Recently I went to the supermarket to pick up some general provisions. Given the nature of previously predicted food price increases, and proactive measures to mitigate the predictable prices, I haven’t needed to purchase basic foodstuffs in a while. Yikes! The prices… Wow.
Since we originally warned in ’21 about the waves of food price inflation that were coming, the prices have more than tripled on many food commodities. That part is not as surprising in current review; however, the prices of processed foodstuffs is, well, quite frankly astounding.
I am left to wonder how working-class people are able to afford the jaw dropping price increases in highly processed food products like condiments (mayo, ketchup, mustard, etc), and even coffee and milk. I knew the processing costs would drive those prices, but the scale is just astounding.
Beyond the foodstuff, what was truly stunning was the current price of non-food items at the store. Items like chemical cleaners, soaps, aluminum foil, trash bags, Styrofoam products, ziploc bags, paper goods, etc. I mean seriously, $8 for a box of trash bags, good grief.
After a review of the non-food item prices, I went back to the recent BLS report [DATA HERE] to look at the producer price index to see if the data reflected the scale of the processing cost that I was reviewing across a broad spectrum of goods.
Are consumers getting gouged by manufacturers who are taking advantage of the price shock inside the ongoing inflation?
Or are the processing costs, mostly driven by energy price increases, really that big a factor in the end product as it is generated?
In the topline final demand Producer Price Index [Table A above] you can see how we are cycling through the second wave of inflation that hit in the spring of 2022. The rate of price increase is lower, but the prices are still rising. That means the prior massive price increase is now baked into the product, and the current price will never decline. Instead, it will just increase at a slower rate than before.
However, that’s not the full story… and that is not the data I was most curious about.
The intermediate product costs are really where the story is found.
Table B [DATA HERE] Tells us a remarkable story.
Raw materials (unprocessed goods) are essentially in a deflationary status [-19.2% in April]. Meaning demand for the raw material has dropped well below the available supply. However, look at how much of the deflationary price is consumed in the processing of the raw materials.
A full 16% is consumed by processing cost increases [energy, physical plant, transit, production costs etc]. That is remarkable.
A random example might be citric acid. The price of the citrus base drops 19.2%, but the processing of the base into the intermediate good phase chews up 16% of the drop in raw material price and exits processing only 3.2% lower in price than a year prior.
Another example might be found in plastics. The petroleum base, and/or a combination of each material additive, might be 19.2% lower than prior year, but processing negates the lower raw material price, and exits into intermediate essentially even -.04, and then toward the ending +2.3% final demand change in the rate of price increase.
The PPI data is essentially showing the flow of costs of production as reflected in the impact during processing. We can assume mostly increases in energy, transport and distribution costs to bring the raw material forward to final good status.
Key takeaway, the demand side of the raw material is diminished. There is less raw material demand. However, processing costs are continuing to drive the final production price of goods that head into the hands of wholesalers who then bring the product to market.
The outcome of this are the prices of processed goods as noted in the products on the shelves.
QUESTION: Are you noticing rather remarkable price increases in non-food goods during your store visits?
I am noticing something else as well. Not too long ago when I went food shopping, I searched for the shortest lines at the register. This line has three people but their carts are filled to the top; this line has six people with half carts, etc. Now… there are no lines. People are checking out with barely anything in their carts and the register rings close to $100. Supermarkets are quiet; people have a look of hopelessness. Very sad indeed.
yes, same here. There is also a certain “mood”…used to be a place where complete strangers would meet and greet and have some laughs and be nice to each other. Now, there is this feeling that at any moment someone is going to start sobing in the checkout.
also this…I’ve noticed the grocery stores are not even hiding the markups. Now, two similar items that once had different competitive prices are now marked the same price…so even the illusion of shopping for value is gone.
another thing noticed – the lack of in store discount/mark downs. in just the last 3 years time, there has been a noticed lack of markdown items.
also noticed – a higher police presence at the big box stores. Apparently theft is happening at higher rates. police are now permanently idling in patrol cars near doors and roaming through parking lots.
not a good sign.
God Bless America
two separate times now at the self-check at Publix, the ‘sales associate’ watches me like a hawk to make sure I don’t try to put something in the bag before I have scanned it
I was tempted to complain about this to management. i’m a white guy (not that old but still) and none of the persons of color were given the same stink-eye that I received
felt like i was being profiled
I’ve been accused 3x of not scanning an item in the past few months. Bag and running total are checked, never an apology. Nice new world I guess.
You’re spot on about the mood in stores. Lively chatter is gone. I’ve seen people holding an item, deep in thought with their internal debate (to buy or not to buy) written all over their faces. Not the kind of people watching I enjoy
Regarding the comments above about MOOD, have to wonder WHERE you live?
City, or rural and Red area, or painted blue.
I live in a RURAL area, drive 20-30 miles to the Smiths, ruby red MAGA country.
Business is brisk, fairly full shopping carts, and I talk to people when I shop, people smile, laugh at jokes, friendly.Yes, I do occasionally sed the usually old person, and they are standing next to a shelf or case, looking,…
Reading their mind, they are not trying to figure out which brand is cheaper, they are trying to decide whether to buy this OR this, or trying to accept that they can’t afford,..this at all.
As for prices, and due to Sumdances warning, I stocked up on processed things like ketchup, mustard, etc. and much more as well.
Noticed cold cereal went WAY up, coffee, some. Canned goods, not that much,..
My household doing o.k., I do know others are struggling.
You are blessed to be living in a small, rural, cardinal red area! I would be chit-chatting to everyone if I were there! Seriously, though, the general public IS depressed——the general public IS worried about having food on the table, and utilities in their home——the general public IS worried about filling up the gas tank and most of all—–the general public is scared stiff and wondering if they will continue to have their unemployment. God bless and help us all!
I don’t know how to edit my comment, so I will do so here. My comment was SUPPOSED to read “employment” (not unemployment)
I agree with everyone who states that this is intentional!
If you do it within a certain time frame, you can tap your comment and then tap the little gear icon at the lower right and tap ‘edit.’
I wonder if some of the non-chattiness people are seeing may be remnants of Pandemic behavior where people were masked and fearful of interacting. Have been using store self-check out more, but when I do stand in line I still have interesting interchanges.
Once a lady ahead of me was buying turkey and shared how she saved a bundle on pet food this way. She stopped feeding canned cat food and tops the dry food with turkey. Claimed she computed the difference down to the penny and a big savings.
Another person –an older woman in Indian full garments asked what I was buying an item for. I shared about a home remedy that had been passed on to me that had worked. She was very interested, took a pic of the item and we had some friendly chit chat. She was accompanied by her western-attired adult daughter who seemed nice but quiet and watchful.
People can be friendly … just the post-pandemic culture has left people feeling isolated in a crowd. And there’s the increassing crime that makes people wary of stangers.
To give context for my above comment, I live in Central NY on the edge of city and rural and the stores I go to reflect this blue/red mix.
It’s the political divide, also. Here in a red part of AZ we get visitors, interstate travelers and new residents from CA. I recall making an idle, friendly comment in the store one day and the woman didn’t respond other than to look down her nose with a dead stare.
Happened to see her getting into her car — CA plate and an old coexist bumper sticker.
I really don’t think it is. People here in Philadelphia are as chatty as ever in the stores. Maybe even chattier. Everybody is talking about inflation.
Yep, sticker shock.
Lots of families struggling here in the Philadelphia area but I see the mood at my local BJ’s still good. In fact, I’m actually running into acquaintances more these days than I did before. More folks cutting out the door dashed Chipotle and heating up some quick frozen foods (chicken nuggets, pot pies, pizza bagels, etc.) on busy weeknights. Everyone complaining about the prices.
Yes, police presence is higher at Walmart and at Home Depot, there is more surveillance of purchases (assistance?) They put all this self-checkout in, but they have a person manning most of them.
i noticed that a 16oz jar of parmesan cheese went up eighty cents in price, and down one ounce in size since three weeks ago
No Jesus, no hope. Progzis will ultimately be hardest hit bc they’ve got no Rock to lean on.
This is actually profoundly true. No Jesus, no hope.
I still see a few loaded shopping carts. Mostly minorites with feed stamps.
Food stamps. Damn auto spell
Feed stamps made me laugh… thanks!
Worked for me. Grew up on a farm.
three years ago for mothers day, I could spent about 200 bucks for a banquet for 20.
this year, I spent almost 350 for almost exactly the same items and to be honest for the same number and the quality is no there and the package quantities are less.
gasoline, 87 is right at 2.7….three years ago …under 2.
I don’t feel grateful….it’s the wrong way to feel about forced inflation. there is nothing to be thankful for.
we KNOW what is causing this and it has nothing to do with scarcity of oil.
like the lab leak in wuhan and the bioweapon, this is intentional.
God Bless America.
Here in rural Northern AZ (where I drive 85,000 miles/year for work), 89 octane gasoline is $3.99 minimum and up to $4.69 — whereas, like you say, three years ago it was less than $2/gallon.
It’s almost as if the Biden Junta and their ChiComm/WEF?Cartel paymasters are intentionally collapsing the economy, society, & culture … or something.
Ah, neighbor! “,..almost,.”
THATS the plan, for sure!
I think, no matter WHAT the circumstances, we can ALWAYS find something for which to be thankful —- our families, our health, our jobs and most of all that we can still WORSHIP GOD. DESPAIR WILL, INDUBITABLY, BURY THE UNITED STATES AND WE CANNOT ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN!
