Rather than complain all the time about inflation and rising costs, especially for food, learn to take advantage of coupons and how to shop, and buy things when they are on sale if you can. Try other than the fanciest and costliest name brands, too.
Vermonter
Welcome back, Vermonter. Long time, no see!
Rather than complain all the time about inflation and rising costs, especially for food, learn to take advantage of coupons and how to shop, and buy things when they are on sale if you can. Try other than the fanciest and costliest name brands, too.
I seem to recall you sharing these exact same things last year and the previous years. Good advice but I am pretty sure that those of us on the LBYM board do many of those things. I donāt imagine many of us are brand name snobs. Still, food has gone up tremendously and we arenāt done yet with increases.
So many things have played into where we, and the world, find ourselves today. Do you have any new suggestions to combat the rising cost of food, gas, housing, automobiles, utilities, taxes, insurance, health care, etcetera?
With the present shortages of many items that are part of our everyday life many of us buy what we can find on the grocery shelves. Same for most of the other items I mentioned.
Robyn
Jr, shop around, Iām surprised when I find prices lower at Walmart than Costco for bulk items. I still keep a price book. Some things stay the same, but I watch out for those lower than before quantities on the same package.
As a coffee drinker, I have been buying up as much as I can of my favās for several months nowā¦.Iām a coffee snob, not the effete Starbuckās kind but I prefer better than Folgerās, Chock Full O Nuts, Maxwell Houseā¦ā¦you know, regular coffee. :). Prices are going up on everything.
Thereās always having a garden, which I did for many years. I canāt grow coffee here though. 
Lucky Dog
With the present shortages of many items that are part of our everyday life many of us buy what we can find on the grocery shelves. Same for most of the other items I mentioned.
I really havenāt hit many shortages. I often check delivery from Walmart, delivery from Amazon Fresh and the weekly ad from Kroger. The prices can vary significantly across them. I do like that Krogerās coupons are in the app/web and I like the personalized ones. They are for things I buy regularly and often include free items - they are for fresh produce, store brands and name brands.
Iām noticing some items missing from the shelves at my preferred store but can usually find them, or reasonable alternatives at one of the other stores in the area. I do use coupons when available. I rarely find coupons for most of the items I purchase. Out of curiosity,I looked at my tracking sheet that separates food groceries from non-food and cat groceries and all were down in January from last years average.
In 2022, food-at-home prices are predicted to increase between 1.5 and 2.5 percent, and food-away-from-home prices are predicted to increase between 3.5 and 4.5 percent.
https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-price-outlook/suā¦
So my advice is to eat out less or not at all 
I rarely see coupons for the food I buy, but I shop sales up to a point. I like to have a mix of red meat, poultry, seafood and vegetarian entrees during the week. if I can.
I canāt stock up much on fresh produce (cabbage, carrots, onions last awhile) so Iām trying more frozen and canned with mixed to negative results. I used to eat canned green beans before I discovered making fresh (Mom always used canned)ānow itās hard to go back unless starving.
I do stock up when meat/poultry/seafood is on sale or cheaper. Which often leaves me with odd freezer options like I have right nowāpork butt, pork chops, ground pork, pork sausage (andouille, Italian)āpork is cheaper and on sale more than other meats, chicken wings, frozen shrimp, and a small pkg of ground beef. I wish chicken thighs would go on sale more often! And fresh fish.
Iām buying fewer organic items now. At age 72, I doubt weāll live another 20 years for cancer to show up from todayās pesticides =8-0 Itās hardest to adjust to buying non-organic cream, non-free-range eggs, non-pastured meat. But I didn;t have those things the first few decades of my life so Iāll manage.
Apples and avocados are so expensive now, Iām not buying. Berries annoyingly pricy, but they always are this time of year.
Speaking of Whole Paycheck, they have a good deal in the deli dept. Entree & 2 sides for $9-12 ($9 for vegetarian entree, $12 for London broil). One order is enough lunch for both of us.
Iād love to save by eating higher-carb meals, but my waistline disapproves If I were financially desperate, Iād go there, though.
Leanne Brownās book āGood & Cheapā has a lot of, er, good & cheap recipes.
