Inflation is a hot topic today with prices hitting an all-time high for numerous items. People are focused on creative ways to reduce their skyrocketing living expenses. On a recent trip to the grocery store, I overheard customers expressing frustration over the price of eggs, cereal, bread, ground beef, and other staples. No wonder food pantries and other charitable organizations are seeing a significant uptick in demand.
Sometimes today’s grocery shopping trips remind me of going to the Piggly Wiggly with my mother when I was a young child. It usually was on a Saturday since nearly all stores were closed Sundays. Prior to leaving home, Mother would make sure her hair was combed, applied a little bit of lipstick, wore a nice “house dress,” and made sure the seams in her nylons were straight. I was instructed not to wear “play clothes” and to make sure my hands and face were washed.
Mother’s mission was to buy a week’s worth of groceries for a family of 6 with the $25-$30 Dad left on the kitchen table earlier that morning. She was armed with a lengthy shopping list and a stash of coupons. Occasionally she’d buy the family a special treat like ice cream, doughnuts, or potato chips. One time I asked her to buy candy cigarettes for me. Big mistake. I received a stern lecture as to the total inappropriateness of my request while we were standing in the produce aisle. My ears burned and I was ticked.
Upon checkout, Mother put the coveted Green Stamps in her purse and a teenage boy carried several brown paper bags to the car. Arriving home, it was my job to help carry the groceries from the basement garage, up the steep stairs, to the kitchen.
Things are different at the grocery store today. Credit cards and plastic bags are the norm and shopping lists and coupons are accessed on our phone. The weekly grocery tab for a family can run more than $200, even when the kids qualify for free or reduced-price school lunches. Hats off to folks who are doing a good job budgeting their money and being creative during these very challenging times of runaway inflation.
What memories do you have as a child in a grocery store?
