Everything has just gone crazy. I'm just me, but it's hard to get out of the store under $70 these days.
And I bet you're not buying anything crazy, probably just some staples and a bit of meat.
Beans, bacon, vegetables, maybe some bread and some dairy stuff and it's $80 bucks.
I've noticed something about meats. I can get it cheaper at the grocers in the small town where I grew up, so I take the time to stock up when I visit the folks. Even better deals at a local butcher near my extended family in PA. I guess it's price gouging, larger area so they charge more.
May be worth the time to see if there's a butcher somewhere around you. Not everything is cheaper at the one I visit, but the quality is top notch.
That and buying half or quarter a cow and pig. Then you get all the ground, roasts, ribs, bacon, etc. Mine offers all sorts of goodies like sausages and different flavors of jerky, too. Local people will take the time to educate their shoppers, too.
Always local if you can. If you have room for a deep freeze and some cash it is very much worth buying in bulk. It's not going to be like this now but about 2 years ago I could buy half a cow for 3.50/lb no matter what the cut was. You just need to be able to pay upfront and be able to freeze it.
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