s/o: have groceries really gotten expensive?

[4everHis]

OK! So NOW what? I know there are some things I can cut but we really started cutting a few years ago. What are the basics that you can truly live on and still be healthy?

[Snickerdoodle]

Meat and vegetables.

[mommaduck]

pancakes, oatmeal, on sale meats & veggies, soups, pasta, burritos.

[tvaleri]

IKWYM. Reached a certain age and decided to cut most meat out of my diet. Hubby is still a meat & potatoes kinda guy, although it's mostly ground beef he gets =) I will prepare a vegetarian version when possible. Figure spending $3 a pound on veggies is better than $6+for meat.

 

Beans, potatoes, onions, veggies, fruits, all on sale of course =)

 

Smiles,

Teresa

[elegantlion]

coffee and oatmeal, or so I'm hoping. :glare:

[Snickerdoodle]

That's what I live on. Ok, and the occasional Dreamfields and of course cheese. :D

 

I have found dairy to be incompatible with my constitution despite my love of smelly European concoctions.

 

OK, I do love me some 90% chocolate and I do drink coffee everyday.

[SeekingSimplicity]

Meat and vegetables.

 

 

That's what I would have said... or even just veggies, really. But those are the most expensive foods now. It's going to have to be beans rice. ;)

[Clover11]

There are plenty of meats that don't cost $6 a pound.

 

We try to stick to the "yellow sticker" meats. At Walmart they slap a yellow sticker on meat that has to be sold. Probably 80% of the meat in our freezer is clearance meat. We even get some nice steaks sometimes at GREAT prices.

[4everHis]

I love cheese. I'd be quite sad to live without it.

 

But I don't like chocolate. Go figure.

 

I drink coffee everyday too (and that's gotten expensive). Although it's still way cheaper to brew it at home than buy it at a coffee shop.

 

Is there a store brand coffee that's as good as say Dunkin' Donuts or even Folgers?

[bbkaren]

I've drunk walmart ("great value") and it's drinkable but...

 

I prefer to wait until I see the 33-oz jugs of either folger's or maxwell house go on sale (sale = less than $9 - not very often!). I buy a bunch and keep them in the basement.

 

Colombian coffee, for me, has the best coffee flavor. I find lately that their "standard brew" - whatever that is - tastes very weak and non-hearty.

 

Since prices are still going up, I've started recycling my grinds.

 

After the pot has brewed, I put the basket (with the filter & grinds) in a tupperware in the fridge.

 

When I brew a new pot the next day, I just add about 1/2 of what I'd normally use, to the old grinds. It really doesn't taste bad at all.

 

Next day I start over; I'm not to the point where I'll use twice-recycled grinds. This only saves about 25% I guess, (if my math is right...) but it helps.

[BillieBoy]

We try and raise and grow most of our own food and animal feed. I know that that is difficult for most and impossible for some. However, there are some tricks for making things less expensive.

 

There's the obvious: Buy in bulk, use coupons, shop at discount canned food outlets. Invest in a freeze, a dehydrator, a food saver and learn how to can. If you eat rice, even sometimes, go to an Asian store and buy a 50lb bag for $35, not the $2.99 a lb Safeway tries to sell you. Rice kept in a sealed container will last up to 25 years. Clearly the prices are going up at a steady rate. Buy today and preserve for tomorrow. Six months from now you'll be enjoying that $3.99 per/lb chicken when others are paying $6.99. Obviously you'll need to replenish the supplies and it will be a vicious circle, but it will give you some time to find alternatives.

 

Not so obvious, but should be: Eat in season. We've become victims of our demands and because this is America, the the supply met those demands and then some. Cut out the money grabbing middle-man and buy local. Check out the Farm and Garden section of Craigslist. Farmers are always selling their surplus. Find a upick farm before the season is gone. Maybe some of it is not picture perfect, but remember that's just our brainwashed visual ideals forced on us by mass marketing. Also on Craigslist is farmers selling sides of beef and pork, sometimes as low as $2 a lb. You pay butchering fees of around fifty cents a pound. You get the cuts you want and you know where your meat came from, not some generic slaughter house trying to pass old, used up dairy cows as prime beef.

 

Pet Peeve: Change your diet. I've heard many of my friends tell me that their kids just wont eat this or that, or even try something new. Hello, who is the parent? I have one friend that allows her son not to eat ANY vegetables, because he just doesn't want to. How he is even alive is beyond me. I'm not a tyrant about it, but gee wiz. If there are two vegies coming ripe in the garden at the same time I will give my DD a choice. NO vegies is not a choice. I digress.

Anywho...most cuisine from other cultures use 1/2 the amount of meat and dairy that we do. Try new things. Incorporate as much veg in your diet as possible. Anyone, even apartment dwellers can grow a garden. Another friend of mine just bought a halide light and water system from a pot bust gone bad. Funny, I know, but she turned her spare room into a year round vegetable garden.

