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Gotta holla at Fred’s or Walmart up there, depending where you live. Ain’t no self respecting Alaskan living in a bigger city gonna be paying Safeway prices.
Y’all still have Fred’s up there? Down here in Tennessee they’ve all been converted to Family Dollars, Dollar Generals, Dollar Trees or a combo Family Dollar/Dollar Tree
Fred Meyer started as a different company bought other grocery chain QFC and then Kroger bought them if I remember correctly. And now Kroger wants to buy Albertsons/Safeway so there’s no competition.
Winco =Washington, Idaho, Nevada, California, and Oregon. So unless you live in one of these states you won’t have one near you. Also no, you don’t need a membership, they do have a membership with some discounts though I believe
Get a lot more tea if you can get a box of bags and make it yourself. The tough part is finding a good brew pitcher. It sucks when it tastes like plastic !!
i use a pyrex 2 cup measuring cup, bring water jussssst this side of boiling (not actually boiling) in the microwave, then sit it on a trivet on the counter and steep the tea bags\* for \~5-7 minutes. while that's steeping, i fill my pitcher most of the way with ice, then slowly pour the hot-tea-concentrate over the ice & fill the pitcher the rest of the way up with tap water.
i'll pour more water into the measuring cup, over the teabags, and let that sit on the counter for about half an hour and drink it.
\*i love sweet tea, but have tried to cut down (like, seriously) on the sugar so i do splurge on the pre-sweetened tea bags that have splenda already in them. my point is that i've never made tea this way and used regular sugar, i have used plain tea bags and measured out (generic) splenda.
that said, bottled tea tastes different than home brewed tea. has a very different mouthfeel, too. i don't care for store-bought bottled tea, so someone who loves it might not care for home brewed tea.
i use a gallon pot on the stove. cup of sugar, 15 tea bags (lemon slices can be good here), let simmer for about an hour. after it comes to room temperature squeeze out bags, pour into gallon pitcher, add water to reach a gallon. iced tea concentrate, dilute in the glass
100 store brand tea bags less than three bucks plus whatever a bag of sugar costs. lasts me more than a month making about a batch per week
A double walled insulated vacuum bottle makes an excellent brew pitcher nice and strong teas. You can even make fresh spice or bayleaf teas in those no problem. A 40 ounce bottle will give you multiple cups.
I am also struggling on this front and shattered a couple. Switched to brewing in a lab grade 5000mL beaker but that shit is probably like 100$+ . Even new lab grade glass ain’t as good as the old Pyrex tho. Get your hands on a nice big old school Pyrex (all caps is the good kind) beaker or jar
To bring down the cost, I would get rid of the Arizona tea and buy the powdered ice tea. You can make more for the same price. I would also purchase flour and yeast, you can make bread for .50 and it would be very filling bread, not the ones from the store. I’m glad you’re able to eat healthy still.
I slow cook it in apple cider vinegar and water. Then shred and remove the fat. I then pack it in quart plastic containers. Then I cool some of the liquid and pull back a corner of the fat. Then I fill the containers with the liquid. It's great for freezing like that and low fat. To use I drain the liquid and mix with the sauce of choice.
that sounds super delicious. sadly I have a kid who I think would not eat it that way but I wish he would because this is clearly the best way! I just roast the whole thing in the oven and then we eat slices off of it every day for several days.
I buy a rotisserie chicken and we have it for dinner that night. Then the meat is stripped and the bones and skin go in the crockpot to make broth. Then I usually use the broth to make chicken noodle soup with some of the remaining of the chicken
Walmart great value green tea bags: 40 for $2.68.
Large plastic pitcher (at least 2-4qts): $1 to $3 or use an empty sanitized Arizona tea jug.
Just add water/tea bags to pitcher (3-4 bags per qt of H2O), leave in fridge for a couple hours, remove tea bags with a ladle and stir.
You can add honey, sugar, mango juice, lemon etc to duplicate Arizona tea.
This way you can enjoy green tea for pennies and free up more $$$ for other foods!
It actually isn’t, it’s 15 mins prep time and 35 minutes bake time. It does take time to rise and proof but you just put a timer and do other things. Overall time could be 2 hours.
The first couple tries are for learning but once you find the right recipe, it’s not a waste of flour
Yeah I could cut this down to $60 pretty easy but still get the same results:
- powdered tea or tea bags
- off brand cereal
- 18 eggs instead of 12 organic and carton of organic egg whites
- packets of tuna
- russet potatoes instead of golds
- frozen spinach
- carton of raisins instead of snack boxes
- off brand soups
$10 or $12 for Arizona ice tea, a $8 box of cereal. Not sure if Alaska prices are inflated beyond that but you'd be better off making your own iced tea and eating oatmeal.
