Inflation, how are you dealing with it?

[mommyoffive]

Are you feeling inflation in your life?  Where and what are you seeing?

How are you dealing with it? 

[DawnM]

I see it at the grocery store.   I am always a little surprised when I go to pay the bill.   I shop sales, stock up when I can, etc.....but the same items are more costly than they used to be.

I just budget higher, but we are fortunate to be able to do that.   We also get WIC for our foster son, which is a big help.   It covers about $60/mo in groceries.   And my dad helps out a bit since he moved in with us and eats our food.   Because our foster son is from out of state, we dont' get the childcare subsidy, so his foster check goes for his preschool tuition for the most part.

[vonfirmath]

1 hour ago, mommyoffive said:

Are you feeling inflation in your life?  Where and what are you seeing?

How are you dealing with it? 

Mostly in groceries. Our grocery budget doesn't work anymore.

I'm dealing with it by cutting out discretionary spending (And I'm thankful to have that to cut) But I'm concerned as I see so many things going up at once (and the empty areas on grocery shelves -- which means that planning is not as effective in the first place when stuff is gone when you go to the store).

[theelfqueen]

My grocery budget has been crazy. 

[cjzimmer1]

There's only so much I can do, but the best I can do is cut out the few snacks we do purchase and just keep stocking up when I find great prices.  I can get ground hamburger from a local farmer cheaper than I can buy it from Costco or Aldi so I've got 50 pounds on order (I may bump it to 100 depending on when they have it ready).  But otherwise, it's just buying in bulk and preserving in any manner possible so that what money I have to spend can be stretched as far as possible.  

[JustEm]

Like others, I've seen it in the grocery budget.  We're in the process of figuring out how to handle that.  I stopped using Instacart entirely now because the fee and tip is about enough to offset the risen prices.

[WildflowerMom]

I’m seeing it in groceries and gas.  My groceries cost a good bit more than usual and that’s really irritating because I was trying to do well in that area.   I don’t know what to do other than change up our weekly menus to include cheaper products.    

[mommyoffive]

8 minutes ago, cjzimmer1 said:

There's only so much I can do, but the best I can do is cut out the few snacks we do purchase and just keep stocking up when I find great prices.  I can get ground hamburger from a local farmer cheaper than I can buy it from Costco or Aldi so I've got 50 pounds on order (I may bump it to 100 depending on when they have it ready).  But otherwise, it's just buying in bulk and preserving in any manner possible so that what money I have to spend can be stretched as far as possible.  

I need to look into this.  I live down the street from farms.  How do you find out where you can buy it? 

[chiguirre]

The only thing we've really rethought because of supply chain issues and inflation is replacing a car. We had thought about trading in an old, but still trouble free, 7 seater and getting a smaller, more reliable car for dd. The ridiculous prices of used cars made us rethink that plan and dd has our old crossover for now. If things settle down and there's more supply, we'll reconsider in 2022. Although, we're also considering trying to wait 2 or 3 years and switching to an electric vehicle. It's not urgent.

[Sharpie]

2 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

I need to look into this.  I live down the street from farms.  How do you find out where you can buy it? 

Ask the farmer directly. 

[theelfqueen]

9 minutes ago, hjffkj said:

Like others, I've seen it in the grocery budget.  We're in the process of figuring out how to handle that.  I stopped using Instacart entirely now because the fee and tip is about enough to offset the risen prices.

Oh I would give up a lot of things before I got to that point! 

[cjzimmer1]

2 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

I need to look into this.  I live down the street from farms.  How do you find out where you can buy it? 

Are you on Facebook?  If so, I can send you the name of a group that farmers throughout the state have joined.  You can find everything imaginable there.  I already had a beef farmer but I forgot to order this year and he's sold out till next year but I found this one on that group and they will even deliver to my house.

[Jenny in Florida]

I honestly haven't noticed it much, outside of gas prices. My son is shopping for a used car, and the prices for vehicles are bonkers. but day to day I'm not seeing a lot. 

