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sunspotbaby

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Interesting ....that gas prices were the reason for higher prices at the grocery store, but now that gas is considerably less expensive...food is not. On CNN this morning they said that typically when food goes up, it doesn't come back down unless there is a price war among stores.  When I shopped last week, I needed mayo, but didn't buy any...it's almost as much as a 12 pack of beer!:idontno:

I bought beer. :roll:  

It gets harder and harder to make it through the week. :bang:

Interesting ....that gas prices were the reason for higher prices at the grocery store, but now that gas is considerably less expensive...food is not. On CNN this morning they said that typically when food goes up, it doesn&#039;t come back down unless there is a price war among stores. When I shopped last week, I needed mayo, but didn&#039;t buy any...it&#039;s almost as much as a 12 pack of beer!:idontno: 
 
I bought beer. :roll: 
 
It gets harder and harder to make it through the week. :bang:

Alicia Leonard

[quote="sunspotbaby, post: 488584"]Interesting ....that gas prices were the reason for higher prices at the grocery store, but now that gas is considerably less expensive...food is not. On CNN this morning they said that typically when food goes up, it doesn't come back down unless there is a price war among stores.  When I shopped last week, I needed mayo, but didn't buy any...it's almost as much as a 12 pack of beer!:idontno:

I bought beer. :roll:  

It gets harder and harder to make it through the week. :bang:[/quote]

I had been thinking about this article for a few months, but like you, it was the $4.59 jar of mayo last week that was the final push to write it.:wave:

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="sunspotbaby">Interesting ....that gas prices were the reason for higher prices at the grocery store, but now that gas is considerably less expensive...food is not. On CNN this morning they said that typically when food goes up, it doesn&#039;t come back down unless there is a price war among stores. When I shopped last week, I needed mayo, but didn&#039;t buy any...it&#039;s almost as much as a 12 pack of beer!:idontno: 
 
I bought beer. :roll: 
 
It gets harder and harder to make it through the week. :bang:</blockquote> 
I had been thinking about this article for a few months, but like you, it was the $4.59 jar of mayo last week that was the final push to write it.:wave:

Thanks, Kurt. I wasn't sure where I should have posted this.:wave:

Thanks, Kurt. I wasn&#039;t sure where I should have posted this.:wave:

elgordoboy

Beach Fanatic

[quote="sunspotbaby, post: 488584"]Interesting ....that gas prices were the reason for higher prices at the grocery store, but now that gas is considerably less expensive...food is not. On CNN this morning they said that typically when food goes up, it doesn't come back down unless there is a price war among stores. When I shopped last week, I needed mayo, but didn't buy any...it's almost as much as a 12 pack of beer!:idontno:
 
I bought beer. :roll: 
 
It gets harder and harder to make it through the week. :bang:[/quote]
Buy Dukes ($2.99)..it is almost half the price of Helman's ($5.19 I think) and tastier. You can stick blend your own also (cheaper and better still).

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="sunspotbaby">Interesting ....that gas prices were the reason for higher prices at the grocery store, but now that gas is considerably less expensive...food is not. On CNN this morning they said that typically when food goes up, it doesn&#039;t come back down unless there is a price war among stores. When I shopped last week, I needed mayo, but didn&#039;t buy any...it&#039;s almost as much as a 12 pack of beer!:idontno: 
 
I bought beer. :roll: 
 
It gets harder and harder to make it through the week. :bang:</blockquote>Buy Dukes ($2.99)..it is almost half the price of Helman&#039;s ($5.19 I think) and tastier. You can stick blend your own also (cheaper and better still).

Miss Kitty

Meow

Mayo has oil in  it, right?  Blame Exxon.  :biggrin:

Mayo has oil in  it, right?  Blame Exxon.  😀

[quote="elgordoboy, post: 488607"]Buy Dukes ($2.99)..it is almost half the price of Helman's ($5.19 I think) and tastier. You can stick blend your own also (cheaper and better still).[/QUOTE]

It was Dukes, I like it because it dosen't have sugar in it. I freaked at the price:wave:

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="elgordoboy">Buy Dukes ($2.99)..it is almost half the price of Helman&#039;s ($5.19 I think) and tastier. You can stick blend your own also (cheaper and better still).</blockquote> 
It was Dukes, I like it because it dosen&#039;t have sugar in it. I freaked at the price:wave:

seagrovegirl

Where do most around here grocery shop?  I have found that grocery stores like Winn Dixie at Carillon are much less expensive and you can find some really good sales.  
 
When I am in Alabama (Gadsden or Florala) my grocery bill is a lot less than lot is here.
 
Also, Wednesday is usually sale day for grocery stores.

