Can't afford to shop.....

[Bunzz]

The news is rife with tales of higher gas, electric, fuel, mortgages, food etc and generally speaking I haven't paid too much attention......until now. This last month I went £150 overdrawn and can not afford to go food shopping for the rest of this month (that's 2 weeks until payday) so we can pay this overdraft back. Don't even know how it happened but am guessing it's something to do with the above! My omni family are fine, freezer is full of dead stuff but I am going to struggle to eat properly, especially as I'm trying to lose 14lbs so am avoiding all things oily. Might just lose weight through starvation!!!

Anyone else noticed the cost of living personally? (I thought at first it was just media hype...my bank account says different!!) :wall:

[mazikeen]

Please don't starve yourself.

If you're living with family, there will certainly be some veggie fare around the house - rice, pasta, bread, vegetables, fruit, maybe beans. Can't your family help you out a bit, by doing some grocery shopping? Or maybe ask a few friends for help (I remember my friends kept me fed when I was struggling with deadlines and didn't have time to cook or eat). I think you should put all considerations for weight loss aside for the next 2 weeks, and just concentrate on keeping yourself fed.

Food prices have gone up, and it's easier to spend more if you buy specialty items and ready meals. You can buy food for cheaper, though, if you try and buy basic foodstuffs to cook meals from scratch. There are plenty of suggestions here in The Frugal Forum and in Food discussion. You'll just need a better plan for next month. :)

[mazikeen]

And why is this in the Compost heap??

[Bunzz]

Didn't know where else to put it!! I won't starve and will probably just eat very blandly for the next two weeks. You are right though, from this point on we are on a budget!!!

[mazikeen]

There's the frugal forum and Vegetarian/Vegan discussion. You could ask a mod to move the thread for you. Do you have any specific advice you'd like to ask for? Food doesn't need to be bland, it can always be spiced up a bit with a few things.

Best of luck!!

[Bunzz]

I'm being melodramatic, I have plenty of spices etc and will probably eat a lot better because I have to think about it.

I was really wondering if anyone has noticed the increase in prices in their daily lives and the impact it is having.....I can't be the only one! Also, whether anyone is really concerned by it or if they think it's a flash in the pan that'll get better. Is this is a result of humans 'raping' the earth and the increased volume in meat consumption etc. Can we actually do without gas/electric, fuel and so on.

Maybe I should have titled the thread differently?? Thanks for your comments though, will check out the frugal site next.


(I think that's why I put it in the Compost heap and I wouldn't know how to get the mods to move the thread anyway!).

[law]

Hey there! I'm in Australia and i noticed a massive price rise in our weekly shop about a year ago. We used to spend about 100 dollars a week to feed 2 adults and 3 kids and I used to think that was a lot. Now we are lucky if it costs less than 150! It's very depressing. And we rarely buy pre packaged stuff, only breakfast cereals and pasta sauces really.
And it was only today that we were driving past a servo and Bf said that its sad when you look at the petrol price and its $1.50 a litre and you get excited cos its cheap.

[sarahjayn1980]

YES. My grocery bill is alomost double what it was two months ago - and gasoline has hit the roof! My energy bill doubled this month, too.

[erin84]

I'm in Australia too ... I have only been grocery shopping for myself for around 18 months, and for the past 4 months its been for myself and my partner (he is also vegan). We buy fresh fruit and veggies at the organic farmer's market, so admittedly we spend more than we need to, but we spend at least 200 a fortnight!! Its insane! We are fortunate that we rarely have to pay for petrol, otherwise we couldn't go anywhere in any case!!

ETA: And rent in Sydney is ridiculous!!!!

[law]

OMG tell me about it... Im moving soon and im going to have to pay 25 extra a week for a ****tier house than im in now

[erin84]

OMG tell me about it... Im moving soon and im going to have to pay 25 extra a week for a ****tier house than im in now

I know! Smaller place, bigger rent.

I've given up a lot to eat good food though - I don't really go out, I don't buy books anymore (I just go to the library) and I've started growing food on the balcony ... I actually enjoy it all though, I don't really feel like I'm missing out.

[Bunzz]

Me too erin84, got some runner beans on the go, chillis and tomatoes. It's quite satisfying to grow a few things, just got to keep the slugs and snails off as they have eaten all my peas, courgettes and butternut squashes!

Like many of you, treats have gone out of the window. Makes me wonder how the industries that rely on us having a bit of money to spare will fare in the coming months. Even a trip to the cinema cost us (2 adults, 2 children) £25. Feels like we're going back to my grandparents era when every single penny counted!!

