Too freakin' expensive

[quest]

Okay, so I know that there are "reasons" for the high cost of many of the things we want/need/use today, but that doesn't make the price tag any easier.

So what items are dipping into your wallet more often than you'd like?

For me, the items I've noticed as more spendy lately include:

- gasoline (duh)
- milk (close to $4/gallon lately...wtf?)
- eggs (a dozen eggs used to be on sale for way under $1...not any more!)
- toilet paper (wtf is up with this?)
- lettuce
- bananas

I'm sure there are more, but these are the items I buy regularly that are really putting a dent in my budget.

So how about you?

[1_mommy]

the biggest one that really is killing us, GAS!

[KiKi'sMommy]

- Gas
- Toilet paper (I meean seriously..why is it so expensive?)
- Pop (Soda)
- Fruit in general

We actually solved the milk thing by buying local from a dairy that is always 3.75 per gallon. I usually buy about 5 gallons and freeze it for later.

[LilMarty]

I've noticed those things as well...

Milk at my local Safeway is $3.99 gallon or 2 for $7. Target was $3.99 too but I noticed over the weekend it is now $4.19. I am guessing that Safeway will go up shortly

Bananas were $.49 lb and now are $.59 lb

Bread... I buy the store brand, it was $.99 a loaf and is now $1.18

[petdoc08]

cereal. I love the stuff but it is getting way to expensive.

[EJH]

Gas
Milk, actually ALL the groceries we're buying these days, I'm easily spending $30/week than just a few months ago. Ridiculous.

[jennylou]

Gas
Groceries

[Ericka_Jarett]

Gas majorly

milk is too pricey anymore at almost $4 a gallon

Eggs at the grocery store were over $2 now they dropped to 1.79 at Target they were 1.88 when the grocery store was over $2.

Bananas last time I looked were still $.49 a lb

Mushrooms - grocery store wants $2.19 the local Asian market is .99 the same size package.

bagged onions - not sure the grocery store price, think they were $2, at the Asian market they had then 2 bags for $.99 the next day they had then for $.99 a bag

cereal - grocery store is selling some for 5 for $10 (Kelloggs brand) and Target is usually cheaper than the grocery store as well.

[karlatta]

Same as everyone else has posted - gas, milk, eggs.

[PinkMartini]

Gas (it costs us over $100 to fill our truck up now)
Milk (it's over $5/gallon now)

[KiKi'sMommy]

The only good thing I can think of about the groceries being so high is that maybe it will cause people to consider buying locally.

[jajacobsen]

The only good thing I can think of about the groceries being so high is that maybe it will cause people to consider buying locally.

And to buy seasonally. We all have become so used to being able to have whatever fruit or veg we want at any time of the year, which is really eco-unfriendly in terms of transportation costs, etc and really, not even the healthiest way to eat. To get a full nutritional complement, it is a good idea to change your diet with the seasons.

[Delta]

Yeah, I just joined a CSA (after "thinking" about for years) and I'm excited about getting all the seasonal, fresh produce.

[pixiecat]

yeah, gas. ouch.

and orange juice, although I understand this one. I call bullshit on cereal though! There is no reason for that to be so $$!

[Southlooper]

I read in the NYT a few weeks ago that the rise in bread/wheat products was due to a world wide wheat shortage. The price of rice has gone up due in part to the Australian rice crop failure.

I am hoping when we finally move into a new place there will be room for a vegetable garden.

[anemone]

The price of wheat has gone up because of biofuels, along with a lot of other basic crops that are used for biofuels as well.

We are in a drought in Australia (that has lasted around 7-8 years) and our fruit and vegetable prices have skyrocketed, along with meat, milk and eggs. Honestly, groceries in the US are so much cheaper than the rest of the world (and I can say that because I lived in England, and the cost there was higher than Australia at that stage).

Last year there was a hurricane that wiped out a large portion of Australia's banana plantations. We were paying US$7 a pound for bananas.

[jennylou]

I've been buying seasonally for years. I grow my own garden in the summer and for the produce I don't grow, try to buy on the roadside farmers stands - still, the prices hurt.

I can't get bananas locally and they've gone up to .54 per pound here. I just quit buying them, despite DD loving them. I also can't get any citrus fruits locally, so I don't buy them that often, which is a shame, because I love them. :( Oh, well, at least watermelon will be in season before long. :)

[Kanga]

I call bullshit on cereal though! There is no reason for that to be so $$!

Same as everything - it has corn and/or wheat in it.

[penybryn]

Definitely meat. Four boneless chicken breasts used to be about $5.50 and are now easily 9.00. I thought about more fresh veggies to supplement that but those are sky high too.

I'm going to try my hand at a garden this summer. Squash, zucchini, tomatos, beans, cucumbers and a pumpkin.

Gas? Don't even talk about it. And I have the pleasure of teaching a teenager to drive this summer. Ouch....

[kdotp]

Same as everything - it has corn and/or wheat in it.
And the fuel costs to truck it everywhere. We have both Quaker Oats and General Mills factories in our city, so I haven't noticed cereal costs as much (plus I always buy generic).

[Adaya]

Of course gas. Makes me wanna learn how to ride a bike (I know, I know) and get to work that way. And bread. Luckily I don't like it that much, but DH sure does.

[shopaholic]

Mainly gas. Thankfully I have a 4 cyl. so I don't have to gas up that often.

[PinkMartini]

The only good thing I can think of about the groceries being so high is that maybe it will cause people to consider buying locally.

Unfortunately some of us aren't able to buy 'locally.' I live in a very rural place without any type of farmers markets, roadside stands, ect. From what I've seen here, the only place to get groceries/food is the store :( There are cattle farms around but I wouldn't even know how to go about buying meat from one of them :confused:

[ShamrockBride]

Gas
milk
veggie oil
bread
dh says beer

[Kimberland30]

Definately gas, but I don't drive much so I only fill up maybe once a month. But still. DH has a Suburban and I hate having to get it filled.

Razor refill cartridges. Jeez already! Why the f*ck are they so expensive?

Toilet paper. If you see how many sheets you are getting for the money, it's ridiculous. We go through a lot of TP in our house, and I'm forever buying 18 packs of double rolls. I started checking the sheet count per roll and figuring that into the cost. The super plush stuff is nice (like Charmin), but for a different brand that is still good (Angel Soft), I can get about 5 extra "rolls" because of the sheet count for the same price.

[pickles]

Yes, gas and food are much more expensive. :( Unforunatly, these are things people need to buy often. Walmart will match other stores prices in their current ads. This is a help to me, I go through the ads and write down what I am interested in. I just show the ads to the cashier and it really saves money.

I have an old Sears catalog I saved from 1993, it was the last one. The price on electronics and computers have really fallen in the past 15 years, it's amazing how expensive they were. However, people don't have to buy new TVs or video cameras every week!

[Ohana]

I haven't noticed prices going up per se, but I have noticed that items like chicken breasts that used to go on sale for 1.99 all the time is only on sale once a month or so these days. Our food budget has always been extremely tight and my goal is to spend less than $70 per week for the 4 of us. I'm still able to meet that goal, but I have to be much more organized about stocking up when I see items we use regularly on sale.

[yby1]

I mainly notice gas prices, $4.00 for 87 octane per gallon is no joke.

bread and milk is where I notice a steep difference as well.

[phoenics]

GAS.

I'm about to purchase a nice bike. When I was in Italy last week, everyone had a scooter or a nice bicycle. With baskets. I decided I was going to get one just so I could get around that way. I just hope I don't get hit by a car or anything, lol. Need to look up the biking rules. But I don't live too horribly far from a small downtown area of my neighborhood and I'm basically around the corner from the grocery store. I'm going to try to either walk or bike to those places if possible.

Food/grocery products are also expensive. And hygiene products too (bath soaps, gels, lotions and other). Makeup has gone up - so glad I rediscovered Wet and Wild.

Eggs and Milk have shocked me for quite some time. And fruit! Goodness. I've decided to purchase more produce from the farmer's market every Friday. Of course, this means I have to plan menus on the fly, but eh... that's what other places in the world do... seems like a good skill to learn.

[sparkle&shine]

I have noticed that banana's are at $.67 lb around here when you used to be able to get them for $.33 lb.

All the dairy products have really gone up like Cheese and milk.

[BumbleB]

gas, toilet paper, cereal is always outrageous, Grapefruit here have gone up at least $1 this winter - that's a lot for one piece of fruit.

And to top it off I live in a tiny town where there is no real true Grocery store, so anytime I need anything in between big shopping trips I get seriously gouged! :mad:

[am_81]

$1.99 for chicken breasts?!?!? Obviously I'm way out of touch with "normal"/US prices, because I just bought a 1 lb package a couple nights ago for $8 without batting an eye. :eek:

Things are already expensive here (like 1 roll of paper towels for $3 expensive); I hate to see how much the prices are going to climb over the next few months. DH and I decided long ago to stop actually looking at the prices here and just accept that no matter what we do or what we buy, every bag of groceries costs $50. I'm guessing we'll be up to $60/bag soon.

[ManteoChik]

Everything.

I live in an area where everything is super expensive. Housing, groceries, gas, pretty much everything. I agree with what others posted, we've stopped looking at the prices because you need most of the stuff.

I have been trying to cut out things like milk, eggs, fruit. These are things that I don't eat a lot of and I find when I buy it I eat a little bit and it goes to waste. I try to get the "goodness" of those foods from something else.

Gas is another biggie for me. I drive A LOT for work, and so that sucks. In fact, we had to raise the price of our shoots this year because we meet our families at their rental cottage (which can be up to 1 hr away, each way) and the gas prices keep going up.

[jimmysgirl424]

Other than the usual suspects already mentioned here numerous times, I have to agree with whoever said soda. I don't drink the stuff, but DH does. It used to go on sale regularly; 5 twelve packs for $10. At least once a month I could get it at that price, sometimes more often. And now its 4 twelve packs for $11. Actually, yesterday I saw it "on sale", 4 for $12. Give me a break.

Gas is now up to $3.35 for 87 octane in my area. Its costing me well over $36to fill the tank of my Dodge Neon. :(

[tenofcups]

Gas is the only one that I'm aware of. I imagine all the other things have gone up here too, but I never knew how much eggs were to begin with so I don't know if/when it goes up.

The only thing that recently astonished me was that I bought a cup of regular coffee and a bottle of water at Starbucks in the Charlotte airport -- $8 and change :rolleyes:. But that's just price gouging, plain and simple, and if I wanted my water for the plane, that's what it was going to cost.

