Groceries Seem to be Going Up, Up, and Up

Anyone else  floored by grocery hikes? I'm not following my budget as strictly as I could be, but I'm really looking at prices when I do buy to get the best value. I mainly shop at Aldi and at the local grocery store near my house, a Coborne's. Occasionally, we go to Cub and I've picked up groceries at Target if I'm there and don't want another stop, or at the Kwik Trip for milk, bread, fruit, and eggs. Name brand items unless a loss leader have gotten completely out of hand price wise, and store brands are creeping up higher and higher it seems with every shop. Even Aldi, where I started shopping in limited amounts at the one near my old work place about seven years ago, and then in the last three years regularly since the one on my route home opened, seems much higher. 

I'm also looking at the sizes of products. Items that used to be boxed in say 16 ounces, often are the same price as they used to be, but now there is only 12 or 14 ounces. Several pasta types and canned goods have fallen to this change. While I know I should make my own sauce, I remember when both my older kids were young, before DD2 was born, I could make spaghetti and meat sauce using 1 jar of sauce and a pound of  spaghetti. Now I don't think we eat particularly more now, but with just three of us, that jar just feeds us, maybe with a small portion of leftovers to reheat. (I don't cook the whole package of spaghetti or keep) No wonder-it is only 26 ounces compared to 32. The Aldi staple is $1.49 a jar, and a good loss leader sale might stretch in the regular grocery store to 2 for $3.00. I never used to pay more than $1.00 a jar. Rant about jarred spaghetti sauce aside, I see it in product after product. 

At the same time I lament about the price of groceries, I know many farmers are struggling to make ends meet, struggling to see a profit on their labor. I wouldn't be so crabby about groceries going up if those that contributed the bulk of the labor to get the food in the stores were seeing fair returns. Granted, many stores have increased their hourly wage to attract better workers, so could account for a fraction of the increase. Where is the rest coming from? Gas prices are stable but I know there is a shortage of truck drivers. Anyone that doesn't not think that just about every industry some how touches your life should do a little think as to the very limited degrees of separation in the food chain. 

When all this home business is done and the party out of the way, I feel like I need to start doing a much better job of price watching. I need to stock up when the getting is good and go back to shopping my pantry. I'm excited for the  refrigerator I picked up, which will have a much more useful freezer for storing. I bought a 10 pound spiral ham at  the store, but I'm not hosting, but at just $.95 per pound, I couldn't pass up. It is taking up way too much space in my freezer though. I would have liked to have gotten two but my current freezer style would not work for a second. My new one will have a better way to store bulk meat and the items I need to have regular access to. Likewise, if I don't get to it before summer, My pantry, really just narrow cupboard shelves built into the wall between my kitchen and dining room, could use an overhaul with updating the spacing and number of shelves. Stocking my pantry will look different with no kid in the house, but between not wanting to be caught having to buy something at top price and the temptation to eat out rather than cook with just the two of us, being organized and well stocked is a necessary. Are you noticing skyrocketing process in your area? Besides shopping low and stocking up, how are you managing your food budget?