Where do most around here grocery shop? I have found that grocery stores like Winn Dixie at Carillon are much less expensive and you can find some really good sales. 
 
When I am in Alabama (Gadsden or Florala) my grocery bill is a lot less than lot is here. 
 
Also, Wednesday is usually sale day for grocery stores.

aggieb

GoodWitch58

[quote="aleonard, post: 488622"]It was Dukes, I like it because it dosen't have sugar in it. I freaked at the price:wave:[/quote]
 Grand blvd Publix was sold out of $2.99 Dukes..I really enjoy it when they are the low price leader :lol:

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="aleonard">It was Dukes, I like it because it dosen&#039;t have sugar in it. I freaked at the price:wave:</blockquote> Grand blvd Publix was sold out of $2.99 Dukes..I really enjoy it when they are the low price leader :lol:

Miss Critter

Good topic aleo. This is probably the article you were referring to:
 [URL]http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081019/ap_on_bi_ge/sticky_prices_4[/URL]
 
[quote] 
But once a price hike is in place, it virtually never goes away, Lafakis said. The one factor than can drive prices down is a drastic drop in demand, but few economists expect the global economic downturn to be so severe it would cause widespread deflation, he said. More likely is that inflation will slow or possibly flatten.
That was the case last month, when consumer prices were essentially flat, even as oil prices plunged.
The[B] core Consumer Price Index, which eliminates food and energy prices[/B], rose 0.1 percent, according to U.S. Labor Department figures. That was only about half the jump economists had expected, but it still lagged far behind the drop in oil prices. Crude oil has plunged more than 53 percent from its record high of $147.27 between July and October.
[/quote]
 
Will someone please explain to me how the two biggest expenses after housing - food and energy - are exempted from this index? :blink: Say what you will about Wal-Mart. They seem to be pretty ruthless about getting those price cuts. Bad for companies, but good for consumers. Can you say "roll back?"
 
And this lady was on Oprah last week:
[URL]http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20081008_tows_tips[/URL]

Good topic aleo. This is probably the article you were referring to: 
 <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081019/ap_on_bi_ge/sticky_prices_4" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081019/ap_on_bi_ge/sticky_prices_4</a> 
 
<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="">But once a price hike is in place, it virtually never goes away, Lafakis said. The one factor than can drive prices down is a drastic drop in demand, but few economists expect the global economic downturn to be so severe it would cause widespread deflation, he said. More likely is that inflation will slow or possibly flatten. 
That was the case last month, when consumer prices were essentially flat, even as oil prices plunged. 
The core Consumer Price Index, which eliminates food and energy prices, rose 0.1 percent, according to U.S. Labor Department figures. That was only about half the jump economists had expected, but it still lagged far behind the drop in oil prices. Crude oil has plunged more than 53 percent from its record high of $147.27 between July and October.</blockquote> 
Will someone please explain to me how the two biggest expenses after housing - food and energy - are exempted from this index? :blink: Say what you will about Wal-Mart. They seem to be pretty ruthless about getting those price cuts. Bad for companies, but good for consumers. Can you say &quot;roll back?&quot; 
 
And this lady was on Oprah last week: 
<a href="http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20081008_tows_tips" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20081008_tows_tips</a>

ShallowsNole

I look at the sale papers for Publix - and now, Winn-Dixie - when they come out in Wednesday's NWF Daily News and try to plan around what is on sale, and what I can get to freeze for later (have I mentioned that I love my upright freezer?).  Last Friday nite, I went to Winn-Dixie at Carillon for the first time in a VERY, VERY long time.  In fact, I had to apply for a new Winn-Dixie card.  We spent quite a bit but we stocked up on several kinds of buy one, get one free meats, etc.
 
AL, you may find that grocery opinions vary from NoWal to SoWal.  My co-workers from DFS often complain about how high Winn-Dixie is on everything.  Of course, they are comparing W/D to Wal-Mart.  Everything is cheaper at Wal-Mart, and there is no way that grocery stores can compare.  Meanwhile, I'm walking through Winn-Dixie grabbing several of everything because the prices are better than they are at Publix.
 
Most of the time, though, you'll still find me at Publix.  Service at Publix is much better, which is important to me right now and I have to be heading to Destin or PCB to make Winn-Dixie worthwhile.  And when I'm out of Diet Coke, I have been known to go to Tom Thumb (hey, sometimes they have 4 for $10.00!).

I look at the sale papers for Publix - and now, Winn-Dixie - when they come out in Wednesday&#039;s NWF Daily News and try to plan around what is on sale, and what I can get to freeze for later (have I mentioned that I love my upright freezer?). Last Friday nite, I went to Winn-Dixie at Carillon for the first time in a VERY, VERY long time. In fact, I had to apply for a new Winn-Dixie card. We spent quite a bit but we stocked up on several kinds of buy one, get one free meats, etc. 
 