[KiKi'sMommy]

I hate how much I have to pay for trash bags too. I don't get it

[ThreeYell]

Airfare. It looks like we won't be going anywhere for less than $400/ticket for a while.

[hub1176]

am_81 OMG! $8.00!? I would have had a heart attack. But if I could say, easily get the beach from my house it would ease my pain;):)

I provide the food for my Day Care, and even with reimbursment from the government it's getting outrageous. The prices keep going up, but my reimbursment check is always the same :rolleyes: Luckily we save a bundle on gas with my short commute.

[laura]

I consider $7/lb "normal" for chicken here. I am sure you can get it for less, but if I pay less than $7, I consider that a good deal.

Gas is $3.89 here at the "cheap" places. I am not overwhelmed by the price of gas, so much as the speed at which it is rising. We filled up for $3.80 a few days ago, and later that same day it was $3.89 when we drove by.

Um, I don't know what I consider too expensive. I rarely leave Target without spending $75 no matter what I buy. We did manage to get all our veggies for the week for less than $20 at the Farmer's Market last weekend - I thought that was pretty good. But then we went to Whole Foods and bought meat, so that pretty much negated any food savings. :rolleyes:

[krbb]

Gas is the only thing that I find to be high since I really can't shop around for it.

I'm not sure why the high prices of things like milk haven't come to my area, but I cannot imagine paying some of the prices for non-organic.

Chicken breasts are on sale for $1.99/lb at some grocery store almost every week.

Milk I can usually get for $2.50 a gallon.

I make my own bread, well the machine does, and noticed that the flour I buy has gone up about a dollar, still a lot cheaper to make then to buy it.

Pop Meijer usually has 24-packs on sale for less than $5.

[Lizard]

Yeah, DH and I were just going over our budget and can't believe how much more we're spending for groceries. 'Course, we have a daughter that's currently on a milk and eggs kick, she's gonna eat us out of house and home. :)

Funny about the buying locally thing, I do often buy at the Farmer's Market but I'm going to kick that into high gear this year... it doesn't open until May, though. I also found a brand new CSA farm that's really inexpensive for a full share, so I'm considering it.

We also joined Costco several months ago, and it seems that more and more things are becoming great buys there (if they weren't already). For example, even though their meat is high quality USDA Choice, I usually pass it over because of the price. Now, the price is right around the same as buying the lower quality stuff at the local grocery, so it's well worth it.

[Suzlywoozly]

I hate how much I have to pay for trash bags too. I don't get it

I know!!! I was just thinking that the other night when I ran into Safeway to buy them.

I would definitely have to say that gas is the biggest thing right now. Thankfully DH just got promoted and they gave him a company truck with a gas card.:D That just cut our gas bill by at least $300 a month.

I haven't really seen a price in soda like others have mentioned. In fact it was just on sale at Safeway the other day for buy 2 twelve packs, get 3 free. It was an awesome deal but what the hell am I going to do with all that soda?

[Dizzy]

I'll definitely echo noticing a rise in our grocery bill. We've had to raise our monthly grocery budget by $100. And that's just for two of us.

[Daisy]

Aside from gas, the only thing I've paid attention to and have noticed is my Product 19 cereal - $5/box! That seems nuts.

[laura]

I bought soda today at Safeway (for work) and it was buy three 2-liters, get 3 free. I think the price was $1.29 (?) each? I don't normally buy soda, so I have no clue if that is a good deal or not.

[jennylou]

laura - was it pepsi or coke products? If so, it was a great deal.

[laura]

It was Coke - coke, cherry coke, coke one, diet coke and sprite is what I bought a mix of.

[PinkMartini]

That was a very good deal! We pay at least $5.50 for a 12 pack of cans of Coke/Pepsi :( We've started buying the Shasta brand, but it's just not the same :(

[jennylou]

Yeah, great deal. Our sales have been 4/$5 on 2 liters of coke. Whoopdie doo.

[AlisonCO]

Groceries are #1 for me. Gas hasn't really been too much of an issue becasue I really don't drive much and DH expenses his gas for work. But groceries - holy moly. It seems like it is $10 more each week. I only have one kid wearing 1 diaper a day and we don't eat much meat and it is still really high. In particular I think that milk/dairy, bread/cereal and meat are so expensive - I have a second fridge/freezer that gets stocked when those go on sale but still. Plus in the winter I just have to splurge on some different veggies and fruits- I can only take so much broccoli and so many apples!

[Cocotte]

Gas and groceries.

[TracyDP]

Gas and groceries definitely. I feel extremely lucky to live in Oregon where I do. I can get all the fresh produce I need locally in the spring/summer/fall. Winter is a little more bleak for local produce so I try and only buy things that come from around here. Bananas are really the only thing I buy that is shipped in (and that would be the case any time of year). I'm almost salivating thinking of the melons, corn, pears, peaches, nectarines, peas...yummy. During the summer we have a big container of cut up melon in the fridge at all times. We probably consume at least 2 watermelons a week all summer.

I live in a fairly rural area and there is a farm down the road that sells brown eggs so I buy them there. It's only slightly cheaper than the grocery store, but worth it to get them locally and organically. Foster Farms chicken is local here and Costco sells it at a VERY reasonable price in vacuum sealed packs (3 packs of 2 breasts each and 3 packs of 3 breasts each) so I stock up when they have it. It's perfect to thaw out one pack for DH and I for dinner.

[Southlooper]

From today's New York Times:

INTERNATIONAL / AMERICAS | April 18, 2008
Across Globe, Empty Bellies Bring Rising Anger
By MARC LACEY
Global food prices are spiraling out of reach, sowing volatile levels of discontent and putting new pressures on fragile governments.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/world/americas/18food.html?ex=1209182400&en=3e8a729773aaf389&ei=5070&emc=eta1

[Delta]

So horribly sad. HORRIBLE. :(

Here, we have no reason to complain whatsoever compared to how it's hitting the poor around the globe.

[Anna Low]

Gas and food. We have one fuel efficent car and one SUV. Although the SUV doesn't get the worst mileage (20-22 on average) we have pretty much garaged it for the time being. We used to joke about getting Vespas to use around town. That might actually become a reality - at least for me. For the first time in my life, I will be planting a vegetable garden. A modified one - in containers on our deck. DH isn't so sure about the garden and thinks we should use the farmer's market instead, but the closest one to us is about 45 miles away. I don't want to use the gas. I have always packed our lunches for work - usually a Lean Cuisine and some other things - but the prices of those suckers have gone up by about $1.50 each. So lately I've been buying fewer and sending those with DH for his lunch. I make myself peanut butter sandwiches or bring leftovers just to see if I can reduce or cut out at least one of the weekly lunch item replenishing trips per month. We stock up on non-perishable things at the wholesale club and I try very hard to buy only store brand items if they are available.

Now, I know I sound like Captain Doomsday, but when your average weekly grocery bill goes from about $50 to nearly $90 for two people who don't eat out a lot, it starts to get kind of concerning. Aside from our Lean Cuisines, we don't eat a lot of processed foods which seem to be the only items that are discounted. There usually aren't coupons for broccoli and bananas!

[meganth]

This is the time for me that shopping at a place like Costco has started to make a lot of sense - especially for things like cereal, toilet paper and cheese.

It also makes me glad i don't drink milk, because it would seem buying bulk soy milk is way cheaper and it doesn't spoil as quickly.

[jennylou]

anna - what are you eating? I feed a family of three for under $300 per month - including all toiletries, etc. Now, this is up - I used to be able to do this on $60 per week ($240 per month). We eat very little processed foods, but I don't buy fresh veggies unless they are in season (instead, I buy frozen). I buy meat only when it's on sale. I buy my toiletries when I have a coupon and they are on sale. Again, it's still up from what it was a year ago, but I can't imagine spending $90 a week on three people, let alone two. I guess we'd be eating more fresh veggies, instead of frozen. :)

[Aimee]

Airfare. It looks like we won't be going anywhere for less than $400/ticket for a while.

I think the airfare issue is not just the fuel prices, but that our airport isn't exactly a hub. It's hard to get anywhere out of NOLA (except for NYC on JetBlue).

[Anna Low]

Jennylou, I think that could be a difference. We eat a lot of salad, fresh vegetables (raw, steamed, roasted or grilled) and fresh fruit (bananas, apples, grapes or whatever looks decent) at night and on the weekends. We don't buy a lot of meat - maybe one item a week. I'm not good at shopping seasonally for my produce, but I have started doing it more than before, which before was never. I'm hoping that if I can make a few simple changes, we can still eat the way we like but save a bit of money.

[jimmysgirl424]

I just read this gem from the article that Southlooper posted above. It bears posting here:

The Poor Eat Mud

In Haiti, where three-quarters of the population earns less than $2 a day and one in five children is chronically malnourished, the one business booming amid all the gloom is the selling of patties made of mud, oil and sugar, typically consumed only by the most destitute. “It’s salty and it has butter and you don’t know you’re eating dirt,” said Olwich Louis Jeune, 24, who has taken to eating them more often in recent months. “It makes your stomach quiet down


I think I'll quit complaining for now. :(:(

[jeepgirl]

Its true that we should not be complaining here in the U.S. compared to the rest of the world. On top of having probably the most of any country, we probably waste the most too.

OTOH, I don't think its wrong to be upset about the increasing prices on some things. I think back to what the Boston Tea Party was all about, well, I guess it was about unfair taxation, but you get my point. I realize that as time goes on due to inflation some things are bound to increase in price, but, some things you just wonder if they aren't gouging us just because they think they can!

As for gas. We have one gas economical car and one that's not. We drive the economical one for any real distance. My DH brought it with him when I married him! :) I'm the one with the ridiculous gas mileage, so I only drive my car the 5 miles to and from work, and also we use it to drive to the beach (its a wrangler, and if you have one, well, it would be a sin not to put the top down and use it to go to the beach if you have one!). Other than that we drive his 2 door honda.

I'm glad we drink soy milk and make bread in our bread machine and wish we had land for a garden. We do have a nice sized balcony so maybe we can do something with that?

I've thought cereal and toilet paper were ridiculous prices for a looooong time now. I don't see those prices as being any worse than they were for the last few years, but I could be wrong.

[KiKi'sMommy]

What is sad to me is that eating healthier seems to mean spending more on groceries. Since my DH was diagnosed with diabetes, we have changed our eating habits and we buy more fresh products. I also have to buy lower calorie, lower carb bread, which is WAY more than the store brand. It has always bothered me that unhealthy, processed foods are so much cheaper than healthy food.