We are vegan, though, so we're not buying things like meat and milk. 

[EmilyGF]

11 minutes ago, chiguirre said:

The only thing we've really rethought because of supply chain issues and inflation is replacing a car. We had thought about trading in an old, but still trouble free, 7 seater and getting a smaller, more reliable car for dd. The ridiculous prices of used cars made us rethink that plan and dd has our old crossover for now. If things settle down and there's more supply, we'll reconsider in 2022. Although, we're also considering trying to wait 2 or 3 years and switching to an electric vehicle. It's not urgent.

I'm seeing cars held together with duct tape on the roads. There are a lot of people driving barely street-worthy cars due to the cost of replacement. 

Hoping our car lasts a few more years!

I saw ice cream for $7.99 yesterday that normally costs $4.99. I was only buying produce, though, and shopping based on price (a few pounds of everything less than $.99/lb), so that didn't affect me, LOL. 

[fairfarmhand]

Grocery store.

Gas

I had to increase my gas budget so my grocery budget went down a bit, and groceries are a bit more expensive too.

So, I have been less able to stock up, and there are fewer store bought treats in the pantry. I'm baking a bit more to make up for that. I'm not buying the fun frozen stuff for treat lunches like frozen pizza or corn dogs. 

Thankfully we have plenty of beef and pork in the freezer. We're using more rice in our meals to stretch stuff, and since its getting cold, we're having more soup which is cheap to make.

We are very thankful that we got my late MIL's car in settling her estate last year. My dd16 would have a devil of a time finding a cheap used car for her first ride. Now she will probably buy my dhs old Sentra and he will drive his mom's Impala.

Edited October 27, 2021 by fairfarmhand

[vonfirmath]

4 minutes ago, EmilyGF said:

I'm seeing cars held together with duct tape on the roads. There are a lot of people driving barely street-worthy cars due to the cost of replacement. 

Hoping our car lasts a few more years!

I saw ice cream for $7.99 yesterday that normally costs $4.99. I was only buying produce, though, and shopping based on price (a few pounds of everything less than $.99/lb), so that didn't affect me, LOL. 

We don't WANT to replace our car.

Unfortunately, there's a computer piece keeping it from talking to the stae's computers -- so we can't get confirmation it passed inspection to register it. They told us to talk to the dealer. The dealer does not want to work on a car that is more than 10 years old.

So we may be forced into replacement sooner.

[theelfqueen]

We are holding off on buying a car for DS. He and I are just sharing for now. 

2 cars, 3 drivers is workable for us as DH doesn't use his car much. 

[JustEm]

24 minutes ago, theelfqueen said:

Oh I would give up a lot of things before I got to that point! 

I had that feeling at first but then every week less things were available and the replacements got stranger and stranger.  Like last week they replaced graham crackers with smores poptarts, ha!  I just think the grocery stores are less stocked and when things aren't there the pickers are grasping at straws.  So, now I will just do the shopping myself or with dh because we had been enjoying that for a bit recently.

[UnsinkableKristen]

Just now, hjffkj said:

Like last week they replaced graham crackers with smores poptarts, ha! 

That's kind of hilarious 😂.  Annoying, but hilarious. 

[Selkie]

24 minutes ago, Jenny in Florida said:

I honestly haven't noticed it much, outside of gas prices. My son is shopping for a used car, and the prices for vehicles are bonkers. but day to day I'm not seeing a lot. 

We are vegan, though, so we're not buying things like meat and milk. 

Same here. We are vegan, so no sticker shock at the grocery store. 

We don't drive much, so gas isn't a big expense for us.

[Faith-manor]

Groceries and clothing. I did a LOT more "putting up the harvest" this fall than in previous years, and we go a wonderful deal on half a beef, and some Mennonite grown roasting chickens. So we filled the chest freezer. Combined with my preserved produce, it will really cut down on how much I have to buy from the supermarket. Dh has taken up baking and has been able to make GF products we both like at a fraction of the cost of buying. He seems to really enjoy it, so have at it, Mark!

