| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| mikesgirl |
Posted - Sep 04 2008 : 09:20:19 AM
when the food prices too this recent hike? I couldn't believe the difference from one week to the next a couple of weeks ago. I think overall my weekly bill probably went up $20.
Farmgirl Sister #98
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| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| MaryP |
Posted - Sep 14 2008 : 11:08:29 AM
I keep my flour in the bag in a big plastic/rubbermaid bin in our basement, with a smaller container in the kitchen. Thankfully I use it fast enough that we haven't gotten any beetles or anything yet. |
| catscharm74 |
Posted - Sep 14 2008 : 10:43:59 AM
Mary- how do you store all your stuff? I was thinking of buying large glass jars for flours, rice, etc. I only have a refrigerator with small freezer but I can store about 10 things of butter, frozen vegetables/fruits, meats. etc..
Heather
Yee-Haw, I am a cowgirl!!!
FARMGIRL #90 |
| MaryP |
Posted - Sep 14 2008 : 10:10:49 AM
Oh yeah, and I live in town. I don't know what I'd do if I lived on a farm! I'm pretty sure I'd never go to the grocery store again! |
| MaryP |
Posted - Sep 14 2008 : 10:09:12 AM
I buy everything in bulk, on sale, or if it is too expensive..not at all! So my grocery bill has remained almost the same the last EIGHT years.
I buy butter and milk on sale and freeze them if I have to, or I buy powdered milk and leave butter out of recipes when possible.
I buy 100 pound bags of flour, rice, and beans and make my own bread, noodles, refried beans, tortillas, and pancakes.
I bought chicks instead of chicken from the store, and did the dirty work myself. (and now we have a freezer full of chicken that cost approx $1.50 each accounting for costs)
When the hens lay eggs, if we have too many I freeze them for later.
And we grew a huge garden so we could freeze as much as possible.
I used to buy things like tv dinners or pizza rolls, lots of premade food. So really my lifestyle has changed more than anything. I believe the giant bags of flour have gone up a few dollars, but putting that in perspective that's like 1 loaf of bread going up $.002 cents given how many loaves I get out of that giant bag.
If prices went up really high I would stop buying butter and start making applesauce every fall and canning it (applesauce is a great low fat sub in baking). I'd stop buying milk and start drinking more water, and I'd plant an even bigger garden and really work it (you can get 2 harvests out of a lot of veggies), and possibly even build a green house. I would also pay very close attention to where all the fruit trees are on public land so that when the fruit is ripe I could harvest it free of charge. Last but not least, I'd start hunting and fishing more. |
| StarMeadow |
Posted - Sep 14 2008 : 08:40:20 AM
Organic food has gone through the roof. I just spent 6.59$ for a gallon of Horizon milk! I always buy the organic milk because the boys drink/eat it every day. A bag of small gala apples is over $6. We had a few at home still, so that would wait. Raspberries were on sale, so I got 6oz as a treat for my little guy for $2.50 but I was pretty disappointed to find several already molding in the middle. Organic grape tomatoes were $4.00 for a pint. Butter is always around $6 a pound and cheese is similar. When things are on sale, I buy 2 (or 3) if I can afford it. Two pounds of Full Circle organic white rice was $4. My canned black soy beans and red beans were Eden Organics at $1.69 each. I couldn't afford the organic chocolate chips ($6 a package) but an organic cookie mix was on sale for $2.99, so I got that. Same with a brownie mix. So I basically got 2 sweet treats for the price of the chips.
My nearest Whole Foods is about an hour away, so I rarely go there. The same with Trader Joes. I have a health foods store about 1/2 hour away and I stop in for some things that I can't get at my local grocery when I'm in that city. WalMart has started getting some organic things in as well but there's not a big selection.
I am cutting back on some things as well. |
| KansasConnie |
Posted - Sep 13 2008 : 2:36:21 PM
I really like Aldi! Their products are all good quality and much cheaper. Milk is just a little over $3 while it is nearly $4 at the conventional grocery!
Wish there was a Trader Joe's closer--I've heard great things about it!
Kansas Connie |
| Hanalu |
Posted - Sep 10 2008 : 11:02:30 PM
Does anybody go to Trader Joe's???....tons of organic food and the prices are really reasonable! I can't do all of my shopping there but I get what I can there first for a great price! Unfortunately most stores are on the West coast and a few on the East coast... |
| kissmekate |
Posted - Sep 10 2008 : 5:31:35 PM
I would say ours had gone up between 20-30 dollars per week. I am definitely down to just basics some weeks.
