Post by mountaingirl on Oct 8, 2023 12:50:29 GMT -5
For all of you that shop at Aldi do you think the prices are that good? I have noticed a huge increase in the past few years and have stopped shopping there as much. I can get the same things on sale at shopRite for much less. I always have shopped what’s on sale and rarely buy things like meat or paper products that are not on sale.
We are a one income house and I have not changed my spending. We don’t eat out much and I rarely go to Target or other stores just to browse as I’ll end up finding something I want to buy. Growing up poor and only getting things you need sometimes has it’s advantages. We never even ate at Mc D’s when I was a kid and a pizza was a splurge.
For all of you that shop at Aldi do you think the prices are that good? I have noticed a huge increase in the past few years and have stopped shopping there as much. I can get the same things on sale at shopRite for much less. I always have shopped what’s on sale and rarely buy things like meat or paper products that are not on sale.
We are a one income house and I have not changed my spending. We don’t eat out much and I rarely go to Target or other stores just to browse as I’ll end up finding something I want to buy. Growing up poor and only getting things you need sometimes has it’s advantages. We never even ate at Mc D’s when I was a kid and a pizza was a splurge.
I think it depends on your area. Groceries here are very expensive so Aldi is a good deal (and Lidl) but when I’ve been in other areas I’ve noticed the normal prices at “regular” supermarkets were a lot cheaper than the sale prices at my home stores.
For all of you that shop at Aldi do you think the prices are that good? I have noticed a huge increase in the past few years and have stopped shopping there as much. I can get the same things on sale at shopRite for much less. I always have shopped what’s on sale and rarely buy things like meat or paper products that are not on sale.
We are a one income house and I have not changed my spending. We don’t eat out much and I rarely go to Target or other stores just to browse as I’ll end up finding something I want to buy. Growing up poor and only getting things you need sometimes has it’s advantages. We never even ate at Mc D’s when I was a kid and a pizza was a splurge.
I have also noticed the prices went way up at Aldi on many things a d never came down. I used to do 90% of my shopping there it now I'm back to working the sales at shoprite. Costco was the most expensive place near me but we have a free membership so I got things like vitamins and protein bars there. But now there are some things that are cheaper at Costco than Aldi.
I only started shopping at Aldi during the pandemic and regret waiting so long, but prices are definitely much different than our local chains. That said, my mom was just talking to me about this today and she was saying things like their sour cream used to be .89 and now it's $1.59, crackers used to be .99 and are now $1.68 and she thinks they will never go back down. I think their prices are pretty similar to Target's house brands but Aldi still beats Target overall (I have done a list of staples priced at both locations and even if Aldi is a little more expensive on some items, Target is more expensive on the others). But I'd estimate we save 1/4 to 1/3 shopping there over Schnucks and Deirbergs, which are our local chains.
Post by W.T.Faulkner on Oct 8, 2023 13:07:41 GMT -5
NOT WELL, THAT’S FOR SURE.
We were hoping on driving my car into the ground, but it got totaled in an accident so we had to buy one earlier than I had wanted. Health insurance premiums for my family got absolutely STUPID high at work (increase of $400/mo — two months after I turned down this job originally because of these terrible benefits, god dammit), so now H and the kids are insured on a decent (but expensive) plan through the marketplace and I’m on the (free, thankfully) employer plan.
Our escrow payments had to be adjusted, the kids grew out of most of their clothes, and I pretty much will need everyone in this family to stop eating so much wtf wtf wtf.
Did I mention I took a pay cut to take this job? FUCK. lol
For all of you that shop at Aldi do you think the prices are that good? I have noticed a huge increase in the past few years and have stopped shopping there as much. I can get the same things on sale at shopRite for much less. I always have shopped what’s on sale and rarely buy things like meat or paper products that are not on sale.
We are a one income house and I have not changed my spending. We don’t eat out much and I rarely go to Target or other stores just to browse as I’ll end up finding something I want to buy. Growing up poor and only getting things you need sometimes has it’s advantages. We never even ate at Mc D’s when I was a kid and a pizza was a splurge.
I am unfamiliar with ShopRite but Aldi prices are much better than other stores here. I often will try to just get my shopping done at other stores to save having to get stuff from two places, but I end up putting a lot of it back as I see how much each item costs. Like a bag of chips at Aldi is $1.89 whereas basically the same thing is $5. Avocados are 89 cents vs $3. Etc. There are some things at Aldi that aren't a better deal than other stores, and sometimes other stores have better prices on certain items on sale, but overall for most basics I think I am saving at least 30% per item shopping at Aldi.
I learned last week about the Dollar General App from tiktok and lordy do they have some amazing deals on things like laundry detergent, cleaners, hair care and other personal items. I checked all the expiration dates and they are all good and not close to expiring. You can stack a ton of coupons on the app too - like both store and mfg coupons.
