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When high food prices get you down
The price for a gallon of whole milk costs just as much lately as a gallon of regular gasoline.
In some ways, rising food prices are more problematic. I can live without gasoline. I can’t live without food.
I used to enjoy grocery shopping. Now it’s so expensive that I dread it.
*Butter prices are up 31 percent, Cheddar cheese prices are up 65 percent, broiler chickens are up 17.5 percent and select beef prices are up 12.8 percent. You’ve seen it. Your budget’s felt it. Food prices are out of control.
Once upon a time I’d drive my thrifty-shopper self over hill and dell to collect food bargains. But with a gallon of regular gas hovering around $4.69 per gallon at the Chevron station at Placer and Pleasant streets, the money saved on groceries is gobbled up in gas expenses.
What can we do? We can outsmart high food prices. We can stockpile, store and freeze the least expensive foods. We can learn to live without the most expensive foods.
Best of all, we can alert each other when we’ve discovered a bargain.
For example, an Igo neighbor e-mailed me last night to report a great find: lovely honeydew melons at the 99 Cent Store on Hilltop Drive in Redding (for - you guessed it - 99 cents each). That’s the same store where last week I found 8 ounce-packages of Danish butter - both salted and unsalted. Of course, two of those packages equals 1 pound of butter. When was the last time you paid less than $2 for 1 pound of butter?
I bought a case. I’ll freeze what I can’t use within the next few weeks.
My other 99-cent wonders included 1/2 pints of whipping cream, whole bags of scallions, sacks of baby bananas and onions. But perhaps my favorite 99-cent purchases were mesh bags filled with the most diminutive avocados. They tasted great and looked adorable with a cherry tomato in each half.
The 99 Cent Store was also my source for big jugs of vinegar, and large, high-quality cans of diced tomatoes and pear halves.
I’ve written before about the benefits of grocery shopping at such discount markets as the 99 Cent Store and even the Dollar Tree. But be careful. Read labels and compare quantities. For example, $1 for a 14.5-ounce can of pears is no bargain.
Here are my other tips:
Grow your own food: I have a large herb garden, which is why I feel pretty smug when I see plastic containers of smashed mint leaves or rosemary sold in grocery stores for $2 or $3 or more. Here in the north state, our Mediterranean climate makes it the ideal place to grow fruits, vegetables and herbs. On a related note, we can also support farmers markets. You’ll help local growers and buy the very freshest foods.
Cluck cluck here: Chickens are allowed inside Redding city limits. (Roosters must remain in the country, though). I’m still working on Bruce to welcome chickens out here on Greenberg Acres. But I know many people who have chickens, and they rave about fresh eggs, and the way chickens will eat scraps and ants. (We also have coyotes out here, so I must take that into consideration.)
Deli deals: Skip the grocery deli (at first), where sliced meats can hover around $8 - $9 per pound. At places like Safeway, I’ll select packages of $4-per-pound (sometimes less, on sale) turkey and ham from meat department cases. Then I’ll take the meat to the store’s deli counter where I politely ask if they’ll please slice it. (Many meat departments used to slice meats as a service. That’s a rarity now.)
Bulk up: Generally speaking, the larger the quantity, the cheaper the price, especially for dried goods and staples. Case in point, we could buy a ridiculously pricey box of arborio rice (for risotto) in a grocery store’s gourmet section. Or, we can go to Cash & Carry on Hartnell Avenue in Redding. It sells an institutional-sized sack of arborio rice for around $10. Split that among other friends/family (who’ll pay their part) and you’ve got yourself a real deal.
Frozen assets: A small freezer is a thrifty cook’s best friend. It’s where we can squirrel away sale items, like meats (raw works better than cooked), breads, and even those sliced meats mentioned above. (But really squeeze out all the air, first.) I also freeze egg whites, and hard, blanched fruits and vegetables (like apples and corn) and cheeses. (Although when cheese thaws, its texture is crumbly. Still, it’s fine in recipes where it’s just going to melt anyway.) You can even freeze milk and half-and-half, and I discovered last year that it’s OK to freeze eggnog during the holidays. For more information about freezing foods, this Web site can help.