[Dirty Martini]

YES. My grocery bill is alomost double what it was two months ago - and gasoline has hit the roof! My energy bill doubled this month, too.

Doubled from last month or doubled from the same month last year?

[sarahjayn1980]

Doubled from last month or doubled from the same month last year?

From last month - I know!

[IamJen]

Moved to the Frugal Forum.

Costs are definitely rising here. Rent up 5%, gas up, petrol up (but we don't drive :sweat:).

I went to buy a loaf of bread at the store about 10 days ago. My just-over-a-pound loaf (at the beginning of this year) is now £1.86. Geez.

Then again, I think everything is expensive here. The only place from which I seem to be getting a good deal currently is BT (phone company). Heh.

[Pirate Ferret]

I was shocked last time I went to tescos! prices definately gone up!

Petrol at the garage on the end of my road is £1.59 a litre O_o drive 5mins down the road its £1.15 wtf. theyre both 24 hour so you arent paying for convenience, how bizarre.
I dont drive though, glad the bus prices haven't crept up for a while!

[LadyFaile]

it's rediculous. our grocery bill just gets higher and higher even though we're buying less now than we ever have. we live with my inlaws and mooch off them a lot. we eat supper together as a family, and they always make too much and throw away leftovers anyway so it doesn't make much difference to them, they are very meat and potatoes and canned veggies :p so whatever they make i just make my own meat substitute to have with it instead of the meat.
so groceries for us now is stuff for hubby's work lunches, a few odds and ends for me, and stuff to make supper at my mom's once a week. we don't even buy a lot of junkfood anymore. and staples, paper products, cleaning stuff we share with the folks too. we buy them sometimes or we split on it but usually my MIL buys it and lets us use whatever we want.
but we still seem to spend over $100 every week on groceries! i don't get it. we used to spend about 150 but it was for suppers for the whole week plus staples, paper products, cleaning supplies etc.

[Schoska]

Mad isn't it :( I'm still only working part time at the moment so I've really felt all the price rises. Thankfully I have loads of shops close to me so I can shop around, and it does help to a degree.

[LadyFaile]

yeah shopping where the sales are and using coupons can help a little but when you have to go all over town to take advantage it's not worth it with gas as high as it is.
best thing to do is buy as much local produce as possible from farmers markets etc and buy only in season. as gas goes higher and higher shipping gets more and more expensive so prices will keep going up

[Izzie]

it's rediculous. our grocery bill just gets higher and higher even though we're buying less now than we ever have. we live with my inlaws and mooch off them a lot. we eat supper together as a family, and they always make too much and throw away leftovers anyway so it doesn't make much difference to them, they are very meat and potatoes and canned veggies :p so whatever they make i just make my own meat substitute to have with it instead of the meat.
so groceries for us now is stuff for hubby's work lunches, a few odds and ends for me, and stuff to make supper at my mom's once a week. we don't even buy a lot of junkfood anymore. and staples, paper products, cleaning stuff we share with the folks too. we buy them sometimes or we split on it but usually my MIL buys it and lets us use whatever we want.
but we still seem to spend over $100 every week on groceries! i don't get it. we used to spend about 150 but it was for suppers for the whole week plus staples, paper products, cleaning supplies etc.

If you've got some time on your hands you can try making your own seitan from vital wheat gluten flour, instead of buying premade meat substitutes. Or are you already?

[LadyFaile]

no i've never tried. i'd like to, but i'm lazy :p and i'm not sure it'd be any cheaper to buy VWG in this area.

[Izzie]

no i've never tried. i'd like to, but i'm lazy :p and i'm not sure it'd be any cheaper to buy VWG in this area.

Oh that's too bad. See if you can find "gluten flour" in bulk, but it should be about 75% protein. I did that this weekend, made seitan, and it was delicious!

Also, if you use the recipe from VwaV or V'con, it's actually not too difficult.

Good luck!

[LadyFaile]

ever try seitan in a dehydrator to make jerkey? if i were to make seitan i'd have to try that, my brother in law has a dehydrator i can probably borrow

[Izzie]

No I haven't. That might be good, though...

[LovelyPerv]

It's a little late for you now, but I was taught to stockpile dry and canned foods.

Like my father, I watch for sales and stock up. I also try to get all of the different food groups.

I can't go grocery shopping for another two weeks myself, oops, and have $20 left for gas.

It's okay, though, because I have dry beans, rice, canned veggies, canned and dried fruits, pasta, spices, nuts (a bit stale...I've had them a while), canned beans, spaghetti sauce and ramen noodles (we bought a bunch when they were on sale). I've had these foods around for several months...sor a rainy day (or a broke day).