If you have NOT found it hard to manage grocery prices, what are you buying where?

[Anonymous]

Man, I'd like to stop eating processed foods but my kids and husband loooove cereal and snacks. They would not tolerate going cold turkey.

This week our oven is broken so I can't be too ambitious, but we ordered only what we need for the week from Aldi and spent $115 for four people. Planning on one tofu and vegetable dish, one dish with paneer, one homemade pizza night (using outdoor pizza oven), and one red beans and rice with sausage from the freezer. May also encourage my kids to eat the free school breakfast on days they like what's on offer, because usually I bake them stuff.

[Anonymous]

We’re buying more groceries because we’re eating out less. I get a lot of packaged food from Vitacost when they have 20% off or just buy sales in bulk if I see them. Going straight to website now to buy my favorite bulk tea and other specialty bulk. But, mostly buy fruit/veg and some meat/beans. Rotate between WF, Mom’s, TJ, and Wegmans.

[Anonymous]

We increasingly buy from Lidl, except for meat. Meat we buy from Giant or Safeway, but we eat meat only when it is on sale; too expensive otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Not eating out.

No more snacks at traditional grocery stores like Safeway or Giant. Costco only.

No more beef.

Stocking up on non perishable items because there is going to be food shortages and it won't be pretty.

[Anonymous]

What makes you think there will be food shortages?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've shifted completely away from Safeway or Giant, who seem to be straightforwardly price gauging. For things like milk, eggs, sourdough bread, and cheese, I'm honestly paying less than I had in years by shopping at Aldi. But I don't like their produce.

Same here. I buy some things at organic groceries or trader joes, and other basics at Aldi. I avoid Safeway/Giant as much as possible. They key is, when I do shop Safeway, I buy multiples of items that can only be purchased there. Like brand name soups and seasoning packets, goldfish, and dog food.

[Anonymous]

We've been on one income since July while my husband job hunts. I've been doing trader joes. I meal plan for the week so I don't go rouge on my grocery list and find various meal plans online that are budget friendly...$60 trader Joe meal plans etc. We also do one to two meatless days. My lunch is leftovers. It's the snacks for the kids that really ups the bill right now so I try to keep those reasonable. It's tough though, prices are insane and rising. I started being extra mindful in June when things weren't looking good for my husband's job and the prices have steadily creeped up. In June I could feed my family of 4 at $110-150ish and now it's $200 for the same things I was buying then. We have stopped eating out completely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We've been on one income since July while my husband job hunts. I've been doing trader joes. I meal plan for the week so I don't go rouge on my grocery list and find various meal plans online that are budget friendly...$60 trader Joe meal plans etc. We also do one to two meatless days. My lunch is leftovers. It's the snacks for the kids that really ups the bill right now so I try to keep those reasonable. It's tough though, prices are insane and rising. I started being extra mindful in June when things weren't looking good for my husband's job and the prices have steadily creeped up. In June I could feed my family of 4 at $110-150ish and now it's $200 for the same things I was buying then. We have stopped eating out completely.

Ugh I'm sorry OP. I'm prepping for job loss (fed in a targeted area) and also trying to be really careful. We used to stock up on pantry items as soon as we ran out of them, now I'm putting off replacing them until they're part of a specific meal plan. Kids are also getting generic brand snacks from Aldi, they prefer the name brands but too bad right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What makes you think there will be food shortages?

Yeah if prices are up, then less is being bought, causing prices to continue to go up due to excess, then massive sell offs, and market corrections.

[Anonymous]

What do you all think is a reasonable weekly grocery budget per adult/teen? (Not little kids.)

The goal is to eat healthy and minimize processed foods. Largely vegetarian and organic. I don't have the time to go to lots of stores each week deal hunting.

I'm curious what others think is a reasonable goal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What makes you think there will be food shortages?

Yeah if prices are up, then less is being bought, causing prices to continue to go up due to excess, then massive sell offs, and market corrections.

Different poster. As long as prices aren't capped, there will not be food shortages but there will be more people going hungry.

[Anonymous]

If the farm workers strike because of continuing ICE harassment, we will have food shortages.

[Anonymous]

The inflation is impossible to manage, but I do basically eat the same ten ingredients, plus herbs, spices, and condiments, and only drink water, coffee, and tea. I think that helps. It’s still expensive though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the farm workers strike because of continuing ICE harassment, we will have food shortages.

Stop giving billions of dollars of food to other countries for free, and use it here. Prices would crash though if they did that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Grow 10% of our food - eggs, fruit, vegetables
Make 25% of our food - bread, yogurt, crackers, chips, applesauce, fruit leather
Cook 85% of our meals

Shop at Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Costco and part of a CSA

You aren't very good at math are you?

Seems fairly obvious that some of these are ingredients in meals, doesn't it?

I'd actually be surprised that a household that produces their own eggs, fruit, and vegetables (probably not in the DMV unless you eat apples all year?) still buys 15% of meals outside the home.

I should have clarified that's the rough breakdown over a year. And we do live in the DMV area so we tend to have less homegrown produce in the winter (still have an indoor garden for avocados, citrus and lettuces/herbs year round) and so we eat out more in the winter

How are you growing avocados indoors??? Tell me more!