Retirees and pre-retirees are having a tough time dealing with inflation. Some people originally retired with a decent budget, but inflation caught up to them rather quickly. Now, they have to make some tough financial decisions to make sure they’re able to make ends meet. Some of these decisions could start at their local store when shopping for groceries. These are some items that retirees on a tight budget may want to avoid.
Fruits & Veggies Out of Season
Fruits and vegetables are the key to any balanced diet. The cost of some of these, however, may not be worth it during certain times of the year. When certain fruits and vegetables are not in season, they tend to be way more expensive because they need to be sourced sometimes from other parts of the world. There are certain things that you may not be able to go without. This tip may not be one you can follow religiously, but it could be a good idea to alter some of the fruits and veggies in your diet to stay within your budget.
Cutting Back on Red Meat?
There are many different reasons why people are suggesting this. In this case, the problem with red meats, in general, is that they’re one of the products that have been hit the most by inflation. The price of steak at the grocery store has gone up, on average, by 8% compared to last year. Other popular meat products like ground beef have seen a similar rise. These increases are putting meat out of the reach of people on a very tight budget. If this is you, it could be a good time to look for alternatives and perhaps even a healthier diet.
Frozen Foods
Many of the foods on this list are favorites of many people. Therefore, it’s certainly going to be tough to cut back on some of these. The idea is not to eliminate some of these items from the shopping list entirely but to be more mindful of what you buy and how often. Frozen foods, particularly in the bakery and pastry sectors, are up almost 4% year over year. With this in mind, it may be a good time to cut back on some of those pies and desserts.
Soda & Other Beverages
Non-alcoholic beverages are up 2.3% compared to last year. Many health specialists want people to have fewer of these drinks anyway. This price increase can be the perfect excuse to rely more on water or other drinks that are a bit more healthy. It can be hard to break some of these habits, but some people may be forced to because of their budget.
Crackers and Bread
Once again, the solution here may not be to stop eating sandwiches and crackers altogether. It could be a good wake-up call, though, to not have them be a main staple in your diet. The price of bread and crackers is up almost 5% compared to last year. This is probably one of the items that will remain in the shopping cart but will make it harder for people to stay on budget.
