Families Find Ways To Trim Back

Living in LoCo is Erica Garman's blog devoted to Loudoun County. You can find it at http://www.loudounextra.com. This column of highlights appears every Sunday.

The global economic crisis has many in our area worried about the future. Food prices are climbing, and our savings continue to decline. Even neighbors in well-to-do houses face the possibility of foreclosure, and whispers of impending company layoffs have many Loudouners scaling back and making do with less.

I stopped by Shoppers supermarket in Sterling's Sugarland Crossing recently to find out what customers had to say about these uncertain times.

Elaine Kiroff of Cascades said she's buying less at the grocery store and choosing the cheapest brands and meats available.

"Even the sliced ham I buy has jumped 40 percent since the last time I bought it," she said. "With gas prices less, why isn't the store lowering food prices?"

Kiroff, who said she hopes to put her house for sale in late February, is worried about spending extra money now, not knowing what the real estate market will be like in late winter.

"I'll definitely be spending less over the holidays; I still need to cover my credit card debt," she said.

Kristin Campbell of Herndon, a mother of four, said she usually doesn't buy groceries from Shoppers. But with the economy the way it is, she's looking for better food prices.

"We pay attention now," she said. "Constantly, we ask ourselves, 'Do we need it?' "

The Campbells are eating out less than they used to and scaling back on vacations. To save money, they go out of town with another family to share costs.

Kristie Galati of Sterling, a Potowmack Elementary School teacher, was grocery shopping with two of her three children. She said her family is buying more things in bulk at places such as Costco and cutting coupons for supplemental items to use at other grocery stores.

"We're eating out less, scaling back on vacations, and not going to the movies as much as we used to," Galati said.