaper/fresher products.

For instance, I bought a 12-pound whole fresh Atlantic salmon for $4.49 per pound. That same fish at Whole Foods was going for $11.29 a pound (filleted).

[Clark2008]

34. Dang - I just bought wild salmon at the Kroger for $2.50 - and

I'd say it weighs about a pound, maybe a touch less.

You're paying a ton!

[Warpy]

4. Everything is on the way up

Produce is especially high right now. Meats (which I don't eat) are going up. I can only imagine what convenience foods are doing. Dairy is through the roof.

Even the food co op is getting hit with higher prices for bulk items.

It's going to get far, far worse, folks. Anybody who prides him/herself on NEVER cooking is going to have to learn.

[kestrel91316]

20. People who whine that they are just TOO BUSY to cook and so they

have to buy convenience foods or takeout really peeve me.......

I don't have the money to buy conveniences and takeout, so I HAVE to make the time to cook from scratch. And guess what? It's cheaper by far, so I am under less financial pressure, don't have to work so much, and the time makes its way into my schedule magically.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. Yes indeed

Powdered milk went from $9 a box to over $11 a box.

Produce in season in the grocery stores is almost $2 a pound. I buy at a farmer's market where things are more reasonable.

We may be dipping into our emergency supply of beans and rice pretty soon if the cost of food gets out of hand.

[napi21]

23. I have been buying things like powdered milk, seasonings, etc. from

www.bulkfoods.com

Everything I've purchased from then has been terrific and much cheaper than any local stores.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

29. Interesting

I'll look more into it with my husband tonight. Thanks!

[spinbaby]

37. See if you have a bulk food store in your area

If you live near an Amish or Mennonite community, you probably have a bulk food store nearby. They're typically small, out-of-the-way, and don't advertise. Great places to stock up on all kinds of food at good prices.

[SmokingJacket]

6. Yes, dammit.

Just got back from the grocery store. You can still buy bad groceries (white bread, mac and cheeze, frozen pizza) for cheap, but if you want anything moderately healthy (fresh produce, organic dairy) the stores are going to exploit the hell out of you.

[SpiralHawk]

7. Freaking gas prices jumped over 30 Cents from yesterday to today

the republicon oil cronies are screwing America again...

[doni_georgia]

14. Glad I bought gas yesterday - should last me the rest of the summer

Any reason for yesterday's jump?

[doni_georgia]

8. Seems to be the theme today

Several threads about costs of food items. Yes, the price of everything is rising. Cost of living in general is rising drastically. Now is a good time to start buying locally and reduce consumption of non-necessary items. I've managed to keep my weekly grcoery costs about the same, but I buy organic and locally grown produce, and I've noticed no significant price change of organic natural foods.

[theophilus]

10. They are rising pretty quickly.

About six months ago a head of Romaine was .98 now it is 1.48. Just about everything we buy is up ten to twenty cents. We get a "laugh" when we hear the talking economic heads say "if you cut out fuel and food there is really no inflation problem"! Ain't they cute.....

I know that those sectors are volatile but it seems that lately the only way they go is up!

Thanks for asking!

[Sanctified]

11. Two Factors Price of Gas and Ethanol Production.

It costs more to transport goods now so that has an impact on the cost of goods and more farmers are electing to go with the cash crop of corn for ethanol which raises the price of other crops since it lowers the supply of food. Ethanol production also increases the cost of meat, poultry, eggs and milk since corn is now too expensive to use as a food source for livestock.

[tridim]

13. My benchmark is green onions..

They were 50 cents a bunch for as long as I can remember, until last year. They now cost between 80 cents and a dollar, just about double the price.

[doni_georgia]

16. Suggestions for getting more for less

Someone mentioned coupons, which I guess help if you buy packaged stuff, but here's what my grandma used to do (many of which I do). She pinched pennies better than anyone I know, and I actually spend far less on groceries than anyone I know (I spend about $100-$125 every two weeks for a family of 5). For what it's worth:

(1)Eat less meat. Better yet eliminate it completely. If you can't do without use meat as a side item - Americans really do consume too much protein. What meat you do buy - get what's on special and freeze it.
(2)Buy produce at your local farmer's market and can and freeze items like your grandma did for later use. The produce is better and helps your local farmers and local economy.
(3)Buy dried beans and peas instead of canned.
(4)Switch to generic brands of processed and packaged foods - buying items with the least amount of packaging (bag cereal is way cheaper than boxed) and Suave shampoo really is as good as the name brand stuff
(5) Use natural cleaning products - white vinegar, baking soda, etc. Better for your family and works just as well as commercial products
(6) start an herb garden (mine is in the kitchen window - and even with my black thumb I manage to grow plenty)
(7) Use cloth napkins, towels, and rags instead of paper products
(8) Limit trips to the grocery store. Every time you go for just a couple of items you end up buying more than you need - not to mention wasting gas.

