The cost is going up up up!!

[mommy4ever]

I was walking through the grocery store and as shocked. I know prices are rising but some are rising almost daily!! even Costco milk is up .50 this week!!!

I don't get any prepackaged anything but mac n' cheese. My weekly trip looks hilarious. I've had a few people whining about the prices while in line. On how it's soooo expensive. They blow $300-400 a WEEK! they have commented on my cart, they make the assumption that I'm single or single mom if I have dd4 with. They'll comment that I'm lucky I'm only 1 or 2 right now as it's so expensive to feed a family. I tell them I feed a family of 6 plus 4 rentals. Their mouths always drop open.

My trip to the grocer looks like this:
2 gallons of milk.
1 block of cheese
5 lbs of apples
3 lbs of oranges
2 lbs of bananas
1 bulk size bag of baby carrots.
1 bulk bag of sugar peas.
various canned veggies and fruit
1 large bag of chips.(dh uses these at work).
Discounted meats(that'll stop in a couple months I'll get a half sid eof beef)
barley
flour
other staples that I might be out of.


The bread basket I get bread/bagels 10 packs for .79
Dollar store I get cheap snacky types for occasion(OCCASIONAL) treats.

Potatoes 1 time a month $5/ 50lbs

My kids whined initially when I cut out the individual packs. But I find neat snacks in the ethnic sections for really cheap. They get homemade cookies, sweetbreads.

I've not bought cereal in months now, but did get a great deal on Cheerios and had bought 10 mega packs(so equivalent to 20 large boxes).

We spend less than $125 a week. dh would need a second job if I shopped like some of the people out there.

[lisettelovebug]

Those people who wine and blow $300-$400 a week on food usually buy a lot of prepackaged foods. I commented to dh last time we went to sam's club (spent $102) that if we bought the foods in the frozen section and other prepackaged foods, that we could easily spend $300-$400 there. We don't buy much prepackaged foods just mac n cheese (btw, sam's has 12 kraft mac n cheese for $7 - tops had on sale this week for $1 each!!!), stuffing when I can get it for $1 or less (i use to make different casseroles), scalloped potatoes but only when on sale and with a coupon, canned gravy that I use to make chicken amd biscuits, creamed soups for casseroles and occassionally some brownie and cake mixes if i find them cheap and have a coupon.

I think a lot of people don't know how to really shop. They should have classes somewhere on how to do this - maybe people would even pay to find out this information? just an idea. Maybe they should be teaching this stuff in home ec in school - which is a requirement for all 7th graders around here. My mom was really great at feeding us cheap and I still wonder how she did it on so little. I learned a lot from her.

We're stocked up pretty good on cereal too, but will be getting more on Friday. Several varieties of GM cereals are on sale for $1.67 each and I have a coupon for $1 off 2 and another for $1 off 3. So I will be adding to my stockpile. Stockpiling is what saves me a lot of money. I do not pay full price for anything!! i refuse!!! lol.

[Dancing Lotus]

Every week I feel like I am getting less for my money. I bought rice for 5.49 the same bag was 3.00 the last time.

Even the price of dried beans doubled. I was paying .59 for black beans and today it was .
1.09

[mommy4ever]

Ann, I hear you! I was just looking, 1 week I bought eggs, the next week it was up. I have NO Idea how it can go up soooo fast!

I'm debating and debating on perhaps offering a course. I hate public speaking though..lol. But SOO many people would benefit from it around here. I'll consider it some more. I wouldn't do it for free, as there are expenses involved, photo copies, potentially space rental. So I don't know.

Need to see what I can come up with.

[Sonnenwende]

Every week I feel like I am getting less for my money. I bought rice for 5.49 the same bag was 3.00 the last time.

Even the price of dried beans doubled. I was paying .59 for black beans and today it was .
1.09

I saw that the other day. Black beans at Meijer were $1.19 a pound. I thought that it was supposed to be vastly cheaper than canned, but hmm. I guess I have to go to an ethnic mart for cheaper ones.

[C@rol]

Even the price of dried beans doubled. I was paying .59 for black beans and today it was . 1.09

I knew this would eventually happen. Told hubby it
would. So I stocked up and the prices are rising.
Seems everything we use as a staple in our pantry
the prices are getting outrageous.

