The Grocery Stores

[terrydclark]

  Do you remember when you could take a $100.00 to the grocery store and actually fill the shopping cart, just about half way. Yeah! I know that was a long time ago, maybe around the early 1970's...but the point I'm trying to make is, no matter how tight you keep your budget - you might have to substitute bacon for cheap breakfast hot dog's. I know there aren't any such thing! but you may have to buy a very cheap no name brand just to keep food on the table.

Going to the grocery store is a nightmare it's enough to make a grown man cry or woman too! My wife and I have gotten pretty good with budgeting our money, we only buy what is needed or we're out of, but it's getting much harder now, being at the grocery store is like a job. These stores have lost their "Dog-Gone-Mind" when did chicken become the price of shrimp, pork chops the price of a steak or steak the price of a lobster the list goes on. I'm I the only one that see this! Thank God my kids are all grown up and don't live with us -because  I don't think my wife and I would've made it.

A $100.00 today - No way!

How are you surviving to make ends meet?

Your thoughts are very appreciated!

Thank You!
Terry Clark

[mommadixon]

 really like walmart it is the only place i like to shop but the only problem is that we don't have too many super centers where i can  grocery shopas well

[mrisha]

I agree with you regarding the ridiculous prices the stores are charging for food.  Even Walmart has gone up considerably on everything in their stores.   Actually you really can't find any stores where the prices are decent or fair.  Everything is too expensive.

[deekeepinitreal2009]

Everybodys prices are going up on almost everything. I shop at Honeys though and they always have great sales and low prices

[Oryon20]

Everything is going up.  It's ridiculous.  Part of the problem is the majority of the food in our stores aren't from local sources.  This contributes to a higher price in many situations. 

If you have food being trucked from all over the country, or even flown or boat shipped from a foreign country, the price for that transportation is trickled down into the consumer price of the product.  I also saw a report a few days ago that another reason for increased pricing was the amount of store thefts has been steadily increasing, probably partially due to the bad economy and people not having money to buy things.  More thefts=higher prices for paying customers so the stores can recoup losses.

Truth is, we need to get back to more locally supplied foods.  We need more farms and local growers/producers.  If you live in say Ohio, there is no reason to have any type of milk on any store's shelf from say, Iowa.  That goes for lots of other types of foods as well.  Eggs, cheese, bread...

[rcbrad]

If your store doubles coupons take advantage of that.  I buy almost everything with a coupon and on sale.  Buy items ONLY on sale AND with a coupon. Base your meals on sale prices of meats/produce/groceries for that week.  If your store has promotions take advantage of them also.  

I just got about $360.00 worth of groceries for about roughly $20.00 from my store.  My store featured a general mills and unilever cash back certificate that printed at the register that was good for anything in the store.  This was unlimited. I only paid very little out of pocket for hundreds of dollars worth of groceries based on regular prices!  I just combined sale prices/coupons that double/store promotions for these brands and I am very well stocked.  

It is so easy to do, yet many do not want to use coupons.  I have read that coupon usage has really been increasing, since the recession began.  HTH

[GoGoKokiGo]

I stick to the no name brands, they're just as good and sometimes even better then the name brands.

[Oryon20]

Agree completely on the coupons.  They are a HUGE savings.  The stores around here double coupons up to $0.50 all the time, although they will only double two indentical coupons twice on the same visit.  The best is when they have promotions which double any amount, and the few times a year they triple coupons!  Another great use of coupons is on buy one get one free deals.  Say there is an item for $2.00, and if you buy it you get one free.  If you have two coupons for that item at $0.50 and they double to $1.00 each, you got both items for free.  Usually the stores will accept both coupons, since two items are being rung up.  However, once in a while they won't do it.  Seems like they change their policy back in forth at a few stores around here.    I think sometimes it also depends on your cashier.  I have seen where a coupon won't scan on those deals, and he/she will just manually override it.  Others will recite the store policy and won't do it. 

We also have our grocer's credit card.  We ONLY use it for groceries and pay it off in full every month.  But, the nice thing about it is the points system which converts to checks four times a year which you can use at the store.  On average we get $50 worth of check rewards four times a year.  $200 a year in free groceries is not too shabby.