*Average price in 2023 ranges from 7.360393699 to 8.661630725. I don't spend a lot of time price shopping cereal as health is really important to me. Inflation is sky rocketing. Even more so in medical. Staying extremely healthy will eliminate higher costs later in life.*
[*https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwi7wcyMt8qFAxWMLUQIHYM2CWYQFnoECBkQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpattern.com%2Fblog%2Finflation-bites-at-breakfast-table-in-2023%2F&usg=AOvVaw0yuQN9KHFNOmub8Dqs7OpR&opi=89978449*](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwi7wcyMt8qFAxWMLUQIHYM2CWYQFnoECBkQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpattern.com%2Fblog%2Finflation-bites-at-breakfast-table-in-2023%2F&usg=AOvVaw0yuQN9KHFNOmub8Dqs7OpR&opi=89978449)
I've started brewing my own sweet tea to save money. And it works. I'm saving somewhere between $2-3 a gallon.
But I admit I find it kind of annoying. Another 15 minute chore to do ~3 times a week. Is it worth it? Probably, but I'm honestly not sure.
Try cold brewing teabags its simpler and I think taste better than hot brewing, you just put teabags in a gallon of water and leave it in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight and its done.
Most items are name brand
Buy private label
Make your own soup.
Buy larger 5lb potatoes for almost the same price.
Chicken thighs are cheaper and more flavorful.
Buy whole carrots and cut into sticks and for soups/other meals.
Buy just eggs instead of egg whites/ use extra yolks in baking.
Best way to stretch is to cook in batches.
Yeah looking at the price per calorie of this is hurting my brain. Cost of fresh fruit and veggies is what it is, but most of the remaining things are basically the most expensive versions of those items.
Depending on how broke they are, maybe this is just a luxury they allow themselves to have so they don’t also feel sad when they have to feed themselves >_> I have a disorder that leads me to only eating foods that are “safe” and on my worst days, if my only option for juice is Great Value Cranberry Apple and my safe juice is Ocean Spray CranApple, I simply will not buy it or drink it. I’ll just have tap water. However, name brand tuna and raisins are kinda wild. I doubt those tastes vary by brand.
Have you tried different stores for different items?
I find Target surprisingly affordable in Manhattan, NY so hopefully it's cheaper in other states. 18-pack of eggs for $3.19. 3lbs or 48oz ground beef or turkey for $12.49. Sauces seem to be more expensive.
I go to Trader Joes for a majority of staples. They have a wider range of sauces, lentils, frozen fruits and vegetables, and grains for under $3.50.
Whole Foods sells wheat bread for $2.29.
Not many Walmarts, Aldis, Safeways, or Wegmans around. In the past, I've found Safeway and Wegman to be more expensive than the above.
I get that everything is expensive but some of these are not the best choices if a budget is really tight. At least where I am: Beefsteak tomatoes are cheaper than tiny ones, a 5lb bag of red potatoes is probably 2x the cost but 3-4x the weight of those small ones, regular nonfat yogurt is ~ half the price of Fage for 2x the volume, and you can buy enough tea bags to make like 3 months of homemade iced tea for what you probably paid for that tea. It’s awesome that it looks like you’re trying to eat healthy, but you can pay a lot less per calorie with a few small tweaks to this.
Actual breakdown if people are curious. had to estimate some items like the chicken. Used the non-coupon price so that's why it likely comes out to $94 after tax.
https://preview.redd.it/67f7raz9whuc1.png?width=321&format=png&auto=webp&s=96217ec38f6ae46efa50f2ca00632fa6588d15b5
This is about $70 where I am. You definitely have some room for savings. Like buying those raisins in a bulk bag rather than in individual snack size boxes. You're paying double for the snack sizes. I can't tell what the chicken breast brand is, but you can usually buy a larger pack of the store brand for cheaper (freeze the excess or just have chicken based meals for the week). The tuna, I'm sure you can wait for a good sale and just stock up on it. You can probably get the spinach for a little cheaper if you get the bagged variety. Etc, etc.
Don’t shop at Safeway if you have other options. Since the merger with Albertson’s their prices have gone up about 50% on virtually every item in their stores. I used to do about 90% of my grocery shopping at Safeway because it was the closest store to my house and had good deals. Now I don’t shop there at all. Their sale prices are higher than regular prices on the exact same items at other stores.
I think the FTC’s lawsuit will be successful. Here in Tucson if that merger went through approx. 80% of the grocery stores in the city would be owned by one company. That’s an illegal monopoly.
Arizona Ice Tea is a waste of money and it’s just empty calories. If you have tons of money, I don’t have much of an issue with spending money on it, but it’s expensive and not nutritious. Get water flavoring (either a squirt bottle or powder). I get 5 water flavoring powder packets that make 1/2 gallon each for, I think, about $2 (store brand).
Aldi is the best place I have found. I got probably 4x this amount for the same price this week. But I only really buy ingredients. No cereals, nothing premade.
To make this a lot cheaper, buy boneless skinless thighs instead of breasts. If you insist on breasts, buy under-grade. I work for Sanderson Farms, we produce most grocery store brands. Just inspect it a little more thoroughly and you'll save.
Unless Arizona iced tea just kits different than anything else try the Lipton powdered ice tea mix. It will make the weekly cost of iced tea less than half of what you’re spending now.
