Hello Friends!
I'm here today to talk about grocery prices. I know this will just be a rant, but I've got to get this off my chest, so here's hoping someone can relate to my rantings this week.
First off...I'm going to the grocery store way too many times these days. I'm not sure why. I'm going to chalk it up to not being organized in my meal planning and therefore, I'm having to go back when I need something specific.
I think back to when my kids were little and I was so well organized. I don't know what's happened to my brain, but I want the old one back 😅
So anyway...what got me so riled up was a trip to Kroger this week. Ok, so prices have been high and I've paid some ridiculous prices for things that normally I would never have paid that much for, but we were going through a time (the country) and I was willing to overlook some things.
However...it's time to admit that we're no longer in a crisis, except the one they want us to keep thinking we're in, so they can keep charging $5.00 for a bag of Fritos! (I know - I know - we are still in crisis mode, but let's just stick to groceries, for now).
I've half-way accepted that eggs became like gold nuggets, and beef was the price of a small cow, but when I walked onto the condiment aisle this week and saw Kroger charging $5.29 for a bottle of ketchup, I literally stood in the aisle and laughed, then I said outloud to no-one..."Do they think we're that stupid?"
Do they really think we are that gullible to pay over $5 for a bottle of ketchup, that used to be $2.29?
Well, guess what? I may be stupid enough to pay $5 for Fritos, but not ketchup! So I scanned the shelves for the most reasonable bottle I could find and whatdoyaknow? A bottle of Whataburger ketchup for $2.79! And we all know how yummy Whataburger ketchup is! So I guess you could say I showed them.😜
Not really. I'm sure no one cares, but it made me feel better and from now on I will be buying the cheaper products until the name brands realize that they can't keep up this farce forever.
We live in hurricane country, so we are used to being gouged when it's hurricane season. Prices of lumber go sky high and you learn to smell a rat. Well I smell a big rat right now and it's in the food industry!
Which brings me back to my organization problem. I recently watched a lady on Youtube talk about once-a-month grocery shopping. Well, I don't think that would work for me. I would still end up going back for things. Plus, I've learned over the years of knowing myself 😀 that I work better with short term goals, so once a week is probably the best bet for me. Surely I can manage that!
I also would love to try the fridge and pantry challenges, where you eat everything down to the bare bones of inventory, before going back to restock. Could you do this? Have you ever?
Give me all your grocery rants and best tips for keeping the shopping trips down to the minimum. Also, tell me what you're not good at, so I can feel better about my own failures 😂 I want to know I'm in good company!
Spill the beans, friends!
Until Next Time...
Blessings!
I buy Kroger store brands and pay a lot less than that. Golly, but I live in the central part of the country and most everything is cheaper here. I only buy things that are on sale, clearance or I have a digital coupon for - 99% of the time.
ReplyDeleteNO I would never eat down to nothing! I eat and replace with sales as I go along. Basically I just shop for replacements or fresh stuff. Many weeks I do not go to the store at all - but there is always plenty here.
Cheryl, I think that's what I would like to do is get to the point of not going to the store every week. It would save money. But stocking up when things are on sale is the smartest!
DeleteWe go to a few different stores for food shopping. We go on certain days when we get a senior discount. One of the stores gives you cents off of gas. We stock up when things are on sale and some of the sales are really good!
ReplyDeleteNot really a name brand person. We will try the store brand and most of the time it is just as good.
They only time we ate everything we had was when we were first married and couldn't afford to buy anything more! :)
I like to have a full pantry and wouldn't like to empty it out before restocking again.
Karen, I enjoy a stocked pantry too!
DeleteThe prices are very high! I am buying more store brand items than I ever did before because they are much cheaper. You are right, once a week shopping is a better option than going several times a week! God bless!
ReplyDeleteHi Mrs. White :) I do love Kroger brand items, so I guess I need to try more things that aren't name brand and discover those that taste just as good. God bless you!
DeleteGirl, I am so fed up with the price of EVERYTHING! It's crazy! I don't even make a grocery list anymore because either the stores don't have anything on my list and I have to come up with a new list off the top of my head or the prices are so high I refuse to buy the items I had planned. It is all so bizarre and maddening!
