Comments on: Coping With High Food Prices

By: Megan

Megan — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 01:11:43 +0000

Ha, they should change the name to “Skimpy” peanut butter.

We’ve noticed the same thing with ice cream – the half gallon is a thing of the past. I’ve also noticed that some stores make it hard to do per-unit price comparisons – some brands are listed in cents per ounce, others in cents per pound. I may have a PhD, but I can’t do that calculation in my head. Maybe we should switch to drinking Ensure 3 times a day.

By: Heather

Heather — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 03:23:22 +0000

I have read a few blogs recently where moms have discussed using powdered milk instead of the real stuff when the milk prices are high so they can stretch their grocery budgets. What kind of economy is this where we are being so stretched to purchase gas and other inflated items that we let nutrition suffer? What kind of government lets this happen? Gas for the car or milk for the kids? This shouldn’t be a dilemma. Everyone is feeling to economic stress…from companies that make peanut butter to moms buying milk. I bet the moms haven’t had a raise this year…I wonder about the peanut butter making CEOs.

By: LiteralDan

LiteralDan — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 06:04:03 +0000

I have been noticing and reading about this, and it makes me mad– they should just adjust the price. They’re getting so greedy as it is that you can’t help but notice a lot of the changed items, so they may as well stop clinging to the illusion.

By: MoJo

MoJo — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 21:01:36 +0000

We are growing a bigger than normal garden this year. I planned what we grew according to what my kids eat a lot of. My kids love green beans. So this year, I planted lots and am in the middle of canning them. I also have made more applesauce and bought little containers for my daughter to take it to school. And dried fruit was something I never bought at the store, but it is snack now that is basically free from our yard. I have also started shopping around instead of doing a large shopping at one store. I am probably not saving too much money because I am driving more. Some organic items are taking a back seat, but I am instead trying to focus on healthy food and know that I survived just fine without organic cheese, etc. Buying in bulk and meal planning in advance has also saved me money. I notice that I go to the store less (which keeps me from buying impulse items) and I can sometimes stretch a meal into a lunch or another dinner. We are definitely feeling the crunch of groceries, so we are trying to put much more thought into it.

By: brettdl

brettdl — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:12:13 +0000

I love all the great ideas. I’m especially impressed Brandy can keep her weekly bill down to $125 a week for a family of five. We run much higher, I’m afraid.

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 08:01:12 +0000

As I posted over on Brett’s blog, go to the consumer advocacy blot Consumerist.com and do a search for the term “grocery shrink ray.” They’ve been documenting the phenomenon of companies making subtle changes to their packaging to decrease the amount of product you get for a couple of years now. The main motivation for this is to keep brand loyalty — once people get attached to a particular brand, it takes something fairly extreme to get them to switch. If they don’t notice the rising prices, then they won’t switch. Their advice is to be ruthlessly brand ignorant — be willing to switch products, try generics or in house store brands in order to save money whenever possible.

By: brandy

brandy — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 01:58:42 +0000

Convenience items, even cereal, are making their way off my list in favor of making things from scratch. I belong to an organic co-op and purchase most of my produce through that; I’m able to get several organic items at the same price I’d pay for a conventional at the store. I’m also cooking strictly vegetarian at home. Beans and rice are cheap as staples, and the money I save by not purchasing meat gets funneled into other parts of my grocery list. It is not easy, but I try to keep my weekly grocery bill for a family of 5 (kids aged 2, 4, & 5) around $125.

By: Nancy

Nancy — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:22:44 +0000

Shop the circular and use coupons. We take the time to go through the coupons in the weekend papers and save a lot that way, especially on double or triple coupon days, which seems to be almost all the time at my grocery stores. Combining coupons with store sales really saves us a ton of money.

Also we are members of BJ's, who have their own coupons but also accept manufacturer coupons, where I know Costco doesn't (not sure about Sam's). We have compared prices on products and most of the time BJ's is cheaper, even with coupons, but there are times the grocery store can be cheaper.

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:13:48 +0000

I think it is important to really take the time to figure out the cost per sheet or ounce or pound of whatever item you are buying. I say this because when my husband and I were first married we thought buying at the bulk clubs was ALWAYS cheaper and didn't think much because we had 2 salaries. Now with children added to the picture and 1 salary, I have learned to be much more thrifty. This includes breaking out the math and taking an evening each week to figure out the best grocery strategy for the week. Amazingly, once you stack coupons with sales ( and price matching) you can find most things cheaper at your local grocery stores than at bulk clubs.
Also, don't discount Walgreens (use their register rewards and easy saver book) and CVS (use their extra care buck system) for GREAT deals. We have stocked out pantry with health and beauty items after getting most for less than $1 or FREE.

By: Sara

Sara — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:05:24 +0000

Make a list and stick to it! That has always helped me to stay on my grocery budget. As food goes, I have to make different choices for the meals I prepare to try and stretch things farther as costs increase (the normal block of cheese that I buy at the store has gone up in price about $2 since my son was born, 2.5 years ago). I really do want to try a garden next summer…I think it would be a fun family project, although I have a very non-green thumb.