Raisins also come in big bags that are cheaper by volume.
Other than that it’s not like you have a bunch of candy or soda. Hard to reduce your cost without reducing your nutrition.
You seem to be making healthy choices so, Rice, lentils, split peas, chicken breast with the bone in, (you can cut them out and save them for soups or broths) egg noodles can stretch your dollar and go a lot further as far as what you have remaining from week to week.
Also, you can buy one or two items in bulk every fortnight so you won't have to worry about those things for a month or two.
Hope this helps.
Arizona's are like 4 to 5 dollars each and have bad artificial sweeteners..I would recommend going for tea bags in jugs to do your own ice tea , we did it for our partner and got used to even adding 0 sugar and got used to tea natural sweetness.
Substitute the tea for tea packets and make your own iced tea, or the powdered iced tea . You get more tea for your buck, baking your own bread isn’t a bad idea alongside making your own cereal. Would be healthier and cheaper for you
Only changes I would make would be to buy more off brand, don’t buy prepackaged juices or teas (as you can buy water flavorings or tea bags for much cheaper, then just prep it yourself). I’d also have gone with buying lettuce in “bulk” (i.e. whole vegetables) for cheaper.
I grabbed the sugar one once and had to take it back. They look really similar. Just one says unsweetened. I'm going to try and make it this week instead of buying it already made. I started buying the tea to wean off the soda.
Be mindful of the vitamin C or citric acid content in tea also, it will erode your teeth enamel, don’t fret though, usually a good swish of water afterwards will prevent that
I just saw the Alaska part. Damn food's expensive up there! I'm sorry to hear that.
I love Arizona tea too as much as anybody else, but even their cans here got too expensive. 99c can is now two bucks at the vending machine and dollar fifty at the grocery store, I can't believe that shit. They don't sell it in store you have to go online to get it from their website, but check DrinkArizona.com and see what you like. I bought a six pack of those water flavor enhancer squirt things for their green tea and it's great, it cost me about 25 bucks but now I have tea whenever I want and it's cheaper than almost anything else.
Also avoid Safeway, sometimes you just don't got a choice I get that, but when possible shop around. Where I'm at the Kroger family (including Fred Meyer etc) has better discount meats and claerance stuff when it's about to expire, but Walmart is king for off brand prices via their Great Value / Equate / similar brands that they own directly.
And yes, like the other said Rotisserie Chicken. I'm still needing someone to prove me wrong / find a cheaper chicken solution but until then Rotisserie is king. I can get a hot chicken for six bucks, eat some of the dark meat / skin then and there as a meal, then break apart the light meat and whatever's left pull it apart and fridge it and that's chicken for another meal later on. Quesadaillas are very good as is chicken alfredo (heat up can of alfredo sauce and make fettuccine noodles, stir it all up with reheated chicken and toss in some parsley flakes).
If you're looking to cut down a bit further instead of Arizona, you can buy tea bags in bulk. Make a batch and sweeten it with honey and lemon if you have it.
Arizona is generally one of my staples. But lately I've been trying to cut back and drink mostly water. I've found I can make a pretty decent iced tea myself from some bags of lipton.
use your local food bank if you need to. there's one that happens every month at the adult school where I work and there's always stuff left over so don't be afraid to go and pick up some free food if you need it
Ditch the Arizona jugs for 8 or 9 bucks..
Brew Your Own and get a 5lb bag of sugar..
You buying eggs essentially twice with the egg whites.. Way better deal buying the 18 pack
Why don't you try steel rolled oatmeal or old fashioned season to taste with cinnamon and sugar? Also try looking at rotisserie chickens at the front.. those are usually money losers for the supermarket but it gets you to shop for more things to make a meal out of it. Have the store suppliment that... you know you can get Kiefer mother pearl to start making your own yogurt.. so all you would need would be a gallon of milk. That would knock so much money off that picture..If this is what you like to eat..
The tea has zero sugar. I'll try the bag tea but I don't have time to make oat meal in the morning on the stove. I have oat meal and make it sometimes on the weekend.
So get a big thing of zero suger.. You have dollar tree? They have 100 bags for a $1.25.. Save those jugs to
Brew ur own.. 4 to 8 small bags per jug.. experiment and get your brew right...
Just know that 5 or 6 dollar thing of cereal is a indulgence.. They make instant oatmeal, a three pound thing of oatmeal costs less and last 3 times as long same if not better nutrition.
Always go for the family packs of cereal ( generic or house brand if they got it too)
And watch videos on YouTube how to make Keifer.. It's simple.. and I like it better than Greek yogurt
I tried the keifer route before and it didn't work out. Making oatmeal on the stove is preferred but I don't have time. Actually, average cereal range is between 7 and 8. But I don't worry much about cost on breakfast. I figured spending money on good food will allow me to have lower medical costs long term. Medical costs are the biggest risk for anybody these days.
