Food prices are insane

[Daehawk]

Grocery store prices aren't coming down anytime soon

I have to replace my mayo, mustard, and ketchup and its like $10 for just that. I only get a bit over $100 in food stamps to spent..and thats not for another near 2 weeks. Im out of everything. I ate old soup and water today. Ill do that again Sta and Sun. Monday I get my soc sec check but I cant spend much or I cant fix my water or get gas or anything. the more I have to spend from my check each month the less I have. Im slowly getting behind now on not just repairs but food and needs.

I barely got by the last 2 1/2 years but I did it. But these next two Im not sure on. At least ive found stuff to sell so that will help as money for that comes in. But Ill eventually run out of stuff to sell.

Food is the biggest cause of money loss now. And theres no end in sight for anyone.

[Anonymous Bosch]

Grocery store prices aren't coming down anytime soon

I have to replace my mayo, mustard, and ketchup and its like $10 for just that. I only get a bit over $100 in food stamps to spent..and thats not for another near 2 weeks. Im out of everything. I ate old soup and water today. Ill do that again Sta and Sun. Monday I get my soc sec check but I cant spend much or I cant fix my water or get gas or anything. the more I have to spend from my check each month the less I have. Im slowly getting behind now on not just repairs but food and needs.

I barely got by the last 2 1/2 years but I did it. But these next two Im not sure on. At least ive found stuff to sell so that will help as money for that comes in. But Ill eventually run out of stuff to sell.

Food is the biggest cause of money loss now. And theres no end in sight for anyone.

Alas, such is life with inflation hovering near a 40-year high:

[LawBeefaroni]

Rice. Beans. Milwaukee's Best.

[Isgrimnur]

Placing the blame for inflation on currency creation cloaks the responsibility of record corporate profits.

[malchior]

First off sorry to hear that Daehawk. Hopefully there any services that you can lean on to help out.

Placing the blame for inflation on currency creation cloaks the responsibility of record corporate profits.

On my wife's quarterly call the other day her CEO was gloating that their revenue/gross margin skyrocketed because their supplier costs went up and they were able to raise prices that exceeded those cost hikes. A virtuous cycle!

[Alefroth]

Have you been taking advantage of a local food bank?

[Grifman]

Have you been taking advantage of a local food bank?

I was just going to ask this same question. Seems like something he should look in to.

[Anonymous Bosch]

Placing the blame for inflation on currency creation cloaks the responsibility of record corporate profits.

Price-gouging could be driving higher prices in some areas but it is not universal, and does not alter the reality of key economic indicators like M2, that clearly illustrate our massively-expanded money supply:

M2 Definition and Meaning in the Money Supply
What Is M2?
M2 is a calculation of the money supply that includes all elements of M1 as well as "near money." M1 includes cash and checking deposits, while near money refers to savings deposits, money market securities, and other time deposits (in amounts less than $100,000). These assets are less liquid than M1 and not as suitable as exchange mediums, but they can be quickly converted into cash or checking deposits.

Key Takeaways

• M2 is a measure of the money supply that includes cash, checking deposits, and easily-convertible near money.
• M2 is a broader measure of the money supply than M1, which just includes cash and checking deposits.
• M2 is closely watched as an indicator of money supply and future inflation, and as a target of central bank monetary policy.

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis - M2 and Components

[Jeff V]

I shop weekly at a produce store in Naperville, a very well-to-do suburb of Chicago.

This week they gave away a case (8 lbs) of strawberries free. Celery was something like 15 cents. Tomatoes on the vine were about 30 cents per lb.

Perhaps you should seek out such stores in your area. I have to travel almost 20 miles to this place, but it's worth it.

[Unagi]

I shop weekly at a produce store in Naperville, a very well-to-do suburb of Chicago.

Naperville would kill you for calling them a suburb of Chicago. They would argue they are very much their own urb with their own suburbs. Just sayin. (and they are kinda right)

[Daehawk]

Have you been taking advantage of a local food bank?

I was just going to ask this same question. Seems like something he should look in to.

I visit food banks and try to catch the random one that pops up as well.

1 food bank gives me 1 grocery bag a month....mostly beans of various types and uncooked pasta and canned tomato sauce.

