Never Complained About the High Price of Groceries

[Paladin1950]

I'm on Social Security and have a part time job, but have not been bothered with the high price of groceries. To me, there seems to be smart shoppers and not so smart shoppers.

I haven't bought any soda or alcohol since 2013. I have never been a smoker. No soda, beer, or cigarettes. Right there, that's a hell of a lot of money saved. Some people buy all of their groceries at the same store. I never do. Anything is too pricey, I won't buy. I'll get it at another store. Plus here in New York, a lot of dollar stores have a grocery line. I can get butter, eggs, milk, cereal at lower prices. Bread too.

Taking after my mother, I'm a cheapskate. She taught me well! Of course in other parts of the country, prices in stores can vary greatly. But if you eliminate things that you don't really need, and things that your body doesn't require, and are willing to go to more than one store, you can spend less on groceries.

I used to make fun of my mother for being a cheapskate. Not any more. Thanks to her, I have a nice bank account.

 

[Muskrat]

Very much like you. And I eat well.

 

[Pepper]

The price of food is so high I actually had to dip into savings last month and I barely eat anything. Heading into high spending now with holidays, meaning gifts & tips. I try to be as generous as I can.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I try to be mindful of my spending but I still manage to buy the things that are important to me.

This is not a drill people, if we don’t enjoy ourselves now we may never get another chance.

 

[Buckeye]

{shrug} with the price of gas, the last thing I want to do is to run around from store to store to save a dime on a loaf of bread.

Life is too short.

Smoke 'em if you got 'em,

 

[Twostep]

I enjoy cooking, spending time with people who appreciate the effort I put into a meal. So a lot of from scratch but always enough plus. Wine and coffee is something I am not giving up. As my grandfather said 'the only thing water is good for in the kitchen is boiling pasta and washing dishes'.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Winco is the cheapest option locally and the quality is good so I buy everything there. I’m filling my freezer with meat and bought 4 months of coffee because I expect prices to greatly increase. I drank cheap coffee for years and now buy a decent quality but I only drink 3 cups a day.

 

[hollydolly]

I buy what I want.. and I'll go to various stores if I think I can get it cheaper...

I don't drink alcoholl I don't look on it as a saving, because I never have drunk it.. my husband is a heavy drinker.. and on our grocery trips he would pay for his alcohol seperate from the weeks' groceries which I paid for.. and more than once his bill came to more than mine..

I don't smoke... and I do buy ''soda'' which costs pennies here tbh... I buy several 2 litre bottles during the year and kee them chilled.. and they last me all year.. but if stopped buying them it would only save me about £10...

My husand always would sneer at my penny pinching here and there... citing my Scottish nationality's undeserved propensity to be tight with money...

However if I want something and I can afford it, I'm not going to deny myself... and that's in every aspect of my life... I've been there in my younger days.. for many years scrimping , and saving and going without...too old for that now.

 

[MACKTEXAS]

The evening news just reported the average price of eggs here is about $6 a dozen. I bought them when they were $3.00, so another $3.00 wouldn't break me, but I won't get them. It's a matter of choice.

 

[Twostep]

The evening news just reported the average price of eggs here is about $6 a dozen. I bought them when they were $3.00, so another $3.00 wouldn't break me, but I won't get them. It's a matter of choice.

Please check around. There is a unexplained difference in prices between stores.

 

[That Lady in PA]

https://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/ams_3725.pdf

I just bought a dozen for under $2.59

 

[Llynn]

My Daughter has a flock of chickens so her "girls" keep me provided with wonderfully fresh and tasty eieren*. The cost to me is chicken feed.

*While in the US Air Force, my late Son was stationed in the Netherlands. His eldest daughter was born there. Her middle name is Erin which when pronounced sounds like the Dutch word for egg. All their neighbors wondered why he named his Daughter egg.

​

 

[chic]

I'm worried already about the price hike the tariffs will cause in groceries, specifically fresh produce from Mexico. In the U.S. we import a lot. And I eat tons of produce everyday. I can't buy local because I live in an area where it can snow anytime from Oct. - April. Not practical.

 

[Knight]

Grocery shopping takes planning. Here with 3 major American food chains & 3 Spanish food stores pricing is competitive. Then knowing how to reduce cost is major.
An example
Kroger Boneless N Y strip steak

about
$15.99each
$15.99/lb
SNAP EBT
Beef Choice Tailless Strip Steak


For the holidays Kroger has this on sale for $11.02 a lb. less
Coupon: $4.97/lb NY Strip Roast.

How can two older people eat a large roast? Easy just get the butcher to slice it into 1 inch thick slices on the saw. Yield 8 steaks or 4 meals for significantly less money

Really cost effective is cutting the bone out & stewing that for the broth.

 

[Jules]

The price of food is so high I actually had to dip into savings last month and I barely eat anything. Heading into high spending now with holidays, meaning gifts & tips. I try to be as generous as I can.

Have you checked out City Foods. They support many seniors, even those who own their own places.

 

[OneEyedDiva]

According to my self-tallying Family Budget Planner spreadsheet, I averaged only a dollar more per month on food than I did in 2023, but $37 more a month then I spent in 2022. I attribute that partly to the fact that I bought a lot of extra food when stocking up in 2024.