I have been trusting my vaccine and Kn95 in order to do a big round of the thrift stores for some things that I need as well as the collegians. Though two graduate this year, and one is in grad school, we still help with things like this because they live on such tight budgets.

Except for presents under the tree for the two little grandsons, we are concentrating on experiences for the adults/making memories. So Christmas is an extravaganza of good food and games, movies, merry making, and as a gift to all the grown ups, Dh and I are staying home with the little ones on Dec. 26 while Dd and son in law,  my mom, and our sons all take a cruise on the Southern Belle in Chattanooga with the cheese tasting. The tickets were super reasonable, and they are all very excited about it. Everyone is getting their Pfizer or Moderna booster next week, so immunity will still be quite fresh, and knowing them, they will spend a lot of time on the deck in the open air. It is actually cheaper, given the inflation in goods, than buying each of them a nice gift. Dd is very happy about the break from parenting!

Gas prices are up. But, since our cars get 30+ mpg, we are doing okay. I am happy to stay home anyway, and dh works from home. It mostly affects our son who is commuting. However, his in person class is only two days per week, so he is also managing well.

[theelfqueen]

10 minutes ago, hjffkj said:

I had that feeling at first but then every week less things were available and the replacements got stranger and stranger.  Like last week they replaced graham crackers with smores poptarts, ha!  I just think the grocery stores are less stocked and when things aren't there the pickers are grasping at straws.  So, now I will just do the shopping myself or with dh because we had been enjoying that for a bit recently.

I stay on with my shopper the whole time to direct replacements... I DESPISE grocery shopping. So much. 

[MooCow]

3 minutes ago, theelfqueen said:

I stay on with my shopper the whole time to direct replacements... I DESPISE grocery shopping. So much. 

Me too

[Jenny in Florida]

25 minutes ago, Selkie said:

Same here. We are vegan, so no sticker shock at the grocery store. 

We don't drive much, so gas isn't a big expense for us.

Yep, both my husband and I work from home, so my driving these days is more or less confined to grocery runs and driving my bonus young adult to and from work a few times a week.

[Condessa]

Groceries and gas.  With groceries, I can lean on more cheap meals for the family, more things that require cooking from scratch instead of convenience items.  We were lucky enough to be given a whole lamb by a sheep farmer we know earlier this year, and I have been making meals that stretch the meat so we don’t need to buy meat very often.

Gas is more of an issue.  There is no way to avoid the impact.  Most of our driving back and forth is for medical appointments.  Dh and I switch off cars so that whoever is going further that day has the more gas-efficient vehicle, but we were doing that before inflation hit.  We have had to lower the amount we are putting towards the IRA each month.  Dh has done a ton of extra work for some new clients this past month, and I am hoping the payment for that comes through before the end of the year so we can still fill the IRA for the year, but there’s a good chance it won’t.

[WildflowerMom]

Another thing I'm doing is buying less meat.  I haven't told dh or ds yet.   🤫

[Faith-manor]

17 minutes ago, WildflowerMom said:

Another thing I'm doing is buying less meat.  I haven't told dh or ds yet.   🤫

😉

[mom31257]

Our current situation is really helping us deal with it.

We moved this summer, and we're just a mile from dh's job. I'm working from home, but we do have family closer. I'm driving some to see them. 

Ds started college, so we have just the two of us eating here. He'll be home in December for about a month, so I know the grocery budget will be blown! 

[fairfarmhand]

40 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

 

Gas prices are up. But, since our cars get 30+ mpg, we are doing okay. I am happy to stay home anyway, and dh works from home. It mostly affects our son who is commuting. However, his in person class is only two days per week, so he is also managing well.

My dd has to be on campus every single day this semester and as a broke college student it's hurting her pocketbook! She does drive a very efficient car but its painful.

[Arcadia]

1 hour ago, Jenny in Florida said:

We are vegan, though, so we're not buying things like meat and milk. 