Post by gretchenindisguise on Oct 8, 2023 15:27:46 GMT -5
Oh the one thing I have been uber conscious of this year is electricity. I only run stuff during the off peak hours, and try to hit super off peak if I'm able to. We set the dishwasher to start after midnight, I try to do all laundry on weeeknds before 2pm and if I need to do during the week - I set the delayed wash to was after midnight. H tries to charge the electric car at work, and if not, it's charging overnight.
Post by UMaineTeach on Oct 8, 2023 15:35:20 GMT -5
Eating out is so expensive now. Regular chain sit down restaurants are giving us $70-$80 bills for two adults and a preschooler. Fast food is $30-35. Better places are more. I’m not going to start being a poor tipper, but adding that extra 20% to the bill is a killer.
We need to go through tv subscriptions and cut the ones we don’t really need. We don’t need to pay $15/mo to watch two episodes of something. If we miss it, the sign up button is right there.
We eat out once a week with FIL so we stopped our weekly takeout with the kids.
No babysitters for dates =( We have been doing at home date nights for awhile but recently stopped using delivery services and pick up at the restaurant.
Drive 30 minutes to the overstock/salvage grocery store. This saves hundreds of dollars a month just for a drive, less pleasant shopping experience & double checking dates.
We got lucky with some big expenses (day care, car payment, student loans) ending + some moderate raises so inflation doesn't feel as bad as it could. We've always been pretty frugal so we've just continued with those habits, but I expected we could be a little more wild and free when our mortgage was our only debt.
We have put off a kitchen reno and replacing H's old car. I'd rather stock pile savings right now and see how things are in another year or two.
I've been saving money on fast food with the McDonald's app. I can feed my kids for like $12 on days that we are just too busy for anything else by using the "deals" that are available.
I've been saving money on fast food with the McDonald's app. I can feed my kids for like $12 on days that we are just too busy for anything else by using the "deals" that are available.
We're using the app too. Anyone who ever gets McDonalds should use it. It's enough savings to be really worth it. I went to Five Guys recently for the first time in years. I almost fainted when I heard the total. Thank God it was to go because I can't imagine adding drinks to the cost. I told husband and son to enjoy every bite because we're never having it again.
I've been saving money on fast food with the McDonald's app. I can feed my kids for like $12 on days that we are just too busy for anything else by using the "deals" that are available.
The deals are good, and if there aren’t any that work, there’s always the 20% off orders over $10 or more, which is usually just as good if not better.
I've been saving money on fast food with the McDonald's app. I can feed my kids for like $12 on days that we are just too busy for anything else by using the "deals" that are available.
The deals are good, and if there aren’t any that work, there’s always the 20% off orders over $10 or more, which is usually just as good if not better.
100%. I couldn't get internet service when I was there earlier today, so I just ordered normally. I paid $15 for something than normally costs me $9 on the app and I got less food too
Post by blondemoment123 on Oct 8, 2023 17:03:13 GMT -5
Based on my recent trip, do not bring your kid to the grocery store. However, we do the bulk of our grocery shopping via Walmart delivery and only go in to a different store for fresh items.
For all of you that shop at Aldi do you think the prices are that good? I have noticed a huge increase in the past few years and have stopped shopping there as much. I can get the same things on sale at shopRite for much less. I always have shopped what’s on sale and rarely buy things like meat or paper products that are not on sale.
We are a one income house and I have not changed my spending. We don’t eat out much and I rarely go to Target or other stores just to browse as I’ll end up finding something I want to buy. Growing up poor and only getting things you need sometimes has it’s advantages. We never even ate at Mc D’s when I was a kid and a pizza was a splurge.
I'm not sure where you live but my local food store is also a ShopRite so I'm assuming we are both North East area. I DO find Aldi saves me a ton. I switched to Aldi in summer of 2022 and haven't looked back. I go to ShopRite for loss leaders and about 1x a month I shop at ShopRite instead of Aldi bc there's some stuff I just can't get at Aldi, but most of our groceries are Aldi. I try to buy as much from Aldi as I can and can definitely see the savings. If you only shop loss leaders and sales at ShopRite, maybe not as much, but canned, frozen, and produce is generally way cheaper at Aldi. I also get great prices on dairy there. Their cheese selection is great and very cheap.
We have been lucky to each receives COLAs that have been about 14% raises over the last 2 years, so that’s helped. But food costs is where I feel it the most. We cut down eating out. And I do Walmart delivery so I’m not tempted by being in the store. I’ve also been buying in bulk at Sam’s when I can.
We're moving to a lcol area. DH was laid off in June and it was a great coincidence that the job he got happens to be in a much lower cost area. They agreed to pay him the same that her made here so we will actually get to realize the cost differences in our bank account each month. Bonkers! We didn't even look at jobs here because we knew we wanted to leave.
The kids and I don't move until June so we still have to deal with it for a while. In the mean time, I will cook dinner 5 nights per week, one is YOYO (you're on your own) night, and only one meal will be eaten out each week. I got rid of some subscriptions too. We did away with the semi-monthly house cleaner, sirius XM, and the car wash membership.
