My grocery bill used to be $80 a week, now it's $120 and I'm buying less.

I was looking at my old receipts from 2021 (I keep them for budgeting, you know) and the difference is crazy. Back then, my weekly trip for two people filled two bags with fresh stuff and basics. Now, for the same list, I'm paying way more and the cart looks half empty. It's not even fancy stuff, just milk, eggs, bread, and some chicken. I had to start cutting out things like snacks and extra cheese just to keep it close to my old budget. How are you all adjusting your shopping to deal with this?

3 comments

3 Comments

ivanscott14h agoMost Upvoted

You said it's the same list, but are you sure? I've found package sizes have shrunk a lot. That box of cereal or bag of rice might have less in it now, so you're buying more often. It's a sneaky way to hide a price hike. You might be getting less product for that higher price without even noticing the change on the shelf.

seth_singh2013h ago

Yeah but come on, is it that deep? They're just trying to keep the lights on too. I grab the same stuff every week and my bill is maybe a few bucks more, not like I'm going broke. If the box is a little smaller but the price is the same, I just buy it less often. It's annoying but not some big conspiracy.

allen.kai13h ago

You make a fair point about shrinking packages, @ivanscott, but companies often have to adjust sizes because their own costs for ingredients and shipping have gone up so much. Keeping the old size would mean a huge price jump that might scare customers away. A smaller box at a familiar price point lets people still buy the product while the company covers its bills. It's not always a sneaky trick, sometimes it's just the least bad option in a tough economy.