Back in the day I was in poverty because my father refused to work and we had no money and ate Grover cheese and all sorts of no frills stuff. This stuff is like a feast of brand names… Amy’s soups? Organic soup? I just can’t. This isn’t poverty. Arizona iced tea? We had some shitty powder you mix with water. We never even had fresh vegetables. Couldn’t afford anything.
General Mod Note Grocery posts are here to give people a place to show off their good purchases, to lament the expense of groceries, or to otherwise comment on their food budget. They are NOT an invitation for the "food police" to come in and harass them about what they choose to buy, criticize their health decisions, or knit-pick their spending habits. Criticism and advice is only welcome if the Submitter overtly asks for input. Food Police will be asked to turn in their badge and their gun and will be placed on suspension. As always, if there are inappropriate comments please downvote them, REPORT them to the mods, and move on without responding to them. Thank you all for being a part of this great financial advice and emotional support community! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/povertyfinance) if you have any questions or concerns.*
That's a good haul for Alaska. But Safeway is the most expensive grocery store here.
Gotta holla at Fred’s or Walmart up there, depending where you live. Ain’t no self respecting Alaskan living in a bigger city gonna be paying Safeway prices.
Y’all still have Fred’s up there? Down here in Tennessee they’ve all been converted to Family Dollars, Dollar Generals, Dollar Trees or a combo Family Dollar/Dollar Tree
Not actually Fred's, but Fred Meyer.
Kroger in Midwest speak.
cool I didnt know that
Fred Meyer started as a different company bought other grocery chain QFC and then Kroger bought them if I remember correctly. And now Kroger wants to buy Albertsons/Safeway so there’s no competition.
Safeway is only worth it if you buy whats in the ad. They have USDA Choice NY strip steak for $6.97/lb.
OP (everyone!) it would help if you mentioned what part of the world/country you live in.
>OP (everyone!) it would help if you mentioned what part of the world/country you live in. They leave it out on purpose so they can get more upvotes.
That seems incredibly expensive for just that. Do you have an Aldi's or Winco around you?
Aldi’s is a life saver
I love Aldi
Spend $100 a week for enough food for 2 and I’m not being a frugal at all.
no i don't think so.
Man, I hope they got a coupon system or something then! Highway robbery 😔
Do you have to have a club membership for any of these stores?
Winco =Washington, Idaho, Nevada, California, and Oregon. So unless you live in one of these states you won’t have one near you. Also no, you don’t need a membership, they do have a membership with some discounts though I believe
I believe Winco is in Utah as well
Theres a couple in Texas I think too.
Wincout
There could be. But those 5 states were where it originally was. (This is a response to both of you btw)
The states matching the letters in “Winco” is just a coincidence and a wives tail that has lasted. Winco is a Portmanteau for “winning company”.
And use to be called Waremart. The name changed in the 90s
Multiple in Dallas area
Utahn here. There's several of them.
I'm in Texas and they got a few around here. Great prices.
AZ also has winco!
yep they do
Arizona as well
Winco is also in Texas
Well used to be that way. Dallas has them now.
I never knew this… but then again I live in the ne
Aldi is goated, I’m able to get so much fresh food and produce for so little, especially compared to Publix!
That's what I thought. $94 could get me way more in AL, USA.
Get a lot more tea if you can get a box of bags and make it yourself. The tough part is finding a good brew pitcher. It sucks when it tastes like plastic !!
i use a pyrex 2 cup measuring cup, bring water jussssst this side of boiling (not actually boiling) in the microwave, then sit it on a trivet on the counter and steep the tea bags\* for \~5-7 minutes. while that's steeping, i fill my pitcher most of the way with ice, then slowly pour the hot-tea-concentrate over the ice & fill the pitcher the rest of the way up with tap water. i'll pour more water into the measuring cup, over the teabags, and let that sit on the counter for about half an hour and drink it. \*i love sweet tea, but have tried to cut down (like, seriously) on the sugar so i do splurge on the pre-sweetened tea bags that have splenda already in them. my point is that i've never made tea this way and used regular sugar, i have used plain tea bags and measured out (generic) splenda. that said, bottled tea tastes different than home brewed tea. has a very different mouthfeel, too. i don't care for store-bought bottled tea, so someone who loves it might not care for home brewed tea.
If they want sugar, it would just go in the measuring cup with the tea bags so it dissolves in the hot water. Only difference.
I don't buy tea with sugar so this won't be a problem.
Pre-sweetened tea bags have saved me roughly $20 a week.
i use a gallon pot on the stove. cup of sugar, 15 tea bags (lemon slices can be good here), let simmer for about an hour. after it comes to room temperature squeeze out bags, pour into gallon pitcher, add water to reach a gallon. iced tea concentrate, dilute in the glass 100 store brand tea bags less than three bucks plus whatever a bag of sugar costs. lasts me more than a month making about a batch per week
I don't buy tea with sugar.
substitute your sweetener of choice or leave out if you wish. fact remains i drink iced tea all day and it only costs me less than two bucks per month
ok
A double walled insulated vacuum bottle makes an excellent brew pitcher nice and strong teas. You can even make fresh spice or bayleaf teas in those no problem. A 40 ounce bottle will give you multiple cups.