[Sanctified]

18. Couple things I would add.

(9) Find stores that sell bulk dried foods, they are super cheap.
(10) Buy your fresh produce based upon the season, if you are buying food out of season they cost way more.

If you are going to shop at a farmers market know your prices, my wife and I found that a lot of times stuff was more expensive at the farmers market than at the local organic store we shop at.

[SoCalDem]

28. and

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/SoCalDem/64

Posted by SoCalDem in General Discussion
Sun May 06th 2007, 02:17 PM
I know it sounds impossible, but every little bit you do CAN help.

Many people under 40 have been raised on "fast-food" or "packaged-mixes" or "frankenfoods".

The franken-foods are harder to eliminate since the very essence of them has been manipulated at the start, but there's a LOT you can do about the others.

NUMBER ONE:.. Ignore all the glitzy ads on tv and in magazines/papers

NUMBER TWO:... Stop buying the prepared stuff

NUMBER THREE:... Invest in some old cookbooks (used book stores/flea markets/estate sales..or even online)

NUMBER FOUR:...Buy a decent food processor

NUMBER FIVE:... PURGE your cupboards and freezer of all the "combination foods".

NUMBER SIX:...Learn how to cook..(It's not rocket science, and once you get the hang of it, it actually takes less time than you would think.

NUMBER SEVEN:.. Make your OWN "frozen dinners" for times when you don't want to cook.

NUMBER EIGHT:... Plant a garden and let your kids help..Anti-veggie kids will probably eat "their" own veggies..(Mine did)

NUMBER NINE:... Buy good spices

NUMBER TEN :... Make your OWN cake mixes, pancake mixes, baking mixes (HP Make-A-Mix Cookbooks are wonderful)

Modern people think they have no time to "cook from scratch", but it's not that hard and it takes less time than one thinks.

It's not a cheap as buying $1 Banquet frozen dinners or 2/$5 Dominos Pizza, but it's a lot better for you, and so-called convenience foods are LOADED with salt and artificial flavors.

Look for canned foods that have the FEWEST "ingredients".. Choose the no salt added, if you can.. Choose UNSWEETENED when you buy canned fruits.

Buy local and buy local in-season when possible.

Unsweetened iced tea made from water & teabags is better for you than soft drinks & adulterated juices. (My own kids did not have their first taste of soda pop or koolaid until they were school age, and they still prefer unsweetened iced tea as adults.

There are many things you can make on your own that are so cheap, you cannot imagine. You probably just never tried, and don;t even know it.

Here are a few family "specials" that we have always loved..and are super fast too

Left over rice, a little chopped ham, sliced green onions, julienned carrots, a little soy sacue and some other veggies and you have instant stir fry

Peel an apple, core it, split it almost to the bottom (in fourths)..sprinkle a little cinnamon on it and zap it in the microwave (covered)..serve with a dollop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream

Light frosting for a cake.. whipped cream with mooshed frozen strawberries blended in.. (sweetened with real sugar)

Make your own cookies.. (just about any ole recipe will yield more cookies and there's no comparison on taste)

MOST of the prepared foods actually started with a "real" recipe that has just been adulterated to accomodate the middlemen... not the comsumer.

Salad dressings take about 10 seconds to make..

If you have a breadmaker, and then buy the "mixes", you are still getting the "add-ins" from the corporate food companies.

Get a nice breadboard, and assemble the dough yourself from the basics.

If the box-mixes end up staying on grocers' shelves instead of in grocery carts, they WILL change . As long as people keep buying the stuff, it will elbow out more healthy stuff..

To us oldies, these tips are second-nature, and I am not trying to be "preachy", but I know there are busy people out there who just never took the time, or had parents who taught them to cook.

Commercials have been selling us "fast & easy" for so long that many people actually believe them.

That's a myth that needs busting..in a big way..
Read entry | Discuss (223 comments) | Recommend (50 votes)

[doni_georgia]

35. I've been making my own bread for about 15 years - great stress reducer

Kneading dough is great to get rid of the stress of the day. I bake at night after dinner about 3/4 times a week. I actually use a covection toaster oven to bake in, because it heats the house less than the real oven and cooks faster. I started off using recipes from Laurel Kitchen's Bread Book, but now put together my own recipes.

My grandmother was a school dietician, so I learned how to make "school" rolls when I was about 6. Everyone thinks I'm nuts to make bread, but homemade is so much better.

[SoCalDem]

36. and it DRIES instead of molding

Store bread is the pits...

[doni_georgia]

38. Exactly - not that there's ever any left over anyway

My family would revolt if I bought store bread. I've taught both my daughters how to make bread as well. The 12 year old has gotten pretty good - the 8 year old still hasn't gotten the kneading down.