 

Thanks for letting me rant. Sorry :blush:

[curlylocks]

Meats, grains, veggies and fruit.

 

Water = free (or almost free)

 

I would seriously shop around. Here are some ways I've cut the food bill:

 

- I'm getting 50 lbs of potatoes for $5 from a local farm.

 

- Truckload/Meat Sale at local grocer: .68/lb for chicken, 1.99/lb hamburger, $1.88/lb for boneless pork loin, etc. *I buy enough to get by until the next sale.*

 

- Bread Store/Bakery Outlet: $1./loaf last week. I bought 10 loaves and put it in the freezer.

 

- Farmer's Markets/stands -- veggies are way cheaper than canned or frozen. (I don't have my receipt but I know I was shocked at the price.)

 

- Buy rice/oatmeal in bulk from a health food store.

 

- Raw milk - $2.50/gallon at the local farm.

 

Honestly, you can still eat healthy and save $$. ;)

[mommaduck]

Is there a store brand coffee that's as good as say Dunkin' Donuts or even Folgers?

Blech, don't like either of those. Eight O'Clock coffee is sold in many stores, including Walmart. It's the brand I buy most often. It's also not "fluffed" like Folgers is.

[mommaduck]

Meats, grains, veggies and fruit.

 

Water = free (or almost free)

 

I would seriously shop around. Here are some ways I've cut the food bill:

 

- I'm getting 50 lbs of potatoes for $5 from a local farm.

 

- Truckload/Meat Sale at local grocer: .68/lb for chicken, 1.99/lb hamburger, $1.88/lb for boneless pork loin, etc. *I buy enough to get by until the next sale.*

 

- Bread Store/Bakery Outlet: $1./loaf last week. I bought 10 loaves and put it in the freezer.

 

- Farmer's Markets/stands -- veggies are way cheaper than canned or frozen. (I don't have my receipt but I know I was shocked at the price.)

 

- Buy rice/oatmeal in bulk from a health food store.

 

- Raw milk - $2.50/gallon at the local farm.

 

Honestly, you can still eat healthy and save $$. ;)

Wow, the only way I ever got cheap milk from a farm is if I was friends with the farmer. Otherwise, they tend to charge people $5-$6gal.

[4everHis]

We try and raise and grow most of our own food and animal feed. I know that that is difficult for most and impossible for some. However, there are some tricks for making things less expensive.

 

There's the obvious: Buy in bulk, use coupons, shop at discount canned food outlets. Invest in a freeze, a dehydrator, a food saver and learn how to can. If you eat rice, even sometimes, go to an Asian store and buy a 50lb bag for $35, not the $2.99 a lb Safeway tries to sell you. Rice kept in a sealed container will last up to 25 years. Clearly the prices are going up at a steady rate. Buy today and preserve for tomorrow. Six months from now you'll be enjoying that $3.99 per/lb chicken when others are paying $6.99. Obviously you'll need to replenish the supplies and it will be a vicious circle, but it will give you some time to find alternatives.

 

Not so obvious, but should be: Eat in season. We've become victims of our demands and because this is America, the the supply met those demands and then some. Cut out the money grabbing middle-man and buy local. Check out the Farm and Garden section of Craigslist. Farmers are always selling their surplus. Find a upick farm before the season is gone. Maybe some of it is not picture perfect, but remember that's just our brainwashed visual ideals forced on us by mass marketing. Also on Craigslist is farmers selling sides of beef and pork, sometimes as low as $2 a lb. You pay butchering fees of around fifty cents a pound. You get the cuts you want and you know where your meat came from, not some generic slaughter house trying to pass old, used up dairy cows as prime beef.

 

Pet Peeve: Change your diet. I've heard many of my friends tell me that their kids just wont eat this or that, or even try something new. Hello, who is the parent? I have one friend that allows her son not to eat ANY vegetables, because he just doesn't want to. How he is even alive is beyond me. I'm not a tyrant about it, but gee wiz. If there are two vegies coming ripe in the garden at the same time I will give my DD a choice. NO vegies is not a choice. I digress.

Anywho...most cuisine from other cultures use 1/2 the amount of meat and dairy that we do. Try new things. Incorporate as much veg in your diet as possible. Anyone, even apartment dwellers can grow a garden. Another friend of mine just bought a halide light and water system from a pot bust gone bad. Funny, I know, but she turned her spare room into a year round vegetable garden.

 

Thanks for letting me rant. Sorry :blush:

 

I appreciate your rant! :001_smile: Good advice!

[WeeBeaks]

Rice a few times a week. My family doesn't like potatoes so that is our sub there. Fried rice, veggies over brown rice, stir fry over rice, etc., etc.