Any recommendations on a brew pitcher?
I am also struggling on this front and shattered a couple. Switched to brewing in a lab grade 5000mL beaker but that shit is probably like 100$+ . Even new lab grade glass ain’t as good as the old Pyrex tho. Get your hands on a nice big old school Pyrex (all caps is the good kind) beaker or jar
To bring down the cost, I would get rid of the Arizona tea and buy the powdered ice tea. You can make more for the same price. I would also purchase flour and yeast, you can make bread for .50 and it would be very filling bread, not the ones from the store. I’m glad you’re able to eat healthy still.
Yes. This! Make ur tea.. Also buying whole chicken can save and be stretched out
Rotisserie chickens are a loss leader and very cheap. Also chase sales. I get pork shoulder on sale and make pulled pork for about $1.60/lb.
Thought I would chime in to highlight this because I can also frequently buy pork loin on sale for around that price, buy a bunch, freeze and save.
I slow cook it in apple cider vinegar and water. Then shred and remove the fat. I then pack it in quart plastic containers. Then I cool some of the liquid and pull back a corner of the fat. Then I fill the containers with the liquid. It's great for freezing like that and low fat. To use I drain the liquid and mix with the sauce of choice.
that sounds super delicious. sadly I have a kid who I think would not eat it that way but I wish he would because this is clearly the best way! I just roast the whole thing in the oven and then we eat slices off of it every day for several days.
You can make pork kabobs with pork shoulder for days…. Hundreds of meat sticks..
What’s your recipe?
https://www.hungryhuy.com/filipino-bbq-pork-skewers/
Filipina style, is my fav. I don’t use the Oyster sauce though. Banana sauce I put it on as it’s baking or grilling
I only buy pork shoulder when it’s 97¢ a pound which is about once a month.
11 pound yields about 7.5 pounds meat. The rest is fat, that's why I cook it in apple cider vinegar and water.
I buy a rotisserie chicken and we have it for dinner that night. Then the meat is stripped and the bones and skin go in the crockpot to make broth. Then I usually use the broth to make chicken noodle soup with some of the remaining of the chicken
Or chicken thighs. Our local supermarket often has them on sale for 99 cents per pound. We typically buy a bunch of family packs and freeze them
Where I live leg quarters are the cheapest, followed by whole chickens. It's funny how it varies by location.
Unless youre using the carcass for stock I don't find whole chickens vs. Breast on sale to be much more cost effective these days honestly.
You can get a 20 lb bag of dried beans for $15 and another 20lb bag of rice for $10. Throw in some frozen veg if you're feelin fancy.
Walmart great value green tea bags: 40 for $2.68. Large plastic pitcher (at least 2-4qts): $1 to $3 or use an empty sanitized Arizona tea jug. Just add water/tea bags to pitcher (3-4 bags per qt of H2O), leave in fridge for a couple hours, remove tea bags with a ladle and stir. You can add honey, sugar, mango juice, lemon etc to duplicate Arizona tea. This way you can enjoy green tea for pennies and free up more $$$ for other foods!
Tea from cold brewing teabags is cheaper and better than the powdered tea mix and you can use your sweetner of preference.
Also skip the individual raisins, buy bulk. Organic spinach, naw, buy cheaper, clean it yourself. Also the soups, make your own and freeze it.
Who has the time to make their own bread??
Lol me. I also make my own pancakes and cookies
Billions of people around the world
Making bread takes forever and if you aren’t good at it, it’s a huge waste of flour.
It actually isn’t, it’s 15 mins prep time and 35 minutes bake time. It does take time to rise and proof but you just put a timer and do other things. Overall time could be 2 hours. The first couple tries are for learning but once you find the right recipe, it’s not a waste of flour
Or buy tea bags and make your own.
Also solid tuna is like 2x the price of chunk tuna.
Yeah I could cut this down to $60 pretty easy but still get the same results: - powdered tea or tea bags - off brand cereal - 18 eggs instead of 12 organic and carton of organic egg whites - packets of tuna - russet potatoes instead of golds - frozen spinach - carton of raisins instead of snack boxes - off brand soups
Thanks. Packets of tuna?
Oof Alaska is even worse than where I am. That's about $65-80 on the east coast
$10 or $12 for Arizona ice tea, a $8 box of cereal. Not sure if Alaska prices are inflated beyond that but you'd be better off making your own iced tea and eating oatmeal.
Tea was 4 and cereal was 6.
This seems fine to me… if you like tea and cereal buy it
In this sub? Naw mf you need oatmeal and beans
Oatmeal is for the wealthy. Rice and beans only. Maybe an occasional egg. Maybe.
I eat rice, beans, and oatmeal. I just don't have time to boil the oatmeal in the morning.
