food inflation, food prices, prepper, saving money, grocery, preparedness, survival economic collapse, SHTF
Frugality

Grocery Store Trip

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I just got back to the camper from a trip to the grocery store and am blown away by the prices. The grocery store is a “KJ’s” which is part of the IGA brand that represents itself as a discount chain. Almost everything I looked at had prices that were significantly above just several weeks ago.

There have been numerous announcements from food companies that price increases upwards of 20-30% . On the positive side I shop around and look for the best prices from multiple stores. I shop sales and stock up on items used daily and weekly to reduce my overall spend.

Am I the only one who has changed eating habits due to increases in food prices? I have not grilled a steak in a couple months. I struggle paying these crazy prices for steak and just look for something else to cook that will allow me to stretch my dollar.

I’ve discovered I absolutely love turkey burgers. Ground turkey with some chopped-up onions added to the patties along with seasoning – FANTASTIC! Guess what? Much cheaper than beef and healthier as well.

Keep prepping folks. Things are going to continue to get more expensive.

Any recommendations on dealing with rising food prices? Please share to help everyone.

Rourke

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14 Comments

  1. SingleMom says:

    When buying meats, think about how many meals you can get out of it. It might be time to stop making meatloaf or hamburgers, steak or porkchops, and start cutting your meat into little pieces instead.

    Eat a lot of casseroles — Your own variation of Hamburger Helper:

    Choose 1: pasta, rice, potatoes

    Pick a sauce: tomato, olive oil & garlic, cheese, cream (including plain old milk, mushroom soup, cream of chicken, etc.)

    Add any kind of meat, cooked and chopped into small pieces, then add some veggies.

    The options are endless, and it helps the meat and vegetables go farther. Just use your imagination. I’ve found that doing them on the stove prevents pasta from getting soggy the way it often does in the oven. It can also be much faster to make. If using dehydrated potatoes, they cook best if you soak them overnight and then add extra liquid when cooking. Parmesan cheese in the green plastic jars can be your friend. Mixed with regular milk and a dab of butter, it can make a fully-functional alfredo sauce.

    Great Value boxed scalloped potatoes with bacon bits and broccoli.
    Butternut squash soup with rice and smoked sausage.
    Spaghetti noodles with garlic & olive oil, chunk tomatoes, canned zucchini, and black olives.
    Shredded potatoes with ham chunks and cheese sauce.
    Egg noodles, brown gravy, pieces of beef, and mushrooms.
    Bow tie noodles, canned chicken, mixed greens, and a cream soup.
    Fake crabmeat, any pasta, homemade alfredo sauce (see above)

    Reply
  2. Methane says:

    COUPONS help ease the pain. Luckily we have farmers & ranchers who sell to the public. We buy half a steer and they butcher it. Pieces are wrapped and marked. Even get some hamburger ground up. Price per pound is much better than the stores markup. Do a Google search to find locals in your area. Co-ops are another way to save money. Don’t miss out on getting a deer this year. Great for chili and sausage. You can CAN the venison for use later. Think outside the box!

    Reply
    1. JR says:

      Excellent suggestion Methane. I used to get food weekly from a farmer co-op. It was fantastic. We will be moving to Kentucky soon and will check into that as well as your suggestion on meat.

      Reply
  3. Dave says:

    It’s all over the place here in NC. Beef prices seem to be coming down, but last night a rack of baby back ribs were around $23.00! Some sections stocked, some cleaned out. But that may be more due to the time of the month.

    Reply
  4. JohnP says:

    John, wi had bought some of the Japanese beef hamburgers from QVC, plus shop when thingare on sale at the supermarket, BJ’s and Aldi’s.

    Reply
  5. goinggray58 says:

    Soooo all the providers across the board about 6 weeks ago said they woudl be increasing thier prices 25% across the board. P&G .. all of them followed suit.. That fits with what you are seeing … The beef thing is an aberration I think.. (cost of fuel, feed and transportation shortages). The prices are well beyond Cost of goods sold.) Around here in the country you can’t get a butcher time even 6 months out. So much so you reserve your slot then go looking for the critters. That tells you a a lot about the shift to local production.
    We can butcher our own.. so I invested in the tools to do it well. The cost is still high due to feed etc.. but more dependable. When no power is available, the food on the hoof still stays fresh .. It isn’t perfect if you don’t have the land and stuff to do that of course. But you can pair up with someone who does and provide labor and feed.
    I recently made a deal with seom younger guys to do that with my bees for honey and use of my equipment. Did the same with Hogs, Birds (several types) and Rabbits. Zero dollars out of pocket. Some cash for feed but mostly barter.. not perfect and labor intensive.. but we’ll eat.
    We have a possible deal with folks that want to use our “dirt to plant vegetables for sale. They work it, and I help .. but in return we get conditioned soil and whatever we want to eat of it. Enough to can certainly as well as fresh. If they go away, i still have the soil. No contracts .. just a hand shake. guess where the vegetable waste will go ? To critters.. who leave behind meat, eggs and fertilizer.
    Again.. if you don’t have the dirt, try and find someone who does and add your labor.. or if you want just your dollars.. I’ve seen much better prices on farm share products than in retail outlets. You can buy a side of pork and learn to can it and cure it.. it isn’t hard. look for community kitchens that have equipment you can rent to process if you can’t afford the equipment and don’t’ already have it. We have it, but there is a kitchen that rents for $10.00 and hour and you clean up after your self and use your own supplies.

    As to tips.. the online vendors have not yet changed thier prices but they will shortly. For a gap in time it makes online a better option in bulk than some big box discount stores.
    I realize this doesn’t work for everyone here. And it takes time to develop the relationships. Everyone starts some where…
    Happy new years all
    GG58

    Reply
  7. RC says:

    Biggest problem is what if you have a narrow food table? Most food you won’t eat. Other stuff like spices are a no go. Other things that would make it easier are becoming hard to get here in central NH.

    Reply
    1. JR says:

      RC – thanks for sharing.I used to be a very picky eater and started trying things I either “knew” I wouldn’t like or hadn’t tried since I was a kid and now finding that I’ll eat without a problem. Curious – why would spices/seasonings be a no-go?

      Central NH? Log time ago I lived in Franklin, NH, and called Loudin, Concord, Laconia, and Manchester my stomping grounds. Used to ride my motorcycle all over that area and rode over to Kittery Trading Post in ME a couple times.

      Reply
  8. bbbb A.I. is evil says:

    Many good suggestions.Create a mutualaid,barter,or co-op.Trade or borrow with use of tradecard,like a library card.Shop alts like end of day Farmers Markets,ethnic stores,wherever.If your health allows,eat more eggs and cereals with additions like fruit,veggies,nuts,seeds.Oatmeal as base and add milk,soymilk,nuts,spices,good for you days like coconut milk or grapeseed oil,drizxle honey or add blob of nutbutter.Save animal lard/fat drippings for free oil candle.Used to make superstuffed spuds=cheap,easy,tasty,varied,sometimes healthful.Try new foods and learn to forage.

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  9. Oren says:

    With all the problems I’ve had physically this past year, I had thought about not planting a garden this year. The reading I’ve done this weekend has changed my mind. I’ll plant a big garden and fill the freezer with meat from the slaughter house near here. Much better pricing. Plus I’m going to install an electric fence to top the current 4 ft high fence I currently have on the garden.

    Reply

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