[ManteoChik]

What is sad to me is that eating healthier seems to mean spending more on groceries. Since my DH was diagnosed with diabetes, we have changed our eating habits and we buy more fresh products. I also have to buy lower calorie, lower carb bread, which is WAY more than the store brand. It has always bothered me that unhealthy, processed foods are so much cheaper than healthy food.

This too drives me CRAZY! When we started doing WW, we completely changed our eating habits. All the foods we used to love to eat were not only cheap but no so great for you. When we made the switch to Fat Free or Low Calorie products we almost doubled how much we spend at the grocery store.

It really sucks that society wants us to be so health conscious but it costs out the ass to eat healthy. Unfortunately, we live in an area where we just don't have access to all the great places to shop. Before CC, I'd never even heard of a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's (still never seen either). Our grocery stores consist of Food Lion and most recently, Harris Teeter - but we are still forced to pay their prices since there is no way to shop around. Just last summer they started a farmers market downtown but its REALLY small and I do buy homemade bread and some fruits/veggies there.

[TracyDP]

Baby food. I just went shopping and the organic baby food I buy used to be .69 and today it was .75 a jar. I make some of my baby food, but there are some things that are not as easy to make. I also like having some around to grab and take to grandmas or if I forgot to thaw some out.

[ivansbabe]

Maybe it's just the type I buy but fairly good quality pet foods cost quite a bit too. I just spent $90 on food that will last a month :( I'm hoping better food means less vet bills down the road?

[imagirliegirl]

Spa services. Seriously. I got my eyebrows waxed yesterday and it was $20! Give me a break!! I swear every time I go it costs more.

[zayt]

"We drive, they starve" is the summation of the shift of the North American grain harvest into ethanol plants. More than 240 kilograms of corn - enough to feed one person for a year - is required to produce 100 litres of ethanol, enough to fill the tank of a modern four-wheel-drive.

Copied from http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/we-fill-our-tanks-while-they-cant-fill-their-stomachs/2008/04/18/1208025479320.html

Seriously, people in the US cannot be complaining about their cost of living. It is far cheaper than most other developed countries, and you are complaining about the cost of coke and waxing while people cannot afford to eat??

[imagirliegirl]

Seriously, people in the US cannot be complaining about their cost of living. It is far cheaper than most other developed countries, and you are complaining about the cost of coke and waxing while people cannot afford to eat??

Oh please.

Just because there are people in the world who are poor doesn't mean we should feel awful about every dime we spend and have NO right to ever complain about anything. Do you have electricity? Obviously, since you're online. Maybe you should feel guilty too.

I don't really think it's right to compare. Seriously, it is all relative. We aren't starving, but we can still complain about things that feel expensive to us. That doesn't make us bad people. It really pisses me off when people try to act like complaining about anything isn't acceptable. There will always be someone who has it worse. And for all you know, the same people who complain on a message board about what's expensive, since that is the topic, also do nice things for the less fortunate.

People have cancer. Does that mean you never complain about having a cold? Cause if you complain about such a silly thing as a cold...man, how dare you. :rolleyes:

[TracyDP]

"We drive, they starve" is the summation of the shift of the North American grain harvest into ethanol plants. More than 240 kilograms of corn - enough to feed one person for a year - is required to produce 100 litres of ethanol, enough to fill the tank of a modern four-wheel-drive.

I totally agree with this. Biofuels could be made from a LOT more sustainable things than corn, but the corn growers are a politically powerful lot. I looked at the new Clorox green cleaners but didn't buy them because they use corn-based ethenol. There are answers to most of our energy needs, but lobbying by the power/oil companies etc. will keep them from being used.


Seriously, people in the US cannot be complaining about their cost of living. It is far cheaper than most other developed countries, and you are complaining about the cost of coke and waxing while people cannot afford to eat??

Holier than thou much? I agree that in the great scheme of the world our standard of living is pretty much obscene, but if we want to bitch about the prices we pay for things that's our perogative. I lived in Guatemala for 2 years so I know how things are in third world contries, and it has affected how I live my life. Besides, we don't need to look any farther than the local freeway onramp to see people in just as much need as those in other countries. We can't even take care of our own. Anyway, I'll shut up since this is supposed to be a little more lighthearted thread than this.

[kindermom]

I think the two big things that shocked me of late was the sudden rise in decent whole wheat bread and eggs. Everything else was par for the course. But when all of a sudden bread went from $1.79 a loaf to $3.29 for store brand, I was shocked.

I think the upside is that so many people are reconsidering the waste they produce as well as buying their food in a more conscious way.

I personally try to buy local meat (which is cheaper and tastier and organic), produce in season from the farmers market, and try not to waste food as much. Even still I have seen my budget for 2 adults and 2 toddlers go from $250/month to closer to $350.

As a few people have pointed out, I am grateful that I am at least able to still live in the U.S. where food prieces are reasonable, all things considered. Compared to years ago as well as to other nations, we still pay very little for food as well as gas.

[zayt]

But I am not comparing the US to third world countries, I am comparing it to other developed countries. And the basics (bread, petrol, milk) are still far cheaper.

If you think your waxing (just using that as an example recently given) is expensive, don't do it. It is not a necessity and you will have more of your budget left over for stuff you do need. I am not saying 'go hairy and the starving nations of the world will be fed!' but I read people buying so much 'stuff' they really don't need, buying big guzzling ineffecient cars they don't need and yet complaining that they can't afford toilet paper. All that stuff is still cheaper in the US than most other countries, but everyone just buys so much they seem to have lost sight of what they really need to live on. And before you take that comment to the extreme, I mean 'live on' in a developed country. I pay more for my electricity than you do, but I consider that a necessity. If I go without electricity it doesn't feed more people. But if I turn a few lights off when I don't need them I have more money for things I do need.

And I am not saying anyone is a bad person (far from it), I just get this sense that people feel they deserve everything cheaply and now. And really, the US is pretty cheap as far as places to live go.

[miaclear]

Oh please.

Just because there are people in the world who are poor doesn't mean we should feel awful about every dime we spend and have NO right to ever complain about anything. Do you have electricity? Obviously, since you're online. Maybe you should feel guilty too.

I don't really think it's right to compare. Seriously, it is all relative. We aren't starving, but we can still complain about things that feel expensive to us. That doesn't make us bad people. It really pisses me off when people try to act like complaining about anything isn't acceptable. There will always be someone who has it worse. And for all you know, the same people who complain on a message board about what's expensive, since that is the topic, also do nice things for the less fortunate.

People have cancer. Does that mean you never complain about having a cold? Cause if you complain about such a silly thing as a cold...man, how dare you. :rolleyes:



AGREED! Seriously. I feel awful that there are people out there who have to live the way they do. But we live modestly and I have every right to be upset about the price of gas, bread and milk as anyone.

Now....back to the price of eating healthy. I REALLY hated it the multiple times I joined WW (yeah....I know) and they'd talk about how eating healthy is so much cheaper. I really DON'T know what planet they were living on.

[jennylou]

zayt - while other areas may be more expensive than the US, I am complaining. I'm complaining that my food budget is rapidly going out of control, as is my gas budget and yet our pay has NOT gone up. In fact, jobs around us seem to keep leaving. So, yeah, I'm complaining.

[zayt]

JennylouFair enough. Then maybe it is time to re-evaluate how you (general you) live.

If other areas are more expensive yet people seem to live ok there, what are they doing without that you need? This is a rhetorical question (kind of), but the economic downturn is a global issue yet only the US seems to be feeling the pinch so overtly. Is that because the US citizens are so used to having stuff?

[yby1]

JennylouFair enough. Then maybe it is time to re-evaluate how you (general you) live.

If other areas are more expensive yet people seem to live ok there, what are they doing without that you need? This is a rhetorical question (kind of), but the economic downturn is a global issue yet only the US seems to be feeling the pinch so overtly. Is that because the US citizens are so used to having stuff?


What makes you think other regions aren't feeling the pinch also? Of course they are! The USA is feeling the pinch more than EU because our currency is currently lower than theirs.

[jennylou]

JennylouFair enough. Then maybe it is time to re-evaluate how you (general you) live.

If other areas are more expensive yet people seem to live ok there, what are they doing without that you need? This is a rhetorical question (kind of), but the economic downturn is a global issue yet only the US seems to be feeling the pinch so overtly. Is that because the US citizens are so used to having stuff?

lol, I wish I was feeling the pinch because I was spending my money on "stuff". We live very modestly, thanks for asking. My 1994 paid for vehicle isn't exactly a status symbol.:p

[KristyK]

Well I'm not gonna complain....but I will tell everyone about a few great buys this week...

Albertsons has their boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $1.88 a pound here in FL. They have a whole bunch of stuff buy one, get one free. I spent $200 yesterday and that will probably feed us (2 people, one teenager! ) for about 2 weeks because the meat was so cheap.

We are savers, we don't worry about the cost of things. I buy what I want. No, we aren't rich, but I figure if I want something that I prefer/like then I'll have to put the money out there. I couldn't believe when some of you were talking about the price of chicken....I've been paying $5 - $6 a pound for ages, and never thought twice about it. I also only buy the leanest hamburger...why, because I don't like all that fat drippings! The only reason I even went there to buy groceries is because someone from work told me about it, and I remembered this thread! :D

So I won't complain, because I don't coupon clip, I don't care what it costs, as long as I have the money, I'll pay it. When we're short on cash, I just don't buy the luxuries, like weekend morning donuts, and pedicures. Waxing...nah, I'll just pluck, but a good foot spa and rub, along with fabulous toenails for a month......what the heck!! :D

[curlyjr]

ok, apparently I don't know how to grocery shop. DH and I spend over $100 on groceries per week for just the 2 of us. We don't get a lot of meat or fresh veggies or processed food, what the hell am i doing worng?

[hdewey]

My husband and i easily spend $200 a week in groceries. I don't think $100 is bad at all. Does the food last all week?

When we go someplace like Costco or the supercenter our bill runs $300 or more. That lasts a lot longer though.

[jennylou]

ok, apparently I don't know how to grocery shop. DH and I spend over $100 on groceries per week for just the 2 of us. We don't get a lot of meat or fresh veggies or processed food, what the hell am i doing worng?

hmmm, well what do you typically eat? Are you eating a ton of processed or pre made foods? I find that the more you get back to making the basics, and cooking from scratch the cheaper you can go. If you're willing to make your own bread, for instance, you will save. If you are willing to make your own cake mixes, pancake mixes, waffles, etc - you save money.

