Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm not sure I understand the absolute dollars theory(?)thinking(?)
I can remember growing up in the late 60's whole chickens were selling for
19 to 29 cents a lb...now you won't find them for anything less that 87 to 98 cents a lb...SORRY, I don't live in abstracts thinking but in the here and now...and I don't see the correlation or whatever the terminology is...
I just know that each month we spend a set amount for groceries and come home with less food to put away...In order to bring home the same amount of food we normally consume each month we have to spend an additional $50-$60 each time...which means we have to cut back somehow elsewhere to make up the difference...
I don't believe that every week you're spending %50-$60 more than the previous week, unless your are buying for an army division.
On the cost of chicken, if chicken was 19 cents a pound in 1960 and now it's 98 cents a pound, that's pretty good and confirms Woof's case. Something costing $1 in 1960 would cost $7.28 in 2010. That means that if chicken rose at the average rate of inflation, it would cost at least $1.38 per pound now. Thus, chicken prices have risen much slower.
Location: where you sip the tea of the breasts of the spinsters of Utica
8,297 posts, read 14,185,184 times
Reputation: 8105
Quote:
Originally Posted by leftmyheartintennessee
I'm not sure I understand the absolute dollars theory(?)thinking(?)
I can remember growing up in the late 60's whole chickens were selling for
19 to 29 cents a lb...now you won't find them for anything less that 87 to 98 cents a lb...SORRY, I don't live in abstracts thinking but in the here and now...and I don't see the correlation or whatever the terminology is...
I just know that each month we spend a set amount for groceries and come home with less food to put away...In order to bring home the same amount of food we normally consume each month we have to spend an additional $50-$60 each time...which means we have to cut back
somehow elsewhere to make up the difference...
I'm fairly sure that I saw chicken advertised as being around $0.99/lb in an early sixties ad, in a small city area (Pittsfield MA). It's possible I'm wrong, maybe someone here has food ads from that time, or there are some on internet historical sites. I still see that price now occasionally (probably because of tremendous advances in efficiency), though I think as MTA pointed out the dollar in general bought a lot more then (for example $20,000 would have been an excellent salary back in 1960, able to keep a small family living in style with the basics (such as housing, food, car, appliances etc) as much as maybe $100,000 today (just a rough estimate, I don't know the exact figures).
the bulk of my shopping is done at the beginning of each month as that is when the money is deposited into my acct. so no I don't spent $50-$60 more each week...
I am budgeted $200 a MONTH for ALL my groceries(that includes paper goods, cleaning supplies, everything not edible) but in order to buy everything that is used I end up spending $250 and sometimes more. This is for 2 adults which when broken down comes to $25.00 per person per week. If I happen to run out of something before the end of the month we do without as there is no extra money laying around....rent, utilities, insurance,vehicle maintenance(gas,oil ect.)and groceries all have to come in under $1000 a month...most of the time it does,unless food and gas prices take a jump, which in turn affects the other expenses....
Location: where you sip the tea of the breasts of the spinsters of Utica
8,297 posts, read 14,185,184 times
Reputation: 8105
Quote:
Originally Posted by leftmyheartintennessee
the bulk of my shopping is done at the beginning of each month as that is when the money is deposited into my acct. so no I don't spent $50-$60 more each week...
I am budgeted $200 a MONTH for ALL my groceries(that includes paper goods, cleaning supplies, everything not edible) but in order to buy everything that is used I end up spending $250 and sometimes more. This is for 2 adults which when broken down comes to $25.00 per person per week. If I happen to run out of something before the end of the month we do without as there is no extra money laying around....rent, utilities, insurance,vehicle maintenance(gas,oil ect.)and groceries all have to come in under $1000 a month...most of the time it does,unless food and gas prices take a jump, which in turn affects the other expenses....
That sux. If you're not diabetic maybe you could get by on grains and legumes (such as beans, rice, bread, peanut butter), gleaning, and poaching. A few shreds of flavorful meat such as ham or bacon could flavor the blander things rather than being a centerpiece of the meal. Eggs and milk are cheap protein sources.
