Thursday, November 10, 2011

I Bought Groceries Last Night, and It Was Painful


Checking the cost per ounce
I have been putting off going to the store for a while now.  I've gotten a few drips and drabs here and there, but haven't really done a big shop for several weeks.  Mostly it's because my work schedule is too hectic, but also because I'm just dreading spending the money.  Finally, we ran out of bread, and I went shopping.

Despite the fact that I left the store with a full cart, it felt like one of those trips where I didn't really buy anything. I got a lot of ingredients and a lot of odds and ends, and it cost (brace yourself) $165.  About 2/3 of the items I bought were on sale or I had a coupon, and I still spent $165!  I feel ill.  I noticed a few things while at the store.

1. The cost of cheese has skyrocketed.  I usually buy the store brand of brick cheese, which, since I moved to RI five years ago, was frequently on sale for $4 for 2.  Now, it's always $3.49 and the package has gotten smaller.  It used to be ten ounces, now it's eight.  The manufacturer changed the design from a square to a rectangle, presumably to make it look bigger than it is, but it just looks tiny.

2. Eggs are way up too.  I've started buying the carton of 18, and it was $3.59

3. It's hard to pinpoint exactly why this shopping trip cost so much.  I did indulge in a slightly fancier variety of yogurt, but it was on sale so was hardly more expensive than my usual.  I feel like the price of everything I bought was just slightly higher.  The tomatoes I bought were $4 for four, even though they were on sale as well.  Asparagus was $4.67--so I am going to make damn sure I eat this produce before it goes bad. I also bought more meat than usual for bf--bratwurst, pepperoni.

Plans for the future?

  • Well, I'm going to stick with the barley--just keep adding it to everything.
  • Over the winter, I'm going to cut way back on fresh produce and stick with frozen--there's no price increase there so far.
  • I'm going to cut way down on my consumption of snacky foods like chips and crackers.  That's been something I've been working on anyway--for my waist and my budget--but have you seen the price of crackers lately!?!?  Unreal.
  • I'm going to keep on rekindling my love of the bean--up next, vegetarian chili!
  • I'm going to eat a lot of potatoes, which I also love.

Anyone else have any tips for how to save at the store without starving?

5 comments:

  1. I went grocery shopping too. Prices have definitely gone up.

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  2. What grocery stores are you shopping at?

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  3. Stop and Shop, since it's right near work; and I've been frequenting the Job Lot a bit more lately.

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  4. Food has gotten crazy expensive!!! It's brutal! We're feeding a family of 6, and I'll tell you, the more you cook from scratch, the better! Hubby was buying a certain type of peppered thick slice bacon which was priced at $4.99... He went a few weeks without buying & went to grab a pkg again but it had went up to $8.99!!!! Needless to say, he didn't buy it. :(

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  5. Things like asparagus and tomatoes are always going to be expensive . . . and more so when they are out of season. In fall/winter I try to stick to root vegetables and winter squash with frozen vegetables or canned tomatoes thrown in as needed. Much more affordable and makes me appreciate summer foods when in season. But you are right, snack foods will get you, which is why I've cut back over the years so I only get them when I'm having company.

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