# Groceries up 11% in 3 years **URL:** \ **Category:** Shopping Deals\ **Created:** [July 14, 2022, 7:31pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/groceries-up-11-in-3-years/946 "2022-07-14T19:31:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lisa5678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f4b2a3/32.png) [@lisa5678](https://community.clark.com/u/lisa5678)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2022, 7:31pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/groceries-up-11-in-3-years/946/1 "2022-07-14T19:31:32Z")
Three years ago in Mar-May 2019, I kept track of food expenses so we’d know how much we spent per person per month ($251). I typed in all grocery purchases and categorized the items. Today I compared those prices with what we’re paying now (May-July 2022). Not an easy task since we don’t buy all the same stuff, I had to pay attention to quantities and whether the price was regular or sale, etc. There’s an 11% increase. Some prices haven’t changed: lemons, celery, bell peppers, green beans, bunches of parsley & cilantro. What’s changed the most are cereal, goldfish crackers, my favorite frozen lunch Amy’s Matar Paneer, and oddly, red onions. I wish I could keep produce fresher longer. I’ve learned how to keep parsley & cilantro fresh for 2 weeks; no luck with salad greens. I don’t have much of a freezer and don’t belong to Costco. I’ve thought about shopping at an international market or a grocery store in a lower income area in case prices are lower there. Not sure what else I can do. ---
**Author:** ![Payless](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.clark.com/payless/32/125_2.png) [@Payless](https://community.clark.com/u/Payless)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2022, 7:45pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/groceries-up-11-in-3-years/946/2 "2022-07-14T19:45:17Z")
You can shop at a Walmart, Aldi’s or a Lidl’s. These stores are not for everyone though. Not sure if Lidl’s is in every state. ---
**Author:** ![H200h](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e79b87/32.png) [@H200h](https://community.clark.com/u/H200h)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2022, 6:11pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/groceries-up-11-in-3-years/946/3 "2022-07-15T18:11:53Z")
> [@lisa5678](#): > > Not sure what else I can do. Try doing some research on foods that store well. Then when those that do keep better are on sale you can stock up on them. My wife has discovered that whole cabbages can last months in the fridge and she juices fresh lemons and freezes the juice in little plastic containers. You can dice fresh onions and put them in vacuum or ziploc bags and freeze them. Check out some [food storage sites](https://www.moneycrashers.com/long-term-home-food-storage-emergency/) for having a supply if things get really dicey. > **[7 Best Credit Cards for Groceries — Rewards & Offers](https://www.moneycrashers.com/best-credit-cards-groceries/)** > > Getting rewarded for grocery shopping is a no-brainer. This comprehensive list covers the cards that will give you the best rewards at supermarkets. ---
**Author:** ![lisa5678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f4b2a3/32.png) [@lisa5678](https://community.clark.com/u/lisa5678)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2022, 7:43pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/groceries-up-11-in-3-years/946/4 "2022-07-15T19:43:39Z")
> [@H200h](#): > > My wife has discovered that whole cabbages can last months in the fridge and she juices fresh lemons and freezes the juice in little plastic containers. You can dice fresh onions and put them in vacuum or ziploc bags and freeze them. I just watched a save-$$-at-the-grocery-store video where the woman suggested buying a bag of onions and doing like you say, chopping them up and freezing them. I’ll have to try that. I haven’t been able to get a cabbage to go bad. 🙂 I’ll also go check out Lidl and Aldi. I’ve shopped at them in Europe but not here in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![ochotona](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.clark.com/ochotona/32/293_2.png) [@ochotona](https://community.clark.com/u/ochotona)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2022, 8:59pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/groceries-up-11-in-3-years/946/5 "2022-07-15T20:59:36Z")
But are vegetables really driving this food inflation? Seems to me to be animal protein price increases mostly. ---
**Author:** ![PropofolMask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6f9a4e/32.png) [@PropofolMask](https://community.clark.com/u/PropofolMask)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2022, 4:57pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/groceries-up-11-in-3-years/946/6 "2022-07-17T16:57:50Z")
> [@Payless](#): > > You can shop at a Walmart, Aldi’s or a Lidl’s. These stores are not for everyone though. Payless, why do **you** think Walmart isn’t for everyone? ---
**Author:** ![Payless](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.clark.com/payless/32/125_2.png) [@Payless](https://community.clark.com/u/Payless)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2022, 9:44pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/groceries-up-11-in-3-years/946/7 "2022-07-17T21:44:19Z")
Personally, I shop at Walmart all the time. However, there are a lot of people who like to bash Walmart for various reasons. ---
**Author:** ![ochotona](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.clark.com/ochotona/32/293_2.png) [@ochotona](https://community.clark.com/u/ochotona)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2022, 10:11pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/groceries-up-11-in-3-years/946/8 "2022-07-17T22:11:22Z")
[Walmart.com](http://Walmart.com) is better than [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) in many ways, especially price ---
**Author:** ![H200h](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e79b87/32.png) [@H200h](https://community.clark.com/u/H200h)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2022, 3:08pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/groceries-up-11-in-3-years/946/9 "2022-07-18T15:08:26Z")
> [@ochotona](#): > > But are vegetables really driving this food inflation? I think it’s likely a cumulative effect… (cost of raw materials + energy costs + people costs + profit margin) = **cost of production** + (cost of product + energy costs + people costs + profit margin) = **cost of distribution** + (cost of product + people cost + fixed costs + inventory shrinkage + profit margin) = **CONSUMER COST** ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Figure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Go\_Figure](https://community.clark.com/u/Go_Figure)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2022, 2:57am UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/groceries-up-11-in-3-years/946/10 "2022-07-20T02:57:39Z")
Regarding Walmarts… Depends on your Walmart. I moved a bit further up county. The one closest to me I don’t like. Feel like need head on swivel. But, my friend that lives 5 miles further up county told me the one further up county is night and day different. Not for quick jaunts with gas prices, but close enough for regular shopping trip. I need to check it out. Same with the local grocery store but different reasons. The 3 grocery stores are all clean and safe, just different layouts and stock for same brand store. ---
**Author:** ![A\_Hen](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.clark.com/a_hen/32/239_2.png) [@A\_Hen](https://community.clark.com/u/A_Hen)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2022, 3:37am UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/groceries-up-11-in-3-years/946/11 "2022-07-21T03:37:06Z")
One trick I’ve learned with salad greens is to store them in either a plastic resealable bag or plastic Tupperware-type container along with a sheet or two of paper towels. Lettuce goes bad quickly mostly due to moisture. Keeping a dry paper towel in with chopped lettuce/salad greens really helps it last longer. Green onions keep longer if you stand them up in a small juice glass with a little water and store in the frig. Hope that helps. ---
**Author:** ![lisa5678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f4b2a3/32.png) [@lisa5678](https://community.clark.com/u/lisa5678)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2022, 4:07pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/groceries-up-11-in-3-years/946/12 "2022-07-29T16:07:40Z")
> [@Payless](#): > > You can shop at a Walmart, Aldi’s or a Lidl’s. Thanks for the tip! I went to Lidl today and their prices are noticeably cheaper. I’ll try to go regularly but not too often since it’s 40 minutes one way, without traffic. ---
**Author:** ![FloridaGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8797f3/32.png) [@FloridaGuy](https://community.clark.com/u/FloridaGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2022, 9:03pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/groceries-up-11-in-3-years/946/13 "2022-08-07T21:03:21Z")
We have an Aldi nearby that I use along with Walmart. I wish Lidl would come to my area.