What are you doing to offset the price increases at the grocery store?

I've been seeing huge increases already at the grocery store, mainly on meat and dairy but also on some produce items. So what are you doing to offset the increases you are seeing?

I'm only shopping for loss leaders and sale items, if we need them. I am picking up whatever meat that's on sale that I can and I'm filling my freezer. I will probably start canning some of it just in case we have rolling power outages this summer. I'm also picking up cheese and freezing it to add to our meals sparingly. I've also picked up a few packages of powdered milk to use in cooking/baking. I need to pick up a few more before the price goes up on those as well.

I'm increasing my garden area by growing in containers and grow bags as well as my raised beds. I'm planting more fruit producing plants to allow for canning and jam/jelly making. I'm reconsidering where I've planted some of the fruit bushes and I'll be moving them to new homes sometime this month. My blueberries just haven't done well in the ground so they'll be going into large pots. My blackberries will also be going into pots because my dh likes to mow them down while cutting the grass. I'm also considering purchasing a few raspberry bushes again, the last ones were mower casualties.  I'm trying to plant things that will give good quantities of fruit/veggies for canning/preserving. I'm avoiding space hogs in my garden and will be purchasing limited quantities of those fruits/veggies for eating fresh and preserving. Some examples are corn, melons and grapes. I like fresh grapes but don't really have room for an arbor and I'm not fond of grape jelly, I'd rather have peach, strawberry or blackberry. I'll be planting the bare root strawberries I purchased in containers to help maximizer our chance of getting the berries instead of the birds getting them.

So what are you doing/planning to do to help provide a cushion against the ever rising prices at the grocery store?

Getting this garden started is priority.  I feel nearly naked at this new house without my fruit trees, grapes and berries. 

I used grapes as privacy screening at our old home Patrice.  They grew trained upright on trellis around the porch and over existing fences.  That way I got my fresh grapes and lost no garden space.

I'm working on getting my garden going. I have not had a good garden in years, just didn't have the time to have one.

Gardening, fruit trees, etc are cutting our bills down drastically.
For milk, I have seen "name brand" for nearly $6 sitting on the same shelf as "store brand" which was labeled as "WIC" approved selling for less than $2 a gallon

At $2.00 a gallon I could almost pay postage and have it shipped here.  We are at over $4.00 a gallon even on WIC stuff.

We are around $2.65 a gallon at Aldis for milk which is higher than it's been in a long time. Occasionally I can get it for $2.25. I'm still going to buy powdered milk for cooking with while it's relatively inexpensive.

Good idea of growing the grapes on trellises FF! I don't have a porch so that wouldn't work for me. I have one of those tarp canopy frames over my patio in the back yard. I can't grow anything on it as dh hits it with the mower and moves it as far as the tie down ropes will allow.

Except for meat, I'm doing our grocery shopping at ALDI. Our local grocery store has such high prices I can't afford to go there anymore. Sometimes they have a few "sales" but you have to have a certain amount spent in non-sale items before you can take advantage of the sale items.

Meat is just out of sight. I've started dieting, so maybe that will help with the grocery bill. LOL!

I've actually been able to get some meat that has been marked down at Aldi a few times in the past couple of months.

I try to stock up on meat when it's on sale. Last week, we got both meatloaf mixture and loose sausage for $2.49/lb. And, we also got a free pork shoulder because we had spent over $300 in a certain time frame.

My big problem is hubby. He buys regardless of cost.

Those are good price for both meats dizzy. I can also we how your hubby buying without concern over the cost would throw your budget out of whack.

We buy cornish game hens at Aldi's when they are on sale for about 2 bucks. Also when I am drug kicking and screaming to wally world I check the prices for Kielbasa. Last week I picked up 4 packages for $1.89 each. They went straight to the freezer. Hot dogs are treated the same way, stock up when they are cheap, freeze them. I've kept them as long as 8 months in the deep freeze, and they were fine when thawed and cooked.

One thing to do is to by more primary (primal) cuts.


If you buy an entire brisket or short loin it is much cheaper than buying the same amount of steaks.  Learn to cut those steaks yourself at home.  I have found primary cuts of both beef and pork at the wholesale clubs. 

Cornish "game" hens are nothing more than Cornish Rock chicks at about 3 weeks old. They are usually processed when they reach 2 pounds in weight.  Two dollars a piece is a good price - for a fancy dish.  They are not a cheap buy per pound, even at that price, when you consider that they are retailed bone in weighing between 20 to 24 ounces.  At least 25% of that weight is bone, so you are paying about $1.66 a pound for the meat even at the sale price!

I expanded my garden this year and we added fruit trees last year!(not sure how to prune yet but sure I will learn) We have been buying milk at aldi's for 1.69. We also have an old fashion meat market and I go there and ask them if they have any meat in there freezer that they need to get rid of. They usually give me a good price and they are glad for the space!!! If you have one of these around don't be afraid to ask for a deal. They are usually willing. We also have a broken and dent store around the corner from my house that the Amish own!! They have pretty good cheap stuff there!