We have an Aldi's sort of near by, perhaps I will try there.
I have also been living on some of our excess too.
Don't miss out on a blessing, just because it isn't packaged the way you expected. ~MaryJo Copeland |
| keeperofthehome |
Posted - Sep 10 2008 : 08:45:54 AM
If you have an Aldi nearby they are pretty good. We primarily shop at Costco and Trader Joes. Our bill has gone up about $50/wk.
Blessings!
~Farrah
http://homesteadblogger.com/keeperofthehome/
http://oldfashionedhomekeeper.blogspot.com
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| Rebekka Mae |
Posted - Sep 08 2008 : 5:06:13 PM
I decided this spring to start cutting WAY back on packaged foods...we spend more on food compared than some people here, ours does include baby wipes, seventh generation diapers for when we travel, toilet paper and all the other stuff I don't remember to separate out- all organic or local and worth every penny to me but I was so proud to cut our bill by 25-30%. Then prices started to rise and I am still buying as much in bulk as possible, cooking from scratch, going to Costco for some things and Winco as well- now we are back up to the same bill without any of the old, more expensive stuff. I do keep some of Mary Jane's Northwest Couscous and task bars around for those days when I have been canning and I am too tired to cook, that helps avoid a call for pizza or take out food. The budget mix is also super helpful when it comes to making pizza, pancakes, muffins, etc.
I am taking full advantage of the farmers market and local farms and my garden will be much bigger next year to help offset the bill even further. So far I have over 70 jars of food canned, mainly fruit, and I haven't even started on my apple and pear sauce- this is only my second year canning so I am having fun learning the ropes.
Rebekka
www.bebebella.etsy.com
As a woman I have no country. As a woman, my country is the whole world.
Virginia Woolf |
| luvnlife |
Posted - Sep 08 2008 : 4:50:14 PM
I started keeping a food diary/price list lately and it is amazing to see in my own handwriting exactly how much things have gone up month to month. My grocery bill has gone up and I'm trying to feed our crew of four (includes two teenagers) on less than $400/mo. This is including all cleaners/paper goods, feminine products etc... $400 a month may seem like a lot to some but it's nearly half what I used to spend. I'm shopping with a menu planned, a list in hand, no kids around to toss in extras into the cart, a full tummy beforehand and buying generic whenever I can and it's still not easy.
Family life is the source of the greatest human happiness. This happiness is the simplest and least costly kind, and it cannot be purchased with money~Havighurst
Farmgirl Sister #306 :) |
| willowtreecreek |
Posted - Sep 06 2008 : 05:36:16 AM
Well we never really had a grocery budget per se but I do notice that when I expect the cart to be about $50.00 it is closer to $70.00. WE have altered our spending habits just slightly and are trying better to use our leftovers. Neither of us are big leftovers eaters. I'm trying better to remember that there are only two of us and we probably don't need 4 cans of beans every time I shop. I used to be bad about "stocking" up everytime I went to the store. We decided to fill a whole pantry shelf with "emergency" type food that could be eaten right from the can if needed and then we started jsut buying what we need. We always shop together and we found if we eat BEFORE we shop we tend to buy less. We have made shopping night kind of a date night. We go out to eat and tehn do the shopping. That has really helped.
Farmgirl Sister #17
Blog
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| frolicnfibers |
Posted - Sep 05 2008 : 9:56:55 PM
It's just my husband and myself, and we never used to hit $100 but the last three weeks it has been $110 :(
Diana
Please come visit my animals and my Etsy store on my new blog!
http://www.frolicnfibers.blogspot.com |
| Bellepepper |
Posted - Sep 05 2008 : 1:44:04 PM
I can't tell except for just seeing the price on the shelf. I buy only what is on sale and I buy a ton of it. The only thing I buy on a regular basis is milk, half and half and butter milk. I bought butter today is was on sale for $2.39. The last time it was on sale it was 2 @ $3.00. Have you seen the price of veg oil, canola and corn oil? It is right at $5.00 here. Makes you cut down on the deep frier use. I have switch to store brands on some things. Today I bought a couple of cans of the really cheap brand hominy and saurkraut. They were on sale for $.39. We'll see if they are fit to eat. Anyway, our weekly groc run from $10 to $100. |
| elphie0503 |
Posted - Sep 05 2008 : 1:37:19 PM
I don't even want to break out my calculator...I'm too afraid to see. I do know that we are starting to change some of our spending habits when it comes to food...we'll see how that goes.