Waste not: Some things we have no business buying. Ever. The mark-up on things like bread crumbs and croutons is a total joke - on us. They’re so easy to make and their flavor is far superior minus all the preservatives. Also, bear in mind that recipes for bread pudding, bread crumbs, breakfast stratas and croutons often require stale bread.
By the way, speaking of waste, I never use an orange, lemon, lime or grapefruit without first zesting it. (I have a huge container full of citrus zest and juice packets on standby for recipes.)
Buy within your means: Take olive oil, for example. I use it a lot. And I love good olive oil. But I refuse to pay $13 to $20 a bottle for it, no matter how buttery and nutty it tastes. It’s just way beyond my budget. (As an aside, that’s why, to me, a nice bottle of olive oil makes a wonderful host/hostess gift for a foodie - even better than wine.) But back to olive oil. Lately I’ve found some excellent Italian olive oils at the Grocery Outlet in Redding for about $7 for a huge (38-ounce or so) bottle. (Which reminds me: If you visit any of these stores for products mentioned here, feel free to tell clerks where you heard about them.)
This frugal mindset works for other things, like meats. No matter how much I love lamb, I won’t buy it unless it’s on sale, because it’s too expensive. (Lamb tip: The shoulder is delicious, and costs far less than chops.) Then there’s poultry. You may have noticed that a cut-up fryer costs much more than a whole chicken, the latter of which can sometimes sell for less than $1 a pound. Learn to cut up a chicken and you’ll save yourself a lot of money. (Hint: Generally speaking, cut where the joints are.)
Help each other: If you hear of a great bargain, such as my Igo neighbor’s honeydews, please share the good news with everyone on Food for Thought’s food forums as often as you can. No item is too silly.
Take the pledge: Cooking on the cheap doesn’t mean eating crap.
Print This Recipe[print]
Best Croutons
Stale bread Olive oil Dried herbs, such as rosemary, oregano and thyme Salt and pepper, to tasteCube the bread into sizes that make it obvious you didn’t buy them. In fact, I like big croutons. They’re more dramatic. Let air dry (or in a low oven) until they’re hardened.
Pour a few tablespoons olive oil into a plastic bag. Dump the herbs and spices in the bag and shake everything to mix. Add the bread, twist the bag shut and shake the contents well, to distribute the cubes.
Dump the cubes out onto a cookie sheet. Bake in a 375-degree oven until the croutons turn golden brown.
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*From The Wall Street Journal commodity “cash prices” section, which reported wholesale prices of key food items have risen dramatically from a year ago.
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Very interesting Momma. I did some math and found out that gas here in Czech Republic is around $7.95 per gallon, but the price of food (according to your figures) is cheaper.
I can’t imagine what the cost of living will be like in America when gas is as expensive as it is here…
When/If that time comes we have a couch that we can rent out for $300 per night, might be cheaper than rent in Redding
Your comment on the high price of milk reminds me of living in Alaska as a young boy of eight. Milk had to be shipped in from the lower United States so it was a high priced commodity. Mom and dad had very little money so to cut corners they bought powdered milk for their two boys. The taste wasn’t anything close to a real glass of milk so mom would spike it with chocolate flavoring.
Beef and chicken were also horribly expensive but salmon was not due to its availability in Alaska. I remember how mom cooked salmon this and salmon that. After so many frequent meals of salmon it became unbearable to eat without mass quantities of ketsup. To this day I can’t look a salmon in the face without going, “Oh no, not salmon again!”
Doni -
I started shopping at the Grocery Outlet based upon you reccommendation. I have scored on great things like Sharffenberger chocolate (from Berkeley) for WAY less than retail, the “hippy” breakfast cereals that are near $4 a box at other stores are just under $2 at the outlet. You can imagine my cart stacked high with Barbara’s Puffins (yum!). Thanks for your tips - always much appreciated. I planted a big garden early this year, and with any luck I’ll have a bounty of fresh organic veggies in just a few weeks.
The 99 cent store is wonderful as I’ve said before - but watch out - the bargains are so enticing that sometimes - you buy more than you can use or even give away - and your freezer can fill up fast - I especially love to purchase cheese at Grocery Outlet - a wonderul bargain and a great selection- the last 2 Wednesdays of the month there is a 10% senior discount-
About olive oil: we used to buy the big inexpensive Italian olive oil containers also. However a few months ago there was an article in the New Yorker about the olive oil trade in Italy. It seems that in some cases a lot of other cheap oils were being mixed in with olive oil for the export trade. Made me switch back to northern California olive oil, at least for the moment.
