I don’t know how they think we’re all going to survive with these prices.
Fortunately for us we make a lot of money so we don’t look at prices.
Ramen keeping me alive.
Where I live, the grocery prices aren’t up anywhere near the double or triple that other people have mentioned. The basics / necessities have generally seen more modest price increases over the past few years. There have been obvious exceptions like when there’s been shortages of specific things or like if I were to compare out of season produce prices to the prices of stuff when its in season, but in those cases I just go without (which also kind of proves they weren’t necessities to begin with).
For the most part, any luxury items or luxury brands that have dramatically increased their prices and engaged in shrinkflation, I stop buying that stuff or cut way back. Even if I can afford that stuff, I’m not going to pay the prices. And if I weren’t really able to afford to feed myself, I would definitely not be buying anything like that. No organic apples for me. No potato chips. No microwave meals. No soda.
In my adult life, I’ve twice experienced food insecurity. I can’t speak to anybody’s situation in specific, but for me what worked was willingness to be flexible and getting creative. I would grow as much of my own food as I could, even in a small shared living space I could grow some lettuce or spring onions in a window. I was also pretty knowledgeable about edible plants, including local/wild stuff, so that helped to supplement my diet as well.
Aldi.
If you have one near you, get your staples from there. It’s so much cheaper than Kroger, Costco, Publix, and Target.
Shout out to WinCo also. As a heads up they only take cash/debit though, not credit.
No Aldi in WA State.
I taught myself how to cook and it’s been life-changing.
Any advice or tips on how you did it?
I literally just looked up instructions online and in cookbooks and followed them. Learned common patterns in cooking by using a bunch of recipes.
It’s actually pretty easy. You just have to put in the effort and be willing to try, follow instructions, and fail sometimes.
Rice, brother. Lots of rice.
i’m homeless personally. where once i could survive on $5 a day, i’m always coming up short on the $20 needed nowadays just to eat. so i fast lots, my skating suffers.
Look for little food cabinets outside churches and libraries. Sometimes people put in tuna-cracker kits, a fresh fruit, bottled water, hot cocoa or instant coffee packets. The kits are nice because no can opener, heat, utensil needed. It’s not ideal but not least ideal, either.
those are amazing little places indeed. Sikh temples and Methodist churches are helpful too