I only buy meat when I need it or it's on a great sale. So, if I plan my menu and say I'm having grilled chicken one day for the week and I go and chicken is not on sale, but I notice pork chops are - we eat pork chops as a substitute. I do plan my menus based upon the sales fliers we get, but will deviate if there is even better mark downs when I go (sometimes they have an abundance of a certain meat at just one location of a chain store and will thus lower the prices of that meat).

[Delta]

There are multiple factors putting pressure on commodity prices and food prices around the globe and yes, ethanol and biofuels are one of them. But the 2 biggest factors are increased demand for a western diet (ie more meat which means more grains required to feed the livestock) in developing countries as well as the increase in global fuel prices, specifically, diesel. In other words, if more people stopped eating meat they'd do better to help the poor and hungry than boycotting corn ethanol.

Of course, the mandates and subsidies for ethanol production both here and at the EU are the factors we can most control, but pulling back on the development of alternative fuels is not necessarily good long-term policy and could actually result in a further increase in fuel and energy prices (thus driving up costs of everything even further.) The current supply and future promise of ethanol and biodiesel does take pressure off of petroleum fuels. So, basically, there is a balance to be struck. The legislation that mandates ethanol use/production which passed last year puts a cap on the amount of land that can be used to grow corn.

Keep in mind also that corn ethanol is not the future but merely a bridge to the development of cellulosic ethanol, which will be much more efficient to produce once the infrastructure is up and running.

Also, the thing is since there is more money to be made by farming now after years of depressed prices there is a huge opportunity for the poor in places like Africa to create a sustainable industry for themselves. We just have to let that market and infrastructure develop lend our talent and technology to that end. Food prices are never going to be as cheap as they once were but that's not necessarily a bad thing in the long run.

[QueenDillyDally]

My husband and i easily spend $200 a week in groceries. I don't think $100 is bad at all. Does the food last all week?

When we go someplace like Costco or the supercenter our bill runs $300 or more. That lasts a lot longer though.

DITTO here! Don't feel bad. DH & I are vegetarian and we still spend about $120 - 140 per WEEK on groceries (just food, not the Target or Walmart run). It's crazy! And, we don't have to buy breakfast or lunch foods (because I get it free at work and he doesn't like to eat until dinner).

Our cart usually consists of:

a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables (I try to buy organic but can't always justify the cost)
soy milk
hummus
really good whole wheat bread (I refuse to skimp on bread)
Fair trade coffee
natural peanut butter -- for us and the dogs
baked tortilla chips (yeah, we don't NEED them)
ice cream (DH goes through TWO per week just by himself)
yogurt -- for me and the dogs
eggs/egg beaters
cheese - the good stuff
snack bars (FiberOne mostly)
some frozen meals for the weekdays (lean cuisines, boca burgers, pizza)
and whatever ingredients we need to make TWO fresh homemade meals on the weekends

Pretty pathetic. I know there is much room for improvement. But, we don't buy a lot of junk foods (other than the frozen foods and ice cream). And sure, we should look at buying generic brands. But, I figure, I want to be able to ENJOY what I eat and they sometimes do not compare in taste.

But, seriously, does ice cream really have to cost $4.00+ per 2 qt container???? That is ridiculous! Does anyone remember when the size of the ice cream was a full 1/2 gallon about 5 years ago? Well, the size of the container changed slightly and now they no longer sell 1/2 gallons. So, instead of 16 servings per container there are now 14 servings per container. When you have a husband like mine that goes through 2 containers per week, that really adds up! :rolleyes:

I agree, I shouldn't complain about the price of ice cream, because really it is not a necessity. But, the little things in life (like ice cream) are what makes us happy! :)

ETA: Actually, the ice cream containers are 1.75 quarts. I just looked at them today at the store.

[jennylou]

Try the big tub of the generic kind of icecream- it's usually around $5, but I noticed it was just under $6 this week (though, I was at a different store). I did buy it, but mainly because I'm going out of town and I'm stocking up junk for dh. ;) It keeps him out of the McDonald's line if I can make it cheap crap food (he'll be eating lots of mac n cheese I'm sure), but at least he'll be making it with skim milk. ;)

queendillydally - It sounds like you're buying a ton of fresh veggies - b/c duh, you're a vegetarian. ;) Are you buying the in season veggies or just whatever you sort of want (and that's not WRONG, lol), but if you're trying to trim your veggie bill, that's one way to do it.

[kindermom]

I think the key to saving money at the grocery store is to buy in season and buy on sale. Then you make your menu around the sales and season. So Queen Dilly Dally, I have been known to buy alot of ice cream when it is on sale for $3.00 or less. In fact, I can count on one hand the times I have paid full price for ice cream.

[QueenDillyDally]

Thanks jennylou and kindermom for the advice. I'll try to check out the sales more. But it's hard to plan ahead because I don't get the sale flyer from my grocery store. It is only available through the newspaper (which we do not subscribe to) or at the store itself.

I made the mistake today of going to the grocery without eating first. Thought I was doing pretty good, but obviously not because the bill rang up at $120 again. And, DH isn't even home this weekend to make "real" meals. :rolleyes:

As far as ice cream goes, the only ice cream that was $2.99 today (not on sale) was Hood. Our store has been really bad about any sales for ice cream lately. Thankfully, I gave up eating ice cream every night or else we would be broke!

[Rose]

Gas is the biggest one. I notice the price of milk but I don't buy it very often so it's not a big deal.

[HeatherH]

The cost of food and gas are killing us right now (it is just DH and I)! I even drive an old little 4-cyl. car that is paid off and gets ~30 mpg. We recently got rid of cable tv and a few other things to help. But still.... :(

ETA: I have a gas-guzzlin' Mustang that just sits in the garage because gas is too expensive! Have not been able to enjoy it for quite sometime.

[kdotp]

There are multiple factors putting pressure on commodity prices and food prices around the globe and yes, ethanol and biofuels are one of them. But the 2 biggest factors are increased demand for a western diet (ie more meat which means more grains required to feed the livestock) in developing countries as well as the increase in global fuel prices, specifically, diesel. In other words, if more people stopped eating meat they'd do better to help the poor and hungry than boycotting corn ethanol.

Of course, the mandates and subsidies for ethanol production both here and at the EU are the factors we can most control, but pulling back on the development of alternative fuels is not necessarily good long-term policy and could actually result in a further increase in fuel and energy prices (thus driving up costs of everything even further.) The current supply and future promise of ethanol and biodiesel does take pressure off of petroleum fuels. So, basically, there is a balance to be struck. The legislation that mandates ethanol use/production which passed last year puts a cap on the amount of land that can be used to grow corn.

Keep in mind also that corn ethanol is not the future but merely a bridge to the development of cellulosic ethanol, which will be much more efficient to produce once the infrastructure is up and running.

Also, the thing is since there is more money to be made by farming now after years of depressed prices there is a huge opportunity for the poor in places like Africa to create a sustainable industry for themselves. We just have to let that market and infrastructure develop lend our talent and technology to that end. Food prices are never going to be as cheap as they once were but that's not necessarily a bad thing in the long run.
Yes. There's an ethanol plant here that's making the switch from corn to other forms of cellulose (waste, stalks, etc...) and I'm very interested to see how it turns out. Right now the biodiesel industry is in a lull - plants are shut down and people are losing jobs because it's too expensive to buy the soybeans to make the biodiesel. However, the USDA estimates that soybean acres in the state will actually increase this year as compared to last year due to an increase in prices. Corn acreage will still be high. Farmers here *know* that corn-based ethanol is *not* the final answer, but right now they're taking advantage of it, which is what any smart business person would do.

[justHB]

Both of our cars take premium gasoline only - DH's gets great gas mileage but mine does not. Thankfully I'm only driving to the BART station so a tank of gasoline lasts me 2 weeks. We're wine snobs, so that's a huge expenditure for us. We've found lately that the grocery stores are starting to have great sales on some of the brands we love. In fact, we have to have a conversation with two of our wine clubs because the local Safeway has bottles we typically pay $24 for priced at $18.99 - regularly.

We're talking about joining a CSA. We need to find one that works with our schedule - most of them require pick-up before 6pm and we can't get home in time to meet the deadlines. Still, the prices and selection are great so I'm hoping we can make it work.

We've also stopped shopping at Whole Foods. I just couldn't justify one bag of groceries costing $90. We've started going to Costco now and freezing food so that it lasts longer.

[BusyBee21]

I am coming late to the thread b/c I have been out of town since Wednesday and my laptop died.

Pardon my ignorance, but what is a CSA that Delta mentioned?

Does anyone by organic milk for their kids? I spend $3.50 for a 1/2 gallon of organic milk on a weekly basis, and that's the cheapest I can find it. Costco doesn't sell organic whole milk, only skim milk, so I can't buy DS's milk there (although we DO buy all of our meat, paper and cleaning products there--saves us a ton).

Also, we invested in a food saver two Christmases ago, which has helped us stock up when meat is on sale--certainly seems to stay better in the freezer than with a regular freezer bag.

Ditto the crappy gas prices. I drove my parent's SUV this weekend b/c DS has too much crap for my small car and it was $4.10 a gallon for premium gas (the only kind I am allowed to put in there). Two tanks, $150. OUCH. :(

[Kanga]

I am coming late to the thread b/c I have been out of town since Wednesday and my laptop died.

Pardon my ignorance, but what is a CSA that Delta mentioned?

Does anyone by organic milk for their kids? I spend $3.50 for a 1/2 gallon of organic milk on a weekly basis, and that's the cheapest I can find it. Costco doesn't sell organic whole milk, only skim milk, so I can't buy DS's milk there (although we DO buy all of our meat, paper and cleaning products there--saves us a ton).



CSA = Community Supported Agriculture, I believe. Basically it's an independent farmer that sells 'shares' of their produce (here it's lots of veggies, some fruit, raw honey, maybe brown eggs, and spices). Every where is different but here the norm seems to be one share is 1 box every week for about 20 weeks during growing seasons, May through octoberish. They're usually use organic practices but aren't organic certified since it's an expensive process thus driving the prices up. Also, sometimes the farmer will let you work for part of a share. Say tomato season is coming towards and end and they don't want to go to the hassle of picking the last of the crops, so you do it, and in turn, keep the tomatoes.

A 1/2 gallon of organic milk runs about $3.25 here so $3.50 sounds about right. Honestly, I've just stopped buying it. Dd2 nurses and dd1 doesn't really like it. I keep a small amount on hand for cooking and that's about it.