The generic products are disappearing. Brand products replacing them and those are especially soaring. Even Walmart is dropping many of their own lines to push the brand names. Items increase overnight and continue to do so. I see the food stamp carts are full, not the regular payment carts.
Generic is vanishing because everyone is buying them. 50 cents for a can of corn, or branded $1.39 etc I’ve seen Youtube vids on it. One thing that really sticks out for me, is food in Europe is half the price of here, and they say its expensive to what they were paying before.
This one is UK
asda is walmart
Yes, I’m in central London and I can still buy fillet for £70 a kilogram. Food is more expensive, electricity and gas is 3 times what it used to be. Potato crisps have doubled in price. 4 litres of milk is £1.70. Also we have many people (elderly and families mostly) lining up at food banks here.
We live in Greater Vancouver B.C.
A good mate of mine here, who also is an immigrant from the U.K.
Is selling up when his elderly mum passes on, and moving back to the U.K.
He is in his sixties and now retired.
He will get outrageous money for his shack here, and buy a lovely home on the Isle of Wight.
Now he did say he won’t be going near his town in the north as it is a in his words a depressing sh*thole.
Cheers!
FYI:.. Those who receive SNAP have had their amount received cut drastically over the past couple of months since the extra ‘covid’ payments have been stopped. Some who were receiving nearly $300 a month are now only receiving $23 a month.
Saw it yesterday. $200 rounded to even numbers in a cart. Lady paid with SNAP card except for 20ish dollars of non covered items.
Thankfully, she was able to build up a balance so she could afford food for her family. God bless her for being so frugal.
True. In our Tennessee communities, we have something called a “Blessing Box”. People who have extra go fill those blessing boxes and those who need, go gather items out of the boxes. It’s an honor system thing, and the blessing boxes are scattered through out the communities. It’s a wonderful thing. I love Tennesseans! We also have a bazillion churches, which is why it’s called the “Bible Belt”, and every church has a food program, plus we have food pantries. People also barter a lot here. We are very rural.
I, too, am in a very rural area though in PA along the Allegheny. The song: ‘People on the river are happy to give-Proud Mary’ comes to mind. Though we each have our own and support one another’s independence and choices, we also know that we are all ‘in the same boat’ and have one another’s back when push comes to shove. Thankfully, we live along the River on a 3 mile long private road that the sheriff can not even come down unless called upon to do so. The ‘con’ is that if one was to have a heart attack or the like, there’s no getting to a hospital in time. However, if one can get over the fear of death, there’s a freedom here worth dying for.
When Folks boo-hoo those who are in need and are on food stamps because of judgements they’ve made without knowing them or their circumstances and how they ended up there, I feel a sadness and an anger simultaneously for their lack of compassion. Yes, there are many who have taken advantage of the ‘system’, but there are ‘takers’ even in the ivory towers who are often worse. Some of the kindest and most generous Folks I have met are those who have known hard times through no fault of their own and will give you the shirt off their back even in the freezing cold.
Or…
What a great, American line: “There’s a freedom here worth dying for.”
LOL! That just ‘popped out’ as I was typing and I actually had to stop and re-read it and told myself to remember that line. LOL! I liked it, too. Perhaps, I’ll have a bumper sticker made with it and post it on my shed 🙂
The joy is relected in your writing, thus I had read “food parties”, not food “pantries”. Still, it was a joy to read. Thank you.
Giant Eagle brands seem to be increasing in every department here in Ohio.
I have noticed that, too. I often buy store brands, but the “Equate” options are disappearing.
I believe that a lot of the price increases aren’t related to processing or transportation costs at all but just plain greedy price gouging on the part of big business.
If everyone would cut back to just products that they absolutely need and leave everything else gathering dust on the shelves, prices would come down but if people keep buying discretionary items for bloated prices, the prices will keep going up and big grocery will be smiling all the way to the bank.
What the hell do you think happens to the price of NECESSITIES like food when the price of diesel gas — that truckers need to feed us — goes from under $2/gallon to over $5/gallon?
And when “our betters” ban all ICE vehicles, and hundreds of millions starve, you can blame it on “just plain greedy price gouging on the part of big business.”
Not just truckers, but every farmer everywhere uses diesel to harvest from the fields. Processing plants that turn that raw food into sellable product are paying far more for energy prices, as well.The BBB war on petroleum is baked in at every level of prices.
PPI went up 0.2% last month, according to BoL. Retail prices are not done increasing.
And, every time it gets transported, from A to B to C, the fuel “surcharge” Joe thinks Americans are willing to pay to save the planet, kicks in.
For stock market watchers, look at the profits food retailers are posting, that should clarify if they are gouging.
You can also blame our current administration for NOT permitting the pipelines to run here in the U.S.!!!! We have more oil within our borders than we would EVER need, but, the Administration has made us dependent on other countries (who are in cahoots with our fake president!
The national average retail diesel fuel cost for the calendar year of 2022 was $5.00, and people forget quickly once it drops slightly. But the pressure remained and the damage was done. I went out of business because of it.
Besides prices the product you buy has been shrunk in size or quantity. Trash bags that in the past came in boxes of 130 now are boxes of 120 and cost 2 to 3 dollars more or snacks weigh less, a 13 oz. pack is now 12.5 oz. at a 20% increase in price.
The 32 oz Gatorade is now 28 oz and costs more.
I was a department manager in the grocery business for 20 years and what you are describing is not new. It was known as an “inverted price change.” The price mostly stayed the same, but less in the package content. However, today there is even a bigger gap between price & amounts.
A.k.a. shrinkflation.
Being really selective about what we buy. Back to basics.
Yep! I’m trying out recipes for items I really like, such as croissants and bagels, this week.
YES!!! AND STOP BUYING PROCESSED FOODS, FOLKS! First of all, they aren’t good for you; secondly, you can never know for sure what is in them; they are MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE and we need to get back to cooking from scratch like we did years ago! We need to give up the convenience and put these gougers out of business!!! Watch which corporations you support, as well……if we hit the bad ones in the pocketbook, they will either get the message (Bud Light, Tampax, etc) or they will go out of business!
The ingredients in processed food is unhealthy – too many chemicals and preservatives. Knowing a few people that have worked in major chain grocery stores, they would never buy anything made there. They’ll sneeze on the food as they prepare it, use unclean hands – they don’t care. We’re with you and went back to making food from scratch.
I avoid processed foods like instant potatoes, etc. because I’m not sure if they started putting crickets in them yet.
Bud Light has doubled up on the advertising like that’s going to improve their situation. Anybody else noticed the APPROVED FOOD signs on certain foods? I see these on low salt foodstuff.
I don’t know if that refers to the EBT cards or if the stores are getting ahead of the curve and preparing to deny us certain foods based on our social credit scores. SPIT!
Yes, I’ve returned to reading labels and finding sugar in meat rubs and a frozen dinner of broccoli and beef. ARGH!
That’s been my approach. No luxury items and now it’s summer, the washing dries outside.
Joye, we can now be more selective about what we buy because we have stocked up on all things when prices were much lower. Thank you Sundance and CTH!
I can only comment on grocery prices here in our Canadian border town.
Processed and many packaged goods have risen significantly over the last year or so.
My guess is approximately 20 to 30%
We are an immigrant Scots family, and can “ stretch a penny” 😉 so we can always find value somewhere.
However busier folks and those with young families are unable to do as we do.
A friend in the grocery business was telling me just a few weeks back that their store( a major chain) is adding a few % over inflation because upper management has seen an opportunity to earn so extra cash.
Where one notices food costs most is in restaurants.
We seldom eat out anymore, as meals are taxed, and although we always tip when it’s all added up, $50-60 would be the cost of middle of the road lunch for the bride n me.
I go to the U.S.A. for gas as it’s about $1.20 a gallon cheaper than here, what I notice is that your foodstuffs are getting very expensive.
We get a fair number of Americans coming the short drive over the border, to buy certain foodstuffs and over the counter medications, that are not only cheaper a number of are unavailable without a prescription in the U.S.A.
Cheers!
Yes, I have down graded my sit down restaurants to diners and IHOP only.
Prices are up, but most interesting, the sizing or weight of the packaged items for quite a while was smaller, for example in the pet food section the bulk 16 lb bags of cat or dog food that was a staple size – for about 6 months would only see the same product but only found in 13 lb bags. Noticed last week the 16 lb bags were back.
When the media created the lack of egg scare extra large eggs went as high as $6.50 a dozen, are now back down to just under $3.00 a dozen, though only two stores carry that size, all the other stores one can only get large or jumbo eggs. 32oz. yogurt was always around $3.12, now $3.92 in the discount grocery stores in the national brand stores its over $5.00. Butter – ah, butter, ranges from $3.50 to $6.00 lb depending on the store, that price has only continued to rise for the past year.
The overall impression is manufacturers, dairies, are adjusting as their raw material access adjusts, so grocery shopping is no longer a one store process but three to four stores, only going to the higher priced stores if they are the only ones that sell a specific item, for example only one grocery store in town, with at least 5 national brand stores to pick from, sells safflower oil, and that’s gone from around $3 for a 32 oz. bottle up to $9.50 for the same product. Each time the price gets higher.
That means shopping requires going to one store for bulk items, another for the best prices and quality of meat and dairy, leaving the most expensive grocery stores for only those things other markets no longer carry. Which means more mileage on the vehicle.