1 food bank gives me 1 - 2 bags every 3 months. Same items. Sometimes they add in a few cans of meat like tuna or pork. Since I just went there last week I cannot get more until Dec.

Sometimes a church hosts one.

I have 1 bag of beans left right now and 1 bag of pastas and sauce. I am SO tired of beans but I am forcing a can down right now as I type. The pastas I cannot cook because I have no water at all...not meaning just broke well but I have no water in my house in jug form or anything. No milk for mac and cheese either..nada.

There is a cheap UGO store about 35 miles from me I love to go to as I can stock up good there but I have no gas until Monday and no food stamps until a week from Tuesday. But if I get some name brand items I just cannot buy anywhere else in generic It takes too much sometimes of my stamps and I didn't get to go the last couple months to that place. Hoping to this next go.

[Jaymann]

You should get Cormac McCarthy to write your life story.

[Kraken]

You should get Cormac McCarthy to write your life story.

No kidding. Too bad William Faulkner is unavailable.

I was going to suggest chilighetti, but no water to boil pasta? Come on.

[Daehawk]

Ill have water come monday as I will have my soc sec check and can use some to get a few jugs to do the week until stamps refill.

Also if I gather all my free money in a week or so I may get like $340 free. The well guy said it would cost $200-$300 or so but if it takes longer or is a problem it will go up from there. Ill call him when I have my money gathered and explain my situation and beg for him to fix it and anything over let me pay by the month. It will take money I already need but I need water badly.

[LordMortis]

I shop weekly at a produce store in Naperville, a very well-to-do suburb of Chicago.

This week they gave away a case (8 lbs) of strawberries free. Celery was something like 15 cents. Tomatoes on the vine were about 30 cents per lb.

Perhaps you should seek out such stores in your area. I have to travel almost 20 miles to this place, but it's worth it.

Wow. I have some great places around here, where produce is directly tied to farms so in season stuff can be cheap but they don't give stuff away. I think the last of my 14 ears of corn or so for two bucks might be out of season now. Not sure.

I concur on the general expense of food though. Pantry and frozen items have doubled or more in the last two years as have eggs and meat. I used to fill a cart of food about $50. Now $50 will fill generally only fill about 4 to 5 landfill bags unless I'm loaded up on produce. Produce is still cheap. Even with a diet much heavier in produce my monthly grocery bill has gone from around $100 or less to $250 or more and I'm back to heavy sale shopping rotations.

I don't see it coming back down. I think it's "sticky" as they like to say on CNBC. I just hope it comes to a halt or I'll have to make some re-evaluations and I don't know how much re-evaluation I have in me.

[Daehawk]

I buy lots of canned meat..cheap stuff like .65 vienna and .60 cent potted meat. One of those makes 1 meal for me with some crackers. I buy .70 soup too..lots usually. With colder weather I can stomach it easier too. I never buy fresh veggies..they cost too much and I have to eat them fast. I need cheap stuff that I can store. I eat AWFUL food but I can afford it better lol.

Back in the covid bonus times they gave me $250 a month for food and that came RIGHT to the line of being enough. It was great.

[LordMortis]

I buy lots of canned meat..cheap stuff like .65 vienna and .60 cent potted meat. One of those makes 1 meal for me with some crackers. I buy .70 soup too..lots usually. With colder weather I can stomach it easier too. I never buy fresh veggies..they cost too much and I have to eat them fast. I need cheap stuff that I can store. I eat AWFUL food but I can afford it better lol.

Back in the covid bonus times they gave me $250 a month for food and that came RIGHT to the line of being enough. It was great.

Around here produce is cheaper than canned anything and doubly so when it is in season locally. Even a 12 oz can of generic beans is almost up to almost a dollar. Produce does have to be eaten fairly quickly, which is why I only started buying more of it after I stopped working. It was almost never in my fridge when I was working and if you can't get to a market at least once a week then you may as well be in a food desert. I'm also a big fan of rotisserie chickens but they also only hold for three days. However a $5 pound pre cooked chicken (or what is up to a $7 chicken without a club membership) is three days worth of food. With rice and eggs it would go a lot longer if only it held longer.