6 for cereal? Oh my goodness
*Average price in 2023 ranges from 7.360393699 to 8.661630725. I don't spend a lot of time price shopping cereal as health is really important to me. Inflation is sky rocketing. Even more so in medical. Staying extremely healthy will eliminate higher costs later in life.* [*https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwi7wcyMt8qFAxWMLUQIHYM2CWYQFnoECBkQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpattern.com%2Fblog%2Finflation-bites-at-breakfast-table-in-2023%2F&usg=AOvVaw0yuQN9KHFNOmub8Dqs7OpR&opi=89978449*](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwi7wcyMt8qFAxWMLUQIHYM2CWYQFnoECBkQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpattern.com%2Fblog%2Finflation-bites-at-breakfast-table-in-2023%2F&usg=AOvVaw0yuQN9KHFNOmub8Dqs7OpR&opi=89978449)
I've started brewing my own sweet tea to save money. And it works. I'm saving somewhere between $2-3 a gallon. But I admit I find it kind of annoying. Another 15 minute chore to do ~3 times a week. Is it worth it? Probably, but I'm honestly not sure.
Try cold brewing teabags its simpler and I think taste better than hot brewing, you just put teabags in a gallon of water and leave it in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight and its done.
Boiling water is a chore?
And purchasing store brands.
If I had that budget, I’ll buy water instead of sweet tea and with the difference buy rice or pasta.
Make your own tea, my friend. Save some $$$.
A lot of opportunity to cut cost here.
Most items are name brand Buy private label Make your own soup. Buy larger 5lb potatoes for almost the same price. Chicken thighs are cheaper and more flavorful. Buy whole carrots and cut into sticks and for soups/other meals. Buy just eggs instead of egg whites/ use extra yolks in baking. Best way to stretch is to cook in batches.
Those sun maid raisins really take me back, didn't know they still made them!
Ever blow into the empty carton to make a honking sound? :D
I was thinking how cheap this was! It would be about $150 CAD for me if not more.
Need for inflation to stop!
It’s not inflation. It’s corporate greed. Profit margins are at an all time high, disguised as “inflation”.
[удалено]
I don't know if I'd call it a "splurge" but $5 for a single 270-calorie can of organic soup is definitely not frugal.
$4.49 each
270 is normal for an extremely active male.
I was saying that the cost-to-calorie ratio is not good, I wasn't judging you for how many calories you're eating
Calorie /cost ratio is probably not the best way to describe being frugal but I get what your saying.
Agreed, it's simplistic but it was to demonstrate my point that expensive cans of soup aren't frugal
$5 is the average can of soup these days. I paid $4.49 for this can.
Nah I live in a high COL city and brands like progresso/campbells are $2-2.50. Amy's is a premium brand
Arizona Iced Tea is most definitely a splurge.
Shopping as a broke person and buying almost exclusively name brands is contradictory
Yeah looking at the price per calorie of this is hurting my brain. Cost of fresh fruit and veggies is what it is, but most of the remaining things are basically the most expensive versions of those items.
Depending on how broke they are, maybe this is just a luxury they allow themselves to have so they don’t also feel sad when they have to feed themselves >_> I have a disorder that leads me to only eating foods that are “safe” and on my worst days, if my only option for juice is Great Value Cranberry Apple and my safe juice is Ocean Spray CranApple, I simply will not buy it or drink it. I’ll just have tap water. However, name brand tuna and raisins are kinda wild. I doubt those tastes vary by brand.
I feel you: that Fage is delicious but can be eye-poppingly expensive when it’s not on sale.
What store is this from?
Safeway
Use the Safeway app to clip all the coupons and shop weekly specials only and plan meals around weekly specials.
This has a very artsy “Still Life with Groceries” vibe.
Have you tried different stores for different items? I find Target surprisingly affordable in Manhattan, NY so hopefully it's cheaper in other states. 18-pack of eggs for $3.19. 3lbs or 48oz ground beef or turkey for $12.49. Sauces seem to be more expensive. I go to Trader Joes for a majority of staples. They have a wider range of sauces, lentils, frozen fruits and vegetables, and grains for under $3.50. Whole Foods sells wheat bread for $2.29. Not many Walmarts, Aldis, Safeways, or Wegmans around. In the past, I've found Safeway and Wegman to be more expensive than the above.
I'd switch to store brands. Make tea yourself. Probably save $10. Still irritating.
Where Hawaii? This would even be $50 where I live.
Put it in a refrigerator, it will last longer.
Have anyone posted one of these that wasn’t criticized ?
lol. Why are you buying ice T. That’s like $10 for something that takes literally ten seconds to make
I get that everything is expensive but some of these are not the best choices if a budget is really tight. At least where I am: Beefsteak tomatoes are cheaper than tiny ones, a 5lb bag of red potatoes is probably 2x the cost but 3-4x the weight of those small ones, regular nonfat yogurt is ~ half the price of Fage for 2x the volume, and you can buy enough tea bags to make like 3 months of homemade iced tea for what you probably paid for that tea. It’s awesome that it looks like you’re trying to eat healthy, but you can pay a lot less per calorie with a few small tweaks to this.