[BusyBee21]

Thanks, Kanga!

I will look into that in our area, to see if it's even an option. We do have a farmer's market every Sunday that we try and get to more often.

I love milk, partly I think b/c I was allergic to it as a child and couldn't drink it until I was 9. We go through a half gallon of skim milk a week for the two of us, which I guess is not bad. It's cheaper than margaritas, that's for sure. :p

[kindermom]

BusyBee - We are currently paying $3.19 for a 1/2 gallon from a dairy that delivers it to our door. Our local Whole Foods and Trader Joe's both carry a gallon of whole milk for about $5.50 (versus $4.20 for regular milk).

If the dairy did not make things cheaper for us (no impulse shopping at the grocery), I would not be buying organic milk.

[1_mommy]

laundry detergent.

seems like the price is going up little by little, and they have made the bottles smaller, but claim it puts out the same amount of loads. I don't think they do, i used to buy laundry soap once a month, but it seems now that i buy every 2 weeks!

[PinkMartini]

Does anyone by organic milk for their kids?

Regular whole milk is expensive enough here ($5/gallon) I can't imagine what organic milk costs :eek:

[Kate&Joey]

We've also stopped shopping at Whole Foods. I just couldn't justify one bag of groceries costing $90. We've started going to Costco now and freezing food so that it lasts longer.

Gah, I stopped shopping at Whole Foods a few weeks ago to save $$$, but it really hasn't made much of a difference. :( I spent $80+ at Kroger this weekend and didn't even buy meat. I don't feel like groceries are that much more expensive than they used to be though...maybe it's just where I live?

I'm intrigued by this thread because it's amazing how food prices vary by region. I looked at the weekly ad and chicken breasts are $1.99 per pound; milk is $3.50 per gallon (that seems unusually high for my area); and Coke products are 3 12-packs for $11.00. If I buy meat, I buy organic/free-range, but even that is only about $6.00 per pound. I don't buy organic milk because DH's idea of a serving size is 3 or 4 cups :rolleyes: so we go through a gallon of milk too quickly. I only buy ice cream when it's on sale (see above for DH's inability to eat the appropriate serving size), but the sale price is $2.99 (Edy's brand) and it's almost always on sale.

[Winter Biscuit]

Does anyone by organic milk for their kids? I spend $3.50 for a 1/2 gallon of organic milk on a weekly basis, and that's the cheapest I can find it.

My local Super Target sells organic whole milk for $3.24 for 1/2 gallon. It's about $3.50 for 1/2 gallon at Meijer (local grocery store), although it occasionally goes on sale for $3.00. That's the cheapest I've seen it. I have not seen gallon-size organic milk in any of the stores I shop at. (We don't have Whole Foods or Trader Joes here.)

laundry detergent.

seems like the price is going up little by little, and they have made the bottles smaller, but claim it puts out the same amount of loads. I don't think they do, i used to buy laundry soap once a month, but it seems now that i buy every 2 weeks!

Are you sure you're using the right amount of detergent? It's true that the packages are smaller now; however, the main reason is because a lot of the soap is now concentrated. That means you can use less soap to wash the same number of loads as the bigger bottles of non-concentrated detergent. I've been buying the concentrated stuff for the last year or two, without the need to purchase laundry soap more often. I use about 1/3 capful of detergent to wash a load, vs. the old days of using a full capful.

[Ericka_Jarett]

I find my bottle of Purex laundry detergent that says 32 loads, comes pretty close to that many loads. I buy a bottle about 1 time a month. That's 1 load a day for a month, sometimes need it sooner if I am washing sheets and other items. It costs about $3.49 at Target.

Groceries truly are getting out of hand. One of the dad's of the twins group even said the same thing. My cart yesterday was not even full (maybe 1/2 -3/4) and it came to $100 and that was only for a few staple things and 2 or 3 things of meat. Since Easton eats normal food, don't need to buy baby food just yet for the girls. Milk is $3.73 a gallon though.

[kari]

Regular whole milk is expensive enough here ($5/gallon) I can't imagine what organic milk costs :eek:

I buy organic fat free milk and a gallon costs me $6.99, sometimes on sale for $5.99.

[Katie1]

Boneless chicken breast regulary goes on sale here for $1.99/ lb, so I stock up and freeze. Usually I buy about three weeks' worth and that lasts until it goes on sale again.

Our big ticket items are Coke and potato chips. DH goes through both at an alarming rate and is brand-loyal so no chance of saving with store brands. They both go on sale pretty often as well so I try to stock up, but even on sale it's expensive.

Other expensive items: baby wipes and diapers, peppers, and tomatoes (can't wait for the farmers' markets to start up again.)

[abbymac]

Oh my God I need a second mortgage if I ever want to buy Frosted Flakes again.

[Kimberland30]

Organic milk is pretty expensive here too. DD likes it so I told her she can buy it if she rather have that than regular 2% milk (which is about $3.50ish a gallon). She drinks whatever I buy. :)

We are going to start growing our own veggies and herbs. I can't believe how expensive herbs are at the store. And green peppers. Why the heck are those so expensive? I love stuffed peppers, but holy crap, it would be cheaper to go out to dinner!

[jimmysgirl424]

I will say that chicken breast goes on sale pretty regularly in my area, usually at least twice a month or more. $1.99 is standard sale price, but sometimes it can go as low as $1.88.

Has anyone mentioned coffee? I used to get it for around $7 a can (Folgers) and over the past year or two its gone up to over $10 a can when not on sale! :eek:

[ManteoChik]

Weight Watchers Ice Cream

Seriously, SO goes through those darn WW Cookies N' Cream bars like its going out of style. I've never seen a grown man eat so much WW ice cream. Those suckers are expensive (at least $7/box of 6) and he can easily eat 2 ice cream bars a day.

I don't buy them anymore. He travels A LOT and so now I refuse to buy them, and when he gets home he can go to the store and get them himself.

[FallingforPhil]

I was thrilled to see organic milk at Meijer yesterday @ 2 half gallons for $5!

[Niobe]

I guess it's my lifestyle, but I haven't actually noticed much of a change - not that directly affects me. I have noticed that gas is now $3.99 a gallon for the cheapest stuff, and that cow's milk is more expensive than soy milk - but I don't own a car or drink cow's milk. Nor do I really eat that many corn-based products like cereal. I guess eggs are up a bit.

Fresh produce year-round is about the only cheap thing California has going for it. I've been hitting the farmer's market down the street twice a week all winter. :D

[jennylou]

niobe - you're right about the fresh produce in CA. :) Whenever people complain about the price of food in CA, I'm always like, huh? Whenever we go, I end up in the grocery store and am always shocked at the fresh produce prices. I would have no problems living in CA and eating great, fresh produce on a budget. :) Now, the rest of the expenses.... :p

[quest]

RE: Laundry Detergent...I think that 'concentrated formula' crap is a hoax. Because I do just what it says...measure that tiny little capful, and once the machine really starts going, there are no suds. I'm sorry, but I need bubbles, not tons, just enough to know there's something cleaning in there! So I end up adding more, and in the end, those stupid little bottles do NOT last longer!

I know, maybe I'm not 'doing it' correctly, but give me my ginormous vat of non-concentrated detergent on sale for 3.99 any day...I'll take it!

And ditto about coffee. I won't pay the $10-$11 it is in the grocery store...I get it at wal-mart or on sale at the grocery store for $5-$6 (seriously, if the grocery story can sell it at 1/2 price on sale, how much mark-up is there on the $10-$11 price??).

Oh, and our main (only remaining?) grocery store chain has a gasoline-discount incentives program, and with the gas prices the way they are, they're totally taking advantage. You can't go in there without spending at least $50+ dollars for just a few items, even though, somehow, they make you think your're getting things on sale.

[yby1]

I guess it's my lifestyle, but I haven't actually noticed much of a change - not that directly affects me. I have noticed that gas is now $3.99 a gallon for the cheapest stuff, and that cow's milk is more expensive than soy milk - but I don't own a car or drink cow's milk. Nor do I really eat that many corn-based products like cereal. I guess eggs are up a bit.

Fresh produce year-round is about the only cheap thing California has going for it. I've been hitting the farmer's market down the street twice a week all winter. :D


If you eat bread, you'll notice that prices are higher since there is a wheat shortage. The cost of everything is up, even in the farmers markets since transportation costs are higher.

[meganth]

Does anybody make their own bread? Since it's getting so expensive i'm wondering if it'd be more economical to get a breadmaker. I used to make it by hand just because i love fresh bread, but it's too much work to do it all the time.

[Kanga]

Does anybody make their own bread? Since it's getting so expensive i'm wondering if it'd be more economical to get a breadmaker. I used to make it by hand just because i love fresh bread, but it's too much work to do it all the time.

I've thought about it. A friend told me that if buy the generic store brand it's slightly more expensive to make yourself, but if buy specialty or name brand, then you save.

[meganth]

I've thought about it. A friend told me that if buy the generic store brand it's slightly more expensive to make yourself, but if buy specialty or name brand, then you save.

I usually do buy the better bread. The other reason i'm thinking of making my own is that i know what goes in it. Buying natural bread right now is even more expensive!

[krbb]

Does anybody make their own bread? Since it's getting so expensive i'm wondering if it'd be more economical to get a breadmaker. I used to make it by hand just because i love fresh bread, but it's too much work to do it all the time.

I have a breadmaker I use to make the bread. I got it because it was hard to find bread without high-fructose corn syrup in it that wasn't expensive. I've had it about a year, not sure if I have paid for it yet, but the bread is really good!

[bea_mama]

quest

RE: Laundry Detergent...I think that 'concentrated formula' crap is a hoax. Because I do just what it says...measure that tiny little capful, and once the machine really starts going, there are no suds. I'm sorry, but I need bubbles, not tons, just enough to know there's something cleaning in there! So I end up adding more, and in the end, those stupid little bottles do NOT last longer!


Just a bit of advice - you don't need any suds at all to get things clean. I work in the home care/personal care industry and know a fair bit about surfactants, laundry detergents, etc. Think about it this way - a big bottle of laundry detergent is about 70% water. So you are paying a fair chunk of change for all that water. Detergent producers know that people think suds = cleaning so they put ingredients in to make things foamy. It's just a visual cue.

Besides, I like that the concentrated detergents come in smaller bottles. Less plastic to have to recycle. I actually only use about 2 Tablespoons of detergent per load (but I have a front loader which also helps).:)

[Monty]

I haven't noticed prices going up per se, but I have noticed that items like chicken breasts that used to go on sale for 1.99 all the time is only on sale once a month or so these days. Our food budget has always been extremely tight and my goal is to spend less than $70 per week for the 4 of us. I'm still able to meet that goal, but I have to be much more organized about stocking up when I see items we use regularly on sale.


