Prices still rising

Because of the coming snow and extremely cold temperatures due on Friday all the mobile foodbank sites would be closed. I needed to get my car tag because it expires this month so I went on Thursday to avoid the snow. The DMV is next door to Kroger and shares the same parking lot. I decided to see what bargains I’d find since I was already there. Before I start let me explain that in some areas you might see some of the grocery prices coming down but here in my area they are still rising although nothing seems scarce. 

I had been at the DMV most of the day so I indulged myself with a discounted chef salad as a late lunch when I got home. That was healthier than fast food and tastier too. I bought a discounted loaf of bread to make braunschweiger sandwiches and chicken salad sandwiches. I wanted to have them ready incase of a power outage. The price of the English toasting bread has gone up $1.50 since August. I only buy it when I find it discounted and I haven’t baked bread at home. 

I always check the 99 cent produce bin. I got lucky with the orange bell peppers and turnips. The regular price of the orange peppers is $1.59 each. I saved $2.19. The green ones were 79 cents each.

The cabbage was 89 cents a pound. I didn’t like paying that much but I eat cabbage for my health. The turnips cost is $1.19 a pound or about $1.25 each. I saved about $4 on those turnips. 

I also found these two veggie trays less than half price. The regular price is $9.49 each. That’s about two dollars more than last month. I buy these discounted trays occasionally because it’s cheaper than buying the veggies and cutting it up myself. 

I found organic beef stock for $1.05 each. Normal price is $2.79. I bought ten of them but there was two store baskets full plus about 30 more on the discount shelf. Someone must have over ordered. I saved $17.40 on the cost but maybe I should think in terms of money spent instead. Meaning money I would not have normally used without the bargain.

I found a bag of sugar for 90 cents. Normal price is $3.29. A savings of $2.39. I use about 4 or 5 tablespoons per week for baking. So this package will last a long time. Unless I’m canning jelly or pickled beets.

And these bags of candy for the grands when they visit. I give them only one piece per visit.

The very, very best discount bargain from that day was….

beef at half price and one pack of 2 inch thick Duroc pork chops at half price. About $100 worth of meat for $50 is pretty good. 

They look dark in the photo but actually they’re very fresh looking and not outdated. I’ve been watching for the discount packs of beef for several months because I was out of home canned beef. I guess someone always got there ahead of me. I have 14 half pints in the pressure canner right now and a little over half of one roast left. I’ll either freeze that for later or cook it to freeze in portions for quick meals. I like making barley beef soup or vegetable beef soup or beef stew in winter months. I used some of my Christmas and Birthday money to buy all these bargains. 

One issue that could possibly be the cause of rising prices in my area is the lack of grocery store competition. We have two major grocery stores about 5 miles away. They are Kroger and Aldi. No competition means these stores can charge what they want to charge. This area is saturated with several Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, Dollar General, CVS, and Walgreen stores all within a few blocks from each other. None of them sell fresh vegetables or fruits which means my area is considered a food desert. This all the more reason to grow as many foods as I can this year.

Pork chop and roast turnips