With four kids (17, 14, 11, and 9) we spend about $1200 per month on groceries. That is up about 15% the last couple of years and it sucks. Add to that the $45 extra per month to the escrow account, $5 per gallon gas, 25% increase in electricity costs, and so on. It hurts.
We’ve always been pretty thrifty so there’s a lot of wiggle room in our budget. Our grocery bill has gone up 10 percent but that just means $200 a week instead of $180—manageable. We cut back on some more expensive items, like getting regular ol’ eggs instead of the ones that tell you their chicken of the month (just read through the post on eggs in P&CE).
In my diesel car we use biofuel, which is $3.75 a gallon instead of $5-something.
Thankfully, it was super temperate in Maine this summer, so we ended up spending about $100 less a month in electric bills. In the winter, we also use biofuel for our oil burner, which also saves us a bunch each month (although it’s still something nuts like $450 a month December-March.
We wanted to get a new, electric car this year but it will have to wait. We drive 15- and 18-year-old cars that both require very little maintenance (knock on wood).
And last, I got a job. Having $4K extra to spend a month helps a lot! (Although almost all of it is being saved, in a pinch, it’s available.)
Post by thebreakfastclub on Oct 9, 2023 5:45:22 GMT -5
I don't personally feel that impacted by inflation. However, my company is not doing well at all, with inflation as part of the reason. So that's a major concern as there's not a ton of director level options where I live. I don't want to move again either.
I save easily $150 a week from getting the bulk of my groceries at Aldi verse Hyvee, our other grocery store chain. My other cheap option would be Walmart, which I absolutely refuse to shop at. I do not have the patience for how terribel Walmart's customer service is. Aldi has fantastic employees, is efficient and cheaper. Total win.
My husband does the grocery shopping for us (minus Costco, I do those trips weekly for milk, fruit, cereal, some kid snacks) and he is not an impulse shopper, at all. Like AT ALL. So that saves money and he is now shopping Aldi first and then the local grocery store HyVee for what Aldi doesn't have. Like if we need a shallot or just like 1 onion or a kind of meat Aldi doesn't have or that doesn't look good.
I think we eat out less and I for sure am shopping less for clothes and household items. I've found I just want less stuff than I used to. If thrift stores were more plus size friendly I'd probably shop used for myself like I do the kids. I give away tons of things on Buy Nothing these days. If you aren't in your local group, JOIN IT! Like I have literally given away 100 items in the last month and people give away all kinds of things, even food.
I pretty much still spend money like I am a broke college student (25+ years ago). Plus, things like Costco/BJ memberships and a CSA (summer vegetables). Every time we make more money we save more and that gets eaten by life (new roof, repairs, modest vacations). I’m not knocking it, I felt extremely lucky to have paid cash for a new water heater recently instead of their outrageous finance plan (that would have doubled the cost of the new water heater + some weird leasing agreement). So, for me, everything costs more and I just re-double my efforts/attitude to reduce waste, buy sales, do without. So, savings is really the place that’s taking the hit.
I do feel lucky. I’ve always felt lucky. I’m more mad than anything else that we (as a society) don’t have an honest conversation that THIS IS THE MIDDLE CLASS and stop pretending that it isn’t … and it’s some personal failure when normal job layoffs, expenses, medical bills, tuition, student loans happen.
Our saving grace is that we never upgraded from our home we bought at age 25. We feel like an anomaly among people our age in our location (DFW) for not owning a 3500 sq ft home and I won’t lie, there are about 5 times a year I wish we had the space (usually when we want to entertain) but it has really given us the ability to save a lot in the meantime. So this inflation just means we are saving a bit less than we were a year ago. My husband is losing his job soon and it is nice to know we should be ok if it takes a while for him to find a new one.
With that being said, I have no idea how everyone around us appears to be continuing to thrive in this environment. I guess people are more likely to brag than say they are struggling but it feels like everyone we know is still vacationing (big vacations), going to pro sporting events regularly, going out to eat, etc. They are bringing this cool looking Harry Potter forest experience to the suburbs and I looked at tickets. For our family of 4 for just the “base” experience it was close to $200. And they are selling out! We did end up buying tickets (for off peak day and time to save some money) because we are considering it my son’s birthday celebration, in lieu of a birthday party so we’ll actually save a little money, but I remain shocked at the money people regularly spend on these things.
I’m basically eating 90% vegetarian/vegan now. I’ve quickly realized how many complete meals from batch cooking I can make from non-meat ingredients. Bonus - I feel great.
We are putting off replacing our car and I'm trying to get my husband to get a new job. (I like my job and I'm relatively well compensated in my field IMO.)
We have a 10-month-old, and she's our first, so clothes, food, daycare, formula, etc are a lot more than I thought, though some of that is my own fault because clothes are cute.
Has anyone switched their phone plan from a major carrier to something like Boost or Mint Mobile? I live in a large metro area, but my parents live in a semi-rural area. Over the past few years my T-Mobile has finally reached them, lol. T-Mobile also gives us free Netflix and a few other benefits, but Mint Mobile is SO cheap, like $30/month for 2 lines for the first 9 months. You just have to pay upfront.