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

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!

I bought beer. :roll:

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

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!

I bought beer. :roll:

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

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.

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

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!

I bought beer. :roll:

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

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).

Mayo has oil in it, right? Blame Exxon.

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).

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

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.

buy duke's @ sam's!

Maybe we need to start a food co-op. -

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

Grand blvd Publix was sold out of $2.99 Dukes..I really enjoy it when they are the low price leader

Good topic aleo. This is probably the article you were referring to:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081019/ap_on_bi_ge/sticky_prices_4

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.

Will someone please explain to me how the two biggest expenses after housing - food and energy - are exempted from this index? 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:
http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20081008_tows_tips

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!).

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.

Will someone please explain to me how the two biggest expenses after housing - food and energy - are exempted from this index?

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 long-term trend of inflation.

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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. 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'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. But I resisted...

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.

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.

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!..


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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I agree. From what I've read, it's not the downward cost of gas, but the competition. If one store lowers their prices, then the rest will follow.

My biggest suggestion for keeping costs down and which I am hoping to implement: Eat only as many calories as you need to maintain a healthy weight. This would halve my grocery bill at a minimum.

As with most things in our budget these days, we are cutting non-essential items. (less ice cream for hubby, less gourmet products, etc)

Also, we are trying to set a menu for the week and therefore, buying only what we will need. We have virtually cut out the mid-week trips to the store. Instead, we are making do with what we have. Which means, maybe preparing a dinner that we aren't dying to have. (even cereal or eggs for dinner) It's just me and hubby at home, so it has been easier for us to make some of these changes.

A few months ago, we were trying to prepare meals that we thought would be especially pleasing. Now, we are preparing meals that are nutritious, but taking out some of the pomp and circumstane. Our budget is not as tight as some, but we fear that will change. We are diligently trying to make concious changes that will eliminate much of the waste we were accustomed to.

Now that it's getting cooler, I'm making soups, pasta sauce, and things that don't require individual portions (like a stir-fry) and can be stretched. I'm cutting back on buying individual bottles/cans of soft drinks, water, Gatoraide, etc. If I see an item that I might not need that week but that I normally buy and it is on sale, I'll stock up. Publix has had a buy-one-get-one-free promotion, so I am taking advantage of that. I am buying more house brands because in most cases, they're just as good as the name brands.

As far as trips to the store, I'm still bad about planning ahead because I never know what I'll be in the mood for. I hate to buy fresh produce and see it spoil because I was too tired/lazy to prepare it. Thus my multiple trips to the store. Thankfully it is only three miles away, so it doesn't take much time or gas.

We do eat ramen, but we doctor it up with fresh broccoli or whatever veggies we have left from doing stir-fries.

I try to avoid buying snack foods.

I am becoming my parents!!! I remember endless days of funky one pot dinner combinations. I could not for the life of me figure out where they came up with these recipies....or WHY. Now I get it. I open the pantry and the freezer and say hmmmm, egg noodles, hamburger, peas, cheese....looks like dinner to me, throw it all in one pot!
I had a friend in college who instituted "any two can night." Close your eyes, open the cabinet, pull out two cans and dump them in a pot. If you were lucky you got field peas and tomatoes. If not, spinach and corn.

As a kid we ate Rice a Ruger on a weekly basis. It was a recipe from our daycare teacher. Rice, some kind of Chunky brand soup and some butter. The rice extended the soup to fill all 7 bowls at the table.

While studying Anthropology at App State, I did a project on poverty and diet. If money is tight, dinners become "whiter", more starch, more processed with less vitamins and minerals and protein. Fresh vegetables are usually the first item to be scratched from the grocery list, along with low fat meats and inexpensive but rib sticking fillers are added to stretch the meal. Carts start filling up with potatoes, white rice, and noodles. Cans of green beans and corn replace fresh broccoli, zucchini, apples, grapes. You get the picture.

Let me go on record here and now and state that we will NEVER eat Hamburger Gravy over toast (SOS) from dad's army days in Beruit.
Nor will I ever ever ever consider tuna and cream of mushroom over waffles (a recipe from a computer tech I worked for once)

I am using more of the recipes and food combining from my years as a vegetarian. The kids all love meat, they have to have protein so I am making more meals with combinations of beans and meat and veggies and whole grains to make things they will actually eat, that are healthy and don't require a lot of money spent on meat.

Nor will I ever ever ever consider tuna and cream of mushroom over waffles (a recipe from a computer tech I worked for once)

Okay, it's a half hour until lunch and I'm now craving Mom's tuna noodle casserole because of you.

Thanks.