 

Gardening - One pumpkin plant can produce an amazing amount of pumpkins. And note we are not rural here. I grow pumpkins, tomatoes, eggplants, greens, fruits, all kinds of stuff in raised beds and tucked around the play structure in a small city lot, totally urban (less than 1/5 acre). The water cost is fairly high here, so I have to be creative there. But whereas my garden was not really a great economical device 10 years ago, it sure is now. And then preserve what you grow excess, and eat what is in season. Yeah, we're sick of tomatoes right now. :tongue_smilie:

 

We have cut way way back on the "extras" like cheese, dairy, any remaining boxed cereals (those are pretty rare now unless a screaming coupon/sale deal comes up). Oatmeal is a staple. Purchased 10-25 lb at a time. If it comes in an individual package, it probably isn't seen here much. ;)

 

We eat half the meat we used to eat. I don't miss it. The kids and DH do sometimes. But I have to say they really appreciate that occasional piece of meat now, since it is more rare. We eat more chicken than anything else. Every now and then we do a nice steak. Then go back to "usual."

 

I bake and cook from scratch more than I ever imagined I would.

 

We still have an eating out fund. If times get worse, we just chip away at that before cutting food any further.

[Jennifer3141]

I buy buffalo instead of beef and around ehre, buffalo is twice or more what beef is priced at. So now, meat is only one or two cooked meals a week. The rest of the week, we'll be nibbling off the buffalo chuck roast or having vegetarian meals.

 

I try to look that the bright side of this economy. It did force me to start gardening and preserving (but do I need to do much, much more next spring!!!) and it has cut our consumption of meat quite a lot. DH misses it greatly but the kids and I don't really.

 

And I've made the decision that if we are going to eat meat, it had better be clean meat like local, pasture raised chickens and well, buffalo.

[4everHis]

Blech, don't like either of those. Eight O'Clock coffee is sold in many stores, including Walmart. It's the brand I buy most often. It's also not "fluffed" like Folgers is.

 

:D I'm not a coffee drinker AT ALL! but I like to keep some around for when coffee drinking friends are over. I keep it in the freezer since it's so rarely used! I will look at the Eight O'clock. Thanks for the info.

[Jennifer3141]

Oh wow. Jinx to Tanya and I for our similar meat thoughts. :D

[Audrey]

 

 

Pet Peeve: Change your diet. I've heard many of my friends tell me that their kids just wont eat this or that, or even try something new. Hello, who is the parent? I have one friend that allows her son not to eat ANY vegetables, because he just doesn't want to. How he is even alive is beyond me. I'm not a tyrant about it, but gee wiz. If there are two vegies coming ripe in the garden at the same time I will give my DD a choice. NO vegies is not a choice. I digress.

Anywho...most cuisine from other cultures use 1/2 the amount of meat and dairy that we do. Try new things. Incorporate as much veg in your diet as possible. Anyone, even apartment dwellers can grow a garden. Another friend of mine just bought a halide light and water system from a pot bust gone bad. Funny, I know, but she turned her spare room into a year round vegetable garden.

 

Thanks for letting me rant. Sorry :blush:

 

 

:iagree: THis is my pet peeve, too. People ask for advice on how to cut back, but they will not give up their current notions about food or food preparation. Sure pasta is cheap. A carb heavy diet is making us all fat, though, not more nourished. Sure mac-n-cheese comes .40 a box. That's not food. Sure, you're busy. So what? If you don't have money, why are you spending it on more expensive pre-packed crap instead of making the time to cook actual (and cheaper) food? Everyone wants to save money. Very few are willing to make any sacrifice to do that, though. It's the same old excuses over and over. :001_rolleyes:

 

I could go on, but I really don't want to get deep into the rant. Just suffice it to say that I think I should just sit out this round of "tell me how to make my food dollar stretch" in order to avoid going full-on b*tch.

[Truscifi]

As pp said, this won't work for everyone, but we are raising our own meat animals. We have a pig, chickens, and are getting set up for rabbits. I'm looking at a Zebu (miniature cow) for milk. I'm a pretty lousy gardener, but I'm trying to learn to grow things. Especially the more expensive things we enjoy like spring mix for salads. A friend I recently helped move is coming over next weekend to help me cut down some pine trees to make room for fruit trees instead. I have an outdoor garden and have just started an indoor garden for the lettuces since they don't grow well here. I do this on an acre and a half.

[bbkaren]

As pp said, this won't work for everyone, but we are raising our own meat animals. We have a pig, chickens, and are getting set up for rabbits...

 

You'll be pleased with meat rabbits. The meat is spectacular and they're incredibly easy to care for and process. We keep a few chickens, but just for the eggs; the thought of slaughtering and plucking the chickens makes me cringe, compared with how easy rabbits are.

 

We used klubertanz for the cages - very easy to assemble - and hung them from the ceiling in our shed so that they're easy to clean beneath. The chickens scratch around in the rabbits' litter and take anything interesting they find in there; it's really a fabulous, symbiotic relationship they have.

 

We have 1/2 acre in NJ and nobody would know we even have rabbits, much less that we eat them lol...

 

Enjoy -