Gas is around $4.09 a gallon for regular, diesel averaging $4.80 a gallon
all this in the Reno, Nevada area.
oh, and definitely one must look at the dates, the expiration or best if used by dates, have noticed many items are near the end of their grocery store shelf life, and the prices on those aren’t lowered to move, or on sale, so definitely look for best by dates when purchasing, have gotten into the habit of reaching to the back of the store shelf to get items that will last longer on the home shelf.
You highlight an excellent point. It’s nearly impossible to find what you need now without going to 3-4 stores.
I have several stores in a rotation to maximize my chances of getting what I need in a 7-10 day period. It’s really inconvenient and waste of time.
A feature of FJB’s America.
Regarding those ‘expiration dates’, I know someone who recently realized they have been ‘ripped off’ three times now because they checked for the date on one, but not the other of the same item. You are correct to advise to go to the back of the shelf. Someone who works at a grocery store informed me that they intentionally rotate the items that are expired or about to expire to the front.
First in, first out. Why would a grocer put the old milk in the back? I would hope you do the same at home- finish the old gallon before you start on the new one, and finish a box of cereal before the worms start to help you. Sell by, expiration, and best when used by dates, are suggestions. Born on, or packaged on dates are not subjective. I don’t stock pile things that have a short shelf life, that what a store is all about- they “store” it for you.
The point is…be careful. Take the time to check the dates and grab the items with the most extended date…which are usually, but not always, in the back. I’ve often seen items that are even past the expiration date that grocers are trying to unload. Of course, most grocers won’t put the items soon to expire in the back. They don’t care about you, only about selling what they can get away with in most places because their bottom line is their top priority. If you like drinking milk that is a couple of days past the expiration date, go for it. Hope there’s a toilet close by.
Those dates are not lengthy now because the stores are not selling as much product with the big increase in prices. So they are reordering less and trying to sell out their inventory.
Yes, that too.
So where are all the skinny people?
When I see something I use is in stock, I will stock up so I don’t have to go out as often.
I call that “defensive purchasing”
I’m with you on that!
I’ve always done that. My freezer and pantry is full of sale items.
Hope you have a good supply of fuel for your generator.
I almost always buy 2 and save a trip, rarely one.
I write the expiration dates with a sharpie on products when I get home because it’s a lot easier to read than checking for the tiny stamped dates. I do all my shopping at the same Aldi. This week, I noticed that two items I bought (cherry pie filling and something else) had dates earlier than the same item I had previously bought. Both dates were in 2024 so I’m not worried, just thought it was odd.
You do know that best buy dates didn’t exist for a LOOOONG time, right?
The whole time I was growing up, and into raising my kids,…I think it was after the tylenol thing.
SOME things, yeah. But twinkies will still be good, when humans die out, lol!
Some items have such long sell buy dates that I’m a little nervous about what’s in them that makes that possible. LOL
Yep, Twinkies are great items for time capsules.
Twinkies were never good. Mold does not grow on formeldahyde. Expiration dates for things like Tylenol just encourage people to throw it out and go buy another. It’s a great way to sell more product.
We do the same thing with a sharpie. Then we place things on shelves so that the items that will expire sooner are in the front so that they don’t get skipped over and wasted. It does make for some interesting meals, at times, though. Rather than planning a meal based on what will taste best together, the planning is now based on what expires first.
I know people who still think they can just run down to the store and be back in 20 min. Normalcy bias big time. They’re shocked when they have to go to a 2nd or 3rd store. They have no clue how much worse it can get.
My dad lived through the ‘Great Depression’ so I heard ‘stories’ when I was young. Having a slice of bread with some mustard to spread upon it was a treat. What Folks are dealing with now is nothing in comparison.
LK. 23:31 For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
Eggs were found in Vegas for 10.00 – 12.00 a dozen!!! We were glad we are vegans and know what substitutes to use for eggs!
Most Best Buy dates on boxed mixes and canned goods can be stretched.
Meat and milk are the two I worry and watch.
I was given some cake & brownie mixes that were 3 years past their date. I just added a teaspoon of baking powder and they were fine.
The ones that were slightly outdated were fine with no addition.
Yep, you can learn about ‘best buy’ dates on the internet machine and how long a product is good after the ‘best buy’ date. 😁
I.e. canned tuna is good for a couple if years after the ‘best buy’ date.
Agree; most can be stretched but have read somewhere recently that the cans, such as for soup cans, some vegetables, that have those pop-top type lids one should be careful with playing the stretching game as those type of lids are more vulnerable to failure of sealing over an extended period of time.
Not sure about the validity of that, but stuck that advice in the back of my mind, to be aware of what type of lid on the canned items if I’m buying that item for stocking up. Tomato sauce and diced tomato cans now are almost all pop-top type lids so tend to look for those without that type of lid.
Egg prices are almost back to normal but “large” are more like medium size. Because I do a lot of baking I am now buying Jumbo vs large.
Charcoal brickets have reduced the weight in a bag. We now are using our gas grill more.
Have routinely noticed expired food on Wegman’s shelves here in Northern Virginia.
I went to the local CVS to get some of those sinus rinse packages and got home, opened it, and noticed that it had an expiration date of 2 years prior to my purchase! Since it’s basically a saline solution, in individual plastic-type packages, figured what the heck. As long as they’re used with distilled water, seems to work – but I haven’t gone into a CVS since them for anything ‘medicinal’, now using Walgreens.
I noticed Wendy’s hiring starting at $17/hr and people at the grocery store with EBT cards. Plastic is derived from oil, and bags are heavy, so the cost of shipping compounds the increase in cost. Pay people to stay home and then they will need to be enticed to return to work. Raise the entry level pay and everyone with experience will demand an upward adjustment.
A bottle of ketchup can last me all year- like a pair of sneakers I can’t say what I paid for ketchup last year but I paid $70 last year and$80 this year. Restaurants are much higher.
Snacks, desserts, OJ, are off my grocery list
I hope you meant you paid 80.00 for sneakers and NOT ketchup 🙂
I buy ketchup by the bucket.
Where’s the edit key hiding?
Over on the right a little below your comment, but only available for a short time.
Here is a question I ask a lot of people and the answers are really interesting, so I will ask it here as well.
What item(s) that you used to regularly buy are now off your list? Too expensive for you anymore and/or simply not close to being worth it:
Three examples for me.
A small tub of cream cheese has exceeded $6.
An individual size coconut yogurt has reached $2.
A regular cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee (bought when traveling) has exceeded $3.
Those prices have reached insane levels. They are now off my list. I will do without.
What are items that have passed the threshold for you?
What items are approaching a price that you will no longer pay? It seems a lot of folks have a target price in mind for items that are “too high to pay” …. once they hit that price, they no longer go in the shopping cart.
I only buy what i can not make at home. Ie: crackers, cereal, flour and other baking products , meat , eggs, cheese, milk, cleaning supplies, toiletries etc.. in other words…. only the basics.
we don’t eat out at all , i make everything i can from scratch, I will make extra’s as i do and keep it packaged in the freezer or canned in the pantry for quick meals.
I’ve begun making my own granola from big container of whole oats
better for me because I can make it with almost no sweeteners (2 tbsp maple syrup for a whole oven tray’s worth) and some chopped dates and nuts, 2 tsp vanilla extract, dash salt
I’ll use it as a base to pour in a bit of store-bought cereal on top (wheat chex, store granola that’s a little sweeter) then blueberries and milk
2 main goals – reduce sugar to a minimum and go with whole-grain carb instead of refined – both for lower glycemic load
consider black strap molasses as a sweetener; it hasn’t gone up much, and its like brylcream: a little dab will do ya.
Stevia and monk fruit are good sugar substitutes.
We totally avoid grains and get our carbs from vegetables.
It’s common for us to go omad (one meal a day) and no snacks.
We may pay more for items but it’s cheaper than snacking and loading up on junk food.
It’s healthier eating too.
If you have a ragweed allergy becareful with Stevia
it is part of the Ragweed family and some people who
with ragweed allergy can also have reactions to Stevia.
Very interesting! And possibly an answer to the crazy sinus headaches I’ve been getting even though I’m on Zyrtec. I recently purchased a container of that Heinz no sugar added which has stevia in it. I normally use a quarter teaspoon on my burger, but with the no sugar added, I probably use 1/2 tsp. I guess I eat a burger 3 or 4 days a week. I’m going to keep using the sugar free ketchup but now I’ll pay attention to when the headaches come.
VERY SMART ON YOUR PART…..SAME HERE AND THIS IS WHAT EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO UNDERSTANDS WHAT IS GOING ON HAS TO START DOING! SEND OUT ALL-POINTS BULLETINS TO EVERYONE ON YOUR EMAIL LISTS
Cereal is not a basic 🙂 Eat oatmeal, or make your own granola. As a southerner I eat yellow grits too.
On keto, we don’t eat cereal at all. Not even oatmeal. Not counting the recent history of the extremely high egg prices, overall, I think the eggs for breakfast were cheaper in the end than oatmeal because you can go longer without food if you eat a high protein meal like eggs. But of course, that theory went out the window during the recent ridiculously high egg prices.
Cereal is crazy expensive. If people switched to keto, most of them would find they only needed to eat twice a day. Even though the individual items on keto cost more (protein is pricier than carbs), the sheer volume of food decreases and there is a huge savings. Even if you don’t need to lose weight, I think everyone should give keto type eating a solid month and you will see your grocery bill go way down. And you’ll feel better to boot.
