Grocery shopping tips during Coronavirus quarantine #2

[mickey2942]

I know you're in Montana now but didn't realize that you lived in Michigan previously. Kalamazoo College?

Fall is and has always been my favorite season. We're very fortunate in the Great Lakes State to have fabulous falls, and this year will be no exception. Daytime temperatures in the low-to-mid 70s, and cooler overnight temperatures make for "good sleeping weather", as we like to say. I never really liked summer (I don't like heat and humidity) and was happy when school started and my ballet classes resumed.

Cider mills opened this weekend, as did local self-pick apple orchards. A trip to a cider mill to watch how it's made and enjoy sampling cider and donuts is a long-cherished fall activity in these parts. A drive to an orchard, riding on the hay wagon, climbing apple trees, filling a couple bags or a bushel basket with hand-picked apples was always great family fun. Sunday drives to see the changing colors were also part of Michigan's magnificent autumn glory. I'm sure Montana is gorgeous in the fall, too, but I'm glad that you remember Michigan's fall splendor

Western Michigan University, go Broncos! Nothing beats Michigan in the Fall. Cider, fresh apple pie.

 

[LadyL]

Western Michigan University, go Broncos! Nothing beats Michigan in the Fall. Cider, fresh apple pie.

cider yum
I do love fall
there won't be the usual veg fest we go to this year
on top of everything else

 

[PayrollNerd]

Because they can...... sigh

Stockpiling is over, so why have grocery prices gone up again?
Stockpiling is over, so why have grocery prices gone up again?

Snips:
The national average for a basket of 20 representative goods peaked at $138.78 in May, then fell in June and July to $136.40. In August it shot back up to $138.63.

While some individual items are less expensive than in May, they’re still up from January, particularly meat. A pound of bacon costs 50 cents more; ground beef, 40 cents; and chicken breast, 30 cents.

The hikes are more acute in certain pockets. Miami is paying a dollar more for chicken, a nearly 30 percent increase; while Los Angeles is paying 60 cents more, a 20 percent increase.

Erik Hembre, Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Illinois at Chicago, estimated that if food price increases remain over the course of the next year the average household will spend about $400 more on groceries. Less well-off households will spend $210 more, but it will hit their budgets harder.

“Recent increases in food prices during the pandemic affect lower income households more because they spend a greater share of their income on food at home,” Hembre said

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Oops! Wrong thread

 

[PayrollNerd]

Friday I did my produce pick up. Yummy tomatoes, spinach and potatoes. Of course too much for even me and my youngest so, I shared with a friend who hasn’t had child support since May.

The food bank did a USDA food distribution at the stadium today. I waited in line for an hour which is unusual but I was fine with it.

It’s a really good thing I have a beverage fridge because I could feed a passel of kids with the case of orange juice cartons. I froze half of them since they were already frozen. I’ll be sharing these too.

I cannot eat 10lbs of chicken breast nor drink 2 gallons of milk. I’ll be passing some of this on too.

I was surprised at the blueberries. We love them!

A church was helping today and they gave us flowers which was sweet. They also gave me a card to their church food bank. They told me to go there today for more meat and groceries. I am not going tho. I feel like that would be greedy.

What a blessing to get this much and to be able to share with others I know who are in need.

 

[MaryG12]

I see there is a popcorn (especially kettle corn) shortage - anyone else experiencing the same thing?

I seriously think Publix prematurely removed those arrow-direction stickers from the aisles in their stores.

Those directional stickers helped some people learn how to drive their shopping carts.

Now eveything is chaos once again.

 

[killarney rose]

Everyone ignored them in my publix anyway. I started sending DH in for a few items i cant get elsewhere. It always made me so angry that they ignored the arrows.

 

[mickey2942]

CSA this week, Swiss chard, onions, leeks, tomatoes, lettuce, garlic, kale. It costs me about $18 a week, some weeks are skimpier than other weeks. But, I hardly ever go to the store, and have fresh produce all summer. Not going to the store is totally worth it for me.

 

[MimosaMornings]

Friday I did my produce pick up. Yummy tomatoes, spinach and potatoes. Of course too much for even me and my youngest so, I shared with a friend who hasn’t had child support since May.

The food bank did a USDA food distribution at the stadium today. I waited in line for an hour which is unusual but I was fine with it.

It’s a really good thing I have a beverage fridge because I could feed a passel of kids with the case of orange juice cartons. I froze half of them since they were already frozen. I’ll be sharing these too.

I cannot eat 10lbs of chicken breast nor drink 2 gallons of milk. I’ll be passing some of this on too.

I was surprised at the blueberries. We love them!

A church was helping today and they gave us flowers which was sweet. They also gave me a card to their church food bank. They told me to go there today for more meat and groceries. I am not going tho. I feel like that would be greedy.

What a blessing to get this much and to be able to share with others I know who are in need.

Wow!!

 

[mickey2942]

I noticed that some prices of items are getting significantly higher today.