[champagnium]

Mommy4Ever....what about an e-zine of your tricks and tools for making it all last?
I see them on Dining on a dime onften, and it would make less work for you too.
Just thought of it when you said you don't like public speaking. Or maybe you could just post your menu plan, some on another site I'm on do that, and it can be really helpful. Best of luck!!!

[many houseapes]

What about dried pinto beans? Has anyone noticed an increase yet for them? I'm preparing my monthly sam's shopping for next month & I need to get at least 25-50# of pinto beans.I am getting to the point where I am scared to walk into the grocery store. If the older kids didn't pitch in for groceries we would be in serious trouble.

[YankeeMom]

I just did my grocery shopping for the month. All in all, it wasn't *too* bad. Bread at the commissary went up 15c since I was in there 2wks ago. It's now 79c/loaf of cheap white bread. Oddly enough, the whole grain breads have not increased.

I managed to do pretty good at P&C and Price Chopper w/ their loss leaders. At P&C, combining their sales & my coupons, I got $85 worth of groceries for $39. At Price Chopper, not quite as good. I got $49 worth of groceries for $30. Then I went to the commissary where I spent $247 (plus surcharge & tip for the bagger which added another $21). Everything I bought today will last us the month. I still have to go to Aldi's and will probably spend another $30-40. This will last us for the month. I may have to spend another $50 for incidentals that we may run out of.

This doesn't include the pet food. Dh is picking that up on his way home from work.

Oh, I did have an almost fainting moment at the commissary....where a 48oz bottle of canola oil that I've been paying $1.89 for was $3.84

[guest002]

Yankee Mom, I do my bulk shopping at the commissary as well and get my odds and ends and loss leaders at our local Publix. It's on the way to/from my ds's school so I'm not wasting gas.

Everything is a big ordeal now trying to figure out what to buy where and then you have to factor in gas in your errands.

[i.m.cheap]

I hear you on "factoring in the gas" when it comes to "where to shop". I used to go to Wal-Mart once a week or so, for the few things I buy there, now it is once a month. Most of my groceries come from the Dillon's store right next to our apartment complex. At least they double coupons, and have some pretty good sales. I never go to Aldi's anymore because it is just too far to drive, and there weren't many things I used to purchase there, anyway.

[YankeeMom]

Unfortunately for me, the cheapest place to still get groceries is the commissary and it's about 15 miles from my house. Which is why I only go once a month or have dh stop on his way home from work (he works on post).

Gas is just ridiculous. I'm ready for gas rationing if it means the prices will stay down some. I don't think we would have any problem rationing our gas usage. It's the people I see who literally live half a block from the school & they still DRIVE down to the school to pick up their kid that drive me crazy!

[elphaba]

Did my monthly commissary shop yesterday....round trip is 102 miles so we only go once a month. Quite a few things have increased there as well...biggest leap was Gold Medal flour from .99 for a 5lb bag to $2.35 since March 27th. I knew I should have purchased more when I had the chance. Fortunately eggs were still .89 cents a dozen.

Funny, I was in the dollar store on Monday and flour there was $1.19 for 5lb. Today I went back and it was $1.50. Sheesh! Still, it was way cheaper than anywhere else so I bought 4 bags. Considering gas prices I may have to shop loss leaders locally for a while and maybe hit the commissary once every 2 or 3 months instead. It took us almost 5 gallons of gas to get there and back. We did get gas at a discount through the discount gas program at Price Chopper so it was "only" $2.89 a gallon.

Tamara

[darkchocolate]

I like to also shop loss leaders especially when I can use coupons. I have also noticed the price of cooking oil going up. It was $2.78 for Crisco Canola Oil in February, then earlier this month I needed some and it was $3.98. I got some on sale at Krogers for $2, so I was excited.

Crisco Vegetable shortening has really jumped also. It is now $4.64 and last summer I was paying just under $3.

I was paying $1.96 for Gold Medal All Purpose flour (5#) and the next week is was $2.62. It has been $2.62 for about 3 weeks now. I watch every week and expect it to go up again. Not that I want it to, but according to the news it will be. I know I wished I had bought more at $1.96. I love to bake and I hope it won't cost me a fortune in the near future. Depending on how much it goes up, I may have to cut back on my cookies, muffins and cakes.

[shoiji]

I have noticed prices getting higher. I have been trying to eat better. Fresh produce, little processed foods. But this seems to be getting more expensive. I tell myself it is better for me to eat more produce to justify the additional cost.