As a coffee drinker, I have been buying up as much as I can of my favās for several months nowā¦.Iām a coffee snob, not the effete Starbuckās kind but I prefer better than Folgerās, Chock Full O Nuts, Maxwell Houseā¦ā¦you know, regular coffee. :). Prices are going up on everything.
I have stopped buying the 3 pound red cans of Folgers from Costco and now I buy 12 oz bag of whole bean coffee made by small roasters. The little bag often costs more than the can of Folgers.
PSU
Iām really thinking about what you said, Vermonter, so if I can get the hubster to put on shoes and get in the car, I think Iāll go to Aldiāsāhavenāt been there in quite a while. Maybe they have whatās on my listā¦chicken thighs (or leg quarters), cream, plant milk, scallions, cauliflower or cauli-rice, snap peas, green beans, eggplant, mozzarella, lettuce, rib-eyes for Valentines Day, oatmeal, shredded wheat, applesauce, sourdough bread. Cheap avocados?!
Robyn (and others):
Interesting responses!
Coupons can help a lot, we think. Lots of folks refuse to bother, until they find out that maybe spending half an hour looking for them or snipping them or just marking the store flyer(s) can save them a lot.
Foodwise, weāre lucky, I guess, because we find avocadoes to taste like toothpaste but with NO flavor! Amazing how many people say they ālikeā them! To us, they are justā¦ blah.
Meatwise, we donāt eat that as much anymore. Hot dogs are bad for you in terms of calories and carbs, and hamburger has gotten ridiculous, and, frankly, weāre also a bit nervous as to who has handled that meat! Solid meats (steaks, chops, roasts, fish) are basically only handled on the outside, but burger? Ummmā¦ My wife dislikes turkey, sadly, so thatās rarely eaten here. Chicken can be a good deal; buy a whole āroasterā on sale, roast it, enjoy one meal and then carefully slice or cut up the rest and store properly for future use. Wings? Ridiculous! Fat and bones! Confession: As retirees, living alone, we can now afford to āsplurgeā some on meats and such, and we do. Not crab legs at $30/lb (!), but salmon, which is good for you, too, for example. Pork remains a reasonable meat, too.
Fresh veggies are great, but we find that, much as weād like to support our local markets, favorite chain stores (Price Chopper and Hannafordās around here) generally offer veggies cheaper than the farmersā markets, sad to say, so we go there. However, shopping wisely can help a lot. Carrots, for example: We recently bought 5 lbs for $2.99. Thatās a LOT of carrots for two! We use them in stews (which we love to make) and just as veggies, and they keep well in the crisper. Fruits are often costly this time of year, sadly, but surprises show up ā often from Chile or other places where the earthās tipping is favorable so there is summer there and not a foot of snow like here!
Again, watch for deals and coupons, and use them!
Other than food, we live pretty much mostly on our rather low SS income. Two cars are long ago paid for and garaged safely, the house is paid for except that it is now on a currently low interests equity credit line (being watched now for signs of increased interest) and we do not carry balances on credit cards. They are paid monthly, when used.
We heat with oil and have that on an annual budget plan, so pay a set amount each month, no matter what it ends up costing when deliveries are made.
I am now accumulating tax payments and other things to prepare (on line - takes me half an hour) our annual āHomesteaderā credit with the state, which, when submitted, saves us about half of our home tax bill. (Vermont takes money from towns and redivides it back to them; 90% of our local tax bill eventually goes to VT and comes back to towns for education. However, we also get that credit which cuts our local taxes about in half.)
Utilities arenāt exorbitant, really, though we splurge on satellite TV and the phone includes internet, which do add up. Yes, insurance (home and cars) does add up. We just changed our Health to an Advantage PLan with zero monthly premium vs the $500/month we were paying for Medigap, but we will see how that works in terms of copays, etc., functions of our health. (Weāre both 80+.) Life Insurance is no longer available, no matter what, at our age!
Enough for now.
Vermonter
alstroemeria
A. I like to have a mix of red meat, poultry, seafood and vegetarian entrees during the week. if I can.
B. I used to eat canned green beans before I discovered making fresh (Mom always used canned)ānow itās hard to go back unless starving.
C. Iām buying fewer organic items now.
A. Ditto here; Iāve always been great on veges, including broccoli and brussels sprouts. Gotten stronger with age.
B. Canned beans, canned peas. Never have liked canned. If fresh not available, go without. Canned baked beans okay, corn okay, mushrooms okay, most fruit okay. Green beans and peas? Never.
