To think food in America is very expensive and worry we're going to face much higher prices soon?

[AbsentmindedWoman]

Just back from NYC. I was shocked at the price of groceries - hummus $4, large pot of yogurt $7, fresh salad stuff and other basic veg like potatoes and onions seemed really high too.

Why is it so expensive? It's not that all those basic items were imported? There didn't seem to be any cheap supermarkets, they were all the same as far as I could see. Although apparently there is one Aldi in Harlem!

I thought the price of veg really high, I mean in the UK you could eat a cheap veggie diet very cheaply, probably high in carbs but nutritionally sound.

It occurred to me that with places like Aldi were used to very cheap food here in comparison. With energy prices rising I'm wondering if food prices are going to shoot up over the next few years? Aibu to be kind of worried? How is our food so cheap?

Wow, prices have increased. I though usa was very cheap for food as long as you avoided mcdnalds etc and went to dinners. Prices must have gone up alot in 10 years. Thanks for letting me know.

Petrol is still cheap. $2.17 for a US gallon which is about 46p a liter where I am.

Thanks for all the input. I'm definitely interested in checking out some of the grocery shops in Chinatown or other areas when I go back.

I know certain areas in the US will be more expensive, but even in Texas last month I found supermarket prices higher than the UK. Less so than New York or the Trader Joe's/ Wholefoods I went to in LA/ San Francisco earlier in the year, but I wasn't really looking for grocery stores in California, I ate out mostly. This was the first time I've actively looked to do a full shop for cooking different meals, and so was surprised.

It must be very hard to manage on a low income living in NYC or LA in particular.

When we've been staying in the USA we've worked out that it would be cheaper to have all meals at a fast food place than it would to buy groceries at the stores there. Even the bulk buy ones.

Food is expensive and seems to be getting more so. Alcohol prices were similar though.

Brooklyn is basically Manhattan now in terms of pricing, unless you go further out.
I lived in NYC for 4 years and now in NJ. Everything is more expensive in nyc.

Just back from orlando and I found it really expensive for food compared to a few years ago - comparing dollar prices.

Trader Joe's isn't expensive - it's part of the same group as Aldi, and has quite a few cross-over products! Mostly own brand stuff and limited choice, but good quality stuff at decent prices (especially the chese and wine), plus a few branded goods, also at good prices.

Eg 24 Weetabix is $1.99 in Trader Joe's, $4.45 in Stop n'Shop (Tesco equivalent), $4.65 in Wegmans (Waitrose equivalent), $4.80 in Whole Foods.

Petrol prices have crept up in the last year - it now costs us nearly $30 to fill our family saloon car... [ grin]

How on earth is it that restaurant food is cheaper than supermarket food in the US?

The trader joe/Aldi connection is a myth.
I lived in the mid west best part of a decade. Groceries almost doubled during that time- l think the UK s cheaper ( as posters have said) for milk...bread... cheese etc...

It may depend on how you cook of course. But for example a jar of ordinary spices in my local supermarket costs over $7, I could buy the same in the U.K. for £1.50

I suspect you are buying premium supermarket brands like McCormick, and if so you are paying well over the odds.

You can get bulk spices in Whole Foods for far less.

Walmart also carries spices for far less.

You can even find spices in dollar stores, and some expensive places carry value lines too. I recently got dried onions and dried garlic for a dollar each in a very chi chi local supermarket that also carries high price brands.

I spent $200 per month for me and three of the DCs before DD3 went off to university.

Trader Joe's and Aldi are both owned by the Albrecht family trust.

I visited family this summer in the US (a non-touristy, middle-America sort of place) and was shocked by the food prices- restaurants and grocery stores. 4.50 dollars for a pack of English muffins (like crumpets)! Crazy.

Wow - I pay $4 for two packets of English muffins in my local grocery store.

I typically spend about $250-300 every couple of weeks to feed 3/4/5 of us (depending who's home) including packed lunches for two, most pet food and most toiletries.

But I'd never buy spices at $7 a jar - I buy them loose by the ounce at the local natural food store.

I've never actually seen tomatoes at $5 a box. I am always surprised how much leeks cost though, bizarrely.

I do buy bread at $4 a loaf because it's the one that's not horribly sweet, but we tend not to eat much bread - kids have leftovers or pasta salads or rice salads for lunches.

I don't buy cheap meat because the farming practices here horrify me.

Yup, Trader Joe's is owned by the same family trust that owns Aldi

$200 per month is seriously impressive - I reckon we get through that every other week with two DC and two cats

The ALDI/Trader Joe's connection is a bit more complicated than that though because ALDI stores in the US are owned by ALDI Sud and Trader Joes are owned by ALDI Nord. They have been separate companies since the 60s. They don't tend to compete though, I think the US is the only country where both companies operate outside Germany where they have split the country in two geographically and only operate in their own half. So not sure how much they cooperate despite being financially separate. In our neighborhood they are in the same building.

I get English muffins for about $1.60. They are often on sale for about a dollar. If you buy them from the refrigerated case they are more expensive (Bay's brand iirc) but you don't have to buy the most expensive muffins.

I have a bread machine and use it a lot, though mainly for dough for rolls and pizza. I recently noticed (I have owned it for three years ) that there is a jam function on it and I may try that with a few bags of mixed frozen fruit that have been in my freezer for far too long.

I thought of you crazy lot while I did my shopping in the local grocery store today.

You can indeed get a small jar of oregano for $8 if you buy the Simply Organic line. Not being completely daft, I bought the $1.57 Badia version.

I tried to find tomatoes at $5 a box but even the most expensive ones that had been grown by monks, watered with the spittle of virgins and harvested by the light of the supermoon were only $3.99 a bag.

Math I've been thinking about getting a bread maker but can't decide on a brand. Any recommendations?

The one I have is a Sunbeam '2lb Expressbake'. I got it from someone I worked with who never used it. She may have got it as a regift. The recipe book is copyrighted 1999.

Thanks!