[Daehawk]

I love those chickens. I like to make chicken salad from them sometimes..or did.

[Isgrimnur]

The Campaign For North Africa

The Italian troops in World War II were outfitted with noodle rations, and in the name of historical dogma, the player responsible for the Italians is required to distribute an extra water ration to their forces, so that their pasta may be boiled.
...
As Berg explains, the rule wasn’t even entirely factually accurate. “The reality is that the Italians cooked their pasta with the tomato sauce that came with the cans,” he says.

[TheMix]

I'm also a big fan of rotisserie chickens but they also only hold for three days.

We de-meat our rotisserie chickens when we get home (assuming they have cooled sufficiently). Then package the meat into several small vacuum sealed bags. And freeze. That way we can eat it much more at our leisure.

By the way, we love our little portal vacuum sealer. It came with a bunch of zip lock type baggies with a little spot that can be used to take the air out. It's been fantastic and really helps with keeping things from going bad as quickly.

[Daehawk]

I think God took pity on me as my Soc. Sec. check came today instead on Monday when it should. Course on the flip side I hhad to spend more because iwas out of food and need to eat a week...so a weeks food and 10 jugs or water took a cut out of my well fixing....it nibbles to keep me from fixing it. Lol. Gotta sell more stuff.

I did treat myself to a big cheeseburger for $3. My chihuahua likes the bread too.

[dbt1949]

My check came in today too. How odd.

[em2nought]

I love those chickens. I like to make chicken salad from them sometimes..or did.

Buy some pearl barley and make stew from the chicken carcass. Pearl barley is cheap, it's good for you, and it's "not" beans.

[Daehawk]

Thats a thought. Could make some good broth and strain out the bones.

[Daehawk]

Im sorry, I cant place the name to the OO handle right now but whoever sent me some money via Paypal thank you so much. As I was telling another fellow OO'r you guys are family and friends to me and not just virtually so. It feels like more. And Ill never forget you for all the support especially when my wife was sick and passed on. Maybe one day in a couple years Ill be in a position to be on the giving end of the love. Ill feel better then.

[Daehawk]

Thanks to OO family and friends along with a boost to my EBT I was able to restock all I was out of in both fridge and cabinet.

My splurge for the month was a $6 t-bone steak with a large filet side and to go with it my sister gave me a can of Guinness.

Got a family pack of chicken breasts to freeze and cheap wings. Also ground beef at $2.50 a lb for 5 lbs. Ill separate it into 1 lb measures and freeze.

They also had 50/50 ground beef / ground pork which is great on super sale. Freeze it too.

Yes I drove the 30 - 35 miles to the cheap store. Its great.

[dbt1949]

I went to the store myself today. My splurge was White Castle cheese sliders.

[Kraken]

I wanted a T-bone last week but it was $20/lb, and part of that weight is the bone. Settled for a 12-oz NY strip instead, I think I paid about $13 for it. I don't buy meat very often so the sticker shock was real.

[LordMortis]

Yes I drove the 30 - 35 miles to the cheap store. Its great.

If it's 35 miles to the cheap store then it's best to literally buy once a month on their best sale week. I count my blessings that I have four stores that combine to one super cheap store (Meijer, Kroger, Aldi, BJs) all within about six miles and Aldi and Kroger are both only about 1.5 miles.

Glad you're getting a leg up. Also $2.50 a pound, nice. The best sales we're getting now are $2.99 a pound in 3 pound minimums for 80/20. The level used to be super rare (like Memorial Day, the 4th, and Labor Day) but Kroger have had that sale twice more since Labor Day.

I don't do red meat so much any more. I do have about 5 pounds of burger in the freezer set aside for chili over the coming months but I do seem to pick up a $5 3 pound chicken every other week or so. I've just discovered Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce, which if very similar to the sauce my mom made growing up, so I can broil a tray shredded chicken with Sweet Baby Rays like six times for 3 pound chicken and be happy man for three days off that.

[Cylus Maxii]

My cheapest source of groceries is the Asian market. I have a Pacific Ocean Marketplace that's not far out of the way on my way home from work.