Pruning is not as hard as everyone tries to make it sound. 

First take out the dead stuff. 
Then remove any that are crossing and rubbing or growing across the middle.
Then try to open up the center of the plant by trimming the branches to grow to the outside. 

That works with almost every fruit tree and bush.

I wish I lived near Amish country or even a dent/ding store.

yup, that's the best pruning short lesson I've ever heard. I would only add; try to keep the tree balanced, that is main limbs and branches should be about equal on each side of the tree trunk.

As for the cornish hens if you get the larger 2.5 to 3 pound (at the same 2 dollar price) then the two of us can split one for a meal. With that and garden veggies, and a glass of iced tea it works out to be a feast for two at less than 4 dollars (including seed price, water, tea bags, etc)

Sounds yummy Keith! Thanks, now I want chicken

12acrehome wrote:yup, that's the best pruning short lesson I've ever heard.  I would only add; try to keep the tree balanced, that is main limbs and branches should be about equal on each side of the tree trunk.  

As for the cornish hens if you get the larger 2.5 to 3 pound (at the same 2 dollar price) then the two of us can split one for a meal.  With that and garden veggies, and a glass of iced tea it works out to be a feast for two at less than 4 dollars (including seed price, water, tea bags, etc)

Great additional pruning advice. 

Of course the Cornish hen is a good buy if you can eat one at a meal.  Pound for meat pound it is pricy, but meal wise for you guys at least, lots better than eating out and much less cost. 

Around here our family are a bunch of big eaters.  Cornish hen is usually an individual dish.  That is why I raise larger birds for us to eat.  Our "average" dinner is 3/4 of a BIG old chicken. 

I freeze all of the backs and necks together when I package them for use as soup stock and one half of one big breast (on each chicken) usually goes to make split breasts, chicken tenders or boned breast fillets for a casserole meal of some kind.  The other 3/4 of the chicken (2 wings, 2 legs, 2 thighs and 1 breast half cut into two chunks) is what becomes our chicken dinners around here.  That amount seems to usually be just perfect for me, hubby, and either lunch the next day or a kid that shows up to dinner.  Then again if I turn him loose my hubby can eat half a 5 pound chicken all by himself!     He likes his chicken! 

BTW THAT is a way to help save money.  Packing up your chicken to suit your dining needs. 

By packing it like I do we have about three meals out of a single chicken. 

Meal 1:  Those backs, necks and even wing tips can make a great meal all on their own.  (of course I usually use those parts from about three chickens to make things more efficient.) 

First I season the bony parts with salt, pepper, garlic and herbs and slow roast them in a baking pan.  Then, I chill and de-bone all the meat and set it aside to chill.  Finally I take the roasted bones and any skin and drippings and plop them into a stock pot with a few onions, celery and maybe a carrot or two and simmer away.  Adding a spoonful of AppleCiderVinegar helps break down the minerals in the bones and gets all of the nutrition out possible.  Finally, after the stock is reduced significantly and quite rich, I strain it to get out the bones.  Sometimes I chop any veggies and put them back in. 

Between that rich broth and the pile of de-boned meat you have the start of lots of different soups, rice dishes and casseroles!  Really using that chicken up.

Meal 2: The split breast pack I save out is another meal.  Something like chicken fajitas, stir fry or a casserole that a little delicious meat can go a long way for. 

Meal 3: Is the main dish chicken dinner.  Fried chicken, baked, bbq or any other billions of others out there. 

That is saving money!

Yep FF, sounds a lot like the way I cook here too. That 1 chicken breast gets used in stir fry, casserole, rice or noodle salads or even a chunky chicken salad to serve as a main protein over a dish of greens.

Ham is another meat that gets stretched around here. Dices of various size get vacuum packed as well as a few slices to use for special dinners, then the bone gets used for a pot of soup or beans.

Yep.  All of the ham fat is also saved.  A little in a pot of greens or green beans makes a wonderful flavor addition!

Ham is definitely a budget stretcher, when it's not $12.00 a pound. Yup locally that's the price, so for now we are ham free.

Hubby very rarely eats ham anymore, but I love it. I try to stock up around the holidays. Of course, the bones get used for soup.

Buying seasonally (like ham around the holidays) is also a way to offset prices. 

Around Christmas lots of things become "loss leaders" (or items priced at or below cost) that you can buy and store.  One item is real butter.  I try to buy enough for at least a year at a time during the holidays since it freezes so well.

I buy butter any time I find it on sale at reasonable prices. I too try to keep a year's worth in the freezer. I've been toying with trying to can butter like Jackie Clay from BHM does just in case of power outage.