C. Eschewed āorganicā from day one. Produce looks sad, less appetizing, and Iāve never believed the hype attached to organic, let alone that the ācertifiedā growers were absolutely adhering to their claims. Finally: Not worth the inflated price.
I do use coupons when available. I rarely find coupons for most of the items I purchase.
I knew I would get this response. I havenāt actually clipped coupons in years. But the coupons Kroger used to mail me are available to āclipā on the website and in the app. Current include fresh avocados, fresh celery and a free pack of Sargeno sliced cheese. Thereās often one for fresh mushrooms, too.
Itās really too bad no one else has these opportunities.
I also buy wine - usually about $8-10/bottle.
I find it easy to eat reasonably well and not spending all that much for one. I eat mostly fresh food with meat,chicke, fish,etc I buy or freeze in individual potions.
I tracked for at least a year starting with March 2020 and stopped because I really donāt care now.
I knew I would get this response. I havenāt actually clipped coupons in years. But the coupons Kroger used to mail me are available to āclipā on the website and in the app. Current include fresh avocados, fresh celery and a free pack of Sargeno sliced cheese. Thereās often one for fresh mushrooms, too.
Itās really too bad no one else has these opportunities.
Kroger left our area several years ago. Iām not sure if the other chains have similar apps and coupons. My wife does all the grocery shopping. She used to use a lot of coupons but now with 12 hour workdays, she doesnāt bother. Maybe next year when I take over grocery shopping when Iām retired.
PSU
I knew I would get this response. I havenāt actually clipped coupons in years. But the coupons Kroger used to mail me are available to āclipā on the website and in the app. Current include fresh avocados, fresh celery and a free pack of Sargeno sliced cheese. Thereās often one for fresh mushrooms, too.
Nob Hill (Raleyās) also has targeted and general coupons that link to your card. All it takes is clicking the coupon and if the product is bought then the coupon is applied.
I routinely select all of the offered coupons but I probably only use around a third of offered coupons.
My advice would be use coupons, learn to shop, and learn to cook!
I was talking to a friend who bemoaned to increase in cost of frozen tater totās. She says she eats them every day, and also makes some casserole she likes. She usually buys a 5 pound (!) bag of tater tots, and the price had gone up to $7.
I pointed out I bout a 5 lb bag of potatoes for $1.75 and she could just make fried potatoes or baked potatoes and could probably use in her casserole, too.
āToo much work,ā was the response.
Iāve been eating a lot of cabbage lately. Cheap, healthy and I like it.
I pointed out I bout a 5 lb bag of potatoes for $1.75 and she could just make fried potatoes or baked potatoes and could probably use in her casserole, too.
āToo much work,ā was the response.
A fair amount of sodium and fat in tater tots. Real potatoes would be healthier.
Lucky Dog ~
I do shop around and search for good prices. I also can and dehydrate food. I donāt have a garden but I did plant three fruit trees 18 months ago and hope to have some kind of harvest this year. I also planted three berry bushes at the same time and hopeful that this year will produce fruit. We have not had much rain in the Kansas City MO area this past year and it isnāt looking great for this year either. Still, I do what I can.
Robyn
I did plant three fruit trees 18 months ago and hope to have some kind of harvest this year. I also planted three berry bushes
This is a great way to get fresh fruit but depending on the cost of the trees/bushes, it may not save much money. This is even more true in places where water is not cheap.
But the coupons Kroger used to mail me are available to āclipā on the website and in the app.
Didnāt think about those. I do āclipā those on the website for the things I buy there. I also use the fuel points since they added a station close to where I live.
I did plant three fruit trees 18 months ago and hope to have some kind of harvest this year.
You didnāt say what type of fruit tree but you shouldnāt expect fruit for several years if the trees are around 6 to 8 feet tall from a local nursery.
PSU
PSU ~
I planted a Peach, Pear and Gala Apple tree. They were about 10ā tall and I was advised that I could receive a very small harvest at around 2 years but each year should be better than the last. I donāt think I overpaid but know that when they start producing each year it will more than make up for the price. The berry bushes are blackberry, blueberry and raspberry. I know it will be a few years but with the price of berries this seemed like a worthwhile investment.