Food Prices

Discussion in 'Other Conversation' started by squarepeg, Nov 2, 2011.

  1. azhomeschooler

    azhomeschooler New Member

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    You wouldn't know it, but as you are driving through the middle of nowhere, you get a lovely whiff that can only be one thing...a dairy farm. Shamrock Farms is our big one (the name brand of milk in stores). I know our Fry's is also now using local farms so that the milk is cheaper and lasts longer because it is fresher. So, maybe it is just that the AZ cows are cheap hussies and those in Wisconsin are of higher class :lol:. We do also have lots of farm land that feels like it is seriously in the middle of nowhere. We are not only cactus and rattlesnakes :cool:.
     
  2. kbabe1968

    kbabe1968 New Member

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    Well in PA it's a government thing....something to do with the farmers and protecting them. All a bunch of hooey if you ask me!!!!

    And AZHomeschooler - I miss Shamrock Farms and Rosie!!! I used to love getting the Shamrock Farms calendar every year! LOL :) I still have the one from 2002 or 3 where it was the cow "pinup" calendar! Hysterical!!!!
     
  3. Brooke

    Brooke New Member

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    What'd I tell ya. Hussies. ;) :lol:

    I was in Lake Havasu visiting my brother and his family this summer and milk was not that cheap at Basha's. Must be a local thing, huh.
     
  4. aggie01

    aggie01 New Member

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    I love Lake Havasu!
    We have a strict budget, we have done both, cut out things we buy, and increase the budget.
    I agree on the Walmart HEB debate. HEB is cheaper, and locally HEB has fresher produce. And the Walmart brand milk goes bad before the date.
    I usually get some produce from local people, but since the drought this summer, no body had any extras, most didn't have any produce.
    We eat lots of eggs since we have chickens.
     
  5. kimmarie69

    kimmarie69 New Member

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    Here we generally shop at the Aldi market. My husband made the comment a few weeks ago that he thought the prices have gone up since what he paid didn't give him as much as what he remembers getting before! But I know at other stores like Tops or Wegmans, the bottom of my cart isn't even full and it ends up costing me at least $60! As for the coffee, I remember when it was about $6 for a two pound can. Now its about $9-$10 and I can't get generic, 'cause my husband could tell the difference without me even saying a word! Lol. I tried to sneak a generic in there to save money, but that definitely didn't work! I used to drink a mug of coffee every morning for a long time. Then I quit because that was back when supposedly coffee wasn't good for you. I didn't realize I'd go through such significant caffiene withdrawal, though! So I got into drinking a cup of tea like my English grandmother had done for years, and now I like that much better. I think I only pay a couple of bucks for a box of 100 teabags!
     
  6. Jackie

    Jackie Active Member

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    OK, I don't drink coffee. EVER! So please excuse my ignorance, in case this is a really bad idea. Could you mix "good" and "bad" coffee? Like maybe two parts good to one part bad?

    When I was engaged to Carl, his boys would eat ONLY RAGU spaghetti sauce. Another kind was on sale, and they turned their noses up at it. So I saved an empty Ragu jar. The next time I made the "other" brand, I threw the jar away and put the empty Ragu jar on the counter. The boys took a taste, started to say something, but then saw the Ragu jar and made the natural assumption. LOL!!!
     
  7. kimmarie69

    kimmarie69 New Member

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    Lol! That's a good idea, Jackie. I don't know if my husband would still be able to tell some difference, but it may be worth a try. I love what you did with the Ragu sauce. :lol: My father refuses to eat any sauce but Ragu, and can guess it every time when it's not. So my mother gave up on trying to convert him. ;)
     
  8. Emma's#1fan

    Emma's#1fan Active Member

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    Depending on the store, a half gallon of milk is anywhere from $1.80 - $2.75. A gallon, again depending on the store, runs from $3.46 - $4.??
    SoCal no longer has high number of milk farms it once had. It still has a lot but is highly regulated.
     
  9. sixcloar

    sixcloar New Member

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    I buy store brand coffee,and I just ran out. I'm scared to look at the price now! I only a drink it few times a week when it's cold. We do organic peanut butter. I can't even imagine what that will be. Maybe I'll just switch to almond butter.
     
  10. Emma's#1fan

    Emma's#1fan Active Member

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    Ems was a huge peanut butter fan and suddenly she stopped eating it on a regular basis. Now I have a couple of jars sitting around. I will probably make cookies with it during the holidays.
     
  11. CrystalCA

    CrystalCA New Member

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    Here in Vegas, food is still cheap...except meat. We eat meat at every meal my dh is at ( he travels 2 weeks or more out of the month so I save money on groceries when he isn't here to eat). We also make own sausage and grind our own beef, plus we have a smoker now so we have BBQ every Sat and Sun now.

    I buy at 3 stores: Fresh and Easy, Smith's and Sam's Club.

    I buy coffee, mayo, almond milk, bananas, mushrooms, rice, and some meat at Sam's Club- way cheaper per unit than regular stores.