Krispy Kreme Donuts. Love them but the hot sign is NEVER on and it costs $3.98 plus tax for one lemon filled and one original glazed. A box of 12 assorted is $15.99. For donuts…
HOLY CRAP!!!!!
Mari we have them after Mass. Coffee and donuts. I don’t buy them anymore.
Whoa!!
men’s underwear has more than doubled in price
Looking around at the crowds it’s probably because people have almost doubled in size lol. A lot of people could do with eating a lot less, and for sure a lot less sugar.
I’m eating the black jellybeans now.
I have 10 hens a a few roosters now. It has been a very interesting 6 months.
We have so many eggs that we are giving them away to neighbors.
If you care to, look into the early American ways to preserve eggs for winter. It’s interesting even if you don’t do it.
I used to be a big Campbell’s soup fan. Now I make large pots of soups, recipes mostly improvised, and freeze most of it.
It’s healthier for you too!
I grew up on Campbell’s tomato soup. Everything else is homemade.
The instant pot has really sped up making chicken stock.
Gordon Food Service sells 16 oz jars of Roasted Chicken Base and Roasted Beef Base. It’s great to use in recipes that call for chicken broth. One jar lasts a long time because I just need a heaping teaspoon for most recipes. It’s richer in taste and much less salty compared with chicken bullion or powdered not-real-chicken flavoring. Plus, I don’t have to store the cardboard containers or cans of chicken broth. Refrigerate after opening.
A real treat for the grandkids is angel hair pasta soaked in the Roasted Chicken Base (mixed with water) and some butter. They call it Butter Noodles. If I have leftover pasta after making it for spaghetti, I use it to make Butter Noodles for the freezer. If I get an unexpected visit from a young’un, the frozen Butter Noodles quickly defrost.
Orange juice. Kind I buy (low acid, because it hurts my child’s belly otherwise) used to be mid-$2 during Trump. After Trump, it’s now $6.
Thank God I was paying attention and have many in the deep freezer, but we’re watering it down 50/50 and I told her when it’s gone it won’t be replaced.
I watch for sales of my favorite items and stock up. I also look for cheaper brands. I used to buy the quart jar of Hellmans for $2 on sale. Now the best I can sometimes find Hellmans is $4, so it’s Aldi brand now.
Hellman’s mayo has bioengineered ingredients in it. Please check the information on the cans and boxes. Many products are now manufactured with bioengineered garbage.
Snow crab legs – used to buy them for $4 lb, now they are over $10 lb.
shrimp here.
Great question! So far, we’ve just traded down, not eliminated. Charmin Ultra Soft is now only being used in one of our 3 bathrooms. The other two bathrooms get Cottonelle (and even that’s only when it’s on sale). Greeting cards now only get purchased 2/$1 at the Dollar Tree. Not the best selection but fine. We’ve mostly traded down from cashews to peanuts for the salty snack. Since I went keto a few years ago (and took my family along for the ride), I don’t purchase a lot of food outside meat and vegetables. On those, I used to sometimes purchase upscale product. I pretty much never do that now. Like the fancy Perdue chicken – I think it’s called Harvestland. I really do prefer that flavor wise, but I haven’t bought any of that in over a year.
I used to buy 2-3 different cheeses at a time because I love different cheeses with crackers. Now, I buy only one at a time. That is true for most items I’d call “indulgences”: I still buy them if I want them, but I buy smaller amounts, now. I spend about the same, and I buy lower quantities of everything. In other words, my budget is the same or even lower than it was, because my income is the SAME. Prices go up, same income: I find a way to make it work.
I cut everywhere, whereas I did not think so much about it before, the exercise of necessary frugality consumes a lot of my mental energy. I use the car less, I don’t go out to eat, I defer repairs that I can or figure out a way to barter or do it myself, I cook at home, I still indulge my indulgences, but just more carefully.
I expend a lot of energy thinking about all of this; the income is not going up, but everything else is.
Absolutely! Paper products have increased by $5 per item in Sam’s Club compared to last year.
Paper Kitchen Towels
Bathroom Tissue
Facial Tissues
Paper Napkins
Paper Plates
The only food I purchase now is milk and butter, and that has gone up. I grow my own, cook from scratch, and bulk purchased meat on your first warning. I cook that and can it, and I refreeze leftovers. I haven’t really been grocery shopping for 3 years. I even bulk purchased yeast and froze it. I grind all my own wheat berries and corn, and I have an orchard for fruit throughout the year.
I trained myself to stop using paper napkins and paper cups and paper plates…..stopped buying
Food paper is not a regular thing for me. I stock for disasters when I need to save water for drinking.
I don’t use Paper Kitchen Towels anymore either. I got 48 cotton bar towels and wash them. I use them for clean up, and napkins.
White washcloths make great napkins and they’re bleachable. Instead of kitchen sponges buy packs of dishcloths.
Rags are your friend. One regular sized roll of paper totals lasts for a year in my house. I drain bacon and other fatty items, such as tonight’s amazing meatloaf, on brown paper included in packages from Chewy.
I drain bacon, beef grease into bowls and store it in the fridge for cooking.
I have found that paper products at Dollar Tree are of good quality and more reasonable than even Walmart! There are also some good videos on U-Tube that feature some of their products. The one item I buy less of now is meat. I use more canned tuna & even canned chicken, but since I eat alone mostly, also more convenient. Frozen shrimp prices & some fish is also fairly reasonable. I have always loved bargains and do stock up when I fine one. Marked-down bakery goods at some markets are a real bargain & can be frozen or reheated slightly to freshen up! Put a stale cookie in the microwave for 15-30 seconds & it softens right up!
You are impressive!!!!
I’m not bad for an old gal lol
‘Coincidentally’, I was speaking with someone today who works at a bank. During ‘covid’, folks were able to take advantage of a ‘stay’ on paying their mortgages. With the ’emergency’ now ending (there you see it…now you don’t), folks will now have to ‘penny up’. We will soon be seeing a wave of foreclosures. Banks will end up owning an abundance of properties they are unable to dispose of. When basic needs as food and housing become unaffordable/unavailable to the general masses, what will the reaction/response be? Things are about to get much bumpier. It’s only just beginning.
Interesting info. There was a segment recently on War Room that talked some about this. Apparently car repos are reaching record levels and evictions/foreclosures are following suit. You’re right…..things are going to get worse.
Yes…sadly much worse. This will result in more theft and an increase in violence as the spiral downward increases with greater velocity.
Love War Room.
Also Epoch TV (especially Joshua Phillip).
Interesting post!
IMO it all depends on “ the hood” this once “sleepy” vacation community was a place where thirty years ago a couple could with effort, save up a down payment and buy a detached home.
Live frugally and make a go of it…
Not now, not even close.
Teslas, Range Rovers Porches and even the occasional Maserati
are on our roads.
We have become a wealth based community, working folks now retired like us stayed put and have done alright, but most working age youngsters have moved out of the community.
Maybe a crash is coming, but I don’t see it coming for many of out neighbours.
But who knows.
Cheers!
blackrock and vanguard will be buying them up penny’s on the dollar, they will hold the properties off the market to drive up prices again.
just in time for all those illegals who will need housing after all.
Yep… all those millions have to be housed somewhere. After all, it’s the ‘humane’ thing to do.
I heard this from my local insurance agent.
“Banks will end up owning an abundance of properties they are unable to dispose of”
Jude, you must have your TV turned off and are not seeing what’s happening at our southern border
Gummint will give housing vouchers to all those new illegal aliens to rent those properties banks are “stuck with”
One hand washes the other
And YOU pay
Nimrod, I’m seriously too tired to deal with comments such as this.
Not only that, whoever owns the house will be paid more than the market value in rent.
Lots of landlords will go for that. Government paid rent is guaranteed payment. What
they fail to calculate is you can’t get rid of them and they often trash the house.
Ever wonder what the government is paying the hotels in NYY when they rent the entire building for illegals? I’ll bet it’s 2X the rate plus guarantees to restore the property to its pre-illegal invader condition.
In the end the bank will lose. Ask any landlord who does section 8 housing.
People who have an entitlement mentality like illegals and welfare folks in general don’t care about the condition of the house. Drive thru any inner city and see the reality.
The houses last one rent cycle, and in just a few months require major repairs for holes in the wall, broken appliances, damaged tile, filthy carpeting etc.
We will be seeing a lot of abandoned houses that are unlivable in our future.
Sorta like animals at the zoo. Just throw some fresh straw in the cage.
I’ve seen those houses when I worked for FNMA. Trashed doesn’t begin to describe them
I won’t even be surprised if the government buys those foreclosures so they can house the illegals in the suburbs.
‘Equity’. Or as Hussein would say: ‘Spreading the wealth around’. (except his, of course)
No, I think its Blackrock buys them cheap, then rents them out to illegals who pay with gummint vouchers, that way blackrock is syphoning off the gummint $.
You GOT to have the middle man to skim, in order for the Pols to get their cut.
Apartment complexes are filling up the suburbs. Perhaps they were built for the invaders. Attempts to create 15 minute cities are also in the works in the midwest.
What I noticed the most of my grocery shopping is lack of sales. In the past, every few weeks your “favorite regular purchasing items” would go on sale. Not the case for over a year. The only “savings” would be if buying a stated amount; example: buy 3 or more and the price is $2.59. If you buy one it’s $3.19. Also, $5.00 coupon for future use if you buy $25.00 or more in one shopping stop of P&G products.
