Rising cost of groceries / food

[Mellymoo]

Hi there

I probably could have put this in a different forum, but because this relates to food, I thought I would post here.

Is it just me, or is the cost of food getting ridiculously high ?

I find that the budgeted amount we have to spend each week at the grocery shop, now isn't enough to cover everything.

I want to make sure we have plenty of fresh fruit and veg, and that I have enough ingredients to prepare healthy meals each night....but I find now that due to the rising cost of the weekly shop, that I have to cut back on things - like getting cheaper cuts of meat, and not buying certain 'expensive' fruit and veg.

As a result, the meals I prepare each night seem to be getting 'boring'. I seem to dish up potatoes every other night in one way or another. Meats are cheaper versions and you can only cook it so many ways !:banghead:

Have you come across the same problem ? What do you do ?

[aardvark]

I agree everything is going up.

I cook most things from scratch - bread, biscuits, casseroles. I buy basic items and avoid most packet mixes.

In summer when fruit is abundant, I make my own jams and chutney for the year. You can often get plums, apricots from family, friends or neighbours.

[EskimoMumma]

Yup its getting pretty high!

I went to get some more milk this morning, 3.20 now for 3 litres! what happened to 2.99?!:confused:

[perrywinkle]

It's getting to the point where take away will be a cheaper option for everyone!

All I can say is thankgod strawberries are cheap atm with my punnent a day craving LOL!!!

[HugsAndKisses]

Yup its getting pretty high!

I went to get some more milk this morning, 3.20 now for 3 litres! what happened to 2.99?!:confused:

yes i noticed this about the milk too...and its just rediculous the cost of chops and quality steak....vegies are such high prices i ofter just buy apples because to buy the others costs so much and they go off too quickly...we have a budget of $130 forr the 3 of us but i dont cook every night because i cant afford to...two nights a week we have cereal or leftovers:thumbsdown:

[cheezelkat]

Its getting ridiculous.

This week our rent increases as well. DH's annual wage increase was an entire $8 week - nowhere near enough to equal out the increases in the price of everything else.

Hopefully summer will mean some cheaper produce, because some weeks its cheaper to buy frozen than fresh.

[Mellymoo]

glad it's not just me then !!

I find myself going to the shops and buying the reduced meat because it's near the useby date, then freezing it - never used to do this before !!

We eat a lot of leftovers, cooked in different ways.

I cook every night pretty much, but I get sick of getting up in the morning wondering what to cook for tea tonight.

Get sick of cooking !!

[greengables]

we shop at aldi which really helps with dried and frozen staples dairy and meat. we now rarely shop at any other supermarkets - u get used to the products/limited variety. reminds me of the general store in the olden days

fruit we buy from markets.

we usually east frozen vegies evry nite cos they go off too quickly and its a waste of money.

[Toffee apple]

I find that if i shop at the local market (like a mini Queen Vic market) ,fruit & veg is about a third of the price that it is at our Safeway , now i just need to be organised to do that.
Also i cook up a huge batch of spag bowl mince & used it in many creative ways, add beans for Nachos, add vegies for pasta bake...:ecomcity:
But yes a tiny basket at Safeway i can now put $150 worth of groseries in:eek: , as a kid that used to fill a shopping trolly & last our family of 5 a week .

[Tingles]

Dear Mr Howard - scrap the baby bonus - we all need supermarket coupons!!!!

[2littleprincesses]

Every week I see things go up in price.

I buy my f&v from the local markets. They come from Flemington and are heaps fresher, cheaper and better quality than supermarkets or f&v shops. I find that I can spend $20-25 dollars for a week's worth at the markets and it can last 2 weeks or more, but recently didn't get to the markets and went to the f&v shop instead, spend $55 and it had to be thrown out after 4 days.

[floggadog]

sorry girls but it's going to get worse. Fruit growers along the Murray river are pulling out their fruit trees, vegie farmers haven't got the water for vegie crops. Water allocations are being taken away from these farmers & given to the cities & bigger towns
in my area entire mobs of cattle are being sold up as there is no feed or water, same with the sheep. Australias' wheat crop is pretty cactus as well, not to mention the worldwide shortage of wheat which has pushed the prices up.
Grain prices are going up accross the board so anything needing grain to produce it will either go out of business or push the price right up.
Pigs, grainfed cattle, milk, eggs, chicken , bread, pasta rice etc etc.

So get thrifty cause prices won't be going down til it rains.
Might be time to grow your own vegies.

[Tingles]

The problem with growing your own is - we have water restrictions tooooo!

Grey water is not good for 'eating plants' is my understanding - I was up early enough the other day to do a quick water on my 3 fruit trees & Tommys...:)

[Freya]

I have found that doing an aldi shop then going to the butcher then the fruit shop is the cheapest way to go. I get like a trolley full of food for 70 dollars at aldi which would have cost 150 minimum at coles/woolies. If it wasn't for Aldi I can't imagine how I could afford to get by because even with shopping there I am still struggling. It's ridiculous....

[EskimoMumma]

yes i noticed this about the milk too...and its just rediculous the cost of chops and quality steak....vegies are such high prices i ofter just buy apples because to buy the others costs so much and they go off too quickly...we have a budget of $130 forr the 3 of us but i dont cook every night because i cant afford to...two nights a week we have cereal or leftovers:thumbsdown:

$130 is our meat shop alone. Its crazy!

I should do what you do because, tbh, DD1 doesnt exactly eat dinner anyway.

We spend on average, almost 400a week. its stupid, I hate it. (that said we have 3 adults and kids)

Even then we get hungry after dinner and usually resort to late night cereal :no:

Oneblessing- ive tried that, i ended up spending more when i did all the crunching of numbers, sure there were heaps of specials/bargains but for us works easier doing Coles and then Butchers

[jasesmum]

yeah prices are crazy lately, for last few weeks our local coles is selling tomatoes for 8.98 per kg. How can you justify that, I thought these things grew so easy even in a non-gardners backyard. Think I'm going to have to start growing my own:thumbsup:

[BiNdI86]

The problem with growing your own is - we have water restrictions tooooo!

Grey water is not good for 'eating plants' is my understanding - I was up early enough the other day to do a quick water on my 3 fruit trees & Tommys...:)


there are ways around the water restrictions. Do you catch your cold water before the hot water comes in, put buckets in the bottom of the shower, use the kids bath water. Buy a water tank and a load of water.

Grey water from toilets and washing machines isn't good for edible plants, but if you put your mind to it, you CAN do it!!

You try raising a family on tank water alone!! We can stretch a tank full out for months and we don't winge, we just have to live with it.