AL, you may find that grocery opinions vary from NoWal to SoWal. My co-workers from DFS often complain about how high Winn-Dixie is on everything. Of course, they are comparing W/D to Wal-Mart. Everything is cheaper at Wal-Mart, and there is no way that grocery stores can compare. Meanwhile, I&#039;m walking through Winn-Dixie grabbing several of everything because the prices are better than they are at Publix. 
 
Most of the time, though, you&#039;ll still find me at Publix. Service at Publix is much better, which is important to me right now and I have to be heading to Destin or PCB to make Winn-Dixie worthwhile. And when I&#039;m out of Diet Coke, I have been known to go to Tom Thumb (hey, sometimes they have 4 for $10.00!).

beachmouse

For the marketbasket of things we buy on a regular basis, we're far better off shopping at the Destin Publix than the Bluewater Winn-Dixie, even when you add bridge fare into the final total.  (And oddly enough, for the middlebrow sorts of groceries that fill our carts, Publix freqently does better price-wise than Walmart does as well)

We're picky eaters and not likely to jump on something just because it's a loss leader for the week. But what we have done lately is to try to pay better attention to what we've already got in the pantry so we're only buying what we actually need, and then also work on only buying perishables in more limited quantities so we don't have things getting spoiled or otherwise going to waste.

For the marketbasket of things we buy on a regular basis, we&#039;re far better off shopping at the Destin Publix than the Bluewater Winn-Dixie, even when you add bridge fare into the final total. (And oddly enough, for the middlebrow sorts of groceries that fill our carts, Publix freqently does better price-wise than Walmart does as well) 
 
We&#039;re picky eaters and not likely to jump on something just because it&#039;s a loss leader for the week. But what we have done lately is to try to pay better attention to what we&#039;ve already got in the pantry so we&#039;re only buying what we actually need, and then also work on only buying perishables in more limited quantities so we don&#039;t have things getting spoiled or otherwise going to waste.

SHELLY

[quote="MissCritter, post: 488682"] 
Will someone please explain to me how the two biggest expenses after housing - food and energy - are exempted from this index? [/QUOTE]

Their "excuse" for excluding food and energy (which results in the Core CPI) is because of the volitile nature of these two items; crop failures, hurricanes in the gulf, or unrest in the Middle East region can temporarily affect the prices of food and fuel.  Excluding them is supposed to give a better read on the [I]long-term [/I]trend of inflation.  

.

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="MissCritter">Will someone please explain to me how the two biggest expenses after housing - food and energy - are exempted from this index?</blockquote> 
Their &quot;excuse&quot; for excluding food and energy (which results in the Core CPI) is because of the volitile nature of these two items; crop failures, hurricanes in the gulf, or unrest in the Middle East region can temporarily affect the prices of food and fuel. Excluding them is supposed to give a better read on the long-term trend of inflation. 
 
.

I was about to say that the secret to saving on groceries is not to take your spouse or kids with you, but got gently reminded that I'm the one who almost bought a chip clip for $3.99 last week, just because it had a football and the word "SEMINOLES" on it.  :blush:  But I resisted...

I was about to say that the secret to saving on groceries is not to take your spouse or kids with you, but got gently reminded that I&#039;m the one who almost bought a chip clip for $3.99 last week, just because it had a football and the word &quot;SEMINOLES&quot; on it.  :blush:  But I resisted...

[quote="ShallowsNole, post: 488814"]I was about to say that the secret to saving on groceries is not to take your spouse or kids with you, but got gently reminded that I'm the one who almost bought a chip clip for $3.99 last week, just because it had a football and the word "SEMINOLES" on it.  :blush:  But I resisted...[/quote]

Are you guys also cutting down on trips, clipping more coupons, sticking to the list and buying seasonally, instead of what you might want? These are somethings I'm trying as well as setting out a menu for the week and making sure of what I have on hand before shopping.

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="ShallowsNole">I was about to say that the secret to saving on groceries is not to take your spouse or kids with you, but got gently reminded that I&#039;m the one who almost bought a chip clip for $3.99 last week, just because it had a football and the word &quot;SEMINOLES&quot; on it. :blush: But I resisted...</blockquote> 
Are you guys also cutting down on trips, clipping more coupons, sticking to the list and buying seasonally, instead of what you might want? These are somethings I&#039;m trying as well as setting out a menu for the week and making sure of what I have on hand before shopping.

