photo credit: ralphbijker

Today we went on our biweekly shopping trip to Trader Joes.

I am pissed!

Our grocery bills have been inching up for a little while now but dammit if this didn’t take the cake!  Now, granted we have been out of town so we didn’t go food shopping for a week or so before the trip but, now a week after returning we had nothing in the pantry, well we did but not the basics.  So we needed to buy all the basics and goodies that keeps our pantry stocked to get us through the next 2 weeks.

Back in January our grocery bill was $99 at Trader Joes.  Today that same bill is $247.07.

Color me just a little confused and, well just pissed off!  This doesn’t even include the fruits and vegetables as we have those delivered by Washington Green Grocer at $42.75 for a large organic box.

This is where I start to balance health vs. my pocket book as I’m sure so many of you do already.  On one hand I could just say screw it an go back to Shoppers and deal with their less than fresh, often spoiled non-organic foods but I just don’t feel that I should have to sacrifice health for my pocket book.  Our grocery budget is $350 for the month.  That leaves just over $100 left for anything grocery related.  And Im not saying that we can’t go over the budget but after July’s $650 grocery bill, we had to cut back on the random trips.

So what am I going to do?

Well, for one I think that we have to develop an actual list of items that are bonafide staples in our house.  We sort of know what we want but we are the type to try something new every time we go to Whole Foods or Trader Joes which switches things up a bit.  We aren’t brand loyalists but we really only shop at Whole Foods and Trader Joes at this point because we are being more health conscious and with the recent increases in grocery prices, we might as well shop there anyway.

Here’s the plan:

1.  Make a list of staples and adhere to that list.

2.  Make sure that list of staples when totaled keeps us within our budget

3.  Get Evert bags because we spend WAY too much money on fruits and veggies only to have them spoil quickly before the weekend gets here.  We end up having to go to the supermarket often during the week because the spoil too quickly.

4.  Try to use EVERYTHING in the pantry before running to the supermarket.  By everything I mean anything that can be used to make up a meal.  I think we are so used to certain foods that if those aren’t stocked then we feel that we have nothing to eat.

Here’s the grocery receipt:

$#@%@%

*sigh*

What say you: How are you managing the fast rising costs of groceries?  Can you share any tips with me?

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• Things That Piss Me Off: Food stamp recipients pinched by high food prices

photo credit: ninjapoodles

I wrote about this last week but the continued coverage of those who receive food stamps is starting to piss me off.  Forgive me as I am a bit hormonal, but come on!  Food stamps were never meant to be the whole food budget, it is supposed to be a supplement!  If I read one more story about how they are feeling the pinch from only receiving $300+  for a family of 3 when there are a plethora of FREE or low cost food programs in their city I am going to SCREAM!

Those of us who work for and spend that money are paying taxes on it and they are not.  I am also assuming that if you are able bodied enough to go to the supermarket then you can get a part time job to make up for the difference!

• Work at the supermarket for a discount
• Go to the food banks BEFORE food runs out so that you can plan your meals for the month
• Cook smaller meals, most of us are eating 3 times the amount of food we need to live
• Save leftovers

I am usually on the side of the folks that are on welfare because there are some who truly need it.  However, the ones that try to work the government to the end that ALL their expenses are paid for and then cry foul when prices go up instead of  trying to get a job to make up the difference, frankly, well pisses me off.

My advice?

SPARE ME AND GET A JOB! 

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