All righty, interpeeps. I was all prepared to post my SL update, but between a certain five year-old who is asserting all manner of will, a cold that apparently has no intention of leaving my chest cavity until I cough up at least one of my pesky lungs, and the non-stop coverage of Hurricane Ike, I think I’m pretty much done.
Case in point: right now it’s 5:30 in the afternoon, and I already have on my pajamas.
So I think it’s a safe bet that, in addition to dealing with The Child and The Cold, I’m gonna be flipping between CNN (their weather team is EXCELLENT, by the way) and The Weather Channel for the rest of the day. And night. And tomorrow.
Oh! And one more thing!
This afternoon I was picking up some stuff at the grocery store so we could make taco salads tonight, and I’ll have you know that the 8 ounce packages of Famous Name Brand shredded cheese were FOUR DOLLARS AND THIRTY NINE CENTS.
I nearly went on to my heavenly reward right there in front of the dairy case.
I mean, I’m pretty good at rolling with the economic punches, but once you add tax, that’s almost five dollars for two cups of shredded cheese. That seems a bit on the high side. Heaven knows that I’m a fan of cheese and all, but I’ll grate some blocks of cheddar for the rest of my earthly days before I pay that much for the privilege of using Famous Name Brand shredded cheese product.
I don’t know why this fascinates me so, but I can’t help but ask: what have you seen lately at the grocery store that caused a little sticker shock?
See y’all in the comments. I’ll be the one holding a box of tissues in one hand and a remote control in the other.
And coughing. I’ll also be doing a whole lot of coughing.
Charming as ever, I am.
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Two things. First, ice cream! (A staple in our house!) The other day I noticed that it was nearly $7 for not even a full half gallon anymore, but 1 1/2 quarts. The packages are getting puny!
And, second, Kraft parmesan cheese. Granted, I don’t buy it all that often, but I do remember the last time I got it it was about $2.99. A couple of weeks ago I needed some for chicken parmesan and it was $5.50 ON SALE!! I about died.
CEREAL! Smaller boxes…not even filled! And high! Oh my. It makes me want to break down and buy the big bags of what-not and put them in my 20 year old tupperware containers.
Praying for your cold, Sophie!
I’m going to put an add on Craig’s List that says:
Wanted: Dairy Cow with big udder.
This isn’t grocery store related, but along the same lines…
Any of you go to Tuscaloosa last Saturday for the game? And realize they DOUBLED the stinkin’ drink prices?? I didn’t get anything else (no money left after buying 3 drinks!) but I am sure they raised everything else as well. I’m gonna have to get a job just to attend football games. Sheesh.
We like the “premium” type toilet paper – for reasons that don’t necessarily need to be discussed here – and a few days ago I bought a Mega-Pack… nearly $9.00.
I think I will learn to like the non-premium stuff.
Bless your heart. Colds are miserable! I pray you will feel better soon.
I know what you mean about the price of cheese. I’ve definitely seen an increase in my grocery bill.
You don’t want that pre-shredded stuff anyway. It has starch coating the cheese so it won’t clump up, so you’re paying $8.78 a pound for that, too.
Also, it is criminal to charge sales tax on food. That was something we hated about living in OK. We originally hail from OR which has no sales tax, but has income tax. Now, in WA, we have sales tax (not on food, though), but no income tax. In OK, we had both, and as young, newly married, one partial income, one student people, we paid income tax to the state, even though the federal government said we were too poor to pay.
Now, we pay the federal tax, but we’re also doing much better, and we don’t have to pay sales tax on food. I’m also rambling now.
We noticed the cheese issue also a few weeks ago! We buy the deluxe sliced cheese and it is almost $5 per 24 slices! When fixing sandwiches and such we USED TO toss a slice to the sweet puppy, but not anymore!
I went shopping today and the bill was $109. I nearly fell out. I didn’t buy any meat, I stuck to my list (a rare thing), and what I bought will take us through about four days. GIRL!
I know it’s a habit we should break, but we are diet coke drinkers, and 2-liters are rising right along with the cost of gasoline. They’re now $1.84 or something ridiculous like that. About a week ago, they were $1.59. Lawzy!
I may have to…to…start drinking…(gulp)…water. Oh, the trauma…
My husband and I are just getting over the flu, it took a week. I hope you feel better soon.
The thing that is shocking me is Orange Juice, the price is crazy high! We like the Simply Orange brand, which costs about $6 for a half of a gallon. I don’t waste a drop of it though, I make the kids freeze any of the leftovers in their glasses for ice pops.
Milk = $3.19 for less than a gallon
Chocolate = $5+ for a ordinary size block
Ground beef = $7 a pound!!