I buy most of my groceries from the local supermarket, which has lower prices than its sister store Shoprite, a much larger store , and Costco. My son will pick up items from Shoprite if our local market does not carry them. I wait until there's a sale on many of the items then stock up. I don't have a deep freezer so I can't buy too many frozen foods, but what I do by on sale is a great savings.

By trial and error I have found many store brands that I actually love including Shoprite's Bowl & Basket , Walmart's Great Value and of course Costco's Kirkland brand . I'm sure I've saved at least a couple of hundred each year by choosing those products. Another savings is that I don't eat red meat and my son doesn't eat meat at all. Meat prices are downright shocking. Neither of us smokes or drinks either. I don't buy sodas for the house but may order a root beer when we go to restaurants.

 

[againstthegrain]

2 points and I realize there are exceptions:

If people traded off some convenience and substituted time and effort instead I believe that the result would be better (and safer) food for less money.

The amount of soft drinks drinks sold and space devoted to them is incredible. Probably the biggest waste of money in the entire store for those on tight budgets. Crackers, and chips are also hugely overpriced w many healthier, cheaper replacements.

 

[Pepper]

It's hard for me to shop without a car (or a place to park it), so I'm basically stuck in my ability to take advantage of shopping around.

 

[MACKTEXAS]

Please check around. There is a unexplained difference in prices between stores.

Thanks for the suggestion. I live in a rural area with only 2 stores: Walmart and Brookshire's.

 

[Aunt Bea]

2 points and I realize there are exceptions:

If people traded off some convenience and substituted time and effort instead I believe that the result would be better (and safer) food for less money.

The amount of soft drinks drinks sold and space devoted to them is incredible. Probably the biggest waste of money in the entire store for those on tight budgets. Crackers, and chips are also hugely overpriced w many healthier, cheaper replacements.

I absolutely agree but as I’ve gotten older single serving convenience foods and grab ‘n’ go type deli items have become a good compromise for me.

Even though I pay more in most cases I use less and they are much easier for me to manage than the scratch cooking that I grew up with.

We all need to find our own way.

 

[Twostep]

Thanks for the suggestion. I live in a rural area with only 2 stores: Walmart and Brookshire's.

Wal-Mart 60 large were $17 Friday and this morning. Double pack of 18 was under $10.

Thanks for the suggestion. I live in a rural area with only 2 stores: Walmart and Brookshire's.

WalMart 60 large for $17 last Friday and this moring. 18 each double pack around $10.

 

[Packerjohn]

I buy what I want.. and I'll go to various stores if I think I can get it cheaper...

I don't drink alcoholl I don't look on it as a saving, because I never have drunk it.. my husband is a heavy drinker.. and on our grocery trips he would pay for his alcohol seperate from the weeks' groceries which I paid for.. and more than once his bill came to more than mine..

I don't smoke... and I do buy ''soda'' which costs pennies here tbh... I buy several 2 litre bottles during the year and kee them chilled.. and they last me all year.. but if stopped buying them it would only save me about £10...

My husand always would sneer at my penny pinching here and there... citing my Scottish nationality's undeserved propensity to be tight with money...

However if I want something and I can afford it, I'm not going to deny myself... and that's in every aspect of my life... I've been there in my younger days.. for many years scrimping , and saving and going without...too old for that now.

Congratulations, you are a very smart lady. More people should follow your example. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule but around here there are just too many people that lack any semblance of discipline. Most people seem to want everything, NOW! If prices are high, then you need to start looking at your budget and learn that you do not need to spend hundreds of dollars/pounds just because it's Christmas again.

 

[Buckeye]

{shrug} if I need some chips and coke to make my life slightly less miserable, then that's what I should buy. I don't feel the need to judge what other people do with their time or their money. I'm not walking in their shoes.

 

[Imogene]

My taste for food has changed dramatically in the last two years. All I can think of is the stress of caring for husband during his cancer treatments and his last days triggered something that makes me not care about food anymore.

Fine by me, maybe I will lose that 20# pounds the doctor has been bugging me about for five years, not to mention it saves me a lot of money.

If “they” keep finding listeria and salmonella in everything we eat, none of us will have to worry about over spending ———-

 

[Twostep]

According to my self-tallying Family Budget Planner spreadsheet, I averaged only a dollar more per month on food than I did in 2023, but $37 more a month then I spent in 2022. I attribute that partly to the fact that I bought a lot of extra food when stocking up in 2024.

I buy most of my groceries from the local supermarket, which has lower prices than its sister store Shoprite, a much larger store , and Costco. My son will pick up items from Shoprite if our local market does not carry them. I wait until there's a sale on many of the items then stock up. I don't have a deep freezer so I can't buy too many frozen foods, but what I do by on sale is a great savings.

By trial and error I have found many store brands that I actually love including Shoprite's Bowl & Basket , Walmart's Great Value and of course Costco's Kirkland brand . I'm sure I've saved at least a couple of hundred each year by choosing those products. Another savings is that I don't eat red meat and my son doesn't eat meat at all. Meat prices are downright shocking. Neither of us smokes or drinks either. I don't buy sodas for the house but may order a root beer when we go to restaurants.

Can you please go into some details as far as your grocery purchases are concerned? Thank you.