Inflation has been brutal throughout the last 8 months. If you find your grocery budget isn’t stretching quite as far as it used to, here are a few items that have been impacted most by inflation. Avoid them and you’ll find your money goes farther.
Beef/Chicken
Beef and chicken have both increased quite a bit- beef by 16% and chicken by 13.4%. Price increases have made these two meat options unaffordable for many people. If you’re looking to save money at the store, it might be a good idea to switch to other forms of protein. Turkey, fish, and sausage are all good options. You could also consider a vegetarian lifestyle as well.
Eggs
Due to a bird flu epidemic, the cost of both chicken (as previously mentioned) and eggs has skyrocketed. The price of eggs has risen 11.2%. If this upward trend continues, it might be a good idea to look into egg substitutes. You won’t be able to use that for everything, but it might help decrease the number of eggs you have to buy.
Milk/ Butter
The cost of milk has risen a staggering 13.3% and butter is not far behind with a rise of 12.5%. These prices have made baking in general a whole lot more expensive. Drastic increases in cost for such essential grocery items means that no one is immune to rising prices.
Rice/Pasta/Cornmeal
It’s no secret that the Russia/Ukraine war has caused a massive wheat shortage that has had a global impact. With a rise of 9.3%, many of your favorite wheat products (as well as cornmeal) have become a whole lot more expensive.
Frozen/Freeze Dried Foods
Food that has always been a little more on the expensive side has become even more so. Frozen and freeze dried foods have increased by a whopping 14%. In order to keep costs down, a more budget friendly solution would be to switch to canned foods instead. Canned fruits and vegetables for example haven’t experienced the same price increases as frozen/freeze dried food has.
Fresh Fruits/Vegetables
Alas, fresh fruits and vegetables are not immune to inflation. Fruit has increased by 10.1% and vegetables have increased by 5.9%. If both frozen and fresh foods are now more expensive, what are your budget friendly options? As previously mentioned, switching to canned fruits and vegetables might help you save a few bucks.
Unfortunately, the range of products that have experienced massive cost increases is so broad, it’s impossible to avoid them all. However, you can use this as an opportunity to get creative with your meals. Think of inflation as a challenge. Look up new recipes and try new things in order to feed your family within your allotted grocery budget. You can do it! High prices at the grocery store shouldn’t stop you from eating delicious, nutritious food. In times of struggle, you have to adapt. It might take some trial and error but the effort will be well worth it!