 

53 minutes ago, Selkie said:

Same here. We are vegan, so no sticker shock at the grocery store. 

Vegetable and fruits prices are up too.

gas $4.05 for regular (California tends to have one of the highest gas price so we just pump mostly at Costco since its the cheapest locally). 

[fairfarmhand]

4 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

 

Vegetable and fruits prices are up too.

gas $4.05 for regular (California tends to have one of the highest gas price so we just pump mostly at Costco since its the cheapest locally). 

Yeah, everything is more expensive. We don't buy much meat but I've noticed that even staples and canned goods and frozen fruits and veggies are higher.

[prairiewindmomma]

We didn't replace a vehicle when it died this year. Ds is taking public transport instead.

When the rising cost of lumber affected our budget for home repairs, we opted to do the repairs less extensively than we otherwise would have as I think the lumber market will correct in the next three years as people have less cash flowing.

We're making food choices solely based on nutrition.  Convenience items are largely gone, except my coffee and dd's tea, except even there we are trading down on cost.  Farewell, Harney & Sons, hello PG Tips & Tetley. We're still buying quality meat and veg because that's cheaper than insulin, iykwim. Produce is up about 15% above the normal seasonal shift. We've raised our grocery budget 20% from this time last year. Part of that is due to me doing store pickup from a slightly more expensive store compared to the bargain basement I shopped at pre-pandemic, but it's mostly price inflation. 

We've changed our retirement portfolio strategy a bit, as I don't think inflation is going away. 

Where we know price increases are coming and the need is in the next 6-12 months, we're buying now....which is why we're replacing our hot tub cover now. Ours is custom made. 

Gas prices aren't affecting us as we are well situated to be car free. Pretty much the only time I get out is to do grocery pickup. If need be, I could walk. I just don't because it's rainy season and I buy quite a bit. I'd have to take up daily shopping. Doable, but not fun. 

[YaelAldrich]

26 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

 

Vegetable and fruits prices are up too.

gas $4.05 for regular (California tends to have one of the highest gas price so we just pump mostly at Costco since its the cheapest locally). 

Yeah, my family is mostly vegan. I'm the only real carnivore left and my fruits and vegetables and carbs are going up every week. Even beans are going up. It's funny that the fake meat stuff I buy is more or less the same price.

[Annie G]

Groceries and gas are the areas we’re seeing the biggest jumps.  I have three chains nearby and will shop sales, but lately the sales aren’t nearly as good as usual. I’ve cut back on meat serving sizes, which so far hasn’t been noticed by the guys.  Stocking up when things are on sale and just making do with less variety. 
We’re not taking pleasure trips like we normally do because gas prices are high. Our pleasure car is a 10 year old Corvette and premium gas is well over $4/gallon.  This year we’ve driven the car less than we have any single year since we bought it- and that’s saying a lot because we lived in N IL where we could only drive it about 7 months a year and one of this summers dh had bypass surgery and couldn’t drive. 
I recently received dd’s little chest freezer when she bought an upright for her family. I was able to buy frozen veggies from a farm out of Florida and  they are WAY cheaper than buying from grocery store. 8 pound packages are divided into meal size ziplocks so I can grab one when cooking. 
We’re doing home improvement projects that we can complete with on hand materials, or creatively sourcing materials. It’s been fun, and we’re getting a lot done on the cheap.

[BusyMom5]

2 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

I need to look into this.  I live down the street from farms.  How do you find out where you can buy it? 

Call the local locker plant, they usually have a list of farmers who sell directly.  Ive bought by the whole or half-beef my entire married life.

[BusyMom5]

I didn't buy many clothes last year, add in a few with massive growth spurts, all my kids need stuff.  Its seems higher than my normal prices and harder to find.  I'm trying to be strategic and shop sales.  The bigger issue to me is the lack of options!  I'm talking Walmart, Target, Kohls for the most part, nothing fancy. 

Our grocery budget is always high.  Its higher.  I'm trying to just deal with it. We buy beef directly,  and I dobtry to keep a full pantry. 