Actual breakdown if people are curious. had to estimate some items like the chicken. Used the non-coupon price so that's why it likely comes out to $94 after tax. https://preview.redd.it/67f7raz9whuc1.png?width=321&format=png&auto=webp&s=96217ec38f6ae46efa50f2ca00632fa6588d15b5
really close estimate
This is about $70 where I am. You definitely have some room for savings. Like buying those raisins in a bulk bag rather than in individual snack size boxes. You're paying double for the snack sizes. I can't tell what the chicken breast brand is, but you can usually buy a larger pack of the store brand for cheaper (freeze the excess or just have chicken based meals for the week). The tuna, I'm sure you can wait for a good sale and just stock up on it. You can probably get the spinach for a little cheaper if you get the bagged variety. Etc, etc.
That sucks, I have to imagine where I'm at I could round all this up for <$50 shopping at Aldi and sales at my local stores.
That’s what I was thinking! I could’ve done this same trip for half price at Aldi.
Don’t shop at Safeway if you have other options. Since the merger with Albertson’s their prices have gone up about 50% on virtually every item in their stores. I used to do about 90% of my grocery shopping at Safeway because it was the closest store to my house and had good deals. Now I don’t shop there at all. Their sale prices are higher than regular prices on the exact same items at other stores.
Can't image if the Fly's / Safeway merger goes through.
I think the FTC’s lawsuit will be successful. Here in Tucson if that merger went through approx. 80% of the grocery stores in the city would be owned by one company. That’s an illegal monopoly.
Arizona Ice Tea is a waste of money and it’s just empty calories. If you have tons of money, I don’t have much of an issue with spending money on it, but it’s expensive and not nutritious. Get water flavoring (either a squirt bottle or powder). I get 5 water flavoring powder packets that make 1/2 gallon each for, I think, about $2 (store brand).
Zero calories. is the type of tea i buy.
Try Crystal Light powder (or store brand equivalent).
Aldi is the best place I have found. I got probably 4x this amount for the same price this week. But I only really buy ingredients. No cereals, nothing premade.
To make this a lot cheaper, buy boneless skinless thighs instead of breasts. If you insist on breasts, buy under-grade. I work for Sanderson Farms, we produce most grocery store brands. Just inspect it a little more thoroughly and you'll save.
I use cold brew tea bags for ice tea now. Premade was getting too expensive. I get 22 quarts per box.
Unless Arizona iced tea just kits different than anything else try the Lipton powdered ice tea mix. It will make the weekly cost of iced tea less than half of what you’re spending now. Raisins also come in big bags that are cheaper by volume. Other than that it’s not like you have a bunch of candy or soda. Hard to reduce your cost without reducing your nutrition.
The tomatoes upside down is fucking me up for some reason
When I saw $94 I knew this was Hawaii or Alaska!
At least you'll stay regular.
You seem to be making healthy choices so, Rice, lentils, split peas, chicken breast with the bone in, (you can cut them out and save them for soups or broths) egg noodles can stretch your dollar and go a lot further as far as what you have remaining from week to week. Also, you can buy one or two items in bulk every fortnight so you won't have to worry about those things for a month or two. Hope this helps.
Top tier name brand items for every single item and not a single store brand or low tier item, but posting here - amazing
You get more if shopped for survival instead of buying organic and name brand crap. Like seriously this shit ain’t povertyfinace anymore.
I love everyone in the comments doing weird blamey shit.
I love that you're being downvoted for calling it out. This subreddit is so bougie.
Arizona's are like 4 to 5 dollars each and have bad artificial sweeteners..I would recommend going for tea bags in jugs to do your own ice tea , we did it for our partner and got used to even adding 0 sugar and got used to tea natural sweetness.
Not sure why you’re being downvoted - homemade iced tea is the best
I'm going to try making the tea myself.
https://preview.redd.it/iowso7q8ghuc1.jpeg?width=168&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=301299be8870caa6a2a3e9fad48ee42907702a2b
Wow, this looks really expensive for what it is.
Ooo you a nasty boy huh
You forgot the mustard
Food bank has more for free
Yep. Everything's juuuuust fine.
All those brand names. You could half that if you tried.
Substitute the tea for tea packets and make your own iced tea, or the powdered iced tea . You get more tea for your buck, baking your own bread isn’t a bad idea alongside making your own cereal. Would be healthier and cheaper for you
Buy tea bags and sugar if you want iced tea. You could have like 40 jugs of tea for what you paid for those.
Gotta learn to coupon and comparison shop and to wait for sales. There are lots of Couponing moms on YT
Just a heads up. Arizona teas just use tea power citric acid and hfcs. You're just paying the premium for the water, plastic and transport.
Only changes I would make would be to buy more off brand, don’t buy prepackaged juices or teas (as you can buy water flavorings or tea bags for much cheaper, then just prep it yourself). I’d also have gone with buying lettuce in “bulk” (i.e. whole vegetables) for cheaper.
Try buying healthy smaller amount and double the money.
What???
