Grocery shopping tips during Coronavirus quarantine #3

[MimosaMornings]

Also re car shortage- also affecting the rental market - our car was totaled in August had to get a rental. Took several days to get one. Nothing available. Spouse says rental companies had sold off a lot of their inventory during pandemic ? Idk.

Yes. I rent cars frequently and it can be challenging these days. They sold off stock so not to pay tax on inventory plus people chose to drive instead of fly on vacations.
JMO

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

DH experienced vehicle shortages when the lease on his Ford Escape was up in August. He's had a couple of Escapes and hoped to lease another. The dealership did not have anything in stock and checked other local dealerships for a suitable vehicle. Nothing available and special order could have taken several months. He went to a Buick dealership looking for an Encore but heard the same story: No vehicles in stock and ordering could take months. DH was hoping to negotiate an extension on his lease until a new Escape was available, but they weren't willing to do that. We talked about turning in the Escape when the lease was up and just using my Beetle for a while until there were more vehicles from which to choose. My 16-year-old Beetle is in stellar condition, but we decided not to take a chance that something might go wrong, and we'd be stuck without transportation. Long story short, DH decided to negotiate a selling price and paid cash for his Escape. It is in good condition with limited miles because it was a lease. Now that DH is retired, neither one of us does much driving, so both vehicles should serve us well for the foreseeable future.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I’ve wanted a toaster oven for a long time. My little $6 toaster from Walmart is 4-5 years old and is about dead. My daughter keeps saying it will catch fire.

So on Amazon the toaster oven I like is $47. It’s a small boring one. Nothing fancy for sure. I think it will eventually save me money from firing up the big oven. Particularly in the summer. But, I can’t bring myself to click the checkout button. Maybe after my SS check comes I’ll feel better about splurging.

PN, you are so caring, generous, and kind to your family, friends, and neighbors and deserve to indulge yourself occasionally. You need a new toaster oven, so be good to yourself and get one. It's not like you're spending money on something frivolous or unnecessary. Click the dang button already

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Your trips to the grocery store are going to cost more, according to USDA predictions (clickondetroit.com)

Consumer Price Index predicts up to 4% increase in food-at-home prices

Your trips to the grocery store are expected to get more expensive, according to the latest Consumer Price Index figures.

This year, food-at-home prices are expected to increase between 3% and 4%. Food-away-from-home prices are predicted to increase between 5.5% and 6.5%. Price increases for food away from home are expected to exceed historical averages and the inflation rate in 2021...

 

[IceIce9]

I do most of my shopping at Costco, and prices have really jumped in the past few months. Everything from canned dogfood to cardinal food to fresh produce has increased in price. At least Costco hasn’t shrunk package sizes.

We eat avocado every day, and Costco’s bag of avocados are now $9.89.

Our Fresh Thyme store has avocados 2/$1 this week. I generally buy whatever produce is on sale at Fresh Thyme. They also have asparagus for .99 cents/pound, so I will be sautéing asparagus this week.

 

[mickey2942]

@PayrollNerd you may want to check Savers, or Goodwill shops in your area. There are always kitchen appliances, some still in the box!

Yes, the price of groceries has gone up. Costco used to be the "$100 store", now it is more like "$250". Actually, I went the other day, less than $50. We eat a lot of eggs and fresh veggies.

 

[IceIce9]

No, I haven’t looked at those. I’m not sure I’d use it much.

I’m not wild about appliances sitting out taking up space. My kitchen isn’t tiny but isn't huge either. I keep my can opener in a drawer, don’t own a coffee pot or blender. My Betty Crocker rotisserie, waffle iron and my canner is in the garage.

I don’t like anything that takes up space on my countertops. But, we have several small appliances that we used either daily or several times a week. Rice cooker, coffee maker, air fryer, instant pot, and toaster.

Other appliances we use less often: crockpot, waffle maker, electric griddle.

I recently bought a tall cabinet that fits into a nook beside my pantry. It fits all of our small appliances perfectly. They are within easy reach when we need them but hidden away when we aren’t using them.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I receive Nino's weekly rewards and specials email every Wednesday. This week's specials feature the usual suspects for Easter, and prices are definitely higher than last year. Whole beef tenderloin, spiral-sliced ham, boneless/bone-in leg of lamb, kielbasa are all a dollar or two per pound higher than last year - higher than Christmas, too. No special prices on any brand of eggs. The same specials will probably be featured next week with some other items added like shrimp, fruit and veggie trays. We haven't made plans to host a family gathering for Easter - too much drama right now. Picano's will be open on Easter with a special menu (not buffet). We are considering making reservations.

 

[Tbone144]

We are currently building a barndominium on some land we purchased. I have really noticed the increase in materials. We plan on doing the inside ourselves and living in a camper that will double as the guest bedroom once we are in. All of my budget for the inside has had to be adjusted. I just replaced most of the appliances in the house we will be selling and I’m looking for new for the barndo. The dishwasher I just bought last summer is $400 more (almost double), the fridge I just bought last Nov is $400 more. The oven I just installed in January is $500 more. Even my cheap range hood has gone up $50. I’m going to the scratch and dent places for the new ones. They will be good enough for now.

I’m noticing the shortage on paper goods. Every night I bring my ducks out frozen peas, sweet corn and cheerios on a paper plate so I don’t forget it in the barn and can just toss it. Lately there haven’t been any paper plates on the shelves.

 

[PayrollNerd]

@PayrollNerd you may want to check Savers, or Goodwill shops in your area. There are always kitchen appliances, some still in the box!

Yes, the price of groceries has gone up. Costco used to be the "$100 store", now it is more like "$250". Actually, I went the other day, less than $50. We eat a lot of eggs and fresh veggies.

