Not sure what happened yesterday to my posting but it was lost.  That is everything but the heading.  So after trying to post a few times I gave up.  Tried once more today and here it is resurrected from the dead. 

Going grocery shopping today and will be on the lookout for other "lighter" products. 

I noticed prices are going up.  I spend on average around $660-$700 a month on groceries for 4 (up from @ $550-$600 a year ago).  I use coupons, and we eat almost all our meals at home.  All my house cleaning supplies, soaps, shampoo, personal hygiene products are all bought at the grocery store.  I probably could save some buying those items somewhere else, but I don't mind paying for the convenience of having everything right there...besides with gas over $3 a gallon, it means less running around therefore less gas.

KFC- You are not going crazy. You are indeed paying more for less, especially with your groceries. The downsizing of packaging is a way that the major distributors are using to try and minimize the impact of food cost increases, but you can only minimize so far before the public at large wakes up to what is going on-

A) Inflation- the value of the U.S dollar is dropping, for several reasons. It usually takes several months for changes in inflation to work their way down to the consumer, which is now hapenning. Because the dollar no longer has the same purchasing power it did before, you have to pay more for less. From a consumers standpoint the only way to stay ahead of inflation is to have your wages/income rise at the same pace of inflation, which isn't hapenning for most folks, -or- get paid or have monetary assets in a foreign currency that is doing well. If you were getting paid in euros right now (which is about 1.50 US) you'd literally have 50% more purchasing power for your buck.

Cost of fuel and changes in agriculture has caused major distributors to up their prices- all that farm machinery needs gas or diesel to run, then big 'ol trucks to pick it up, ship it to a distribution/packing/processing center then ship it out to the grocery store. As the cost of oil goes up, so goeth up the operating costs of the distributor. Also with a lot of corn now being turned into ethanol, the price of corn feed for a lot of animals has risen dramatically. This too has caused a big spike in the operating costs of distributors, which they too have to pass on to the consumer.

C) The Republican Party. Ok I'm just kidding, can't blame them for this and it's not their fault  but thought I'd tack it on for good measure

Artysim is right (on 1 and 2. )

But misses one thing (most do as most are too young to remember).  This tactic was perfected in the early 70s when Nixon (A republican actually) imposed wage and price controls.  Prices could not go up, but new items were not subject to the controls (since they had no previous price). Manufacturers learned that a neat trick was to reduce the size, call the package "new and improved" and keep the same price. 

In that way, prices continued to rise, but of course wages did not.  With the leading democrats yelling about all things, one of them being sky rocketing prices, manufacturers are keeping to the old bait and switch.  Not raising prices on existing produc ts, just coming out with new sizes at the old price.

Another thing you are going to see more of in the coming months is fewer sales and more rebates.  Sales reduce the price (and if you are running a sale when the government slams the door on prices - too bad!), but rebates do not.  I hate rebates, but it is a clever way to get around price controlls if you cant change the portion (like cars).

What I've been doing the last so many years (and I'm saving tons) is going to the diff stores.  Not really out of my way either.  I go to CVS alot and scoop up their bargains including groceries sometimes even getting free items.  At times when I use coupons they are actually paying me to buy their product.  Usually their soda products, cereal and personal care items are cheaper than the grocery store.

What I do is sit down once a week with the flyers.  After a while you pick three or four you consistently do business with.  On one envelope I put the heading of the store and list under it each sale item that would benefit my family.  Inside the envelope I put the coupons that correspond.  So sometime during the week while I'm out and about or using one day for just this I run in and only grab (for the most part) those sale items.  I can be in and out in a matter of moments with my list in hand. 

I may not in the course of the week go to one of the stores I have listed but if I'm nearby or can go, I'm ready with the list in my pocketbook.   Here I've found a flea market that has a Farmer's market in it.  I can't believe how much I'm saving by going there once a week.  For instance, green peppers are 1.99 a lb in the store!!!    They are 3/1.00 and they are huge at the Farmer's Market.  I get an 8lb bag of the most delicious oranges ever for THREE BUCKS!  There's about a dozen oranges in there.  Check the price at the store this week and compare.

In reality over the years, I'm sure I've saved thousands of dollars doing this.  They actually did a news show here asking if it was worth shopping in diff stores and reported that yes, you can save alot of money if you do this. 

I look at grocery shopping like a trip to the dentist, the fewer trips the better, and once in, I wanna get our ASAP.

I'm not going to several stores to experience the torture. My time and peace of mind is worth more than that.  

Heh, with two boys shrinking groceries is nothing new around my house...   

boy, with three, now grown, boys of my own, I know exactly what language you're speaking. 

hahahahaha ok.......I don't particularly like to shop per se.  It's not nearly as bad as the dentist for me tho.  I look at it like a game to see how I can beat the retailers at their game and besides that I like to see what my "deal of the day" turns out to be. 

 

Don't raise the price, just shrink the packaging! Ooo... smart.

Anyway, what is cool is that 11.2 is probably the output of some formula that calculates exactly how much the price needed to go up per ounce or something, and that was the way to get it there.

Or someone just said, "Hey, why not 11.2oz?"

Cornflakes in bulk works better than cheerios. Mix that in with some bananas and you've got a swell breakfast.

I love that.

But then there is also, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, etc.  Fast, easy and good for you all in one bowl!  Can't beat it.