Can't really say we are cutting down on trips, as two trips were made to Publix on Saturday for things we forgot on Friday.  Coupons don't help us much, as I often buy Publix brand (note: I have found that Publix brand is consistently good, as opposed to Great Value from Wally and the Winn-Dixie brands).  But I do check the sale papers religiously, and try to buy the things we like when they are on sale.

Can&#039;t really say we are cutting down on trips, as two trips were made to Publix on Saturday for things we forgot on Friday.  Coupons don&#039;t help us much, as I often buy Publix brand (note: I have found that Publix brand is consistently good, as opposed to Great Value from Wally and the Winn-Dixie brands).  But I do check the sale papers religiously, and try to buy the things we like when they are on sale.

Rita

margarita brocolia

I don't know about the grocery stores there but our Kroger's Deli reduces the rotisserie chickens and packages up the leftover soups around 9:00 pm. Anytime I shop that late in the evening I hope to be able to get these sales for my lunches for the week. Their end-of-the-day soup sales are an especially good bargain![COLOR="White"]..[/COLOR]:D


[COLOR="White"].[/COLOR]

I don&#039;t know about the grocery stores there but our Kroger&#039;s Deli reduces the rotisserie chickens and packages up the leftover soups around 9:00 pm. Anytime I shop that late in the evening I hope to be able to get these sales for my lunches for the week. Their end-of-the-day soup sales are an especially good bargain!..😀 
 
 
.

traderx

[quote="aleonard, post: 488818"]Are you guys also cutting down on trips, clipping more coupons, sticking to the list and buying seasonally, instead of what you might want? These are somethings I'm trying as well as setting out a menu for the week and making sure of what I have on hand before shopping.[/quote]
 
I have been clipping trips and cutting down on coupons.
 
I personally cannot deal with coupons. I used to collect those Arby coupons and soon I was eating roast beef sandwiches ten times per week. For me, the coupons cause me to buy some things I otherwise would not buy just to get the fifty cents off. :idontno:
 
There was a comment about the price of gasoline being such an integral part of food prices and whether food prices will follow the downward trend of gasoline. The process is called price stickiness and is real. It has been studied by economists and the typical culprit is at the wholesale level.
 
It has not been that long yet so it may take longer for gas prices to snake through the distribution system before prices drop. Given that price stickiness occurs at the wholesale level, I have to believe that WalMart, never shy about beating its suppliers to a pulp, will do so to wring out the excess prices. If they don't Tarjay will and so on and so forth. Companies have also known to reduce the size of a package as a sleight of hand.
 
Want some price movement? Write WalMart, Target, Publix and Kroger and remind them that you expect to see some downward price action given lower gasoline prices. If enough folks mobilize and do this, it can affect their behavior. Then, shop with your feet.

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="aleonard">Are you guys also cutting down on trips, clipping more coupons, sticking to the list and buying seasonally, instead of what you might want? These are somethings I&#039;m trying as well as setting out a menu for the week and making sure of what I have on hand before shopping.</blockquote> 
I have been clipping trips and cutting down on coupons. 
 
I personally cannot deal with coupons. I used to collect those Arby coupons and soon I was eating roast beef sandwiches ten times per week. For me, the coupons cause me to buy some things I otherwise would not buy just to get the fifty cents off. :idontno: 
 
There was a comment about the price of gasoline being such an integral part of food prices and whether food prices will follow the downward trend of gasoline. The process is called price stickiness and is real. It has been studied by economists and the typical culprit is at the wholesale level. 
 
It has not been that long yet so it may take longer for gas prices to snake through the distribution system before prices drop. Given that price stickiness occurs at the wholesale level, I have to believe that WalMart, never shy about beating its suppliers to a pulp, will do so to wring out the excess prices. If they don&#039;t Tarjay will and so on and so forth. Companies have also known to reduce the size of a package as a sleight of hand. 
 
Want some price movement? Write WalMart, Target, Publix and Kroger and remind them that you expect to see some downward price action given lower gasoline prices. If enough folks mobilize and do this, it can affect their behavior. Then, shop with your feet.

Hi Everyone,

I am alarmed at recent price increases at the grocery stores. I'd like to write an article sharing stories of how consumers are coping. Please email me at [email]alicia@defuniakherald.com[/email] with your tips and thoughts on this issue. Please include a name and number in your email. Thanks!:wave:

AL

Hi Everyone, 
 
I am alarmed at recent price increases at the grocery stores. I&#039;d like to write an article sharing stories of how consumers are coping. Please email me at <a href="mailto:alicia@defuniakherald.com">alicia@defuniakherald.com</a> with your tips and thoughts on this issue. Please include a name and number in your email. Thanks!:wave: 
 
AL

Keeping Grocery Bills down...article. Help please!

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