Be grateful you don’t live in Australia :)
Petrol (gas) = $5.60US a gallon, or $75US per tank. Guess why I don’t drive much anymore.
Cheese. Especially slices. A few weeks ago, the only cheese slices my husband will eat went up 1.50 a package (of sixteen!). I thought my brain was going to fall out all over the floor. That’s nearly .10 a slice!
Since I already know you love the Costco, I should give you a great heads up… all of their dairy products are priced significantly lower than the other stores. Granted, you have to buy, well, a big chunk of cheese. But if you’re hip to shredding your own… it freezes beautifully. One two-pound block of cheddar (which tastes just as good as the Famous Brand, and I mean it) is 5 bucks. I think they also sell it pre-shredded, but I couldn’t tell you the cost on it.
Little Debbies. For as long as I can remember, these have been right around a dollar. Now? A solid 1.59. What is the world coming to??
(Feel better, Boo mama!)
Hubby has been coughing now since Wednesday afternoon – - – must be the season.
And as for jammies on by 5:30 – - – isn’t that the RULE??? Isn’t one SUPPOSED to be finished with their day’s work and getting comfy by then???? It’s my rule anyway.
I still watch for your Bull Dog FB scores – - – YOU are my “link” to them.
I send a hearty amen to Sarah’s recommendation of Costco’s cheese – very good and only thing we can afford nowadays! We buy the 2.5 lb bags of shredded Mexican cheese – this past week priced at $6.99. Overall – I think we are seeing produce and dairy (oh my lawzy two of our mainstays) very high. Just bought some cream cheese (that national brand we all love and use) at Wally World for (eek) $1.88!
Take care – feed a cold and feed a five year old – nachos I think would be the appropriate solution.
$6 for a gallon of milk. It is costly to keep away osteoporosis.
CHEESE has got to be the biggest shocker since we use pounds of it a week. We quit with Famous Name Brand Cereals for the same reason I have a problem with ICE CREAM (notice I didn’t say we quit with ice cream). They think we’re idiots! When I was in school 2 quarts was 1/2 gallon. Well half-gallon ice cream started coming in 1.75 qt. size and now it’s 1.50 qt. at an even higher price. Make everything (even toilet paper) in smaller packages, yet go up on the price. We really need to boycott…just not ice cream.
I know this isn’t grocery related, but dear IKE has made gas in our little town in SC go to over $4.50 a gallon and over $5 in some places near here in ONE DAY. I got gas at $3.62 on Wednesday afternoon. My mom called 3 hours later and told me she paid $3.85 for it. Give me a break already!
Sorry for the book. I just get riled thinking about it all.
Well, let’s see… milk is crazy but I shop at Kroger and not Walmart. Despise Walmart. I usually buy store brands and use coupons when I can. I buy very little pre cooked stuff and make most from scratch. Pre-shredded cheese is a scam in my opinion as a block goes further. You can still get bargains out there but I do agree that tax on groceries is a farce and the days of convenience food are over if you want to stay in a budget. Mama cooks- out of necessity.
Hubby likes those early small peas, cans at walmart went from .77 a can to 1.44. Generic shortening went from 1.78 to 3.40. Cheese was another I noticed, dusted off my grater and went to work also. Its sad, scary etc, I am trimming and cutting each week our grocery bill is higher each month than our vehicle payments. xoxo melzie
I usually shop at Whole Foods (or Fresh Market, which is similar) so all my food is expensive. I buy organic fruits and veggies always, organic meat if possible, and organic milk always. I still buy a few things at the regular grocery like off-brand cheese and butter. I spend more on specials flours and cane sugar. A small bag of whole-wheat pastry flour is $2, while a 5-lb. bag of all-purpose flour is like $5. That’s where I’m seeing the biggest difference.
Milk. Since we’ve moved to NM, the milk is a dollar more at Wal-mart than it is at my beloved Publix. And I am surrounded by dairy cows. Go figure.
Detergent. I may have to get a washboard.
For the record … Now that you’re a fine member of the Cosco shoppers …. thought I’d clue you in on my past cheese purchasing …. For years I’d been buying the huge bag of grated cheese (at Sams though) and bringing it home, breaking it down to two cup freezer baggies and putting it in the freezer. Can’t remember but I think I used to get like 10 (or more) 2 cup bags of grated cheese out of their huge bag. It freezes great! It used to cost about 10 bucks for one of these .. but I haven’t priced it lately since we now live the life of empty nesters. Check into it though … it may be the ticket you’re looking for if you buy in bulk!
yes, cheese.
and milk.
Milk at Publix was on sale the other day for almost half off! and they limit you to 4 gallons per purchase, so of course I bought 4 gallons. and then I get home and have to fall back on my degrees in rocket science and mechanical engineering to make room for them in the fridge.
