Has anyone else noticed that SUDDENLY the cost of food is just skyrocketing? I mean, above and beyond the usual and expected inflation.

I used to love grocery shopping -- would make an evening of it, strolling about and taking my time. It's the one kind of shopping that I used to enjoy.

Now, I hate it. I am in and out as fast as I can. Because of the sticker shock. I can no longer get out of there for less than a hundred bucks, and that's just for 2-3 bags of stuff. A good load of a week's groceries can easily top $250. And I am talking about a household of two adults and two dogs.

Even the cost of take-out is shot up. I eat frequently at El Pollo Loco because, at least by fast-food joint standards, the food is healthy. And it's fast, and cheap. Or used to be cheap. The last time I was there, maybe a month ago, an 8-piece meal white/dark meat (whole chicken) with two large side orders, enough to last a couple days, was $12.99. I stopped by last night, ordered that meal and was shocked because that same meal is now $18.49. Almost 20 bucks for one freakin' chicken, 4 tortillas, 4 pieces of corn and a 16-oz serving of steamed veggies.

Then today I stopped at a favorite restaurant for lunch, got my usual meal, then decided to add a large diet coke. I gave the counter person two bucks, figuring on some change -- he said, "Um, that's $2.29." For a large soda???????

What's going on??!

(To say nothing of gasoline, which currently in L.A. is averaging $2.50/gal for regular unleaded.)

Oops, the 2.50/gal is a type. Should be $3.50. Or more precisely, $3.49 which was what I paid last night at an ARCO station.

p.s. I was just talking to a friend and he said that groceries for his family of seven (5 kids - good Catholics, haha), runs around $700.00 per week.

I blame the eye-raqis.

(Sarcasm, for those that haven't sampled such wonderous things yet :P)

Well when the US gasoline price reaches $3.78 for regular that'll be about what we've been paying for the last year or so. Ours bounces up and down from 93 cents to 1.05 per litre depending on the day it seems, or if it's a weekend or if there's a holiday all of which seem to push the price up.

Grocery wise it really pays to check out those Friday newspaper flyers. We get scads of them, more than actual news paper on Friday. Groceries are very competitive here in this town so you can do quite well if you scan the flyers. More and more often I find that the larger size/box etc is actually more expensive per unit than the smaller size or else there's no real saving to be had.
I go for the bargains, only stuff I know I will use, and stock up

Gas is about 3.05 a gallon, and milk is about 3.49 a gallon. A pound of ground chuck is generally over 2.00 and eggs are about 1.29 a dozen. If you watch the ads and shop the specials you can do reasonably OK, but it's still out of sight.
Jeff

Gas went up here yesterday - it is now $1.11/litre or $5.05 imperial gallon or $4.20 U.S. gallon. I bought eggs yesterday - $2.39 dozen.

Gary

Cost of food,

You really have to be careful even with items you think are still the same price. They are changing the packaging on many items, decreasing the amount inside the package and charging the same price. Generally the packaging makes it look like your getting the very same item...

Tricks of the trade...

Morgan

True enough Morgan but a dozen eggs is still a dozen eggs at least in this area! LOL Even with the new math I still counted 12.

Gary

You are 100% correct, even the new math can't screw that one up... however, I bought a half dozen eggs the other day and paid more for them then a full dozen.... My head wasn't thinking clearly...what can I say!

Morgan