Dimitri wrote:
> I just finished a little post on TJ'S and got to thinking.
>
> How many food items do you think you know the average price of?
>
> 20, 50, 200?

Hard to say. I know you know many more than I do. More than
20, maybe not as many as 50.

> Do you pay attention to the prices or just buy what you feel like
> buying?

I read the sales circulars every week and pick up whatever is
a good price and that's how I planned the menu. If I just have to
have something (usually instigated by threads on this newsgroup),
I will pay full price, within reason.

And then there are the staples like bread and milk. Honestly, I
really had no clue that when bread isn't on sale it was like $3.50.
I knew sometimes it would be on sale, 2 for $4. If I had to guess,
I would have said bread not on sale would be $2.50 a loaf.
Imagine my surprise.

That was before prices started climbing. I'm not sure how much
I pay for milk, still. Whatever it is, I'm still going to pick up a half
gallon every week or so. I am sure people with children pay far
closer attention.

> Do you stock up on food at a great price or just buy what you need
> when you need it?

I try to stock up when things are on sale. I especially hate when
I have to pay full price on things I buy only occasionally, because
I didn't plan ahead and you know the item was almost half the
price 2 weeks ago.

So when I see anything on sale, I will usually buy plenty.
It makes me happy to know there's enough whatever in the
house, be it meat or toothpaste. Costco was invented for
people like me.

> I always keep a large supply of food on hand - I don't know exactly
> why I just like be able to decide at the last minute what to have.

For one thing, it saves having to decide what's for dinner and
going food shopping every day. What's for dinner becomes
driven by what's on hand.

> When the girls were in School they would come to the house to do
> laundry and "go shopping" in dad's pantry.

I bet they did!

nancy