Groceries are going insane

[Anonymous]

You would be surprised if you leave the DC Metro area how much prices come down in food and consumables.

Ever hear of Sharp Shoppers grocery store?
.
BTW, if you have an upcoming expensive repair on a car and can limp along 150 miles away, you may find it's 1/2 the cost or less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You would be surprised if you leave the DC Metro area how much prices come down in food and consumables.

Ever hear of Sharp Shoppers grocery store?
.
BTW, if you have an upcoming expensive repair on a car and can limp along 150 miles away, you may find it's 1/2 the cost or less.

Yea this is true with everything really-and we are not even talking about “rural” areas. I used to live in Raleigh, NC which is obviously one of the more expensive areas of NC. I remember very clearly when I had to have a specific part replaced on my HVAC and it was $300. A couple years ago we had to have the very same part replaced here and it was $1600. Even accounting for different brands and inflation that is pure insanity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A dozen eggs is what, $5 now? Minimum wage is $12.41. About 20% of workers in Virginia earn less than $20 an hour. Imagine working for 30 minutes just to buy a dozen eggs.

Eggs at Aldi are $0.99/dozen. You can always tell who in these threads is just pushing an agenda and doesn’t actually do their own grocery shopping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A dozen eggs is what, $5 now? Minimum wage is $12.41. About 20% of workers in Virginia earn less than $20 an hour. Imagine working for 30 minutes just to buy a dozen eggs.

Eggs at Aldi are $0.99/dozen. You can always tell who in these threads is just pushing an agenda and doesn’t actually do their own grocery shopping.

This is simply not true. Checked at Aldi today, eggs range from $2.59 to $5.05 a dozen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can we talk about the Costco in Arlington/Pentagon City?

First, I think they rearranged it so it has fewer shelves.

Second, their coffee prices seem to have doubled.

Anybody else notice this?

Coffee prices at Costco tripled thanks to tariffs.

Futures prices have about doubled since last year--tariffs are probably not the primary cause here.

Tariffs plus reduction in production due to climate shifts.

The only thing you can do is stop buying that expensive food or beverage item and train yourself to eat / drink something else.

But... coffee is really not that expensive? Kirkland French Roast whole bean is under $10/lb. That's like $20/mo for most of us (assuming you and a spouse drink coffee and your kids don't). This is just not a budget-buster item and I suspect it's only being raised in this thread to make hay. Ground beef prices are probably a better example but since there is no tie in that price increase to the Trump election, just a slow ratcheting upward since the pandemic, it's not interesting to DCUM.

Actually, it’s $11.50 a pound. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You would be surprised if you leave the DC Metro area how much prices come down in food and consumables.

Ever hear of Sharp Shoppers grocery store?
.
BTW, if you have an upcoming expensive repair on a car and can limp along 150 miles away, you may find it's 1/2 the cost or less.

Yea this is true with everything really-and we are not even talking about “rural” areas. I used to live in Raleigh, NC which is obviously one of the more expensive areas of NC. I remember very clearly when I had to have a specific part replaced on my HVAC and it was $300. A couple years ago we had to have the very same part replaced here and it was $1600. Even accounting for different brands and inflation that is pure insanity.

Yeah,
But is food at the supermarket that much cheaper ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You would be surprised if you leave the DC Metro area how much prices come down in food and consumables.

I was shocked by grocery prices when we moved here from southern VA. Same items were much more expensive here across the board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Onions aren’t in season unless they’re spring onions- buy in season and freeze or put in your root cellar in some sand. Also don’t buy 3 individual onions buy 5-10 lb.

If I don't use very many onions, that just means that I will end up throwing out rottens ones. Is that preferable?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A dozen eggs is what, $5 now? Minimum wage is $12.41. About 20% of workers in Virginia earn less than $20 an hour. Imagine working for 30 minutes just to buy a dozen eggs.

Eggs at Aldi are $0.99/dozen. You can always tell who in these threads is just pushing an agenda and doesn’t actually do their own grocery shopping.

What? No. I am a consistent aldi shopper and this isn't true. They're about a 2.50 right now but a few months ago they were more like 3-4. When was the last time YOU did your own grocery shopping? 2005?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I shop in bulk and I shop from Costco and from ethnic markets.

The fact that I can cook from scratch, I can cook many different cuisines, and I am familiar with many different kinds of ingredients allows me a lot of flexibility. My friends comment on the veggies I buy from ethnic stores because they have never seen or tasted it, let alone cook it.

Shopping at various ethnic markets to save money is not realistic for working parents with kids.

[Anonymous]

i’m in Loudoun County and shop at the Asian groceries and costco exclusively for my family of 4 (inc two teens) and sons $150/wk on groceries at the Asian stores and $200/mo iat Costco. The only items i get at costco are bakery bread, Milk, Eggs and Meat. We eat all meals at home (inc packing lunches) except on Fridays we order Pizza.

Considering we eat on average each meal for $2.36, I’m not complaining. We eat very well, lots of fresh vegetables and moderate amounts of meat. We are not over weight and have excellent metabolic labs. We make time for food. Sundays involve a lot of meal prep and we don’t waste. We have always ate a wide range of foods so our kids are not picky and we aren’t roped into expensive processed foods. We do have a deep freezer which is helpful for items we make in bulk and freeze such as bone broth, marinara, curry bases, meats that go on sale (such as very cheap turkey after Thanksgiving and cheap beef rib roast at Giant after christmas)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A dozen eggs is what, $5 now? Minimum wage is $12.41. About 20% of workers in Virginia earn less than $20 an hour. Imagine working for 30 minutes just to buy a dozen eggs.

Eggs at Aldi are $0.99/dozen. You can always tell who in these threads is just pushing an agenda and doesn’t actually do their own grocery shopping.

Really? I need to go to Aldi. I get 36 eggs for $7 at BJs and thought that was cheap.

[Anonymous]

I spend similar to the PP above ($800/month) including all paper goods and toiletries...it's still more than it used to be. Pre-covid we were getting by on $500 month. Part of it is that my kids are older and eat more, but food definitely costs more. Even in ethnic markets and Costco.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You would be surprised if you leave the DC Metro area how much prices come down in food and consumables.

I was shocked by grocery prices when we moved here from southern VA. Same items were much more expensive here across the board.

I recently was in a Publix in RVA. It was so nice, and so much cheaper than nothing here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Onions aren’t in season unless they’re spring onions- buy in season and freeze or put in your root cellar in some sand. Also don’t buy 3 individual onions buy 5-10 lb.

If I don't use very many onions, that just means that I will end up throwing out rottens ones. Is that preferable?

Be like a normal person and plan your meals around the ingredients on sale, and plan to use up the cheaper options. Plus a bag of onions lasts like 2 months.

No one feels sorry for anyone complaining about the price of pomegranates and dragonfruit! Some of you are SO out of touch. Food prices for staples are the same as pre-Biden now. If you want expensive, out of season, organic stuff, you pay more and no one feels sorry for you.