ReplyDeleteGrace & Peace,
Pam
Hi Pam :) I know! I think it's all a scam at this point!
DeleteGrocery prices make my head almost explode 🤯
ReplyDeleteThere are just 2 of living here and our doctors have restricted what both both of us should eat so that is actually keeping our spending down- not much meat and low sodium so that cuts out so many things.
That diet should help with spending, for sure! Much healthier too.
DeleteMy personal big rant right now is how much a 12 pack of canned drinks cost now. I drink diet ginger ale and love it in a can. However, what I used to drink is now $6-$7 a pack! I’ve switched to the Kroger store brand, and it’s fine, but I can remember when 12 packs of drinks were $2 when I first got married and started doing the grocery shopping, and yes, we are seeing $6 bags of potato chips as well. It blows my mind. We are spending way too much money every week and barely buy anything.
ReplyDeleteMandy, I agree! I feel for my kids who are feeding little ones right now! It's beyond ridiculous!
DeleteUGH. So many things. First, I do not love Kroger. I have learned over the years that their brand is not necessarily the cheapest! They're sneaky about this and they put their own brand at eye level so you have to stand on your head practically to reach the other brands. Kroger is our only grocery in the area, excluding Aldi's (which I don't love because you never know what they'll have), Target (NO), and Walmart (which I can only use if I order groceries, because also, NO). So, I am limited in where I can shop. We have a smaller, health food store here called Sprouts that I want to start visiting more- I've learned that their produce and meats are often cheaper than what the other stores have. They also run specials on certain days, like on Tuesdays, they steeply discount their meat. Do you have a place like that near (ish) you that you could try?
ReplyDeleteI am like you in that I could never shop for a long period of time. I go faithfully once a week, but sometimes we have to go more. We use Costco a lot, because of some of the bulkier items we get there, and that is a lot of money! That's really all we spend money on, truth be told, and it takes a lot to feed us. I have also never used everything in my pantry, but I feel like I need another clean out. I'm actually going to grocery shop again today- I may try Sprouts, but probably I'll just stick with Kroger. I also have one more complaint, and I'll stop. I ordered groceries from Walmart this week and I checked the box saying that I didn't want bags- I'd bring my own. They use one bag per item, practically! Well, they still brought the items out in plastic bags. I was like, what the heck? Why even ask if you're just going to ignore??? I do not love all the plastic bags and would love to be a bit more environmentally friendly.
Jennifer, I'm surprised y'all don't have any other stores! At least a Trader Joes, which we don't have here, but wish we did! We have a good variety of stores, but not like other areas. We have Kroger, HEB, Market Basket and Sam's. I will do pick up at Walmart for convenience, but Kroger has better sales and lots of coupons. Plus gas points, so I've started going back there. And yes, how about paper sacks again? At least we can use them to cover books :) Remember making book covers out of paper bags? Those were fun times!
DeleteFrom time to time I will make a notebook list of things that need to be used down until we have zero. Last time e it was things like pancake mix and cornbread mix, salas, canned beets.
ReplyDeleteIt's just two of us and I stick to a budgeted amount of money. Anything i have left over i put away for when sales are good then stick up. Also I no longer but junk food automatically. Instead of buying Oreos i wait until husband asks for them ditto cupcakes etc when he asks i tell him I'll buy when next on sale
I have kept four Kroger are for each of past few hrs including 2020. Regular 3$ of crisco hAs gone up nearly 5$ i do try to "eat down" the freezer from time to time the fewer times I go to the grocery the more I save for later stocking up necessities in in Nashville And he e Kroger Publix and aldi 3 miles from house all in one block of each other sprouts is 1\4 mile past those and trader Joes and walmart are 2 more miles very tempting to stop more often but I made up my mind i will not and I don't
ReplyDeleteI used to spend 100 a week for groceries at Krogers, now it's $200 for the same items. I have been working on having a very well stock pantry it took a year to get there~ however, as of lately I just replace what we have used up and buy fresh produce and I have noticed that It has save some each week.
ReplyDeleteMy goal is $100 too and I've noticed that if I do grocery pick up, I can stick to the budget much better.
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