I forgot to take a pic because of toddler chaos. Boo.
-saltines
-travel goldfish packs for car toddler bribes
-2 bunches asparagus
-bagged salad mix (Buffalo ranch)
-3lb bag of snack size gala apples
-3 jars of oui yogurt (2 vanilla, 1 lemon)
-2 dozen eggs
Non food, 1 small clay plant pot and dish
Last weekends farmers market, 5lbs ground beef from a place we really like the grind and flavor for burgers, toddler picks: 3 ears corn on the cob, bag of cranberries (turns out she likes them raw, weird but okay), giant bag of apples
ETA the whole pineapple is for Latte, who has a book with a picture of a pineapple and asks for one CONSTANTLY, and any time she sees one at the store. They were $1.60 today so I figured she would have a blast getting one haha.
Iāve been getting coupons from Harris Teeter in the mail for $10 off a $30 purchase. I donāt normally shop there, but Iāve been having fun trying to get the best deals while coming in as close to $30 as possible.
A few weeks ago I bought a lot of meat and some other things:
I ended up paying slightly less for everything than the regular price for that 8lb pork shoulder. (I never would have paid the $2.50/lb regular price.) Applying my $10 coupon proportionally, I paid about $5.25 ($0.66/lb) for it instead.
I might do a longer post on my journal, but thought it would spark a discussion hereā¦ Anyone else been seeing older, wrinklier looking produce?
Among the various supply chain issues right now, weāve been hearing a lot about delays in unloading and trucking away shipping containers at local ports. If that includes food, it would be spending more time in transit and coming in less fresh. Not entirely certain but seems like it could be related (note: this isnāt all produce, I would assume the stuff in better shape is CA grown or just lucky.)
Our produce has been good but Iām in an urban area in the Northeast and I feel we are prioritized over other areas when there are shortages. Iām basing this on the previous covid shortages lots of people were reporting; I saw almost none here but my friends in more rural areas and even smaller cities saw a lot.
Iām like 30 mins from the port of LA, maybe 1-5 hr drive from at least half of CA growing regions, and 3hrs from the Mexico border. We definitely donāt have shortages by a long shot but I saw wilty peppers and grapes, old garlic (and weāre just out of GARLIC harvest season and itās grown in CA!), and bruised apples (may just have been that batch). This is a store I frequent that generally has good quality. I would not be surprised if one product looked a bit sad but it seemed like a lot of things we buy often.
To be clear Iām not worried we wonāt get any food or something. But I heard on NPR that school lunch programs are having issues, and if my bougie metro grocery is getting old food how are people near the ends of the supply chain doing?
Hm, maybe my theory is bunk then? I really donāt know because it all seems so strange and scattered! The only poor quality thing Iāve noticed is avocados but Iām so far from where theyāre grown it seemsā¦fair, haha. Maybe itās a chain thing? I buy produce either at an independent produce shop or at HMart (chain). I do other shopping at Aldi but I donāt usually go for their produce so I canāt compare it now vs past.
I donāt think itās bunk, I think youāre right that metro areas tend to have more robust supply chains (I think itās actually redundancy, not prioritization, but I donāt know). And yeah, effects are scattered and subtle so it may be hard to pick up.
I havenāt noticed poor grocery quality up here, although Iām in a major urban center and live incredibly close to a bajillion different groceries. I have noticed higher prices, thoughā¦
I was just at Costco the other day, and every single item was at least $1-$3 more than it was back in June, which was the last time I went. I buy almost the same items every time, and my total was at least $20 more than normal
Wow you guys. Maybe it isnāt so weird that I have spices in 3 places? Baking supplies in 2?
Hm. The only pic I have of my pantry was when it was all but empty after lockdown. It isnāt totally packed now, but it sure isnāt that empty.
Things I donāt use or only use rarely: margarine, premade foods, canned foods, many commercial spices. We do use premade baked goods.
I keep getting on myself about how spread out it is. How itās a total PITA to have to go from here for meat to there for spices, to there for something else.
Okay. Iāll get pics made and post them. But right now, my pantry has two pillow cases on the floor (potatoes and onions) and a plastic bin (carrots) in addition to whatās everywhere else.
I donāt usually think of my groceries as a haul, because Iām usually just filling in, rather than stocking up. That changes at the end of this month, because I definitely stock up during holiday sales, itās the time staples are the cheapest they are all year. Also, Iām almost out of meat, or more accurately, Iām out of the meat we use the most often: chicken and ground beef. I will probably restock the meats this month too, but Iām trying to get those pillow cases off my pantry floor first!
btw, the grocery prices Iāve noticed here are about 25% more than they had been.!
My prices are definitely higher on at least some things. Milk went from 1.39 to 2.73 per gallon and eggs went from.49 to 1.49 a dozen. Store brand, not organic items. So itās like the cheapest options.
Not entirely certain but seems like it could be related (note: this isnāt all produce, I would assume the stuff in better shape is CA grown or just lucky.)
I havenāt noticed much different.
