Rising cost of food

Has anyone else noticed the price of food going up? It's not just food, it's also non-food items such as cleaners, toilet paper, practical everyday non-food items are going up as well. It's summertime, and this is the time I love fresh fruit, but the cost of white seedless grapes are incredible. $1.29/lb at my local grocery store. I went to Costco today and bought 5 lbs for $6.29. Not bad. Bananas are on the rise too, except at Costco, where we bought 3 lbs for $1.30 (phenomenonal, I'm telling you). Even the cost of meat has risen, at our favorite local beef company, pork chops went from $1.99/lb to $3.99/lb. I am not kidding you. Boneless and skinless chicken breasts used to be $1.99/lb but they are on par with Costco now at $2.99/lb.

They also say that corn prices are on the rise due to the fact that ethanol is being produced as a form of alternative fuel. Funny how that article says "food prices should stay in check", as of late I have seen almost everything jump up in price. I'm shocked the huge 180 load box of Tide we buy that lasts us 6 months didn't go up in price either. It stayed at the same price we bought it at in January.

I've been pretty good about watching our food and non-food item budget and calculating what everything would end up costing us, and usually we're always under budget because I overbudget on purpose in case something else is needed. However, for this family, with the cost of everything going up, we went overboard this month and spent almost $500 on groceries and non-food groceries as well. I have never spent that much money in the past and it's not something I'm going to get used to, because it ended up causing us to be short in the budget. But how does one prepare for the rising cost of food? I don't think you can. I hate cutting corners and trimming the list down but I do it if it's necessary. To make money last, sometimes you have to.

Common food staples

What do you usually have stocked up in your pantry? When it comes to common staples, what are the items you just can't live without?

For me the following is almost always in the house:

dried beans/lentils
pasta
canned tuna
tomato sauce
Cream of Mushroom
canned refried beans
canned veggies
rice
flour
sugar (both white and brown)

Dried beans and lentils are an excellent source of protein and whenever I am out of meat in my freezer, make for a nice meal. Pasta and rice too are staples, I almost have one or the other (or a potato) as a side dish. Canned tuna is wonderful because it is a bit versatile- you can serve it in a sandwich or with a pasta (like Tuna Casserole). Tomato sauce is important because I either use it for spaghetti or one of my casseroles. I can't live without Cream of Mushroom (canned). I haven't resorted to making it on my own and perhaps I should, but I love the Campbell's stuff. Canned refried beans are great too, for a meal or a snack, just put it in a tortilla and you have a little meal right there. Canned veggies are essential too, but I am considering switching to frozen because of the processed nature of canned veggies. Flour and sugar in case I need to bake anything.

Any of those ingredients above can make a meal for a family and that is why I usually almost always have them in stock in my pantry. Since we stopped doing the once-a-month shopping trip, I am finding myself not running out of food towards the end of the month. Generally speaking, we do a small trip to the grocery store or gas station for milk and bread once a week or every other week, but for meats and other items we go twice a month now.

Speaking of grocery shopping, I love Costco. Now I can understand why my mom and sister hesistate to shop there because they are both single and don't have the need for things in bulk, but I'll tell you- for a family, it's awesome. I mean, I was buying refried beans (one of my staples) at the grocery store for 4 for $5 (small cans!). At Costco I get 8 cans for $5.79. Bread too- the more organic or wholegrain breads you pay $3-4 per loaf at the grocery store, I can buy it for under $5 for two loaves at Costco. 3 lbs of bananas is $1.30? Insane, isn't it? It's easy to get carried away though, which is why I usually have a list and usually stick to it for the most part.

Back on the bandwagon

Last week was terrible, and I'm still feeling the effects of my injury, however, I stopped taking any form of pain medication (be it Aleve or Advil) and have been working out daily since Monday. My goal is to get myself back in gear by continuing my T-Tapp exercises at least 5-6 days a week and then add another different workout to my program when my injury completely heals.

On top of this we have stopped with our poor eating habits and have been eating homecooked meals. Tomorrow is grocery shopping day and I am trying to focus on the types of food that are healthy as well as tasty. I'm a huge fan of bell peppers and they say the more color in your diet the better it is for you. The only problem is I sometimes end up with a hive-like condition anytime I eat orange bell peppers, but I can't stay away from them! I have a terrible sweet tooth and will try to pacify that with more clementines (as long as they are still in season) and because my husband was buying ice cream for the past week, I am going to try those Healthy Choice Fudge Bars or whatever they are so everyone has a satisfied sweet tooth. Time to crack the whip! And I will tell you one thing that is off our list this month- string cheese- or I will have to hide it, because my daughter went through the string cheese like crazy. Another thing I will be buying for afterschool snacks for her and myself are breaded chicken breast nuggets from Costco. We'll see how good those are. I love Costco!

I've never stuck with a workout program as long as I have with the T-Tapp. Getting my eating under control takes discipline but it's easier to do than exercising on a regular basis, so I'm pretty proud of myself for sticking with it.