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We shop almost exclusively from Whole Foods/Fresh only because we buy organic and because WF delivers (WF = $9.95 delivery fee+$7 tip. Fresh = free delivery over $35+$7 tip) I was going over my orders for the last month and our orders totaled roughly $1500 plus several orders from Thrive at $50 a pop. Close to $2000/mo. I was shocked.
I decided for my grocery budget (as well as my waistline ) that I had to cut some items to bring the bill down. So one luxury item I was imbibing was Sambazon Acai Bites $8.79 for 9 small pieces 7.76 oz for the box. That's nearly a buck for 1 piece that weighs .8 oz. 1 box every 1 1/2 days = $176/mo. Out they went.
Another item: Maple Hill Grassfed Kefir $7.99 for 32 oz. Gone in four cups. Drinking one bottle every 2 days = $120/mo. Out they went
Another item: Beyond Meat Burger Patties $18.29 for box of 8 patties. 1 box every 8 days = $67/mo. Out they went. Now I eat Hillary's vegi root patties, still $3.80 for 2 patties, 1 a day.
Another item: Amy's Southwestern Burritos $3.49 each, 1 a day = $105/mo. Out they went
I'm switching over to more Romaine salads now. When I feel like splurging I cut up a 365 organic 365 Chicken sausage $7.99/4 pack = $2 for one sausage. That's a luxury.
Disclaimer: for my darling wife I spare no expense. I get her all the organic she wants and am glad to do so because she is such a sweetheart for putting up with me for 38 years. She's still pretty skinny, btw.
Anybody have any similar horror stories they'd like to share of item you really love that you had to give up because of the rising cost of food?
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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We're now over $100/ month for groceries for (2), used to provide groceries for entire family for $100 / month. (Plus cook meals for senior neighbors, and entertain a lot.)
Currently cut out Cinnamin rolls *They doubled in price, so no more of those! Don't need them anyway (carbs)
Still using eggs. *They tripled in price.
Fresh Halibut is pushing the limit, so we eat less of it.
Might figure out how to get more than 20 meal servings from a $4.99 Costco Chicken. Pretty easy to double that if we just use the chicken for soup and salads. Burritos and sandwiches require more meat / serving that soup and salad.
Food in USA is dirt cheap. (And at least we have food available!)
Still Buying Steel Cut Oats (25# at $16) lasts about a yr.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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We have not changed anything about our food due to cost. We always went to Costco once a month and spend about $200
and now it may be $230, not a big difference. What I have done is reduced sugar and carbs on doctor suggestion, which also saves a few bucks I guess. We would never buy groceries online though we get Amazon deliveries of other things almost daily.
I just prefer to see the foods I'm buying and to be able to compare brands and prices. In between if we need just one or two things we'll go to Safeway, Trader Joe's or one of the two Kroger stores. If we spot something we use a lot on sale we'll get more of it, like Mayonnaise or Ken's salad dressing.
It's a horrible diet, so I don't feel so bad giving it up. Used to frequently eat single serving frozen dinners. Just because they say "Lean Cuisine" or "Healthy Choice", I know that they are still not very good for a human's body. Used to be relatively inexpensive and frequently on sale. No more. Some of them were really tasty.
Haven't changed anything. Our small town IGA is known to have higher prices than the bigger chain grocery stores, but I like to support local, so I just buy what I need and go on.
It's a horrible diet, so I don't feel so bad giving it up. Used to frequently eat single serving frozen dinners. Just because they say "Lean Cuisine" or "Healthy Choice", I know that they are still not very good for a human's body. Used to be relatively inexpensive and frequently on sale. No more. Some of them were really tasty.
I dropped Lean Cuisine also - it wasn't even really worth the cost then and certainly not now.
Another item: Beyond Meat Burger Patties $18.29 for box of 8 patties. 1 box every 8 days = $67/mo. Out they went. Now I eat Hillary's vegi root patties, still $3.80 for 2 patties, 1 a day.
Using your prices above, the Beyond Meat patties are $2.29 each and the Hillary's patties are $1.90. Now I like and buy both Beyond Meat and Hillary's products, but there really isn't any comparison between the two. You're getting a much bigger, thicker, juicier patty with Beyond Meat, much more than would offset a mere 39¢ difference, so I'm not sure if you're really saving anything by making that substitution. At those price points, I think that they Beyond Meat product is a much better value.
But even if you were just doing a straight 1:1 cost comparison, is saving 39¢ worthwhile if you like the Beyond Meat product better? (And that appears to be the case given that absent the cost factor, you have been buying Beyond rather than Hillary's.)
Now if you like Hillary's better anyway, that would be a different story.
I've given up ribeye steaks and particularly, Wagyu beef. I used to buy it from a local rancher, then later our grocery store started carrying it. It was expensive before, but now astronomical. I will still buy the occasional regular or grass-fed ribeye as a splurge, but they're longer a regular part of my diet. I've found the cheaper chuckeye steak to be an acceptable substitute, but since they're not as tasty as ribeye, I eat less of them, and less beef in general.
Although I'm eating less protein, the grocery bill is still ridiculously high. I'm also buying less prepared items from the grocery deli, and limiting takeout and restaurant visits. These have been relatively easy corners to cut so far. But more belt-tightening may be necessary the longer this continues, and as other cost of living bills inch up.
Last edited by BijouBaby; 12-19-2022 at 03:42 PM..
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) that I had to cut some items to bring the bill down. So one luxury item I was imbibing was Sambazon Acai Bites $8.79 for 9 small pieces 7.76 oz for the box. That's nearly a buck for 1 piece that weighs .8 oz. 1 box every 1 1/2 days = $176/mo. Out they went.
She's still pretty skinny, btw. 