If I could just put some of that milk in my gas tank, we’d be golden.
Milk and peanut butter……2 absolutes around here…..for my husband, my biggest kid =) Blueberries….fresh or frozen…are out of sight! I wanted to make your Granite Steps Coffee Cake a few weeks ago and nearly flipped over the price of a dinky container of fresh blueberries; one cup was almost $5!!!!
Laundry supplies are expensive, too. I used to think that there was no excuse for being dirty……hmmmm. I teach in a county in Southern Ohio that has the 2nd highest unemployment rate in the state. Too many of our students come from really tough situations. It’s very sad and hard to take.
speaking of Ike,
Please keep my hubby aand his soldiers in your prayers. He’s commanding the Army Nat’l Guard troops from 9 states in Texas. Today they’re picking up almost 3,000 rescue swimmers/workers and heading into the Houston/Galveston areas. He’ll be flying some too (he’s a blackhawk pilot) and flying over, in, and around civilian areas is very dangerous. We’re praying for all the people who didn’t evacuate — I hope they’re all okay.
He laughed when I asked him if I could, and I know he didn’t think I’d really do it, but I called the Weather Channel (I’m a WC JUNKIE) and gave them his name/cell # so if they wanted to they could hook up with some of the Guard troops for footage or interviews. They were excited on the phone, and said they were forwarding his info to their ‘people in the field’ — I’m telling you, if Jim Cantore interviewed my husband I would FALL OVER.
and then, because I was out of control, I called FoxNews and gave Geraldo’s assistant J’s cell #. Because I do love me some FoxNews coverage. (CNN is just too liberal for me anymore).
I texted J to give him a heads up, and he called me a nut and told me to go to bed.
I buy shredded cheese at costco- 5 lbs is 11.99 here in Dallas.
But a 12pack of diet coke is FOUR DOLLARS AND FIFTY NINE CENTS at the fancy grocery store. I almost fell down right there in the aisle.
Little Ceasar’s FRESH HOT Pizza … what used to be 12 slices is now 9 and it sells for 5.00 and now it’s 5.55. Makes a huge deal when you have 3 hungry boys .. so I had a choice cut one boy out or buy two pizzas. :)
Everything is up because my grocery bill is $100 more ..
Here are my items:
*Bananas: went from 44 cents/lb to 69 cents/lb.
*Peanut Butter: Went from $1.77 to $2.49.
*Avacados: 99 cents/each to 1.69 each.
*Lettuce: 1.29 head to 1.89 head
*Bread: 1.49 loaf to 2.99 loaf
I’m convinced that this is the gov’t way of telling me that I need to slim down. Sheesh!
I’m so sorry to hear that you’ve got an unwanted visit from germs. Those pesky things are trying to make a visit around these parts too, but we’ve been really blessed to send them packing thus far.
Seriously, EVERYTHING is so much more expensive, from milk to bread to cereal to dry beans to eggs.
You know the worst part? Companies are trying to make up some of their loss by giving us LESS in the package and they’re not telling us. Cereals, chips and crackers are downsizing in amount without telling us. So even the stuff that you THINK is staying the same price isn’t because you’re paying more for less. Want an example? I just discovered after buying lots of tuna that my 6 oz can had been lessened to 5 oz… and the can size is exactly the same. Gah!
Hope you get to feelin’ better soon! I think we have the same thing. My lungs have to be damaged from all the coughing I’ve been doing! My granny has an old-fashioned recipe that stops the coughing, but I think it stops it because the whiskey knocks you out. :) Needless to say, I’m not going to use it.
And don’t get me started on grocery prices. I will pretend to be oblivious.
~Sarah
It’s ALL ridiculously priced! I mean, everything is going up. It kills me that milk, bread & eggs will set you back about $10 now. I remember when those were the cheap staples & we could get those for a little bit of $$. No more! It’s really crazy how much groceries in general have gone up. You have to play the pricing game to try to get ahead. Hate it!
Rhoda
Hope you feel better … my cough seems to have mostly subsided, but it took my voice with it! I wonder whether that bothers my husband …. :-) Anyway, just got home from The Kroger … I was checking out Famous Name Brand cheese sticks for my daughter’s school snack. Even with a coupon, the sticker shock was, well, shocking! I’ll be cutting some sticks off a cheddar block instead.
I didn’t see it myself, but two very reliable sources, A.K.A. my Mom and Dad, did see it. Post-Gustav, in Baton Rouge at Albertson’s–ground beef for $5.99 a pound. That’s RIGHT….$5.99 a pound! Did they lose their minds? Yes, we know that they likely lost food due to Gustav.
