I quit buying paper towels. I keep plenty of old dish towels and face clothes around and we use them. Red Baron frozen pizza that we normally got has gone from $4 to $6 so I’m making pizza from scratch now. Doesn’t save a whole lot due to the price of cheese but saves a little. I use cheap canned spaghetti sauce because pizza sauce is ridiculous in price.
I remember when a shopping cart full was $100 maybe 10 years ago and now, I could easily fit $300 in it and I’ve downgraded on things. Don’t buy brand names. Haven’t hardly had a tender steak in forever, t-bone, ribeye, KC strip etc. We mostly eat chicken for meat these days. Pork isn’t my favorite and my son hates it. Eating more beans + a grain, usually rice. Meatless meals or meat as a minor ingredient is a thing now.
I started using rags, clean rags from auto stores, washing them back in the TP crisis of 2020. Still do that but occasionally need the towels.
Like you i don’t buy name brand anything and keep stuff to a minimum but today was your lucky day because I just decided to buy the same way( almost) I bought a little over a year ago to price and compare. It was astounding and I bought some sale items but it was easily 50% higher and like towels and other items much smaller. Bread was smaller, way smaller, lighter.
I’m a good shopper, good cook so for now, things won’t change much. Probably by December I’ll feel the pinch or really have to start buying flour in bulk( etc) and see how it goes.