Then & Now for Groceries

When I was a new bride grocery shopping was challenging. Not in the way that it is now, with two children running and reaching, but in an amateurish way. I never knew what to buy, my cooking repetoir was limited; I just didn’t have it down yet. Shopping for a man was a whole new ballgame compared to shopping as a single college female. I could not impress my new husband with Cinnamon Toast Crunch for dinner. So to aid me in my grocery shopping advancement I saved my receipts. I would pull them out each time I made a new list to help me remember what I bought last time. Was it good, did it work, was it eaten and enjoyed?

Flash forward five years. On Friday night I came home from the grocery store completely disheartened. I was sure that on this trip to WinCo I was going to spend less money than usual because I was anticipating Richard’s being out of town, and planning on eating Cinnamon Toast Crunch for dinner again. Richard traveling should amount to fewer groceries, especially in the meat department. But alas, at checkout the cashier shattered my hopes when he announced the total. It was exactly the same total (well within a dollar or two) as my last trip to WinCo and the trip before that. In fact, on my way home I even entertained the idea of a conspiracy… “charge the regulars the same amount each time, they buy the same stuff, they’ll never catch on.”

Where am I going with this? In my hopeless state I dug out an old receipt from our newlywed days. The date on the receipt I will refer to was November 3, 2003. For fun I chose a few items that I shopped for then and still shop for now. The necessities that have been on our grocery list since the beginning of lists. Here is the comparison with Friday night’s receipt.

Then/Now

Milk $1.98/ 2.72
Applesauce 1.28/ 1.37
Cream of Chicken Soup 0.66/1.25
Tortillas 1.75/2.67
Cheese 3.98/5.98
String Cheese 1.50/2.98
Dozen eggs 1.09/1.36
Tortilla Chips 2.42/2.98
5lb Potatoes 1.38/ 1.98

Total 16.04/23.29

Granted, some of the brands have changed and there are other factors. But it was a fun little game for me to ease the guilt of the costs of eating. So I let a little self-pity wash over me and whined about the tough economy and the price of gas.

But lest I sound ungrateful I don't really have anything to complain about. I'm lucky to eat what I do and to have the money to do so.