Boomer and Beyond: Grocery, gas prices force us into battle

As if pain at the pump weren’t enough, it’s shock and awe in the supermarket aisles. This is war!

Memories of shopping with reckless abandon – that is, buying the staples and perhaps even a couple of rib-eye steaks – are just flashbacks from better days.

I’ve had to quit buying a lot of my favorite things to save money. It’s been quite awhile since I’ve bought Goldfish, tortilla chips, Wheat Thins, Triscuits, potato chips, packages of cinnamon rolls, Coca-Cola, frozen dinners, deli items (ready-made salads, lunch meats and wonderful imported cheeses), quiche, ice cream and shortbread cookies.

Yup, this is our own little private war.

On my “mission” to the grocery store, I noted prices of the above-listed favorites. I used to buy these “easy-to-grab-and-eat” foods – which I don’t really need but I want – every two to three weeks. Today, getting through the checkout stand with those items (standard sizes or 1-pound packages) would have cost me $59.34.

Food sellers are getting tricky. Shoppers have to watch the ounces per item because sellers are putting less in the package but keeping the price the same. It is very confusing. I have resorted to taking my calculator to the grocery store so I can compare prices.

Often, I find the “large economy size” actually costs more per ounce than the smaller-size package of the same brand.

Battle gear for the weekly grocery-store shopping adventure should include – along with that calculator – some carpet layers’ kneepads. Then you can get down on your knees in the trenches to read the small print on the stickers on the lower shelves – that’s where the good buys are placed.

War is hell, baby.

Here’s a tip: Pump your gas during the coolest part of the day because gas is densest when it is cool – and you’ll actually get more gasoline in your tank per fillup.

Cardinal rule of the battlefield before going into the grocery store: Never shop when hungry. Buy a good snack on the way into the store and wolf it down right away.

Battle plans? Here are a few:

Make a computerized list of everything you stock in your pantry. When you run out of an item, check it off. And place coupons in an attached envelope.

That way, coupons are not left at home and needed items are not overlooked, thereby avoiding midweek emergency trips to the store in which we’re vulnerable to impulse purchases.

Clean out the refrigerator before each trip to the store so you don’t buy more of something you still have. (I have three jars of mustard “hiding” in the fridge.)

Bite the bullet. If we are to win the war and save money on groceries, we have to spend more time in the war room – that is, planning – and, of course, in the battlefield, too – the store.

Take advantage of stores that are close to another store – they are competing with each other for your business. A favorite retail ploy is to use “loss leaders,” or items that are sold at a loss just to get customers into the store.

The Dollar Store is mandatory for price-shoppers. Make a weekly trip to the Dollar Store for the best buys on over-the-counter medicines, cleaning and laundry supplies and countless other “surprises.”

Look at the ingredient list on all foods you purchase. See how much fat, sodium and sugar the food contains. Note what kind of oils and what preservatives were used. MSG? Get up to speed on additives.

Refine your battle plan. Check the Internet for information about the enemy.

The grocery war we’re fighting is not just about winning the battle against high food prices. It also is about dodging the bullets of potentially harmful ingredients – the real enemy.