I also notice: very empty carts at checkout.
Western suburbs of Chicago.
I stopped using my credit card since I have to spend 3300 to get a $25 gift card—it’s just too much hassle–I’m a cash girl.
I do use if it’s a large purchase…like the fridge I must get soon.
We have a Costco credit card. We charge EVERYTHING on it, including utilities, and pay it in full every month. We earn cash back every year of around $1200.
same area, MR.
bounty 8 roll pack on sale today for $21.99 at jewel foods (albertson’s),
regular price $23.99.
pre-pandemic price $12.99, regularly on sale for $10.99.
hellman’s mayo (which has been watered down into miracle whip)
$4.99 for next to smallest size available.
peanut butter practically requires financing,
and you need a loan officer for beef.
unsustainable.
Buy peanut butter powder and mix as needed. Stores for years in the freezer. I use it to bake my dog biscuits, and as an additional source of protein.
Will County here, shopping carts very full in Jewel…Mariano’s parking lot and store always full…
Are consumers getting gouged by manufacturers who are taking advantage of the price shock inside the ongoing inflation?
YES YES YES YES YES!!!!
we are definitely getting gouged and I do believe it’s by blackrock design
How else does 8% inflation raise prices by over 200-400+ % ?
we stocked up long ago but that will run out eventually and it’s going to hurt to buy even butter again
I have doubled the size of my garden this year, and will be turning a shed into a walk in cooler
I will be selling my produce (beyond what i need for my family) at a fair price compared to the grocery stores and what doesn’t sell will be donated to our towns food pantry.
WE all must begin to bypass the corporate strangle holds. it’s time to turn the tables on them.
woke ain’t the only thing that needs to go broke.
Here are some interesting points I had saved from an article by Dr. Mercola regarding the supposed ‘egg shortage’ that they blame for the hike in egg prices:
I have been feeding our chickens TSC Producers Pride 16% Layer Crumble, Purina 16% Layer Pellets and Producers Pride Scratch since they were 12wks old, and 9 of 10 are laying daily at 26wks-ish.
Until I expanded it a few days ago, their run was entirely on gravel with no plants or bugs to eat.
Mike Adams (Health Ranger) published lab tests on all the feeds TSC sells, a few weeks ago. You might want to find that.
Ty, however I’m not raising chickens at the moment. I do receive Mike’s daily emails. The article from Dr. Mercola was intended to expose the ‘scam’ behind the rising cost of eggs and the ‘plan’ that had been laid out by the Rockefeller Foundation of which Bill Gates is strongly affiliated. You’re probably familiar with Bill Gates and his ‘fake meat’, buying up of all the farmland, and his ‘eat bugs’ agenda.
Gates has also come up with FAKE EGGS in addition to FAKE meat.
Both are totally disgusting.
O my..I haven’t seen the eggs. It seems we’re back to the ‘Let them eat cake’ mentality for the ‘commoners’… only far worse. I’ve stopped to give this some thought on a few occasions and I’d rather starve to death than eat their ‘sh-t’.
I believe the Green Agenda is to completely do away with raising crops and livestock. Instead, we will be eating artificially vitamin enhanced bug paste out of a tube and nothing else.
You might not know this but Blackrock has about 8 trillion dollars of assets under management, but only about 37 billion dollars of their own money. Individual and institutional investors own the bulk of Blackrock’s assets.
BlackRock investors are evil!
Loose baking potatoes $4.49/lb. 5# bag small russets $3.49. Celery $1.98 a bunch. green onions and radish 99cents a bunch and smaller bunch. All produce here on the Oregon coast at least twice what it was in 2020. milk $3.49 gallon. can of soup $2.49. beef unafordable except hamburger which is $6/lb. regular gas about $4 gallon. pork and shrimp about the same. chicken way too expensive. also, covid put my hair stylist out of business so I cut my own hair which leads my husband to laugh and say I could not be sold in a slave market. some restaurants out of business and those that are in business charge about $20 for Thai, Mexican or Oriental lunch with a beer at $5 we pay $50 plus tip before covid same food was $35 with tip. electric bill up. phone/internet bill up.
I’m in PA and our whole milk is $4.50+ a gallon. Thanks PA milk control board.
Most of our other prices are less than yours. One store has boneless chicken breasts on sale for $1.69 a pound this week.
Potatoes and apples are in that weird time were last year’s crop is almost gone and this years won’t be ready to harvest for awhile. I got eleven pounds of potatoes for $3.80 on sale a couple of weeks ago. They were the heaviest 5 pound bags in the pile.
I’ve always looked for the heavier bags and can judge by holding one in each hand.
With items sold by the piece I usually go for the biggest ones. Celery is tricky because some are longer, but others are wider.
Yes, lots of restaurants have gone out of business or shrunk the number of locations. I decided to cut my own hair and forgo the permanent. I have grown it out because I am not handy with the scissors.
Yes prices are up across the board. We don’t do a great job of tracking the change item to item but we also changed most of our diet years ago cuz I kind of saw this coming. I fast most of the day and so does my wife. We dropped almost all processed food products from our diet a while ago too. My kids like ketchup but we buy in bulk a few times a year, Heinz still doesn’t include any artificial colors, flavors or preservatives btw. We also scan everything we buy to check for additives and preservatives to make sure we avoid them as much as possible. We bake our own bread and make home made tortillas all the time now. No coffee for me (I hated how my parents required coffee to get up in the morning so I never picked up the habit) Milk isn’t really good for you or necessary for anything unless we are making a white sauce but we mostly use almond milk for that now.
Other than pool chemicals which have skyrocketed we don’t use a lot of chemical cleaners, no styrofoam products and avoid paper goods. Yes ziploc bags are up there now and we try to buy in bulk a few times a year and stockpile them as needed. It was hard to break the habit of using paper towels, way harder than quitting smoking… no joke. but we have a large set of hand/dish towels now and try to avoid using paper towels and other paper goods as much as we can.
We don’t spend a lot anyway though. While some family/friends have a habit of putting their money in a fireplace and burning it. I’ve never been like that.
We don’t have large garden at this time but we do grow tomatoes, strawberries, bell peppers, lemons/limes and have a grape plant that has taken off now that things are getting warm here. We plan to expand on this and grow more things like Romain Lettuce, pineapple and potatoes over this next season. It won’t offset all we buy but it helps in a lot of ways. We have a freezer where we store meats and back fill it every 3-6 months as needed but we usually have enough to last us a year before we would completely run out. Most of my diet are pastas, salads, fruits and vegetables with meat at least 2-3 times a week. I like to bbq a 2lb tri-tip and then slice it up for sammiches, or to drop in salads or throw in with pasta. I haven’t had a slice of processed deli meat in months and rarely do anymore.
While lots of items are more expensive the fasting has limited our intake and offset the increased costs. The best part was getting the kids to stop eating their processed foods. They were on board when we explained all the additives and although they do not fast (still too young for that) they have much more health options now and in a way it’s more cost effective in the long run. It won’t solve all the problems down the road but we are on a good track managing the coming chaos as best we can.
We use bromine in our pool and the price went up 100% last year. A 50 lb tub cost $500 and very few places carried it. We were lucky to find it on-line. I had heard something about a fire in a major producer which led to the problem. Also, that for some reason the military was buying up all the available bromine.
So to conserve the bromine, we lowered the setting in the brominator, especially since few people were using the pool. We might have enough to get through this season (Boston area) without an additional purchase.
Just fyi have your thyroid levels checked, and do an iodine test. Bromine is a major problem as it displaces iodine/iodide in your body.
We have a salt system setup for our pool. I pickup the large bags of salt from HomeDepot (6+ and it’s discounted). Same for bottles of Chlorine (4 or more boxes nets a better price when checking out) to shock when needed (be sure to check the date on the container box before you buy to ensure it’s not too old.) (https://www.troublefreepool.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chlorine_Date_Code_Decoder).
The biggest savings however was when we ditched the pool guy. I’ve had a pool for the last 15 years and it used to be $75 a month but now it’s $150-200 (We had 15 different teams stop by to get quotes and it’s obvious they got together and fixed the price in our region.. F’m) . I know how to do the chems and maintenance so now we save $1,800-$2,400 a year from doing it all myself. Then we use that to pay for all the chems, in the end we save so much we set some aside each year to replace the salt cell as needed. I buy the stabilizer, filters, D.E. and acid in bulk online, shopping from stores in other states you can find better deals in other localities. I’m in Southern California so everything is more expensive here..
Another thing I found while hunting for a replacement pool skimmer.. You can pick up a lower body rebuild kit for one of those hayward ‘thepoolcleaner’s for 1/4, 1/3 the cost of a brand new one, just need to pick up a few other bits and throw it all together and you can save hundreds especially if you already have one, then just save the good parts from the old one and you can rebuild it yourself later if something goes awry.
Had a real problem with algae in the pool. Now I use Pool RX. Put it in the skimmer, it lasts 6 to 9 months, and I use way less chlorine. Just keep the chlorine level at 1 ppm. I talked to the guy who repairs pool pumps and heaters and he says their pool maintenance guys use Pool RX as well.
Thank you, will check in on that. We have a diseased eucalyptus behind our property that makes dealing with phosphates a PITA so between adding ‘nophos’ and regular maintenance will look into that as well. Much appreciated my friend.