WOW....I could use some pointers on that one, that's amazing!

I'm just now finding this thread and trying to read all of the past posts, but this got me thinking. How much (on average) do you spend at the grocery store per week or per month, and what is your family size? ALSO.....how much are you spending eating out I live where EVERYTHING is $$$ so I've seen a huge change in my monthly food budget, but we don't eat out that often and we brown bag it for lunches almost always. I spend almost $900 on food a month for a family of 2, and we don't drink soda or much packaged food. I try and shop organic, free range, natural, etc. so I'm sure that's why it's so much...DH and I always say it is SO expensive to eat well.

Oh, and tomatoes are $3.99 a lb, grapefruit is $1.50 each (WHAT!), and 1 lb of chicken is about $6-$7.00......UUUGGGHHHHHH!

[Ohana]

If you're thinking about buying a bread maker because bread is expensive, it might not hurt to do a little return on investment exercise! Bread makers, last time I looked, were about $300 each. If your bread used to cost 2.49 and is now 3.49 and you buy 1 loaf a week, you're paying $1 more per week, right? Assuming that you could make bread for 50 cents a loaf, you're saving $3 per week. It will take 2 years for your investment to pay off. Wouldn't you just be better off buying the store brand or stocking up when bread is on sale?

Sorry, I do return on investments for a living, and my mind automatically turns to ROIs when I hear about plans to buy new equipment in order to try to save money.

[PinkMartini]

I got my bread maker as a Xmas present a few years ago and LOVE it! I make bread at least once a week and the bread packets (if you don't make it by hand) are still only $1.50/sale. Much cheaper than loafs of bread...

How much (on average) do you spend at the grocery store per week or per month, and what is your family size?

We live in a pretty rural place with only 1 real grocery store. They gouge you on prices here so we try to save our big shopping for Sam's Club when we go to the 'city.' We'll easily spend $200-$300 on a trip to Sam's Club, once a month. But for milk/bread/ect in between shopping trips to Sam's Club we can easily spend $100/week here :eek:

There are 4 of us, although DD is just starting solids....

[Ohana]

Monty We cross posted! I keep my grocery costs down by shopping the sales, joining the loyalty clubs, and clipping coupons. There are 3 grocery store chains near us, and each sends out a sale flyer every week. I scour the sale flyers to find out who has the best deals on foods we need. Then I make my list and try to be strict about sticking to the list (and if it ain't on sale, it ain't on my list). I stock up on staples when they're on sale and keep them in the pantry. I also plan all of our meals in advance (to take advantage of the sales), and when chicken or ground beef go on sale, I buy a ton, make freezer friendly foods with what I bought, then freeze for future meals. This means I have a "bank" of meals in the freezer for busy days (less temptation to eat out or grab convenience foods). So for example, 7% ground beef was on sale for 3.49 this week. I bought 3 pounds and made a huge batch of chili. I had stocked up on canned tomatoes and beans when they went on sale a few weeks ago and used those in the chili. I put the chili in gallon sized zip top baggies and froze them flat in my little chest freezer. Now I have 3 dinners + 3 lunches ready and waiting to go. The whole triple batch cost me around $17. Considering that's 3 dinners for the 4 of us and 3 lunches for the 2 of us, that's about $1 a serving. I do this every week to try to help me with dinners that are easy to prep after work and to help me keep our costs down.

I've been doing this for a while, so I now know which store (in general) has the best prices and the best sales. I've read about keeping a "price book" with each local stores' prices for items you buy regularly, and someday, I'll be organized enough to keep one, but for now, I have that mostly floating around in my head.

[jennylou]

If you're thinking about buying a bread maker because bread is expensive, it might not hurt to do a little return on investment exercise! Bread makers, last time I looked, were about $300 each. If your bread used to cost 2.49 and is now 3.49 and you buy 1 loaf a week, you're paying $1 more per week, right? Assuming that you could make bread for 50 cents a loaf, you're saving $3 per week. It will take 2 years for your investment to pay off. Wouldn't you just be better off buying the store brand or stocking up when bread is on sale?

Sorry, I do return on investments for a living, and my mind automatically turns to ROIs when I hear about plans to buy new equipment in order to try to save money.

My breadmaker was actually under $150 and was bought as a gift. That said, I prefer to make loaves by hand - it's much quicker, especially if you go through a few loaves per week - which we do. DH loves his sandwiches (breakfast - egg, lunch - meat, and sometimes a snack of pb/j).

As for the cost of the bread that I make, it's actually under 50 cents per loaf, I'm sure, as the ingredients (if I buy all at once) are around $7 and will make a ton of loaves. I'm told if I go to a bulk store, the flour and yeast could be even cheaper.

How much (on average) do you spend at the grocery store per week or per month, and what is your family size? ALSO.....how much are you spending eating out

Our budget is $300 per month for a family of three. This includes all toiletries and pet food/supplies. What I do is break up the month into four groups (it's nice when it works out to weeks ;)). Week 1 is $100, Week 2 is $50, Week 3 is $100, Week 4 is $50. Sometimes, if there is a great sale in week 1 on something, I'll snag from week 2's money. But, I really try to stick with it, in fact, I might even have $5-20 left over from one week to carry over to the next weeks envelope.

As for eating out, we've really curbed this this year. Usually, it comes from the grocery budget or our individual weekly "blow" money of $15 per week. But, if you go out to eat, that pretty much eats it all up in one sitting and I like to stretch mine out, lol. :)

[meganth]

If you're thinking about buying a bread maker because bread is expensive, it might not hurt to do a little return on investment exercise! Bread makers, last time I looked, were about $300 each. If your bread used to cost 2.49 and is now 3.49 and you buy 1 loaf a week, you're paying $1 more per week, right? Assuming that you could make bread for 50 cents a loaf, you're saving $3 per week. It will take 2 years for your investment to pay off. Wouldn't you just be better off buying the store brand or stocking up when bread is on sale?

Sorry, I do return on investments for a living, and my mind automatically turns to ROIs when I hear about plans to buy new equipment in order to try to save money.


Well, the breadmaker i was looking at is $129.99 at BBB where i can use a 20% off coupon.

I usually buy a loaf of really good bread - about $4 and a package of hamburger buns - about $3.

Ultimately my life has changed over the past couple of years where i'm trying to live more sustainably and naturally. I guess if making my own bread would be healthier that is on track.

Also remember, we are JUST at the beginning of this food crisis. Things are going to get worse.

[Ohana]

But even if the breadmaker is 129.99, it would take a year to pay off the investment (assuming you make 1 loaf a week and assuming the costs of flour, etc that you buy remain constant). I agree that this is only the beginning of the food crisis, but I'm still not convinced that buying a bread machine is the best way to save money in the long run.

[meganth]

But even if the breadmaker is 129.99, it would take a year to pay off the investment (assuming you make 1 loaf a week and assuming the costs of flour, etc that you buy remain constant). I agree that this is only the beginning of the food crisis, but I'm still not convinced that buying a bread machine is the best way to save money in the long run.

I'd agree if saving money were the only reason i was considering it...

[Lizard]

Remember that rummage sale season is coming up... I got my breadmaker a couple years ago at a yard sale for 10 bucks. :) I don't use it as often as I like, but for 10 bucks it's worth it. Bread machines are one of those things that people buy, use sparingly and re-sell, so you can find them cheaply.

Oh, and FYI, Costco sells some really tasty 2-packs of bread for 3 and 4 bucks (at least around here). I forget the brands but they're whole grain and taste great.

[yby1]

I'm considering a bread machine as well for the same reasons as meganth. We do buy our bread from local sources, either at a the farmer's market or local bakery. But I would feel better knowing exactly what is going in my bread, plus fresh baked bread is WONDERFUL.

I've avoided buying a bread maker because I didn't want to add another small appliance to my kitchen, but I think this might be worth it as a "slow foods" investment.

[BusyBee21]

Speaking of Too Freaking Expensive, I had to get gas last night in my parent's car (DH's car is STILL in the shop), so I went to the Arco station by day care---it was a madhouse, people parked all over the place, the wrong way, etc. I waited for 5 minutes and couldn't stand it anymore, so we left. I circled the block and found the Chevron station exactly ONE block north of the Arco. I hopped out, and saw the price for 91 Octane. $4.25 a gallon! :eek: I put 3 gallons in and left, drove by the Arco station, and for the same gasoline, they are charging $3.96 a gallon. Needless to say, I won't be going to a Chevron anytime soon. I am still flabbergasted and pissed that there was a .29 price difference PER GALLON. :mad:

[WisWis]

You might want to check out Goodwill for a breadmaker. I got one (brand new) there for less than 10$. Its great being able to make any type of bread I want and I love the smell while it's cooking. You could make bread without a breadmaker too. We like it a little better like that, but don't always have time to let it rise.

[jeepgirl]

My bread machine cost $80 with free shipping. My DH and I use it at least twice a week. I love, love, love our homemade bread! It is nice to know EXACTLY what is in the bread, to set how light or dark we prefer it, etc.

Here's the link to the one we bought this past October: http://www.amazon.com/Breadman-TR875-2-Pound-Breadmaker-Stainless/dp/B000FZZ0VE/ref=wl_it_dp?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3FN4O6E7SV3X8&colid=39685K6U0FH67

[Sarah]

Bread makers, last time I looked, were about $300 each. If your bread used to cost 2.49 and is now 3.49 and you buy 1 loaf a week, you're paying $1 more per week, right?My bread machine was about $50 at Target. :)

But I never use it, I just use my food processor. It does all the hard part, and it's way tastier than using the bread machine. It's not hard to dump the ingredients in myself, whirl them, let it rise, and whirl again.

I haven't noticed prices going up a ton. Maybe a little. I buy all my meat at a local Korean grocer, and it's still pretty cheap. I never pay over 1.99/lb for any chicken (breasts, boneless thighs, etc), or over 2.99 for beef/pork. I buy all my produce at a local discount produce market, where it's dirt cheap. I get staples at discount stores and the rest at TJs. Our budget for 2 adults and 2 nonbaby children is about 100 per week, including ziplocs, etc.

[miaclear]

How much (on average) do you spend at the grocery store per week or per month, and what is your family size? Size of 3. We spend about $150 a week which includes food/beer/toiletries/cleaning-house supplies.

