Lisa_wanna_b_quilter

Regarding volleyball shoes.....

Our local public school district has lost it's mind as far as I can tell. Every sports team purchases new shoes every season. The shoes are picked by the coach and paid for by the parents. This year 8th grade volleyball shoes are $90. This is a very small town so the same kids generally play all the sports. It gets very expensive. The shoes come on top of a $50 fee just for participating in sports.

High school cheerleading uniforms were $600 this year. Drill team uniforms are $200 - 300 every year. I do not know why parents in this town continue to allow this, but they do. Parents don't want to make a fuss because the coaches may take it out on the kids.

I rant on this topic all the time. Both of our local factories have closed. Our coal mine has closed. Our county has one of the highest unemployment rate in Illinois, yet our schools do this. GRRRR!

Baren*eh*ked_canadian

We buy two kinds of milk in this house, Sasha insists that I drink at least 2% for the baby, and he gets 1%... Milk is sold in bags, and you pay around 7.50/4L. I think a litre is a little less that a quart.
Now, GAS is what really gets us... it's 1.05/litre right now, which converts to 4.20/gallon for you guys across the border. Last summer, it went up to nearly 1.50/litre, which is the equivalent of about 6.00/gallon, if I calculated right. I live in Montreal, not some remote village in the boonies... there's no excuse for these prices, especially since we produce it in our own country, but somehow the Americans get it cheaper than we do...

samroberts01

Did anyone see the Oprah episode about our food?? It addressed this same thing that it is cheaper to buy junk than healthy items, also the movie Food Inc.


I am the grocery shopper for the family and thankfully at this point we are doing better financially than we ever have, however I have not gotten a raise in over a year (we are on a wage freeze) I notice I seem to never be on budget lately over the last few months. Plus I am trying to buy healthier and buy more organic, but it is rough. I also notice the price of normal food items is sneaking up and almost getting close to the same prices as some organic foods. So why not buy organic if it is only a dollar more than the crap? I stopped paying attention to gas prices forever ago, what is the point you cant do much about it.

Lisanne

mcdaniel023, I agree that kids should have fresh fruits and vegetables. But this time of year, parents shouldn't expect anything more than the typical winter fruits (apples, oranges, bananas), IMO. It is really interesting to read about what you go through to supply nutritious lunches to schoolkids.

Baren* (sorry, typing out your full username always daunts me!), we know what liters are here, at least what 1 and 2 liter bottles look like. Years ago, they planned to go metric and started selling sodapop in 1 and 2 liter bottles. Cans aren't metric, but the bottles still are. Your gas prices are horrifying!

For the milk, is there a difference in the price of the 2% vs. the 1%? Years ago, they all (whole and skim, too) sold at the same price, but in the last year or two I've noticed the price goes up the fat level goes down (or up _ I swear, one week skim is the cheapest, then the next week, it's the most expensive).

samroberts01, I didn't see the Oprah thing about food, but the media has been saying that for years. On the other hand, people who have done the Saving Dinner menu plans constantly testify that they're astonished that buying fresh food has actually cost them less. I guess we just have to check prices and do the math to be sure.

Baren*eh*ked_canadian

Yeah, skim milk is always cheaper than homo milk here... and it's always cheaper at the corner store than at the grocery store.

Marjpf

I just think it's a sad state when a gallon of milk costs more than a six pack of beer or soda.
All prices have gone up (except my paycheck). I am lucky, the kids a grown so I don't need to buy as much. Still, I spend for two people what I used to spend for a family of four.

redkimba

I noticed the prices going up. I'm on the verge of trying out a small vegetable "victory garden" at home to hopefully even out the costs a little. Maybe get into canning this year. And making my own bread.

Honey

I know exactly what you mean. Good grief, it shouldn't cost this much for DH & I. When my kids were all home I did the canning and baking and everything from scratch. Guess I have to get back into more canning again.

BellaBoo

My grocery budget hasn't changed much in several years. I buy whole foods so they seem to stay about the same price. I don't buy any processed foods or packaged foods. I do buy frozen vegetables. I buy 1/2 and 1/2 for milk. We buy half a cow twice a year so I don't buy beef from the grocery store. We don't like pork that much but we do like bacon and I switched to turkey bacon, my one nitrate loaded food. Poultry and fish prices stay about even. My only big cost is fresh vegetable and fruit, especially blueberries and melons. I don't buy chips, sodas, snack cakes, but do buy ice cream, dark chocolate, and pre shelled nuts. Brazil nuts are our favorite. We seldom eat out, the food has no flavor in most of the chain restarurants around here. No good restarurants with a real chef. :?

Olivia's Grammy

DH and I are both on SS. We both work a little to supplement our income. We always have a garden. I freeze mostly, but I do can green beans.We ahave two freezer full for the two of us. We grow almost everything that can be grown in GA. Veggies and fruits. We share with our children and some friends. So you would think that we'd have a low grocery bills. I will admit I don't look at the prices of groceries if it's something we need I buy it. We still have to eat. Having said that I do shop as thrify as I can. Coupons, sales food in season. I really like to shop at Aldi's first then go to Walmart for the rest.
We have our gas and electric on a budget plan so we don't get sticker shock. Last time we fill up our gas tank it was almost a $1000.00 and it will not last a year. But all in all we are in pretty good shape. I can still buy fabric and DH buys his toys. I buy something for Olivia almost weekly. Gas prices are what bug me the most. How can gas go up 11 to 15 cents over night :?: :?: :?: