Teenager on a Budget: Stocking Up
May 6th, 2008 by Ana
Over the weekend I had “the talk” with my son … not that talk. I talked to him about inflation and grocery prices and our food budget experiment, and how I intend to give him $5 extra per week if he agrees to stock up on items he eats constantly that are on sale.
He’s already seen inflation in action at the grocery store for himself. Remember the episode with the apples? The first week we did the budget experiment, the apples were $1.29 per pound. The 2nd week they were on sale for $1.19 per pound. The next week, back up to $1.29 per pound. Then, last week they jumped up to $1.49 per pound, and were that price again this week.
He didn’t buy apples last week or this week, but didn’t get the bagged apples either.
He also stuck with me for most of the shopping trip, seeking my input on what would be good to stock up on. Hmmm, all it takes to get a teenage boy to ask his mother for grocery shopping advice is notice-able food price inflation! LOL
I wouldn’t say he really stocked up on this trip, but then again I hadn’t given him *that* much more to stock up with. Since his big bags of cereal were on sale, he grabbed an extra one at my urging. He actually spent his entire $40 this week, and even went a little bit over for donuts and stuff to make banana pudding (I bought the bananas so I get some of it LOL).
The good news is he has more than a week’s worth of food now. The better news is I am getting him to think a bit more about what is actually a good sale price and what isn’t. The best news is he is learning that just because they post the price on bright stickers or cardboard does NOT mean it is actually on sale … sometimes they just want to push a product and try to make a regular price look like a sale!
As for myself, I was in full “lead by example” mode, scouting for killer deals on meat in particular for hubby and myself. My efforts paid off 
as I snagged some beef sirloin tip for $1.79 per pound! I have five impressive size steaks and one roast out of it after it was cut. (She shoots … she SCORES!) I also snagged my hamburger patties and hot dogs BOGO (Buy One Get One … Free in this case) because it’s that time of year again, and hubby has been indicating all winter he wants a grill.
So, today’s shopping expedition was a marked success for me in the stocking up department, and a primer for the Teenager on just how to do it. Now, if I can just teach him the “safe following distance” concept with shopping carts!
Posted in stagflation survival, family, budgeting |
May 6th, 2008 at 7:44 am
I love your blog, and in particular this series! I’ve been living on my own for just a few years and I had to learn all of these lessons (actually still am learning) *the hard way*. As a kid, I watched my mom clip coupons and buy about 20 cans of soup because they were on sale but I never had the experience of doing it myslf or having to work in a budget like your son has to; also, the point about the misleading sale stickers is an excellent one.
I always have to remember that one: if it doesn’t seem like such a super deal, it might not just be my imagination. I feel like with all the inflation lately, I keep second-guessing myself. ^^
May 6th, 2008 at 7:46 am
Is the cheapest sale price the most important thing when it comes to food? I don’t think so … I think buying local food, which supports your local economy and nearby farmers and food providers, makes more sense nutritionally and economically.
What can you do about apples costing $1.49 a pound now? Sure, you can buy them at the grocery “sale” price of $1.29 a pound, but what about when the sale price is $1.49 and the regular price is $1.69?
I think the key to surviving high grocery costs (which stem in a large part from high fuel costs) is finding and buying from local food sources. I discuss this in detail in today’s post on my blog.
May 6th, 2008 at 11:07 am
Food inflation is pretty scary at the moment. Bread going up 15% in a week, on top of a series of price rises. UK supermarkets are fighting back by extending their value (cheap)ranges and I’m trying to pick up extra cans and packets as they’re on offer. What makes it worse is our prime minister’s insistence that inflation is only 2.5%.
May 7th, 2008 at 10:17 am
Ok, you’re right. I have a grocery store with a great price plus cicular that I can access online to create my list for the week. If the name brand stuff is on sale, I found that sometimes the manufacturer’s website has coupons, too. Two of the better manufacturers have email newsletters that include the coupons so you can print them out (Homemadesimple dot com for Procter and Gamble and Scottbrand dot com for Kimberly Clark). Twenty-four rolls of bath tissue can probably last one person several months, yes?
Still, it is hard to get excited about cheap ketchup or mustard because even if they are priced great, how much can you do with condiments? The worse thing is figuring out how to use 6 split chicken breasts up before I have hit the chicken overload. After a while it is no longer a great deal, but an ordeal. Quantity issues still abound for this singleton.