    Fresh and Easy is for : produce and canned goods.
    I know the poeple that work there and they told me when they mark down food so that is when I go in and buy my produce, 2 times a week ( sometimes more if we are going through a lot of veggies/fruit).
    I can get lettuce for 57 cents, napa cabbage is 70 cents, bag of onions 98 cents ( same with bell peppers and roma tomatoes), cilantro is 47 cents, bread is 75 cents -1.10 depends on what type and tortillas are 98 cents.

    Smith's is for: meat sales and 10/$10 sales. That is when I stock up on Sunny D, canned meat/tuna and other items I normally wouldn't buy. Oh and I buy my cheese there too, with sales ( right now its $2.99 a pound) and store coupons (40 cents off) its a great deal.
     
  12. mommix3

    mommix3 Active Member

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    I shop around the sales. We don't eat meat as a stand alone we stretch it by putting it in casserols. And I only buy what's on sale and sometimes what in the reduced for quick sale bin. Veggies like onions and bell peppers go on sale we stock up and chop them up then freeze. Bread is purchased when it goes below a dollar then it goes into the freezer. Around here even the generic store brand bread is almost $2. Milk is only bought when it goes on sale for 2/$5. Which is about once every 2 months and I usually make that my visit Grandma day since it's in another town and I don't go often because of the gas prices.. Last night I bought our dinner stuff and was going to buy garlic bread from the bakery. I flipped out when I saw the price on that little bitty loaf $3.19!! Are you SERIOUS!! I passed on it. I can think of better things to spend $3.19 on.. This next week, I'm probably only going to have $50 for groceries so it's going to be tough. Stretching that for 6 people for 3 meals a day is a major challenge...
     
  13. kbabe1968

    kbabe1968 New Member

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    Aldi's prices have gone up, but they are still lower than other stores, that's for sure!

    My blog is dedicated to recipes using Aldi ingredients. :) I love Aldi.
     
  14. Birbitt

    Birbitt New Member

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    I miss Aldi and sure wish it'd come out here to AZ! I do however get great deals on my meat. Albertsons usually has a buy 1 get 2 free special on some kind of meat at least twice a month, so I stock up on that during those sales. Also I get Chicken from Zaycon Foods for 1.49lb for boneless skinless chx breast (but you have to order the full 40# case). Otherwise I shop the managers specials and just freeze them once I get them home.
     
  15. Emma's#1fan

    Emma's#1fan Active Member

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    We do not have an Aldi's in this area. I never heard of the store until I watched Christmas With The Kranks. lol
     
  16. Naturallia

    Naturallia New Member

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    Yep, food has gone up. I'm having trouble getting $25/week to work for two adults and two children. We're big on stretching leftovers. Day one, a roast, day two, a stir fry with noodles, then day three, toss all that into rice and make fried rice then make a big pot of beans with leftover fried rice as side, then stretch leftover beans into bean burgers then the next day chop all that up and serve with mashed potatoes and salsa. We eat only three meals a day. Our snacks are homemade stuff that we can make frugally such as bread, muffins, etc. We simply cannot afford snacks like chips, cookies, etc. If I buy chips, it's an ingredient for supper.
     
  17. Ohio Mom

    Ohio Mom New Member

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    I use coupons, buy 1/2 beef, and shop for sale items. I found a coupon on athriftymom.com for milk. 75 cents our grocery store (Giant Eagle) had it on sale for 2/$5. They double coupons (I had 2), total cost of 1 gallon of milk $1.00. Check the coupon sites, a few weeks before that I found a coupon for 35 cents off milk. I also used that and the other 2 milk, I purchased for $1.80 each. I also got eggs for $.99 each. I always look for the bargins. They are out there.
     
  18. mom_2_3

    mom_2_3 Active Member

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    I shop FoodMaxx and Winco usually. Target has good markdowns on fresh meat and their cereal prices are usually cheaper, though.

    FoodMaxx has been cheap on milk at 2.90/gal. That's the cheapest anywhere around here. Eggs go for .99/1 doz large.

    Check coupons.com for coupons for eggs. Every so often they have .55/2 one dozen eggs coupon from the American Egg Board.
     
  19. Emma's#1fan

    Emma's#1fan Active Member

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    mom 2 3, I never heard of FoodMaxx. Where are they located?



    I do not buy cookies. I rarely make cookies. I do not keep chips in the house but I do buy pretzels. Handsome takes chips to work. He buys them in bulk and leaves them in his car. I do not allow them in the house. lol
     
  20. mom_2_3

    mom_2_3 Active Member

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    http://www.foodmaxx.com/about/locations.html

    Here's a link to their locations. I can't remember if you said where in CA you are so I just linked it.

    I like FoodMaxx for meat, dairy and frozen in particular but Winco has a bigger organic and natural foods selection.

    Oh and I wanted to mention that if your local Target has a grocery store in it, check out the frozen clearence section. I've found 50% off sales of OJ, fruit and veggies. You have to hunt for the section but so far its been worth it.
     

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