 

[PayrollNerd]

CSA this week, Swiss chard, onions, leeks, tomatoes, lettuce, garlic, kale. It costs me about $18 a week, some weeks are skimpier than other weeks. But, I hardly ever go to the store, and have fresh produce all summer. Not going to the store is totally worth it for me.

I don’t think $18/week is bad at all. I bet that is high quality food too.

Before I had to rely on my produce pickups, I would spend more than that weekly. We needed so much fresh food due to food allergies, I know my food bill (for 3) was almost as much as my mortgage. I had a garden to help too.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Petalo, not Charmin: Virus brings Mexican toilet paper to US

NEW YORK – Toilet paper is back on store shelves. But you may not recognize some of the brands.

Demand for toilet paper has been so high during the pandemic that in order to keep their shelves stocked, retailers are buying up foreign toilet paper brands, mostly from Mexico. Major chains, across the country, including CVS, Piggly Wiggly, Safeway, 7-Eleven and others, are carrying the international brands.

In recent weeks, a CVS in New York has been selling three Mexican brands: Regio, Hoteles Elite and Daisy Soft. Mexico's Petalo was on the shelves of a Piggly Wiggly in Sister Bay, Wisconsin. And a Safeway supermarket in Fremont, California, had those same brands, plus Vogue, whose label says in Spanish that it smells like chamomile...

 

[PayrollNerd]

Petalo, not Charmin: Virus brings Mexican toilet paper to US

NEW YORK – Toilet paper is back on store shelves. But you may not recognize some of the brands.

Demand for toilet paper has been so high during the pandemic that in order to keep their shelves stocked, retailers are buying up foreign toilet paper brands, mostly from Mexico. Major chains, across the country, including CVS, Piggly Wiggly, Safeway, 7-Eleven and others, are carrying the international brands.

In recent weeks, a CVS in New York has been selling three Mexican brands: Regio, Hoteles Elite and Daisy Soft. Mexico's Petalo was on the shelves of a Piggly Wiggly in Sister Bay, Wisconsin. And a Safeway supermarket in Fremont, California, had those same brands, plus Vogue, whose label says in Spanish that it smells like chamomile...

I had to go to Publix the other day for something I forgot for a recipe. I decided to get another pack of toilet paper and pack of paper towels. It's just me now and I rarely have visitors so I should have plenty. I've been seeing headlines about a paper towel shortage due to everyone cleaning more. The Publix I go to had almost full shelves. There were some areas empty and some brands had less than others. The part that stumps me is the Kleenex & Puffs facial tissue. I got one more box of those too.

 

[weepingangel]

There hasn’t been any Viva paper towels the past three weeks. This Is Not Good.
They’re my cleaning go-to. I don’t wannnnnna use fall apart paper towels or cloth.

 

[JDG]

Petalo, not Charmin: Virus brings Mexican toilet paper to US

NEW YORK – Toilet paper is back on store shelves. But you may not recognize some of the brands.

Demand for toilet paper has been so high during the pandemic that in order to keep their shelves stocked, retailers are buying up foreign toilet paper brands, mostly from Mexico. Major chains, across the country, including CVS, Piggly Wiggly, Safeway, 7-Eleven and others, are carrying the international brands.

In recent weeks, a CVS in New York has been selling three Mexican brands: Regio, Hoteles Elite and Daisy Soft. Mexico's Petalo was on the shelves of a Piggly Wiggly in Sister Bay, Wisconsin. And a Safeway supermarket in Fremont, California, had those same brands, plus Vogue, whose label says in Spanish that it smells like chamomile...

Must admit, when its on sale, we are stocking up again. Looks like we may have a second lockdown and we are not going to have to worry about anything this time, I hope.

Our prices are going up as well, worrying as the government help for most people is ending Sept. 27th and a lot of people will be going short of everything.

Stay safe/stay well everyone.

 

[JDG]

There hasn’t been any Viva paper towels the past three weeks. This Is Not Good.
They’re my cleaning go-to. I don’t wannnnnna use fall apart paper towels or cloth.

Maybe consider starting a 'rag bag' of old Tee shirts/undies minus the elastic and throwing a load in the washer after cleaning? I know, you said you dont wannnna use cloth but it might become a necessity.

Wish I had not donated a bag of older flannel shirts, they would have been great for cleaning. aw well.

 

[LadyL]

Time to stock up again? The likelihood of empty shelves in a second coronavirus wave

 

[JDG]

Just got an email from a neighbour that many of the Costcos up here are out of TP and paper towels.

So the madness has begun, again. Guess I go back to the store for more TP (while its on sale).

Between regular flu and bad weather, everyone has the same idea. Add in COVID and its just too anxiety provoking, who really wants to stand in the snow, blustery winds etc to get into a grocery store? no one.

 

[mickey2942]

CSA: apples, peaches, pears, plums, garlic, onions, kale, corn, tomatoes, leeks.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

Just want to give a THANKS! shout out to ????, whomever stated and all the others about freezing milk. I had no idea in my *cough* years that that can be done. I did it, and took it out a few days ago. It is perfect! Normal! No *freezer burn* taste or any off taste at all. How did I live my *cough* years and not know such. Thanks to those on this thread for sharing!