Pool Juice 911 to make cloudy water, clear again…
Our neighborhood just changed our pool to salt water. The price increase of chlorine is probably why.
The specific question pertained to non-food items. The specific answer is: yes. I shop 30 miles north of Seattle. The cost of plastic freezer bags is getting close to exceeding the items I intend to freeze. Ditto plastic garbage bags. Have started buying extra plastic bags at my local thrift store at $0.08 each because ultimately that’s less expensive.
The only non-food item that hasn’t skyrocketed is firewood. Of course, that could be due to the season.
Price increases may be due not only to inflation, but shoplifting as well. The local Walmart – a HUGE shopping center — recently shut down with very little fanfare. The center was situated in the midst of endless vagrants who camped out on the sidewalks — literally camped out with sleeping bags, shopping carts of personal belongings, and battery-operated radios blaring hard rock.
Since Seattle is a sanctuary city, I expect more of this in the weeks and months to come.
One way I cut costs on freezer bags is to wash and re-use where I feel comfortable. I also use, cheap, lightweight non zippered bags to portion items.
I bought chicken breast on sale last week. I diced it up and portioned it out into sandwich bags, then put them in a re-used freezer bag. They actually do very well that way and come apart great.
We use a lot of green peppers, many more than my garden produces. I watch for end of the season sales. I dice them so they are ready to go and freeze them in 1/2 cup amounts. I put them in a thin sandwich bag, bunch them in a corner, twirl the open end to make a ball and pack into gallon freezer bags.
Prices of non-food items?
Laundry soap and liquid fabric softener are up by “are you kidding?!?” amounts.
We use paper plates and I’ve noticed some shrinkflation. The price is up a bit but the count is down by 5 or 10 plates in the pack.
Oddly, I’m not seeing any huge jumps in dishwashing liquid. A bottle of Ajax dish soap hasn’t changed much in price, but I can’t say that I’ve checked if the ounces are down a smidge.
My good ol’ can of Barbasol shaving cream went from a little over a dollar to just under two dollars, so it has come close to doubling.
Facial tissues (‘kleenex’) jumped up 25-cents a box early on, but I haven’t seen the price go any higher… yet. It’s just a matter of time before they will go up another 25-cents, though.
Bar soap s up by about 50% by my reckoning.
That’s what I’ve noticed so far.
Laundry detergent—arm and hammer, Borax, grated Fels naptha soap….
Switched to homemade laundry soap about a year ago. The only addition I added was the scent beads to add the clean smell (personal preference). Just me and hubby. First batch has lasted almost a year and almost time to make another batch. Saved a LOT of $.
This is the recipe I use. Grated the soap using my kitchenaid attachment and hubby used a drill attachment for paint stirring to mix it (in a 5 gal bucket).
https://thefrugalgirls.com/2012/09/homemade-laundry-detergent-powder-big-savings.html
Try wool dryer balls instead of fabric softener. Can add a few drops of essential oils like lavender if you want a scent on your clothes. My dryer balls are going strong after 3 years.
I use plastic ones because of wool allergies, but, they are going strong and I don’t miss the softener.
Stopped by a MacDonald’s drive-thru last month on a road trip in the morning. Ordered the “Meal #1” Egg MacMuffin (with potato cake) and upgraded the drink to a medium Mocha Frappe.
Price was nearly $16. Last time I’ll ever buy anything at MacDonalds …
Seacoast, NH
Hubby “splurged” for Mother’s Day. $12.56 for 2 Sausage and egg McMuffins. 😳
Just the 2, no sides or drinks.
Diners are about the same and better food.
I changed what I eat a year ago so I am mostly organic and mostly gluten-free so my spending at the grocery store every week is always 100-120 sad really. Today was “only” $85 it was less than $100 so I was happy. I shop at Publix so that is more expensive anyway. I did fill up this morning and the gas was$ 3.45 which was a shocker. I live close to my work so I only fill up about once every 3 weeks so it has been a while. I haven’t given up any food because of the cost just for health. And healthy eating is more expensive than processed junk.
1) Cheap gas…isn’t…use good branded gasoline…your engine needs the proprietary additives
2)Fill the tank weekly…there is no cost difference and a full tank produces less water condensation
It’s been on 10 years or more since I actually had to eat organic and gluten free. Too many unspeakable reactions if I don’t That saves me a lot of money (not many places to eat out at here in Western PA), but not any time which seems more valuable than money to me these days.
Found myself meditating on what size box of plastic bags the other day. Couldn’t believe how long it took me to make that decision!
Lucky I am to have an Aldi store here. Learned the other day that so much money can be saved by going there first and the other store second (which marks up the similar item by about a dollar more). Hunt and peck I guess.
My very favorite website for saving money on all sorts of things is EverydayCheapskate.com. Mary Hunt learned to save money the HARD way and I appreciate her lessons.
Just don’t put Blue Dawn dishwashing detergent down your drain to unclog your sink . Haha. Kills the good bacteria. What a mess. Happy Mother’s Day everyone.
If you are in Western PA, I would not be surprised if you have some salvage grocery stores near you. A lot of them seem to be in Amish or Mennonite areas and employ them.
If you know your prices and pay attention you can get some bargains. I was looking for some heavy weight aluminum foil and they were $1.50 a roll for name brand, but there was one mixed in at the same price that was more than twice the amount! It was the same size box, so a real buy.
…uglier than Lightfoot…
It’s a running joke on wall street that investing in food products would have brought a higher return, meaning stocking up on food storage saves you more money than typical investments, due to the inflation costs (higher prices, lower quantities).
Eating out has become very expensive, particularly with a wife who complains about making stuff and just wants convenience. I’m growing a garden and trying to use it for my food. She’s gaining a lot of weight too, and I’m actually losing weight. (I’m eating more healthy, but still dealing with diabetes. Yes, I’ll occasionally go out to eat with her, but I let her know I’m not happy with the outflow of money that way.
She claims that buying basics and making thing are just as expensive as processed food, so she’ll buy that. (smh) She just doesn’t want to wait for things to be made.
Preparing meals at home is one of the very few ways one can make a real difference in expenditures…
I am single but can easily eat for a week on what a day or two of eating out costs…plus…I really don’t trust fast food especially…the whole “hate whitey” thing…
It’s real…
It’s harder to cook on a budget for one. What gives a family a dinner and some leftovers is a week of meals for one.
You are very wise. I hope your comment makes more people think.
I have some food sensitivities so we mostly don’t eat out or buy things like lunch meat.
Cooking at home is cheaper than eating out, every single time. I also prefer my own cooking.
We do eat out, but it is planned and usually social.
Through planning we eat pretty well for a week for the cost of one dinner out. Yup we are having a few more bean dishes than beef, but we are still having beef a couple of times a week.
i think they are stockpiling, thats why it goes food group by foodgroup.
Went shopping at Walmart and Albersons today. Many items are still high priced but prices haven’t gone up in a few months. On top of that there seems to many items sale priced today:
Tropicana OJ 1/2 Gal $2.47
Ben & Jerry’s Pint. $2.47
Boneless Chicken Breast $2.97
Lucerne Half & Half $4.99
Hormel Bacon Thick Cut Lb $3.99.
Seems like regular prices are holding steady but more items are on sale and sale prices are coming down a lot!
May I respectfully request you not purchase Ben and Jerry’s?
Another factor in the rising cost is wage inflation. Menial jobs usually taken by students are paying north of 15 dollars an hour. Skilled labor is much higher. Parts for vehicle repair have more than doubled in the last 18 months.
There are serious problems with wage inflation, scores of small businesses cannot raise wages because they cannot stay in business and pay that sort of payscale, as their profits haven’t increased along with the rest of the inflation.
I don’t know how much longer it will stay this way, economics has a way of leveling this out however the federal reserve has been pumping money into the system for almost 15 years and the various federal, state, and local governments spend like drunken sailors on the night before sailing.
Drunken sailors spend their own money.
Since people have to spend much more of their disposable income on food and necessities, they will be buying a lot less of discretionary items. That is why we are heading into a recession very soon.
I am very thankful that you advised us to stock up in ’21. As much as I was able I did so. I stocked up on things like vanilla, the pricier spices, sugar and flour, canned items I use, etc.
I now don’t buy too much processed food, it’s just too expensive when all you have is Social Security.
Now instead of buying things like mayo I make them myself. It’s cheaper and they do taste better. Downside is they aren’t full of chemicals so they don’t have a long shelf life.
I’m fortunate to have chickens so eggs aren’t a problem. I’ve all but stopped drinking milk. Butter is astonishingly expensive about $7 a pound. I now make all my own bread as it runs about $6 a loaf at the store.
Beef, except hamburger, is no longer in my budget. Chicken is still almost reasonably priced. But the legs and wings are priced like they are gold plated.
I’ve adjusted my menus to eat things I can afford. I now eat lots of Mexican dishes with rice and beans. I make my own refried beans from dried pinto beans. I make my own enchilada sauce, salsa and tortillas aren’t too pricey. Less nutrition but I don’t feel hungry.
I have planted a nice garden (if the gophers don’t find it) and that will help – providing I can afford to pay the electricity to run my water pump for my well. I let all my lawns die, very discouraging.
Thankfully, I love cooking so making my own stuff isn’t a problem. If I can I make large batches of stuff and freeze it in serving size containers. That helps cut down on my natural gas bill.
I try to look at this like a challenge so it doesn’t seem so bad. Everything I have is paid for and I have zero debt. That’s a benefit.