[marbel]

Mostly groceries and gas here. I'm weaning my meat-eaters off beef altogether and reducing pork and chicken. 2 of my people consider a dinner without animal protein to be.. insufficient. 

 

I'm really worried about cars. One of our cars is 24 years old and is fine for my kid as a beater to get around town but yearly inspection is due soon and if it doesn't pass, I don't know what he'll do. There are no used cars around right now. Or, they are crazy expensive. Public transit is laughable for those of us not right in the city. I'm very grateful that I don't have to drive in to work ever. It's actually one of the things that is keeping me at my job - knowing I never need a car to work. 

[dsmith]

We are definitely feeling it at the grocery store. We've been buying more from Aldi. We have to have cookies in the house for the elders or there is a revolt lol. Aldi's cookies have made that much more affordable. They are also cheaper on milk and some staples that we use for baking. We buy large quantities of sale stuff. If any meat is on sale we will buy as much as we can. There are usually limits so we each have a discount card to double up. We do this with any canned items we use, or anything that we can store. According to our receipts, by buying mostly sale items and very little regular priced stuff we are saving about 40 - 60%. This would be harder to do if we didn't have a substantial amount of food on hand at any time, because sometimes we are not buying certain items for a month and up to 4 months. We've also become much less wasteful. We never used to make our own broth, but now when we roast 2 chickens we will get a meal for that night, another meal with the chicken meat, make a huge pot of broth, make a pot of chicken and wild rice soup with that broth, and still have enough broth left for various other soups or meals. 

We've noticed various services have gone up in price. We needed plumbing work done, and it was about $800 more than it would have been 2 years ago. Dh has been doing his own appliance repairs by watching youtube videos and ordering parts. It's saved us at least $800 over the last two years.

[Arcadia]

35 minutes ago, BusyMom5 said:

I didn't buy many clothes last year, add in a few with massive growth spurts, all my kids need stuff.  Its seems higher than my normal prices and harder to find.  I'm trying to be strategic and shop sales.  The bigger issue to me is the lack of options!  I'm talking Walmart, Target, Kohls for the most part, nothing fancy. 

We had difficulty finding size 16 Gap jeans for DS15 at Gap Outlet. Went to two before finding any stock. They had plenty of size 12s.  We are near to two premium outlet malls so for us its the price rather than lack of options. Luckily my teens has stopped growing in terms of clothing sizes and shoe sizes. DS15 needs a replacement pair of sneakers soon but he hasn’t found one he liked. DS16 is less picky about shoes aesthetics as long as they are comfortable so he found a comfortable all black pair of sneakers.

DS15 has outgrown jeans in his wardrobe. I haven’t gotten round to compiling and donating. 

[mlktwins]

Definitely groceries and gas.  We are all meat eaters, but our stock of frozen beef is dwindling.  No more steaks.  We do have a prime rib left for Christmas dinner.  Buying more chicken and pork.  Ground beef is a still a must for several of our meals.  We buy our meat at Costco and divide into smaller portions and freeze.  My boys fly through our milk.  Feel like DH and the boys are going through a gallon a day 😬!

We are good for coats, clothes and shoes through the winter.

Trying to consolidate trips for running errands around the boys' outsourced classes, swim practices, and going to my dad's to check on him i order to conserve gas.

 

[Shoeless]

We've seen an increase in gas.  Books are more expensive, which is really putting a monkey wrench into Christmas shopping for DS13. 

I haven't noticed a big jump with groceries, but we eat mostly unprocessed food. DH drinks diet soda, and that's one area I have noticed an increase. I wish he'd give it up! 

[Kassia]

7 minutes ago, MissLemon said:

DH drinks diet soda, and that's one area I have noticed an increase. I wish he'd give it up! 

I drink way too much diet soda and am feeling guiltier than ever about the cost because the prices really have gone way up.  😞  

Nervous about the car situation because dd needs one next summer for her internship.  I'm hoping things settle down by then but not too optimistic.