Gleaning is doing things like picking berries or asking neighbors if you can pick fruit or nuts from their tree (usually they're happy not to have to rake it all up later). There are edible greens also such as poke, milkweed, dandelion, cattails, etc.
Poaching ..... well, you can decide whether it's worth the risk of fines or jail to fish or hunt without a license. Usually licenses are too expensive for people in your position, but it depends on the state.
There may be free meals or groceries in your area for low income people.
Dumpster diving and scrapping are maybe a last resort, but some people make some good extra income finding things to sell, or more dangerously to eat. I don't recommend that though, because I've done it, and it can lead to digestive upsets.
We do okay with groceries...We're both ex army cooks and know how to prepare from
scratch,so we can stretch food pretty far...and neither of us are really finicky...but we
both have food restrictions so have to work around those issues.
We've tried to have a garden but the last few years we've not had much success. Too hot, not enough rain etc. When produce is in season and priced cheap enough I try to buy in bulk then prep/freeze the extra.
We had chickens but we're not physically able to take care of them anymore, so that project is discontinued, hopefully not for good. we live in town, and very few people around here do
gardening or raise animals, so opportunities to glean are rare. I've worked in the past,for the Meals on Wheels program in this area, and sorry to say, I can prepare better,more nutritious meals than what they serve or send out to their clients.
Dumpster diving would probably kill us, we'd fall in and never be able to get back out,lol...
Some days life sucks, but it comes with the territory and we just learn to adapt and roll with the
punches...
For now, we have a roof over our heads and food to eat...It doesn't get any better than that...
We do okay with groceries...We're both ex army cooks and know how to prepare from
scratch,so we can stretch food pretty far...and neither of us are really finicky...but we
both have food restrictions so have to work around those issues.
We've tried to have a garden but the last few years we've not had much success. Too hot, not enough rain etc. When produce is in season and priced cheap enough I try to buy in bulk then prep/freeze the extra.
We had chickens but we're not physically able to take care of them anymore, so that project is discontinued, hopefully not for good. we live in town, and very few people around here do
gardening or raise animals, so opportunities to glean are rare. I've worked in the past,for the Meals on Wheels program in this area, and sorry to say, I can prepare better,more nutritious meals than what they serve or send out to their clients.
Dumpster diving would probably kill us, we'd fall in and never be able to get back out,lol...
Some days life sucks, but it comes with the territory and we just learn to adapt and roll with the
punches...
For now, we have a roof over our heads and food to eat...It doesn't get any better than that...
A lot of churches have food pantries that might be able to help some.
My grocery bill keeps going up and up..but I'm fighting back.
Just finished off a big pot of soup that fed me and husband for four meals...
Here's the deal:
Bought package of four chicken breasts on sale. They were huge, and with skin. I froze three and threw one one into soup pot along with barley, carrots, frozen baby lima beans, chopped onion, chopped garlic and celery. Used a low sodium, no MSG vegetable soup base I buy online from Soupbase.com--you mix it with water to make your own broth and refrigerate the rest--comes in a tub. This is a frugal way to have broth.
Season as you like--I add black pepper and some cayenne.
After the chicken has cooked, remove it, take off the skin and chop meat into small cubes, put back into soup pot.
There you have it. Serve your soup with garlic bread or a salad or alone for a delicious--and hearty, healthy meal. If you make a big pot, you can freeze meal-sized portions. If you're a vegetarian, eliminate the chicken and maybe add in some navy or kidney beans.
There you have it--from Little Dolphin's Frugal Soup Kitchen.
Just wondering if its my state (AZ) or happening everywhere. Could not believe how much groceries cost lately. How are retirees supposed to survive on a fixed income? I started looking for part time jobs cause I won't have enough $ if this keeps up. I may have to stock up on Ramen Noodles again.
Where do you shop at, Walmart?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