Samantha
www.elphie0503.blogspot.com
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort~~Albright
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| Alee |
Posted - Sep 05 2008 : 12:10:31 PM
I am going to do some container gardening in my sun room this winter I think. Anything to keep prices down!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our blog: www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
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| Jami |
Posted - Sep 05 2008 : 08:25:31 AM
This time of year our grocery bill is very low because of the garden and our freezer full of meat. I dread winter when I buy veggies when they are at their highest prices.
We've saved a mint since I've been making homemade laundry soap and softener and lotion, soap, etc. I even make my own body wash now and used to spend quite a lot on it. Toothpaste is another...baking soda and salt is nice and cheap. Guess those things offset the higher price of milk products which we do purchase...don't plan on getting a cow anytime soon. With just DH and I, not enough consumption to justify the cost of keeping a cow and the time commitment too.
I am glad I'm not feeding a family right now with the current prices.
Jami in WA
Farmgirl Sister #266
http://woolyinwashington.wordpress.com/ |
| Alee |
Posted - Sep 05 2008 : 07:40:00 AM
Yes, the sooner that Winco spreads across the Country, the better we will all be financially! LOL
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our blog: www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
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| 82kygal |
Posted - Sep 05 2008 : 06:43:23 AM
I pay more now for groceries than when I had three teenage boys living at home. that was only four years ago. That is sad and scary.
I agee with Alee I miss the Winco in Idaho
With God, all things are possible. (Mark 10:27)
What ever you are, be a good one. (Abe Lincoln) |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Sep 04 2008 : 2:00:22 PM
I have noticed a huge difference, but I think it will be even worse once my garden quits producing for the year! Our fruit trees didnt' do much this year since we had late freezes so I am still buying fruit each week...and my kids eat like hogs when it comes to the good stuff. AND since Mona will be calving so late we have been buying milk all summer...which is alot. We got through 7-10 gallons a week @ $3.00 each. I gave up my Basmati rice...it has doubled in price...so I am back to regular long grain rice...I am thankful I have lot of that in food storage but I do LOVE good rice now and then. I think it has proabably effected us by about $50 each trip to the store (every 2 weeks I do my BIG shopping) with 6 of us at home.
Jenny in Utah
Proud Farmgirl sister #24
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
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| ddmashayekhi |
Posted - Sep 04 2008 : 1:39:04 PM
I had to change my shopping habits. I only get a few essentials at Whole Foods now, the rest I get from Nature's Best (a small Mexican grocery store) and my own garden. I've been able to keep the bill down this way. It takes me 2.5 hours to shop though. Both stores are about a half hours drive, one way, from my house. They are worth the trip though.
Dawn in IL |
| Alee |
Posted - Sep 04 2008 : 12:52:21 PM
We used to be able to shop for about $150 a month for all three of us, and it is now more than $300 a month. Ugh! Winco which is a grocery store in Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and California has amazing prices. We sure are missing that store now! It is hard to pay double for the same product!
Costco saves us a lot of money though. They have a lot of Organics.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our blog: www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
| Amie C. |
Posted - Sep 04 2008 : 12:12:47 PM
I would say my grocery bills have gone up by about $20 as well (for two adults). But I've also been buying more organic stuff, and more garden burgers and tofurkey deli meat, which aren't cheap. My husband has some weird digestion/blood sugar issues, so I'm kind of at the mercy of what he feels like he can eat at any given time. We've had to give up eggs, and I'm so sad. No more quick and easy omelet suppers. |
| mikesgirl |
Posted - Sep 04 2008 : 11:12:14 AM
I know - it's really shocking to the budget! When we are at the cabin, the closest grocery store of any size (Albertsons) is about 75 miles away, so I'm going to have to be SUPER organized when I go to town to cut down on trips. There is a little IGA about 60 miles away, but they don't carry any organics. Really going to make me think before I head to the store.
Farmgirl Sister #98
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| lisamarie508 |
Posted - Sep 04 2008 : 11:00:17 AM
We're down to just the two of us and our grocery bill went UP by half! Tomatoes were $2.45/lb. I thought it would go down some after dd left for school, but the price increases more than made up for that. Not to mention the price of gas just to get to the store. We keep hearing the price per barrel is going down quite a bit, but we're only seeing a penny difference here and there.
Farmgirl Sister #35
"If you can not do great things, do small things in a great way." Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
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