ALSO.....how much are you spending eating out? We don't eat out a whole lot but if I averaged it I'd say about $30 a week.

[Ohana]

Well, the breadmaker i was looking at is $129.99 at BBB where i can use a 20% off coupon.

My breadmaker was actually under $150 and was bought as a gift.

My bread machine cost $80 with free shipping.

My bread machine was about $50 at Target. :)

Whoops! Clearly, the bread machine my sister requested for her birthday last year was freakishly expensive!

[Ericka_Jarett]

We have a bread machine. Don't use it much at all. I buy a bag of 5 already mixed loaves for about $3.00 All I have to do is pull it out of the freezer and let it set overnight in the fridge wrapped up in plastic wrap. Pull it out and let it rise in a already heated (set to 170 degrees and when warm turn the oven off and put the bread in to rise for 2-3 hours) and once it's risen, turn the oven to 350-375 and bake.

[WisWis]

The only thing that I've noticed increasing is the gas prices. And airline tickets.

Zach and I do much of our shopping at the commisary on post which saves a good bit on our produce. We've really cut down on the meat that we eat (2x/week, max) which saves a good bit and neither of us drink milk. When we do buy meat we pay 1.99/lb for chicken breasts and we're splitting half a beef with my parents for 2.60/lb. The beef should last us for at least a year. We buy most of our nonparishables at a discount gocery store (think bumps and dents) for at least 75% off. We even get our wine (decent wine!) for 2.99/bottle. When we shop at the "normal" grocery stores we try to buy store brands and shop with coupons or things that are on sale. I don't think I've every paid full price for ice cream! While I suppose that we have enough money to pay full price for everything, that would feel wasteful! I try to stretch my money as far as I can.

[gardenmommy]

I agree with the masses that gas and food prices are soaring, but just to put it into perspective a gallon of gas still costs less than a gallon of milk.:rolleyes:

[krbb]

Grocery Budget - I spend $300 a month on groceries for a family of 3. This includes cleaning products, paper goods, etc. I usually spend $50 a week at the grocery store then about $100/month at Costco and Target. I always shop sales and stock up on things. I have enough Panteene shampoo and conditioner to last for over a year and spent $5 on it all. Places like CVS you can work out extra care bucks and coupons so you get things for very little out of pocket.

Eating out - We eat out maybe once a week and it is usually with the IL's who pay for it ;).

[Lizard]

I agree with the masses that gas and food prices are soaring, but just to put it into perspective a gallon of gas still costs less than a gallon of milk.:rolleyes:

Our gas is exactly even with a gallon of 1% milk here. DD's whole milk is still about a quarter more. :(

Budget - Ours is $100 a week, but that's for food, diapers, wipes and misc. items. It used to be $75 a week and often I'd keep it under 50, but lately we've barely been staying under 100. I only buy what's on sale, lots of generics, price match, etc. and it's still hard.

eating out - Once every 2-3 weeks, usually to a place like Cracker Barrel, nothing fancy. We have fast food once every couple weeks too, but even that's getting expensive so it's not worth it.

[EJH]

Budget -- $100 for 3 of us. A month ago that was $70, and believe me, we do not buy fancy things. We do buy organic milk for DD but that's as luxury as we get. No steak, no lamb...nada.

Eating out 2-3 times a week. Definitely a place we can cut back as prices go up.

[Kanga]

budget - we budget about $140 every 2 weeks which includes paper towels and tp. We use baking soda and vinegar for cleaning products, and occasionally bleach (included in the $140). I buy shampoo, etc at a store for salon professionals, and we only rarely buy disposable diapers (1 small package every 2 months?) for times when her bubble butt doesn't work with an outfit.

eating out - we don't anymore except for fast food in a pinch. Even that costs $10-$15 for the 4 of us.

[Monty]

I have to say, I have a breadmaker from Williams Sonoma that we got as a wedding gift and I've used it like 3 times, the bread never comes out right and it takes quite a bit of time to make some of those bread recipes....and I love to cook so that's not the problem! But, you all have inspired me...so I'll try it one more time!

So I'm officially spending way to much on food, even if it organic. I thought I was doing so good, I plan meals in advance, buy things on sale, etc.....but I need to rethink this whole food issue! Thanks for the feedback on how much you all spend!

[kedzieb]

Am I the only one without a grocery budget? We buy very little pre-packaged food & mostly only shop the outer ring of our grocery store. We do try to use organic dairy (more for the lack of antibiotics & hormones) and buy local & in-season produce.

I've definitely noticed that wheat, milk & egg prices have risen but these markets have been kept artificially low for decades. We hardly ever drink soda so I feel OK with the $4 half-gallon of organic milk & juice costs fitting into our costs. Fruit & veggies at the farmer's market are great bargains too.

As for meat, we only eat it a couple of times a week at home. Usually buy it at the butcher's or fishmongers. Recent meals have included apples, cheese & whole-grain crackers; shrimp tacos (since all shrimp is frozen to be shipped, we save money by buying raw frozen bags) with black beans mixed with bell pepper and corn; buffalo chicken burgers (ground white meat with hot sauce) on fresh rolls with salad.

Having lived in Europe for a while, I have to agree that food & gas costs here are really cheap in comparison while income is similar. We used to spend a much higher percentage of our money on food as a country here too until the farm subsidies were enacted. Not to say it isn't hard on the wallet now, but I think the real problem could be more that our wages haven't risen in real dollars since the 70's.

[deelcie]

Checking in from the poorest country in South America. Prices have definitely gone up here too but they are still way cheaper than even the US. It helps to be right at the source of a lot of these goods (oil, produce). With produce, you pretty much have no choice BUT to buy seasonal, locally grown stuff and it's dirt cheap. For example (off the top of my head), I bought a huge bag of basil for about 50 cents a couple days ago that would have been about 12 cents a year ago. We buy beef from friends who own a ranch outside the city--a few months ago we paid US$80 for 1/4 of a cow, that filled up our freezer, but I'm not sure if that's gone up. We pay about $100/week in groceries for a family of four + 5 meals/week for 3 employees. It used to cost me about $27 to fill up my SUV (you need an SUV to get around and I have never seen a hybrid here) but now it costs about $10 more. However, gas stations are not regulated and they heavily dilute the gas you put in your cars so I have to fill up frequently even though our preschool and my office are within a mile of our house. :rolleyes:

This year, heavy flooding has devastated much of the country, displacing thousands of families and destroying corn and soybean crops which make up about 1/3 of the country's exports. That has driven up local food prices and I'm sure hasn't helped the world-wide situation.

[jennylou]

My bread machine was about $50 at Target. :)

But I never use it, I just use my food processor. It does all the hard part, and it's way tastier than using the bread machine. It's not hard to dump the ingredients in myself, whirl them, let it rise, and whirl again.


I just use my kitchen aid professional stand mixer. It does an excellent job kneading, etc. :) We do have a bread machine....hmmmm, maybe I should sell it on craigslist. ;)

[imagirliegirl]

I went to the grocery store to pick up some fresh asparagus, what is with $4 a pound? And all of the bunches were at least 1.5 pounds. Seriously! I weighed the smallest one and it was 1.5! Lame!

[mkredhead]

I went to Wal Mart last night and milk was $2.50/gallon. Much less expensive than I've seen in a while.

Meanwhile, gas is $3.59/gallon today. Ooof.

[yby1]

I went to the grocery store to pick up some fresh asparagus, what is with $4 a pound? And all of the bunches were at least 1.5 pounds. Seriously! I weighed the smallest one and it was 1.5! Lame!


Asparagus has always been pretty expensive. It's very labor intensive to grow.

[imagirliegirl]

Asparagus has always been pretty expensive. It's very labor intensive to grow.

Yeah but not that much! I used to buy it all the time and I would have noticed if I was shelling out 5 or 6 bucks for it.

[yby1]

Yeah but not that much! I used to buy it all the time and I would have noticed if I was shelling out 5 or 6 bucks for it.

Times are changing my friend. Get ready to start foraging for your food. ;)

[irish74]

It is interesting to see the differences in prices not just in the different areas of the country, but even for those of us who live fairly close together, but probably have different shopping styles.

Gas is close to $4 a gallon here.

Chicken - I expect to pay .79/lb for a whole chicken, .99/for drumsticks and thighs and 1.99/lb for boneless skinless. Of course, I only buy when it is on sale, I don't generally buy organic chicken, but do buy Foster Farms.

Milk - I have no idea what a gallon costs, but a quart of organic whole milk is about $2.50-3.00.

Produce - there are farmers markets here in the city, but they are not all equal. The one near our apartment, I paid $2/lb for organic russet potatoes last Saturday, the grocery store down the street from me has organic russet potatoes for $2.50/5lbs. I could have saved a bundle at the grocery store. However there are two farmers markets in town that I am aware of where you actually save money versus spending 2-3x as much. Now if you go to a produce store, you can save even more.

Eggs - I have a hard time finding a dozen eggs for less than $2.75 unless I make a special trip to a store that I wouldn't normally shop at and even then I'd have to buy 2 18 packs.:rolleyes:

Staying on budget for us is really a matter of watching the sales ads and shopping accordingly. I also cut coupons since the grocery I frequent doubles them.

[smiles33]

Are you in SF proper, Irish74? We live outside SF and the basic 87 octane gas is over $4! Don't even ask how much my VW, which requires Premium gas, cost me to fill up this morning!

[irish74]

I am in SF proper. Gas is over $4 at the local Chevron, but at the no name place across the street I think it was about $3.80 or $3.90 this morning. That's for the 87.

[yby1]

irish74- While you can save money using a farmer's market, I don't think that's always the case. You really have to do your "homework" on the farm selling the produce and the type of produce that they are selling. The potatoes may have been more expensive because of the type, i.e heritage variety, and are farmed using more care and sustainable practices. If that was the case, I wouldn't mind paying more for my produce.

[irish74]

yby1 I agree, but I'm pretty much convinced that of the four farmers markets in town that I'm aware of the two that are in expensive neighborhoods charge 2-3x more than the two that cater more to the Asian and Hispanic populations. I've even seen stands from the same farms at each, but with totally different pricing depending on the market. Eh, it is the difference between fancy signs and booths vs. cardboard signs and folding tables and being able to charge what people will pay.

[yby1]

That would bother me, but I can see that happening. Have you tried any of the small ethnic shops? Asian and Hispanic mini-markets tend to have lower prices for local produce.

