grocery - rant

[perSue]

am I the ONLY person on the planet that follows (for the most part) the "shop the outter part" of the grocery?
(ya know, where the produce & stuff is)

I swear... EVERY time I look at a grocery store ad, the ONLY stuff on special is stuff I DONT buy!

mac/cheez on sale (dont eat cheese), pork/beans on sale, pounds of meat on sale (ok, so i'm a veg!), prepackaged EVERYthing... on sale!

sure, so I'm picky, and that's ok.

BUT... where are the whole grain breads? the nuts/seeds? the IN SEASON fruits/veggies? The "buy 2 for 5$" doesnt cut it! I MIGHT save 20 CENTS.

*grrrrrrrr*

i know, i know...
but the thing is... my family doesnt like those prepackaged meals.
i'd totally buy hamburger helper or soup packets IF they'd eat 'em...


sure, my grocery bill is low, we eat lots of "good for us" foods... blah blah blah.

but it's NOT saving much!

At the checkout, with mostly fruits/veggies and staples I had a bill of about 40$ (monthly shopping trip, I needed a lot!).

This lady in front of me, with all her boxed, prepackaged (i could go on...) foods... paid about what I did (a little more) ... but nonetheless!

*ARGH!*

if it's healthy, it's pricey.
if it's convenience, it's pricey.
if it's IN the store, it's pricey!

[janelane]

I hear ya, we shop the same way and it seems price movement just keeps going up up up and what I consider "good" foods never get a price break.

Strawberries, corn on the cob, and lettuce for less this week of those sorts of foods, that's about it, and it's not much of a sale. There are a few things we get from the middle, like granola bars and cereal, that have been significantly reduced the last two trips, but you're right it is frustrating.

[shoiji]

This is basically how I shop. Around the perimiter of the store. I try to stay away from processed foods as much as possible. And yes, I keep on wondering why when I only buy produce and dairy my bill is so high. I try and tell myself in the long run it is better for me and hopefully there will be less medical problems as I get older. But it does get frustrating sometimes, especially when the coupons seem to be mostly for the home or bath that I use now.

[Marie78]

I only buy a few things that fall into the boxed category each month: cereal, stuffing (sometimes on sale), pasta, and rice. The rest of our foods are found in: produce, meat, bread, and the dairy section. I think this is the only reason we have been able to stay at around $50-$60 a week.

We buy meat in bulk and most weeks we are buying either bulk: chicken, pork chops, or ground beef. Each bulk package averages around $12. Then yogurt, milk, eggs, and cheese have gone up so high we are dropping another $12 on these foods, produce is around $12 between fresh fruits and veggies. Then bread runs us about $5. Another $10 for misc. (Cat food/litter or HBA item) and we are around at least $50 on an average week.

I have only been saving on average $5-$7 a trip between coupons for cat food or an HBA item. The grocery store sales have been so limited lately that we rarely find one of those.

[IntlMom]

I hear ya sister!
'Bout the only thing I buy form the middle of the store is:
~canned veggies/fruits/beans (sometimes you just GOTTA have the canned ones on hand!)
~cereal/oatmeal
~salad dressings
~juices for my kiddos
~applesauce
~pastas/rices
~sauce (soy, worsterishire, etc.....)

It's frustrating....believe me I know!!
Like I could care less how free box mac and cheese or hamburger helper is!

[Palooka]

I actually find eating vegetarian cost more for some reason. The produce is crazy in price. I mean sure beans and rice are frugal and all the dishes you can make with that sorta stuff, but when I just want a quac. Aargh! I ain't paying 1.69 for one. Sometimes just finding all kinds of veggies to cut up for a big salad can add up.

My family likes all that gross stuff like hamburger helper and any boxed thing. I mean if it is 99 cents I will buy it for them. My daughter is a big fresh fruit lover. Fruit just seems to cost way too much.

It's all frustrating to work it all in the budget.

Thank goodness summer is on the way with all the great family garden goodies.

[qtkitty]

The veggies and fruits are high in grocery stores... best way to buy fresh is to buy locally sometimes people will sell extras from their garden or farmers will have "crop sharing" where for $X you buy a percentage of their produce.. bad side if they do bad that year you don't get as much produce.

Only other way to get good produce is to plant a garden... which you put in a lot of time and effort instead of as much money... then either can or freeze the over flow from it.

[cissylu]

I know it is awful! and a lot of what I buy doesn`t alway`s have a coupon.It makes me sick to see the grocery bill.

[mikandmari]

Grocery stores really gouge people with their prices on produce. Do you have a Farmer's Market anywhere near you? We have one nearby on weekends. That's where I load up with my weekly veggies & fruits. Then I need very little at the grocery store.

[Marie78]

I'm thankful our farmer's markets will be selling produce soon, some are now, but it's only May and there's a limited amount of fresh local produce available here. There should be a better and less expensive selection of produce once June and July arrive. I hope to stock up on lots of produce and freeze what I can find at a great price for later in the year .

[acidcookie]

Oh I totally understand! How I would love a big deal on apples or something.

[Frugal Nurse]

Love your mantra at the end.

I think.. bottm line. We need to up the grocery bill.

I hardly go to our local grocer anymore.
Big conglomerate.

Instead... I keep the staples on board. Buy the protein needs in bulk at Wholefoods. which is ungodly expensive! but it's temporary- until the produce becomes available locally.

When I send my kids to the store. WATCH out! They're like a kid in the candy store.

Buying all that junk.! It kills me!