By Keith Roysdon, Star Press
kroysdon@muncie.gannett.com
MUNCIE -- With sons Dennis and Keaton in tow, Dejai Trosper scoured the shelves of the Aldi grocery store on McGalliard Road on a recent Saturday.
Trosper filled her cart with food and household items from the grocery discount store and then reviewed her cash register receipt in the parking lot.
"I spent $73, but that will get us through two weeks," said Trosper, who works at Eaton EMTs and also has a younger son, Corbin, at home.
Trosper said she shops at Aldi "religiously. Every week."
Although gas prices have moderated in recent weeks, a year of ever-escalating costs -- for gas, for food, for almost everything -- has shoppers like Trosper increasingly looking for grocery bargains. According to the Consumer Price Index, the cost of food eaten at home rose more than 8 percent in the past year.
"I completely boycotted other stores," said Trosper, who said she stopped shopping at Marsh and even renowned discounter Walmart. "They're too expensive."