Stocking up for the fall/winter

[happystuff]

I've not noticed any big price increases in the grocery products that I normally buy, but some modest increases for a few things. What products are you thinking about?

I did notice in my last beer run a sign saying there have been beer shortages in the supply chain. Something to do with aluminum cans. I am stocking up on beer.

At my main grocery store, a couple of the basic canned items, dried beans, milk has modest increases, deli meats/cheeses, chicken - i.e. breasts, leg family packs - again, increase in the breast meat, modest increase in the family packs of legs, thighs.... these type things. I am seeing "holiday" sales on some of the basics I buy, so they will be my stock-up items this coming week. So far, I haven't spent enough to get the free Thanksgiving turkey, so I'll have to see how the prices are on those.

[Rogar]

At my main grocery store, a couple of the basic canned items, dried beans, milk has modest increases, deli meats/cheeses, chicken - i.e. breasts, leg family packs - again, increase in the breast meat, modest increase in the family packs of legs, thighs.... these type things. I am seeing "holiday" sales on some of the basics I buy, so they will be my stock-up items this coming week. So far, I haven't spent enough to get the free Thanksgiving turkey, so I'll have to see how the prices are on those.

I used to shop sales and go to a couple of different stores that had better products or prices for this or that. Any more I go to one store once every week or two and will buy products on sale, but basically want to get in and out. So my grocery bills have been higher, but not because of any noticeable price increases. Then again, I pay less attention to prices. I don't buy meat, so I have no idea on meat prices.

[jp1]

I've not noticed any big price increases in the grocery products that I normally buy, but some modest increases for a few things. What products are you thinking about?

I did notice in my last beer run a sign saying there have been beer shortages in the supply chain. Something to do with aluminum cans. I am stocking up on beer.

OMG! That would be a disaster. Thank goodness I have a kegerator. No cans required.

But seriously, prices on a lot of the stuff we regularly buy seem to be creeping up. For example we buy a lot of the half pound bags of grated cheese. They used to be $2.99 full price for a half pound bag, often on sale for $2.49. Then at the start of covid they went up to $3.49, but could be had on sale for $2.99. This week they were $3.79. I assume sale price will be $3.49. We were out of cheese so I paid $3.79. Same thing with ground turkey, which we also buy frequently. It used to be $4.99/lb full price but $3.99 on sale, now it's $5.99/lb but on sale at $4.99. Everything else we buy, from canned tomatoes to tortillas to store brand spaghetti seems to be following the same trajectory. I maxed out on store brand honey bunches and oats cereal at the beginning of the pandemic for $1.99/box. I haven't looked lately since we still have 8 or 10 boxes, but I assume that it will also be more expensive now.

[NewGig]

I was all set to buy more TP, thought I must have given away more than I thought... found a carton I'd packed because I didn't have room in the supply closet, unless I didn't want to store anything else... (I bought a caselot, a long while ago, before COVID.)

I had a disagreement with the janitorial supply company I used before, and wasn't looking forward to finding a new source and then finding room to store ? rolls of TP... fortunately, now I don't have to do either! I have 2 year old TP and it works just fine, thank you. There was enough in the box to keep us through winter, probably.

Going through all these boxes of stored stuff is sometimes VERY useful! How the TP wound up in the middle of a stack of book boxes is a mystery, but I'm grateful just the same. If I'd known I had these, I probably would have given them away, like I did many, during the worst of the shortages....

We deliberately ate down the pantry this past year after the shortages. Decided I'd rather have an empty pantry than go out and maybe get COVID, so I used up much of my backlog. I have a few dried beans and some pasta left, but that's it. The beans/pasta are getting used, some every week, and I intend to keep that up until they're gone, or all but...


Then I suppose I'll restock.

I will say my "spideysense" is tingling: it's fall and my pantry is nearly empty. This makes me frankly nervous. I thought I'd have it emptied it by now and refilled. I had more than I thought when I started this, and everything can't be served on a pasta, rice, or potato or it just gets old. Or, you can't have beans and rice or barley or... all the time or the same thing happens.


Tonght's dinner? Squash soup. I have 2 small and 1 butternut squash to use up. I'll be out of squash. I'll soak some beans for tomorrow night's dinner, whatever it is?

Last night we had sauteed peppers on pasta with pesto. Used up the end of the peppers from last week's farm haul and some pasta.

[catherine]

In the stocking up for the winter department, we actually just bought TWO cords of wood to get us through. We usually get one and then we have to buy again when the snow is on the ground and it's harder to stack and store. So we'll be all prepared now!

Security=looking out your window in late September and seeing a huge pile of dry, split wood. (I'm definitely turning into a country girl)

[Yppej]

I am going to buy a box of furnace filters today. Catherine you got me thinking about heat. Thank you.

[NewGig]

Catherine, I absolutely get that, being in New England. When we were heating with wood only, it was 4 cords... We finally got the 2 cords I bought the day after DH broke his leg under cover (2019). He was working on getting the house ready for the minisplit we've had since December 2019. The wood shelter is full and the racks are too. We can't heat all winter long, but we can go for quite a while without needing wood, if we have to...

Did you see? Farmer's Almanac is predicting a terrible winter for New England. Sigh. Not as bad as a friend told me...

https://www.farmersalmanac.com/extended-forecast

[RedSpruce]

I’ve been busy sharing my first round of canning with family and friends. Second round begins next week, after I check out the grocery stores to see what’s on sale. I have $165 CAD left in my grocery budget. I’m planning carefully. I need more jars, for one thing. Will check the buy/sell/trade sites online to see if I can get them cheaper than in the store.

[happystuff]

As I said previously, you all have motivated me to stock the pantry a bit more, so I bought 12 pounds of ground turkey today and have 1/2 being processed for storage right now.

[RedSpruce]

I made chicken stock today. I used 6 cups of it to make chicken noodle soup, and the other 6 cups is heading for the freezer. Serving soup up with hm whole wheat dinner rolls and crackers. Alongside hm jams and jellies, honey, molasses, peanut butter and almond butter. Lots of choices! Company is bringing salad. We haven’t decided if we want a dessert or not. Possibly hm yogurt mixed with hm jams/frozen fruit.

I created a menu plan for the next 9 days, as well as a grocery list.