I went into Big Lots today. The same toaster oven was $49.99 vs it being $47 on Amazon. I looked at their air fryers too. I didn’t see a combo toaster oven air fryer. None of the air fryers looked like they do toast. At least I couldn’t figure it out anyway. It was good to see them in person. They are bigger than I expected.

The food allergies we all have would keep me from buying a used appliance. Good idea tho.

 

[PayrollNerd]

I forgot to mention the food items at Big Lots. My big family size box of Cheez-It’s was $4.99 vs $6.99 at Publix!! (It didn’t help that I was shopping the day after treatment. My metal mouth taste is bad right afterward.)

Anyway, I bought Smarties, Easter Peeps candy and a box of Little Debbie snacks. I noticed almost all the Easter candy had peanut butter in it. There were a few bunnies and eggs filled with other flavors but not many!

There’s a new Dollar Tree going in right next door. I’ll be shopping there since it’s much closer to me.

 

[PayrollNerd]

PN, you are so caring, generous, and kind to your family, friends, and neighbors and deserve to indulge yourself occasionally. You need a new toaster oven, so be good to yourself and get one. It's not like you're spending money on something frivolous or unnecessary. Click the dang button already

Well, my toaster oven story continues...... Yesterday, I opened Amazon to find that the seller no longer had any toaster ovens. The next lower priced one was $67 - and it had features I don't care about and it was bigger. So, I went to Big Lots this morning and bought the one I wanted for $49.99. They had 3 more on the shelf.

I stopped at Key Foods which is a predominantly Hispanic foods grocery store. Large eggs were $2.89 for generic brand. Gallon of milk was $5.49 and zucchini was $2.19 lb.

I need to stay home and stop spending money!

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

On the subject of kitchen appliances, I found this quiz quite amusing

22 Nostalgic As Seen On TV Cooking Products (buzzfeed.com)

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Food Prices Soar to Record Levels on Ukraine War Disruptions | Business News | US News

The United Nations says prices for world food commodities like grains and vegetable oils have reached their highest levels ever because of Russia's war in Ukraine.

ROME (AP) — Prices for food commodities like grains and vegetable oils reached their highest levels ever last month largely because of Russia's war in Ukraine and the “massive supply disruptions” it is causing, threatening millions of people in Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere with hunger and malnourishment, the United Nations said Friday.

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said its Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in international prices for a basket of commodities, averaged 159.3 points last month, up 12.6% from February. As it is, the February index was the highest level since its inception in 1990.

FAO said the war in Ukraine was largely responsible for the 17.1% rise in the price of grains, including wheat and others like oats, barley and corn. Together, Russia and Ukraine account for around 30% and 20% of global wheat and corn exports, respectively.

While predictable given February's steep rise, “this is really remarkable,” said Josef Schmidhuber, deputy director of FAO's markets and trade division. “Clearly, these very high prices for food require urgent action.”...

 

[PayrollNerd]

On the subject of kitchen appliances, I found this quiz quite amusing

22 Nostalgic As Seen On TV Cooking Products (buzzfeed.com)

Still using my rotisserie 20+ years later! It has seen better days but it still works. Best way to cook a bird. I put orange pieces and a bay leaf inside, tie it up and season the outside with dry spices. It falls off the bone and we use it for everything.

 

[anneg]

Well, my toaster oven story continues...... Yesterday, I opened Amazon to find that the seller no longer had any toaster ovens. The next lower priced one was $67 - and it had features I don't care about and it was bigger. So, I went to Big Lots this morning and bought the one I wanted for $49.99. They had 3 more on the shelf.

I stopped at Key Foods which is a predominantly Hispanic foods grocery store. Large eggs were $2.89 for generic brand. Gallon of milk was $5.49 and zucchini was $2.19 lb.

I need to stay home and stop spending money!

I hope your new toaster oven serves you well for a long time!

 

[anneg]

On the subject of kitchen appliances, I found this quiz quite amusing

22 Nostalgic As Seen On TV Cooking Products (buzzfeed.com)

The only one of these items I ever had was a George Forman grill. I used it a few times and ultimately donated it to a thrift shop. I guess I wasn't very susceptible to those ads.

 

[mickey2942]

On the subject of kitchen appliances, I found this quiz quite amusing

22 Nostalgic As Seen On TV Cooking Products (buzzfeed.com)

Well, I must say that we have several of those items. But the "Chopper" is a definite win for my husband. He is blind, and puts stuff in there to chop it. It doesn't roll away from him.

He also uses that sandwich maker, plug it in, put bread and cheese in it, 2 minutes, unplug it, get the sandwich out. Perfectly easy for him. It also turns off automatically if he forgets to unplug it. He doesn't have to turn the sandwich over, which is a problem for him. He throws eggs in there, pancake batter, whatever...even those rolls in a can bake in that thing. Much easier and safer than an oven for him.

 

[PayrollNerd]

I think the outbreaks of Avian flu have greatly affected the price of eggs and poultry products.

It has been seen in Canada and across numerous US states.

When they cull the birds, the eggs go too.

Yet another reason for high food prices.

Yup, it's all come to roost so to speak.....

Deadly avian flu sends egg prices soaring - CNN

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I didn't/don't have any of the kitchen appliances/gadgets in the quiz posted above. I kind of miss my electric wok that I tossed when we moved into this house in '93. I steamed veggies in the wok but rarely used it for other purposes, and it was clunky to store. I also miss my electric skillet that I used frequently instead of pots and pans on the stove. The cord connector fell into stainless steel sink and broke, so the unit was unusable.

Last week, I pre-ordered the new Delicious Disney World Cookbook that debuts April 19. I plan to pre-order the new Ina Garten cookbook, Go-To Dinners prior to its release on October 25. I enjoy collecting and reading cookbooks even if I don't necessarily use the recipes. The history and stories about foods and recipes is fascinating.