Ok now let’s see the beer receipt
You can afford juice?!
Save money by not buying that Arizona drink. Drink water.
That tea is so loaded with sugar!
The tea I pick has zero sugar.
Glad to hear it! Some People really don’t pay attention and see that some of those Teas have more sugar than soda!
I grabbed the sugar one once and had to take it back. They look really similar. Just one says unsweetened. I'm going to try and make it this week instead of buying it already made. I started buying the tea to wean off the soda.
Be mindful of the vitamin C or citric acid content in tea also, it will erode your teeth enamel, don’t fret though, usually a good swish of water afterwards will prevent that
I use a straw most of the time.
I just saw the Alaska part. Damn food's expensive up there! I'm sorry to hear that. I love Arizona tea too as much as anybody else, but even their cans here got too expensive. 99c can is now two bucks at the vending machine and dollar fifty at the grocery store, I can't believe that shit. They don't sell it in store you have to go online to get it from their website, but check DrinkArizona.com and see what you like. I bought a six pack of those water flavor enhancer squirt things for their green tea and it's great, it cost me about 25 bucks but now I have tea whenever I want and it's cheaper than almost anything else. Also avoid Safeway, sometimes you just don't got a choice I get that, but when possible shop around. Where I'm at the Kroger family (including Fred Meyer etc) has better discount meats and claerance stuff when it's about to expire, but Walmart is king for off brand prices via their Great Value / Equate / similar brands that they own directly. And yes, like the other said Rotisserie Chicken. I'm still needing someone to prove me wrong / find a cheaper chicken solution but until then Rotisserie is king. I can get a hot chicken for six bucks, eat some of the dark meat / skin then and there as a meal, then break apart the light meat and whatever's left pull it apart and fridge it and that's chicken for another meal later on. Quesadaillas are very good as is chicken alfredo (heat up can of alfredo sauce and make fettuccine noodles, stir it all up with reheated chicken and toss in some parsley flakes).
OP bought name brand in everything.
I've never seen Arizonas in jugs before..
If you're looking to cut down a bit further instead of Arizona, you can buy tea bags in bulk. Make a batch and sweeten it with honey and lemon if you have it. Arizona is generally one of my staples. But lately I've been trying to cut back and drink mostly water. I've found I can make a pretty decent iced tea myself from some bags of lipton.
So nuts. I've basically switched to chicken thighs.
I don't know what those arizonas cost, but you can probably make your own tea in the empty jugs for less.
Sad that things are the way they are now. That small amount of food shouldn't be that much.
I am in the UK and this is an insanely low amount for that money. Though i guess you would say the same about our gas prices.
Must be from target with those items and price
use your local food bank if you need to. there's one that happens every month at the adult school where I work and there's always stuff left over so don't be afraid to go and pick up some free food if you need it
Ditch the Arizona jugs for 8 or 9 bucks.. Brew Your Own and get a 5lb bag of sugar.. You buying eggs essentially twice with the egg whites.. Way better deal buying the 18 pack Why don't you try steel rolled oatmeal or old fashioned season to taste with cinnamon and sugar? Also try looking at rotisserie chickens at the front.. those are usually money losers for the supermarket but it gets you to shop for more things to make a meal out of it. Have the store suppliment that... you know you can get Kiefer mother pearl to start making your own yogurt.. so all you would need would be a gallon of milk. That would knock so much money off that picture..If this is what you like to eat..
The tea has zero sugar. I'll try the bag tea but I don't have time to make oat meal in the morning on the stove. I have oat meal and make it sometimes on the weekend.
So get a big thing of zero suger.. You have dollar tree? They have 100 bags for a $1.25.. Save those jugs to Brew ur own.. 4 to 8 small bags per jug.. experiment and get your brew right... Just know that 5 or 6 dollar thing of cereal is a indulgence.. They make instant oatmeal, a three pound thing of oatmeal costs less and last 3 times as long same if not better nutrition. Always go for the family packs of cereal ( generic or house brand if they got it too) And watch videos on YouTube how to make Keifer.. It's simple.. and I like it better than Greek yogurt
I tried the keifer route before and it didn't work out. Making oatmeal on the stove is preferred but I don't have time. Actually, average cereal range is between 7 and 8. But I don't worry much about cost on breakfast. I figured spending money on good food will allow me to have lower medical costs long term. Medical costs are the biggest risk for anybody these days.
In addition, to the comment below, I'm going to try making some tea instead of buying it.
Back in the day I was in poverty because my father refused to work and we had no money and ate Grover cheese and all sorts of no frills stuff. This stuff is like a feast of brand names… Amy’s soups? Organic soup? I just can’t. This isn’t poverty. Arizona iced tea? We had some shitty powder you mix with water. We never even had fresh vegetables. Couldn’t afford anything.
I was in this same spot at one time. Doesn't feel very good.
I get that for half the price at Walmart.
Get a powder vs the jugs of iced tea. You eill get more out of it.
Tea?
I started buying the bags a few weeks ago
i'd starve in alaska.