It is getting harder and harder to find the items that we are used to buying at the grocery store. I recently placed an online order and was unable to get several items. I continued trying to purchase the items online for a couple of weeks. I was successful on a couple items, but the rest I just had to make substitutions.
There are also policy changes along with everything else. For instance, I have to buy two of the same item instead of one even though we are experiencing shortages in order for the item to ship. Walmart will not ship my canned spaghetti sauce anymore. I don't purchase a lot from Walmart, but that was one item that I buy to help me reach my $35 free shipping quota. Keeping up with these changes on top of everything else affects my budget.
It was also time to buy the dreaded toilet paper. They did not have my brand in stock, so I decided that Cottonelle was reasonably priced. Ha! It has been shrunk by at least 1/2 inch in width and has less sheets. Shrinkflation!!! I called my mom to see if her brand had done the same thing, but she had also switched to Cottonelle. Her rolls were also ridiculously narrow.
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| This is a normal sized roll that has been on the spool, so half of it is missing. |
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| Ridiculously narrow. |
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| Way shorter and a lot less sheets. |
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| Loosely wrapped. |
Here is a list of items that were out of stock or unavailable and the substitutions I made:
Toilet paper - Out of stock - Purchased Cottonelle toilet paper, Shrinkflation!
Tones taco seasoning - Out of Stock - Purchased Tones ground cumin - I had to buy two
Mustard - I would have had to buy 13 pounds, so I bought it elsewhere.
Jalapeños - Out of stock, eventually shipped
Chocolate Chips - Out of stock, no substitution
Spaghetti sauce - Unavailable, purchased tomato sauce
Ramen - Out of stock, purchased angel hair pasta
Peanut Butter - Out of stock, had to buy two, eventually shipped
Tortillas - Out of stock, had to buy two, eventually shipped
Roasted Peanuts - Had to buy two
Canned veg and beans - Had to buy two
Honey - Had to buy two two packs for $35
You can see that I really had to work hard to stay within my budget and plan meals around having to buy two of the same item in order for my order to be eligible for shipping. Some of these items had gone up over $4 to $6 like the honey and cumin. Most everything else was up $2 or more. What on earth would I use 13 LBS of mustard on? I ended up buying mustard from Walmart for less money.
I replaced the taco seasoning that was out of stock with cumin, because cumin is the dominant flavor in taco seasoning. It is very strong and does not take much to flavor a dish. I can also make my own taco seasoning now if I need to. I have made it before and it was just fine. It was actually less expensive to buy a large container than making my own. I am not so sure if that is the case now since prices have gone through the roof. I also replaced the spaghetti sauce with tomato sauce, because I can just doll it up like I do with the spaghetti sauce. It was just a better deal to buy the canned spaghetti sauce.
I did not purchase any fresh meat, dairy or produce. I spent the same amount of money and got a lot less. This is crazy. I will keep an eye out for sales on the fresh stuff and do a pick-up order if possible. I am or will be way over budget on groceries this time. It is definitely time to make some changes, I'm just not sure what they will be....
Blessings,
Mrs. Smith
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