[HeeBGBz]

17. Not only high but missing items

I went to the store a few days ago for several items and ended up with nothing that I came in for.

They didn't even have any f-ing russet potatos. I wanted a 5 lb bag of brown potatos and all they had were yellow and red ones. They had a few single bakers available but I'm on a thin budget and 3 potatos were nearly the same price as the 5 lb bag that they didn't have.

I wanted cube steak. They had none. I was so aggravated.

[Blue_In_AK]

19. Always have been here. n/t

[bamacrat]

21. Yes, milk is well over $4 a gallon.

A month or two ago I would never had paid more than $3.50 for a gallon now Im lucky to find one for under $4.50.

[1monster]

22. All I know is that I dropped $220 for groceries last night, and the only non-grocery

items I bought were chlorine for the pool ($17.00), a tube of Max Factor ($6.50) and three rolls of paper towels ($1.87 each). And I usually include the paper towels in my grocery budget.

A gallon of milk was up to $5.85. Last week, I paid $4.94 for the same gallon at the same store.

I did buy more than usual, but not that much more.

Yeah, the prices are up. Way up.

[whistle]

24. Yes in Orlando FL my grocery budget has had to double over the past

....18 months. I compared purchases from January 2006 to the same or similar items I'm buying now such as dairy, meats, cereals, canned goods, frozen foods, staples, etc. and almost all of them have doubled in price. This is the case for the two major supermarkets in my area and also at the discount wholesale membership outlet I periodically shop at.

I have changed a lot of my buying patterns to adjust, including dropping some food categories from my budget, or at least buying them less often. We are now in a "guns or butter" economy and I expect things to get much worse. BushCo has been a disaster for the working class and those on fixed incomes in this country.

[BluePatriot]

25. Hell, prices have kept us from moving

A nice downstairs 2BR corner unit just came up at our apts. $725 a month for 998 sq ft. I know that is a steal. However....my hubby and I are going to stay in the sardine-can loft at $584 a month because I can't bank on predicting future costs and want to keep a "cushion." Also, I was just diagnosed with a chronic medical condition, so long term...stuff could get tricky. We are rapidly changing from living simply by choice to save for a house, to, well, living this way by necessity. Not that it's so bad but the loss of control over my life does irk me.

Sigh. What I wouldn't give for a room with a door to shut behind me, a room of my own, with a cozy chair for quietly reading books. And space for an actual dining table versus eating meals on the sofa or at the computer desk. But nooo I get denied even those modest wishes. Getting moved to a cubicle at work really sent me into fits because now I have no real private space. Private spaces must be for rich people now I guess.

Right now if I want real peace and quiet I nap in the closet. No, it's not a walk in, and yes, it's full of clothes.

As I said once in a poem, we fly in American dreams, and wake up, with clipped wings.

[CountAllVotes]

27. everything costs more

esp. meats. Lucky for me I don't eat much meat. Fish is highly priced as well.

Milk just went up another $.50.

Everything else has gone up at least 10% very recently and over the past 3 or 4 years, I'd say prices have increased by as much as 30% on some items; 40% on other items.

I now pay about $30.00 a month for pet food because of the pet food contamination. Cost used to be about $15.00 a month.

Regardless of your strategy, it seems that $60.00 buys about 3 small bags of groceries if you are lucky. You simply cannot win and prices will only continue to climb as the price of oil climbs.

[Nimrod2005]

30. Way WAY WAY up her ein my area!!! Makes me sick, I see

some simple items like soup or muffins, up 20-25% in the past six months.

[Blackhatjack]

31. Just wait until the weakening dollar and the credit crunch traps people....

Prices have no where to go but up, along with interest rates, foreclosures, food and gas prices, etc.

The Fed cannot hold off on interest rate increases. Investors are not touching real estate backed investments unless there are iron-clad quality requirements --which will kill off new credit for people needing to refinance out of subprime mortgages and adjustable rate mortgages --->leading to more defaults and foreclosures flooding the real estate market.

When the mortgage companies begin closing their offices and going out of business you will know the hammer is falling, and things are about to get worse in a hurry.

[napi21]

32. My husband works as a meat cutter for a large SE supermarket.

Meat prices have been going up an average of .10 per week for over a year! Fresh seafood is WORSE! I LOVE a great fish sandwich made with a nice think piece of cod fillet. I haven't had one in a VERY LONG TIME because I will NOT pay $17.99/lb!

The price increases are coming from the suppliers, not the grocery store. I'm positive gas prices are a big part of the reason, but so is the weather. CCheck google and see the problems the farmers have been having with draughts, growing feed for their cattle etc.

[Clark2008]

33. They're high AND we have to pay taxes on food.

No state income tax; therefore, the poor have to pay the same tax on food as the wealthy do. Insane.