[kdotp]

Times are changing my friend. Get ready to start foraging for your food. ;)
ILs have wild asparagus growing all over their yard. We'll get 2-3 huge bags of it in a few weeks. Eat a bunch and then freeze the rest. Mmmmm asparagus, even if it does make your pee smell funny.

[ManteoChik]

FYI - I just got back from the CVS (pharmacy) and they are having a HUGE sale. Tons of things are on sale and A LOT of "buy one get one free" stuff. I bought shampoo & conditioner (herbal essences), hairspray, a frou frou book, candy ( :o ), and some hair ties for $23.



I used to never really watch what was on sale, but with the prices of everything I've really changed that. I've also really tried to change some of the things I've used. Instead of high priced shampoo/conditioner from the salon, I started using herbal essences. Pretty much anything I use makes my hair look the same. I also started using the CVS brand equivalent of my Neutrogena face wash. There were days I would walk out of there and have spent $50 on nothing......not anymore...lol.

[attorneymom]

I was raised on a farm, and there was always wild asparagus growing on ditch banks and in barrow pits. I still pick it when I go visit my mom. Yum!

On the milk issue -- I generally shop at WinCo, and I can get a gallon of milk for $2.78. I don't buy organic milk, so I haven't paid attention to those prices.

$3.61 for premium gas. Like someone else, I have a Passat, and my mechanic swears that I have to put premium in it.

[smiles33]

Hi Irish74! Yeah, I forgot that I went to a 76 station, not an Arco, so it is more expensive there even though I'm in the suburbs.

attorneymom: My Passat manual also says premium. I *wish* it was only $3.61 for premium. Try $4.19/gallon. :eek:

[Hello Kitty]

yby1 two that are in expensive neighborhoods charge 2-3x more than the two that cater more to the Asian and Hispanic populations.

This is true - they're bringing farmers markets to the south side of Chicago, but they are likely have lower income consumers than at the existing markets downtown and the north side. They have talked about lowering their prices in order to attract consumers who will largely not see the value in heirloom tomatoes or blue potatoes.

I was thinking about this while in the store today and I keep a mental price book and do all those other grocery saving strategies, but I've noticed lately prices on some small items doubling. Consumers don't notice it in their receipts, but a small can of tomato sauce being 49c instead of 25c in the past year, and I used to get a certain brand of tomatoes for 50c and now they're rarely on sale for $1.

Our grocery budget has crept up a bit, but largely because we've been eating better, I think. I've found it's cheaper for us to eat better now that we've moved to a larger city. There's a produce market that sells stuff extremely cheaply, as well as a variety of stores within a mile of my house, so I can comparison and shop at a multitude of stores if needed.

[attorneymom]

smiles33attorneymom: My Passat manual also says premium. I *wish* it was only $3.61 for premium. Try $4.19/gallon.

OUCH!!!!!!! I'm in Idaho, and typically our gas prices are higher than most, but WOW!

[Anna Low]

I'm one of those who doesn't believe the recommendation about a car requiring premium gas. DH has had high performance cars for many years and at first, that is all he used. Then, when gas started going up ("up" way back when would be practically free now...), he started using some of the regular stuff. Turns out, the car ran no differently. Current car is a BMW and I'm pretty sure that he has never used premium gas in it. The only times it has been in the shop is for the routine oil change/scheduled maintenance and to replace the windshield, which was my fault!

[HeatherH]

On the milk issue -- I generally shop at WinCo, and I can get a gallon of milk for $2.78. I don't buy organic milk, so I haven't paid attention to those prices.

A gallon of milk at my local WinCo is $3.99/gal.! :eek:

[dionysia]

I know IME with a turbo Jetta, I really do notice a difference when I don't put in premium fuel. The car doesn't accelerate quite as fast.

Speaking of buy-one-get-one-free and other great sales, Kohl's is usually quite good with their sales and clearance items. Recently there were having a buy-one-get-one-free or buy-one-get-one-half-price sale.

[Yvangeline]

I recently did really well at an Old Navy clearance sale - three shirts and two pairs of pants for a little under $35 :)

[smiles33]

Anna Low: I can see your point when it comes to ignoring some recommendations, as I might use machine wash some sweaters instead of dry cleaning as they recommend (though I do dry clean those w/labels that say dry clean only), but there's more on the line w/my car as it's my family's safety. I figure, hey, I invested over $20K in a car that "requires" premium, so I'm not going to risk having to get expensive repairs or reduced performance to save $0.10/gallon.

That's great that your DH doesn't notice any difference in using lower octane gasoline in his high performance BMW sedan and that you haven't had any expensive repairs yet. But I would still be worried about long-term build-up or pinging due to using a lower octane gas than the car was intended to use. To me, having peace of mind that my car is being maintained and used according to manufacturer guidelines is worth the higher cost and I scrimp and save in other areas.

[boilermaker]

Just wanting to chime in on the premium gas issue. If your car specifies premium gas, then your engine (and specifically the rate at which the pistons fire) was designed to run correctly on that octane level. Most higher end cars have an internal mechanism to reduce pinging but you will still get a lower efficiency out of your engine using the lower octane gas. So while you will save money at the pump, you are likely actually costing yourself more in the long run as you mpg and overall engine power is reduced. But no, it shouldn't hurt the car so long as you have a somewhat newer model (they've put in the internal mechanism for the past 10 years or so). However, if your car is meant to run on regular gas, it is a complete waste of money to put in premium.

[laura]

This morning I saw a huge line at the gas station where the 'cheap' gas was $4.05 - I guess we are officially above $4/gal here.

[smiles33]

Whoa: even the 87 octane is over $4 at the "cheap" stations now? That IS scary!

[laura]

Well, in Palo Alto :p - probably not everywhere yet!

[jimmysgirl424]

Whoa: even the 87 octane is over $4 at the "cheap" stations now? That IS scary!

Here in Baltimore, the gas at the "cheap" station jumped from $3.19 to $3.35 in less than a week. :(

[imagirliegirl]

Times are changing my friend. Get ready to start foraging for your food. ;)

No joke. At that price, I might just start eating grass.

[SiValleySteph]

Well, in Palo Alto :p - probably not everywhere yet!

We're not so bad here in San Jose. The cheapest I saw toda was $3.76, most expensive was something like $3.98. This is all within less than a 5mi radius.

[BusyBee21]

DH just got premium gas in Mission Viejo--$4.35 for 91 octane. I paid $3.98 yesterday for the same gas in Irvine (15 minutes south). Ouch. :eek:

DH has an older (97) BMW 540 and only puts in premium gas. I have an '01 and put the 89 octane in. So far, knock wood, I have had no engine problems. I pray the "CC" curse doesn't strike me on this one! ;)

[imagirliegirl]

I swear Dateline did a show once about Premium gas and how cars don't really need it. Something about car companies and gas companies being in cahoots. It's been so long though, I can't remember exactly what the story was. Does anyone else recall hearing that?

Seriously, it's been years.

[wine_o_girlie]

Switching back to how to save on food, we've done a couple of things recently not only to save money but to support our local agriculture community and be more "green":

1) You don't need a breadmaker to bake bread. Try the recipes from this wonderful book - http://www.amazon.com/Artisan-Bread-Five-Minutes-Revolutionizes/dp/0312362919/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209043043&sr=8-1. It's awesome and the bread is wonderful. Essentially by following this book you can always have a batch of dough in your fridge ready to be made into bread. It's not the usual time-consuming process of baking bread plus you control what goes into it. My current batch is white/whole wheat with a touch of honey. We are using it for sandwiches, french toast (my son LOVES ft so I make batches and freeze them for easy breakfasts), pizza dough, calzones, etc. Prior to making my own bread I was paying $5 a loaf at a local bakery. Ouch!

2) Look for a local farm that will deliver to you. We get really great prices on milk and eggs from a local farm. I found a local farm that delivers to a *large* area in MD/DC/WV/VA and they are wonderful to work with. The farm is www.southmountaincreamery.com. They are not certified organic (too expensive) but follow traditional organic farming methods and do not use growth hormones. My son (15 months) drinks a lot of milk and their price is $3.09 for a 1/2 gallon of whole milk. A dozen eggs are $3.00 (cage free too). Much cheaper than organic milk and eggs from my grocery store. The delivery fee is only $3.50 which I think is extremely fair. This week I also ordered butter, cheese, ground turkey, ground beef, pork spare ribs, cottage cheese, and cream cheese from them. I want to order chicken from them but first I need to use up my freezer stock and I need to get over the high price tag ($6/pound :eek:). I feel like they are a wonderful bargain for almost everything (chicken excluded) and I no longer "impulse" shop at the grocery store which saves a ton. I get this dairy delivery every 2 weeks, go to the farmer's market for veggies, and hit the grocery store about once a month for everything else. We are eating much healthier and also saving money.

3) I always have a small vegetable garden but I am kicking it into higher gear this year. My seeds have sprouted and are growing away in the basement (investment - maybe $20 in seeds, a sprouting tray, and a grow lightbulb). Seeds are super duper cheap and quite easy. I have a pretty small garden space to work with (HOA rules) but I have enough area to produce tomatoes, zucchini, green beans, green and red peppers, and cucumbers. I only plant easy crops because I don't have time to fuss with hard to grow stuff. For a small family, you really would only need 1-2 of each of these plants (except green beans) to produce a pretty nice size harvest this summer. Herbs are also a super easy thing to grow and can save you tons of money. One basil plant is like $2 and can grow like crazy and keep you in pesto all summer long, whereas one package of basil from the grocery store is $2 and will last for maybe a week. My perinneal herbs are doing really well and I have literally done nothing to them this year (rosemary, sage, oregano, parsley, chives). We had home-grown chives on baked potatoes last night - our first "harvest" of 2008!

[meganth]

Switching back to how to save on food, we've done a couple of things recently not only to save money but to support our local agriculture community and be more "green":

1) You don't need a breadmaker to bake bread. Try the recipes from this wonderful book - http://www.amazon.com/Artisan-Bread-Five-Minutes-Revolutionizes/dp/0312362919/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209043043&sr=8-1. It's awesome and the bread is wonderful.

Thanks for the book rec - i just put it on hold at the library.


I grow a large garden in my local community garden. I'm very excited because this year i also got a perennial plot to grow fruit. It already has raspberries and blackberries and an apple tree, but i'll also do blueberries and grapes. I'm planning on freezing what ever i can.

For those of you who would like to garden but have no space i recommend looking into a local community garden. You'll be surprised, i bet you have one near by. The only problem is that everybody is getting the idea - mine has a 30 person long wait list this year!

[Ericka_Jarett]

Went by our local station last night and