I began using your laundry soap recipe last year and that is a great cost cutter as well as my clothes are much cleaner and whiter – thank you!
What recipe for laundry soap?? I need that!!
Bought the supplies for it at wally world but it took 3+ months to find them in stock, using walmart.com to check local store stock, “ordering” it is insanely expensive as the profiteers are cleaning out the local stocks and reselling thru the various online portals.
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2012/01/02/treehouse-tips-home-made-laundry-detergent/
I just posted the one I use up thread but this is the one I use. I add a large container of scent beads as well.
https://thefrugalgirls.com/2012/09/homemade-laundry-detergent-powder-big-savings.html
how to make laundry detergent:
1/2 Cup: Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda {not Baking Soda}
1/2 Cup: Borax
1/3 Bar of Fels-Naptha Soap (I used Zotte soap) {Mark the bar in thirds before using}
Bucket {3 gallon size }
Empty laundry detergent containers or bucket with lid to store detergent.
How to make:
Use small cheese grater to grate 1/3 bar of Fels-Naptha Soap over large pot or saucepan…Add 6 cups of water.
Heat over medium-high until soap dissolves and melts.
Add 1/2 cup Washing Soda & 1/2 cup Borax, and stir until dissolved.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Pour 4 cups hot water into bucket, then add Soap Mixture.
Stir well, then add 1 Gallon + 6 Cups of additional water. Stir.
Transfer to a bucket with a lid, or pour into empty laundry detergent containers.
Set aside, and let it sit overnight, or up to 24 hours, to thicken and gel up. It will likely turn into a gel overnight.
Consistency and color will vary depending on your soap & water ~ it may be lumpy and watery ~ kind of like a watery gel, but it works great!
Stir or shake before each use, as it will continue to gel.
Use 1/4 cup per load
Can also add 50 drops of essential oil for scent.
duplicate post, sorry.
I buy butter around Thanksgiving every year for $2-$2.50 lb. I buy a lot because you can freeze it. I also freeze garlic cloves after I have peeled them.
The only freezer space I have is in my fridge so I tend to can things instead of freezing them.
Also, CA has passed a law to go into effect next year that caps all residential electric bills to something lke $40 per month no matter one’s usage.
So I expect the electrical grid will collapse here soon after. If you can use as much as you want for one small price then everyone will turn their AC way down and just like that the grid will collapse – we don’t have enough power in summertime as it is with regular rolling brown/black outs all summer. I suspect that is the state’s plan.
I buy the same grocery stuff regularly and have been shocked at the continuation of the price increases. I always buy an 8# bag of potatoes at Walmart. They used to be 4.97 and now they are $10. I either shop at a Walmart or the local Food Lion. A regular small bag of Fritos is $5. Food Lion continues to have specials. But I’ve cut back on buying a lot of junk which is really expensive.
I was recently in two large Walmarts in Fl and Myrtle Beach that had No cashiers. It was all self checkouts. I don’t think this was intended. 2/3 of the registers were self checkout. They just had no employees show up. On a good day there was one or two.
I was looking for a can of shaving cream and it wasn’t where it usually was. Turns out it was in womens cosmetics which was a maze of several isles with only 1 narrow entrance. I found an English speaker and asked why. She said to hinder theft.
A couple of outliers where I live…a local gas station that sells everything from guns and ammo, bait ,beer and groceries makes their own hamburger and sausage. It’s really good and is $4.99 a #. It really hasn’t gone up. A local restaurant has really good food and their prices haven’t really gone up. A large delicious fajita is 12.99.
Bottom line is I used to pick up a few things at Food Lion or Walmart and it was $30. Now getting those same things is $50. I saw a family with 3 boys with a full cart and I really felt sorry for them.
In the Willamette Valley of Oregon gas continues to inch up. Our stations regular is 89octane. Cheapest I see is $3.69 at Costco and another chain some of the others are $3.99 and over $4. A large grocery store with 16 manned checkouts plus a couple of automated now have 3 or 4 clerks where prior to Covid would have 12 to 13. They have signs for walk-in same day interviews but can’t keep help. This was the largest store who processed food stamps. One of the big Wally’s I heard had a 4 million dollar shortage last year. ( that term is meant to indicate inventory walked out of the store without paying). Homeless continues to grow. Mental illness, a State sponsored drug culture, and inflation is a recipe for disaster. The news indicates Portland has lost 2600 businesses.
In my area, the largest factor in cost has been (as discussed in the local paper) the cost for law enforcement dealing with shoplifters (Walmart has agreed to pay for the equivalent of 2 officers annual salary to compensate that city for their time). Our Kroger-equivalent had them, but stopped; many items are now locked up (baby formula, camping supplies, more expensive hair care and nail items). Hobby Lobby has rented porta-potties and hand washing stations for the parking lot (which the addicts destroy), and the homeless camps require additional dumpsters as well since they use the businesses’. Cannot wait to get out of the h*llh*le that is the PNW.
I stocked up on all household goods I knew I would need this year at the beginning of January when I had the money and presumed prices would go up. It also meant only one trip to Walmart for the year. This included toiletries (my daughter says my linen closet looks like a store), cleaning supplies, laundry items, even small trash can liners for emptying the cat litter every day. I won’t know if any of them go up until next year when I have to restock.
I can say that the price of cat food has skyrocketed. One of my cats requires a prescription food that cost $44.99 for an 8.5 pound bag on March 1, 2021, that now runs $65.99 for the same size. Hill’s has added a 17.9 pound bag of the same flavor so I buy that sizefrom Chewy now. It was $92.99 on 12/1 but currently costs $101.99. It takes about 8-9 weeks for my 3 cats to go through one large bag. Almost everything else they use – treats, canned food for 2 of them, even cardboard scratching pads – is up. Cat litter is the only one that has gone down in price but that’s going back up now as well. I am able to pay this but I can see why some people have to give up their pets. My neighbor said I might have to start eating cat food but I told him I couldn’t afford it and that’s why I’m growing my garden.
Do you get those 1.5in cardboard chunks in your Chewy orders? I get them in mixed ordered (food+treats/meds) and cut them to fit my cats’ scratcher boxes as refills. My boy likes them better than the original.
Beware. Size matters. One way companies conceal higher prices is smaller packaging. A technique that comes into play during periods of high inflation like today, but it has usually been smaller packaging at same prices. Today it’s smaller packaging at considerably higher prices. Like potato chips, bread and flour tortillas for instance in my last grocery run.
Prices on some items continue to climb where I live, but surprisingly some items I normally buy have dropped. My favorite spreadable butter dropped from $4.08 to $3.58 and 18 extra large eggs previously going for over $6 are now $2.82. This is at an HEB in Texas. I haven’t noticed too much change in the items I buy at Walmart, except things like dish soap and aluminum foil.
It’s odd, I live in NE Italy near a large US Air Base. It is much cheaper to shop off base for goods. I also work in the military grocery store part time and the amount of goods people buy is WAY down. DeCA is not competing any longer and their prices are supposedly cost plus 5% for the overhead. Downton I’ve noticed of late, fuel is going down in price. Maybe 6 months ago it was 1.90 euro for a liter and wow I pay approx 1.59 per liter of diesel. Gasoline is on par where before it was always .10 euro cents higher. FWIW if my ciphering’ is correct, about 6.50 USD per gallon.
Our daughter was stationed at Aviano. She loved Italy, but she couldn’t wait to get back to the States.
While not a food item, last year I bought a lawnmower for a rental property and it cost $600. I bought the same lawnmower a month ago for my home to replace an old one, and it cost $750. That’s a 25% increase in one year.
Also, the lawn equipment display in our Home Depot has been completely taken over by rechargeable electric crap made of green plastic. They can take my gas leaf blower from my cold dead hands…
25% seems to be the magic number for food and goods increases.
Huge price increases in non food items. Paper goods, Plates, towels, napkins ect, Have almost doubled in price. In the last year or so. Same with foil and plastic products, storage containers ect.
We dont eat a lot of processed foods but noticed prices way up on those items also. 5.00 + for a box of Saltine crackers? 7.00 for a package of Peanut butter cookies? Wow.
Go to the store to pick up a few things and $100 is gone. Never really shopped for sales. Now I check the ads for the grocery stores nearby weekly and stock up on items on sale for the pantry.
Thanks for the hard times FJB.
Look at Aldi for saltines. They used to be 75¢ for the pound box and it’s slowly has creeped up to $1.09.
The Aldi fig newtons used to be 95¢ are now $2 for the same size.
“Processed foods” where I shop have increased substantially on certain items, especially meats(beef in particular). An 18 count pack of frozen sirloin hamburger patties (store brand) is now 31.58. There is also what we used to call an “inverted price change” meaning less/smaller amounts in the packaging, like EGG ‘ Wich w/Turkey Sausage, was a 12pack now an 8 pack, & increased from 12.99 to 17.54.
“Are consumers getting gouged by manufacturers who are taking advantage of the price shock inside the ongoing inflation?” Let’s see. It’s cheaper to eat lunch, including tip, at Outback than it is at McDonald’s. A person with a good head on their shoulders might make some judgments based on that information
Everything has gone up!
I honestly cannot think of one product or service that has gone down.
I took my dog to the groomers yesterday. The price has went up 3.00. Minimum wage went up, products they use, etc. I always paid them more (rounded up)since they do a lot for the community by grooming for shelters and adoption groups, pet food for vets who are struggling, etc. It is less now that I will be able to give. Sad.