SO DID I…a whole fridge full. That’s probably not the equivalent of what they lost–but to me, it was likely just as painful.
Very sad. A local grocery store in Watson (Oak Point….great store) kept their same old prices on ground beef.
Interesting.
It’s sad, people. Sad. The food companies are shrinking our packages ever so subtly and raising the prices as well.
Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly!
Every single thing! Even crackers! Yogurt has went up in price and down in size what’s up with that!
Having received my copy of Southern Living, I have to agree with you. Some things are not meant to be changed — ever. If I wanted a copy of “O” magazine, I would have subscribed to it, but I want my coffee table, elegant looking SL back.
Oh and sorry about your cold. $5 for cheese? Oh no ma’am that will not do! Might have to go and buy you a goat (or other animal that produces cheese).
Milk would have to be the one that really gets my goat…or should I say cow. Especially since we buy three to four gallons a week. My Wild Boys like their milk.
Hope you’re feeling better by now. Big game tonight. I love you BooMama, but I need to let you know that I am an Auburn fan. I just feel like full disclosure is always the best way to go, you know? I hope all our guys have a great game, and that everyone can hold their heads high at the end of the night. Take care!
Pecans and walnuts. They are a small fortune, but oh how I love my pecans. I have a little bit left from my pecan gathering underneath my mother-in-law’s trees last year, but not enough to get me through baking season. And pecans are a life sustaining need, right?
OH. MY. You don’t want to hear about my grocery bill! 4 kids! 2 of them “starving” boys who have to eat everything in sight rightthisveryminute!!
But, honestly, this milk thing has GOT to stop. My kids are milk CRAZY. Milk addicts. And the milk that is also WIC approved (so, it’s nothing fancy) is $4.44. And I buy 3 at one time, which lasts less than 1 week.
And then there’s the large quantities of peanut butter we go through, and that’s gone up. And meat. But we can’t become vegetarians based on meat prices because: a)my oldest son would starve and then die; b)the vegetable are outrageously expensive, too. Which only leaves option
c)to pretend we’re Italians and only eat pasta. Because the pasta isle is the only isle that’s still remotely reasonable. And the price of wine hasn’t gone up either, so I really could do the whole Italian thing.
Or anorexia. There’s always anorexia.
Well, whaddya know? I finally found something good about the North compared to the South. Our food doesn’t cost as much. I just bought a gallon of skim milk this week for $2.19. And 2 cups of cheddar for $1.79.
Oh, and I guess we don’t have hurricanes either. Praying for all you dear folk down there!! I don’t know how you do it.
My husband always, always calls Taco Salad “Mexicali Sally.” WHY? WHY DOES HE DO THIS?
Cheese was on sale too! Here in Canada! But I didn’t need cheese, sadly.
Dang, to bad we aren’t neighbors. I have cheese coming out my ears right now. I would have been happy to share. Do you have any eggs? I paid $4.29 for one dozen today and almost followed you to the golden gates. We go through five dozen a week, at those prices we will defintely be cutting back on our egg consumption.
Also, don’t feel bad about the pj’s. I put mine on at 3:30 after wathching my kids play football today. That was totally exhausting. I’m off to take a nap. Hope you feel better soon.
Julie
3.29 for 8 hot dog buns.
We wrapped the wieners in bread instead. Because we are classy. And cheap.
Are you kidding me?????
Auburn 3 – Miss State 2!?!?!
I watched.
Chips. Chips are outrageous.
But, I must have them.
Oh snap! A cold…that stinks! Sorry to hear you’re puny! Feel better soon!
My girls (let me add in here skinny & minny) eat one of those big tubs of chocolate icecream A WEEK…it is 1 gal and 1 quart in size!
I have been paying $4.38 for-EVAH!!!
Oh not anymore……$6.08 and it’s not even NAME BRAND. That’s whacked!
CAN YOU HEAR ME???? I’m totally ticked!
That is ridonkulous!
I am bitter……
Jesus come quickly….
EVERYTHING… anything dairy has gone way up. I was kind of shocked when I passed by the nestles chocolate chips and they were $6.49 cents today for a small bag!! I havent used them in a while because I don’t bake sweets anymore so I was pretty shocked.
My daughter and I were being nostalgic in the isles and she would say awwwww remeber when we would have this or bake that when I was little? (she is 23) good times…..
I LOVE your blog! Hope you are feeling better soon!
April
http://www.suaviloquy.blogspot.com
If you watched that game tonight, you’re feeling even sicker now.
The regular things like milk ($4.20), cooking oil ($4.29), eggs ($2.99) are bad enough, but the sticker that caused me to nearly have a spasm was $4.69 for one – ONE can of cherry pie filling. Generic brand.
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