Investing in a FoodSaver (vacuum sealer) has proven to be a good decision for us. You can divide large quantity purchases into manageable packages, and the food tastes as fresh as the day you bought it when you pull it out of the freezer or refrigerator.
I checked Winco’s price for “bin” oatmeal vs. the Quaker Oats in the cylinder, and you save half by buying the bulk item instead. I just saved my empty Quaker Oats container, and filled it with the bulk oats. I keep the rest of the oats in the freezer to refill the container whenever we run out (you never get bugs if you freeze all your grains first).
Has anyone found bread flour for a good price? It was so expensive this last trip to Winco that I decided to bake my bread and rolls with regular flour this week, but it’s eating me up inside. I know some people think there is no difference, but I believe in bread flour. What can I substitute for bread flour that is cheaper but still maintains good results?
Doni, what brand of olive oil did you buy at Grocery Outlet? I’m going to have to do that. I’m sick of paying $5 for a tiny bottle.
The 99 cent Store also had cantaloup and ginger root (health bag of it!) for what else? 99 cents!
Winco also sells the stuff in all those bins in large amounts in their orginal container (for the same bin price.)
What gets me, are the stores that sell one gallon on milk for $3.99 and two for $5.29. Go for the longest shelf life and if you can drink two in two weeks, it will pay for its’ self.
Raley’s has chicken breast at a great price every day (ususally around $1.89).
Bread has a longer shelve life than it did twenty years ago (even though it still last as long) but the tags that tie it together is still color coded the same way it was back then. When the bread comes out on Monday it is pink or red
Tuesday-White
Wednesday bread products are not made or delivered-but stores that do make it-blue (like after a holiday.)
Thursday-yellow
Friday-Orange
Saturday-Green
Buying the latest bread products help make it last longer and in the summer it wants to mold if left on the counter.
Such great ideas! Super. I love them. (And all of you.)
Brandon, I bought a whole case of that chocolate for baking. It’s still less expensive than baking chocolate.
Judy, your vacuum saver probably works better than when I suck air from bags with a straw.
Becky, about Grocer Outlet’s olive oil into a darker, bigger bottle (light is olive oil’s enemy), so I don’t have the original bottle. But there were at least two, extra virgin olive that were 34 to 38 ounces, oils from Italy for around $7. I figured you can’t go wrong with evoo from Italy, but Dave makes a very good point. So watch out for olive oil blends (usually the word “blends” is very, very tiny), a mixture of yes, olive oil, but other stuff, like canola oil. (Nothing wrong with canola, unless you think you’re getting all evoo.)
I don’t have the answer about bread flour. (I usually look for the cheapest all-purpose flour.) Andrea? Fred? Anyone?
And Igo neighbor, thank you for decoding the mysterious (to me) bread color system. I always wondered. (Now, I need a memory trick.)
Thank you, everyone, for commenting. Terrific. (And Joe, we’d love to come sleep on your couch.)
Here’s a mnemonic to remember Grammy in Igo’s bread color coding:
Really (red-Monday)
White (white!)
Bread (blue)
Yields (yellow)
Overblown (orange)
Gut (green)
I know, some of us have way too much time on our hands!
Here is my simple tip…COOK LESS AND EAT LESS!!! Doesn’t anybody see the irony between food angst and weight angst???? Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE a great meal. But the fact is that adults need 50 grams of protein and probably less than 2000 calories daily. The rest is stored as fat which we then need to somehow burn off. We can get our protein requirement cheaply (3 glasses of milk, a peanut butter sandwich, beans and rice). Why not cook and dine every other night or on weekends, and nosh in between? We could save money on gas, electricity, and medications. Is this too easy or what???
Where on Hilltop Drive is this 99 cent store located?
Julie, great idea. It makes perfect sense to cook and eat less. But still, when you do buy groceries, it’s good to know where the bargains are.
And Karen, the 99 Cent Store is on the far south end of Hilltop, between Black Bear Diner and Ross’ Dress for Less.
Good luck.