I choke when I see the prices. Main brands of 30oz mayo for 5.00? Nope….found out Walmart mayo tastes just as good 😁 .
I recently switched from kcup and drip coffee when my coffee maker croaked. I now use electric perculator. They make even cheap coffee taste good! Some now have nifty features like auto shut off. I am paying less for better coffee …no plastic flavor. Cost was less than most drip makers and no need for filters..it’s a win.
Mom and pop car shop I have been dealing with last couple years, I called Wednesday for oil change and tire rotation appt.. Asked what cost was —$125.00! Nope. Did some checking and got it for less than half somewhere else.
I have been cutting costs ever since Sundance gave us the heads up…I even use the towel in the dryer 😁.
The cheaper auto price maybe using cheaper oil and smaller filters. We do it ourselves and stocked up on filters and other car parts at stock Auto.
They want war.
This propaganda list hasn’t held up very well…
.
Shareef don’t like it!
(Rock the Casbah! Rock the Casbah!)
Joking aside…those guidelines WORK for personal finance…
(not sure about the wage stabilization program….)
Around here, we like to think of squirrels as Tree Steak!
Subway rats are called “track chicken”.
Saving on groceries…isn’t easy…habits are hard to break…
But take coffee for instance…never mind Starbucks…compare making coffee at home to even “cheap” convenience coffee…
$10 worth of Folgers lasts about a month and a half…buck fifty a day at wherever approaches $45 per month
That’s an easy $45 savings…
Big bag of boneless chicken thighs and a big bag of California blend veggies…maybe some rice, beans or potatoes prepared at home is CHEAP compared to buying takeout or even worse delivered lunch every day…
Easy easy EASY $200 per month…
If you don’t know how to cook…two words…Tony Chachere…Cajun/Creole Seasoning…one more word…butter…real butter not some faux rendition…
Almost no-one will get this…habits are hard to break…but FOOD is one of very few ways to save $$$$…and it could mean BIG $$$….
I drank Folgers for decades but started getting an upset stomach from it. I buy expensive coffee now but cut out wine and store-bought bakery items. I cook everything from scratch.
Off topic—I quilt, and quality fabric has doubled in price over the last few years or is delayed due to supply chain issues.
100% Arabica coffee beans won’t upset your stomach like the cheaper beans do.
Our total grocery/food budget is $200 a month for two. We have a big deep freeze and pantry. I cook many items from scratch. We have little waste. I stock on butter when it is on sale and freeze it.
I make my own butter.
One Mason jar with lid.
2 Marbles
Fill half way with heavy whipping cream.
Then you shake
…and shake…and shake some more.
You will know when it has turned into butter when it turns yellow. Drain liquid. I drain it into bowl, cover and use instead of the fake buttermilk sold in stores and use that for baking.
Then I rinse the butter in water and drain.
Store in covered container.
There are a lot of YouTube videos on how to do it.
You can also make it with food processor. But doing the Mason jar butter is more fun!
I like to wait for a Trump Rally to make butter and I share with a friend. I was telling them this morning I was going to make butter yesterday 😩 but Trump rally was canceled. I made them a homemade chocolate pie so I didn’t show up empty handed. I even make my own whipped cream too.
Try making your own butter….it tastes better than any store bought!
That is amazing!
Shrinkflation just finally hit the cereal aisle at coscto
The reeses puffs box was ridiculous
It gets far worse.
Our water bill is about to go up 33%… even though the State ( California ) is awash with water: our dams are at full capacity and the snow on the Sierras is at 250% of historical.
Our electrical bill is higher than the Space Station. We paid $310 bucks for ~800 KwH last month. Our costs is tiered… 25 cents for the first 400 or so KwH… after that it goes to 33 (40 now? ) up to 1200 KwH… above that… FIFTY CENTS PER KWH.
Gasoline is 4.45 for 87 octane.. at Costco! It’s pushing 5 bucks for 87… and $5.40 for 91 octane.
I have noticed the rotisserie meat at Costco has dropped… it had reached 18 bucks for a bag, it’s now down to 16… but just a year or so ago it was 12 bucks.
Frozen salmon at Costco…. $35 bucks per bag.. About 3 years ago it was $18. It was $27 or so a year ago.
Yellow onions at the Asian supermarkets were 50 cents per pound last year.. for years… now they are more than 1.09. Plain potatoes were 69 cents per pound last year, now they are 1.29.
I don’t shop for veggies at any of the chain “american supers” or Trader Joe’s. I only shop at ethnic stores (Japanese, Korean, Persian) or at Costco.
It’s nuts. ( yes those are actually very expensive too ).
And the “propaganda news” programs don’t cover any of it.
Half gallon of whole milk by me is now $2.99 at the local Grocery Outlet. 6 months ago it was $2.19, then it went to $2.39, and 2 weeks ago it went to $2.99. I have another grocery store by me where I can still get a half gallon for $2.39, but I don’t expect that to last much longer.
Ice cream doesn’t come in half gallon container any more. Pringles cans are the same height, but the chips are smaller, so the can is smaller in diameter. Beef continues to be outrageous, 1 lb of 27% fat ground beef is $8.99 now.
Winco brand spiral macaroni and cheese used to be 49 cents a box 2 years ago, now it is 67 cents, and probably will go higher.
A Big Mac meal is now well north of $10 for a medium. So is a medium Whopper meal at Burger King. I remember 99 cent Whoppers in Arizona in 1993.
Yes, prices are going up at a rapid pace, and they won’t stop for a while.
We own an all-natural health supplement store, and the cost of products are rising continuously and by a big margin! One item alone the other day increased 5.00 a bottle of pills! Our customers think we are “awful” to raise prices when they can’t afford it. If we had our way, we would mark EVERYTHING 75% off, but, we, too, must make enough money to pay business and personal rent, utilities, inventory, and on top of that, all of our personal expenses. This is CRIMINAL and we know we have to thank for it!!!
Thank you, Sundance, for your sympathy toward what people are feeling and your generous warnings in 2021.
Central east coast. My shock purchase in February was clear plastic cups: over $8 for a pack of 100 of the bigger ones, around $6 for the smaller generic ones. If I don’t plant seedlings with a plastic collar around them, the seedlings get completely eaten.
A gallon of exterior paint $82.99 for the good stuff, $65.99 for the cheaper stuff.
Walmart store baked rye bread now $3.69 which is up about $1.50. Food Lion store brand Swiss cheese has gone down in size to 12 oz instead of 16 oz. and is on sale at $3.50. Walmart chips that used to be $.80 are now $1.94.
As others have mentioned, I don’t often see full carts. I see shoppers who check the prices and move on without putting shelf items in their cart. Store bakeries are not putting out very many items because they aren’t selling.
Tomato plants in a pint-size cup are between $4.58 and $5.88 each depending which store. Stores either aren’t selling plant 6-packs or they have sold out before I got there. (I did raise all vegetable and flower plants from seed this year which was a big saving, but I do notice prices.) Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) is now over $7 and not much available. Sevin spray is $26 for a gallon.
Several people who have never had vegetable gardens are putting a couple of tomatoes, squash, or another vegetable in raised beds or flower beds. People are concerned. I’m afraid if there is a good bit more inflation, some are going to start panicking.
I also garden, I start a lot of seeds , but don’t have much luck with peppers or celery so I buy them.
I haven’t seen 6 packs in awhile. It’s 4 pack and singles.
I find the best selection and price in early May and repot in pots and reused foam cups. I plant in late May because of frost
I got peppers, celery and some different tomatoes for $1.50 a four pack and saw nice singles for a buck. These are at Amish greenhouses. The commercial greenhouses are more and in front of the grocery store similar to the prices you mentioned.
I saw an increase in gardens the last three years, especially in the Amish community. Many have more than doubled their home garden.
I have picked up a lot of 6 packs of romaine and cucumber at Walmart and Home Depot this year. I shop Titusville and Merritt Island stores. I planted lots of bell peppers from seed that took. I started inside and planted outside in the “winter”. My bells have a lot of fruit this year, even a red one turned color. I am having caterpillar attacks after starting cucumbers and squash.
We have stores in Vegas now that are CHARGING THE CUSTOMERS FOR PLASTIC BAGS! As much as I like to see people bring their own, sometimes one just forgets and those who don’t quite understand the importance of cutting out plastic will continue to let the stores gouge them for 30 cents per bag (costs the retailer about a penny!) I won’t shop at any of these stores that think, in addition to the skyrocketing costs of their food, I should let them make a PROFIT OFF ME FOR THE FLIMSY BAG THAT USUALLY TEARS BEFORE YOU EVEN GET IT HOME? NOT THIS NORWEGIAN!
All stores in Fairfax County, VA charge five cents a bag now.
Yup prices have gone up, but I’m still finding bargains. There are just so many things I don’t use much of or any of now.
Paper towels went from a roll a week to one a year. Sugar use dropped as I started using an actual measuring teaspoon in the sugar bowl.
A lot of little things I cut costs to what I can afford. No more Hellmans, Aldi generic isn’t that bad.
One major change is the salvage/discount grocery stores around me are packed on Saturday when they open and prices are higher. But a lot less than the regular grocery. Seeing a lot of first timers every time I go. I’m now going mid week and they are busy then also.
One odd thing this year was Passover food. Usually by midweek there is very little left, this year there was plenty and it’s now on the discount shelf. But not discounted enough for me to buy.