[mommyoffive]

13 minutes ago, MissLemon said:

We've seen an increase in gas.  Books are more expensive, which is really putting a monkey wrench into Christmas shopping for DS13. 

I haven't noticed a big jump with groceries, but we eat mostly unprocessed food. DH drinks diet soda, and that's one area I have noticed an increase. I wish he'd give it up! 

Oh I hadn't heard or seen that yet.  Ikes.  I bought of bunch of book series for the kids a few months back and they were decent prices.  Then I am picking up books at the Dollar Tree for my oldest since she goes through them so fast.  I spent like $70 there a bit ago to give her a stash of books for Christmas.

[prairiewindmomma]

1 hour ago, Arcadia said:

We had difficulty finding size 16 Gap jeans for DS15 at Gap Outlet. Went to two before finding any stock. They had plenty of size 12s.  We are near to two premium outlet malls so for us its the price rather than lack of options. Luckily my teens has stopped growing in terms of clothing sizes and shoe sizes. DS15 needs a replacement pair of sneakers soon but he hasn’t found one he liked. DS16 is less picky about shoes aesthetics as long as they are comfortable so he found a comfortable all black pair of sneakers.

DS15 has outgrown jeans in his wardrobe. I haven’t gotten round to compiling and donating. 

The equivalent men's sizing for boys 16 jeans is 28x30 if you become desperate at some point in the future. We found it easier to find clothes on the men's side once my boys hit that size range.

[Arcadia]

Just now, prairiewindmomma said:

The equivalent men's sizing for boys 16 jeans is 28x30 if you become desperate at some point in the future. We found it easier to find clothes on the men's side once my boys hit that size range.

We have size 28x30 jeans gently used from DS16. It’s just that Gap jeans fit him the best. We had to return The Children’s Place jeans because the cut doesn’t fit. 

[prairiewindmomma]

8 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

We have size 28x30 jeans gently used from DS16. It’s just that Gap jeans fit him the best. We had to return The Children’s Place jeans because the cut doesn’t fit. 

Right, I was just meaning that gap sells jeans on the men's side at 28x30 and on the boys side at size 16. Sometimes they seemed to be the same product, with different tags. If you're outlet hopping, it's easier to find 28x30 on the men's side, because it's not a popular product, compared to the boys 16. Some parents don't realize the size interchangeability.

[Arcadia]

2 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Right, I was just meaning that gap sells jeans on the men's side at 28x30 and on the boys side at size 16. Sometimes they seemed to be the same product, with different tags.

Thanks. The men’s side has less of a price markdown but he only needs at most three new pairs per year so that’s a feasible backup option. 

[Ann.without.an.e]

It is bad. DH's company has given bonuses for it. I feel bad for my kids though because they aren't in such great situations. Like DD's boyfriend's company hasn't given any inflation increases and they want to get married in the near future. Also, they are cutting Christmas bonuses and I just don't get it (it isn't an industry that seems to be struggling?). 

[Arcadia]

6 minutes ago, Ann.without.an.e said:

It is bad. DH's company has given bonuses for it. I feel bad for my kids though because they aren't in such great situations. Like DD's boyfriend's company hasn't given any inflation increases and they want to get married in the near future. Also, they are cutting Christmas bonuses and I just don't get it (it isn't an industry that seems to be struggling?). 

My husband’s employer is doing okay. They don’t give inflation increases or bonuses though so we aren’t expecting any. However they did pay more for the healthcare premiums but the employee also pays more, just because premiums has gone up as usual and employer doesn’t absorb the increase.

[Kassia]

21 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

My husband’s employer is doing okay. They don’t give inflation increases or bonuses though so we aren’t expecting any. However they did pay more for the healthcare premiums but the employee also pays more, just because premiums has gone up as usual and employer doesn’t absorb the increase.

DH's company is the same - he never gets raises or bonuses or better benefits.  Health insurance is ridiculously high and we pay for dental through his employer, but we're grateful for that because it wasn't offered at all for many years.  He likes his job, but this part of it stinks.