Americans Know Who’s Responsible For Their Astronomical Grocery Bills, And It Ain’t Putin

Every Sunday night, I do my grocery shopping for the week, and every time I do, I watch my bill get higher and higher. My grand total this week came to over $100: $62.62 at Aldi, which is known for its almost exclusively off-brand goods and low prices, and $41.23 at Woodman’s for all the things I couldn’t get at Aldi — like chicken because the poultry shelves were almost bare.

There were no extras in my cart — no bottles of wine or impulse desserts — just what I needed for standard meals, plus a pack of Aldi-brand paper towels and a case of the cheapest sparkling water. I carried all of the bags into my apartment in one trip.

This week’s total would have been even higher, but I’m still using up some items from last week. The grand total then was more than $180, with $100.71 at Aldi and $80.76 at Woodman’s. And I’m feeding only two people. Think about how those same numbers might affect a single mom, or how much higher those numbers are for a family of four, six, or eight.