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It isn't just the price of one item which drives the cost up. It's the increased price of everything. The prices here haven't gone up as much per item, although the item sizes have decreased so if you figure it out by the ounce or pound, the price has about doubled in the past several months.
We have radically changed our shopping habits as well as where we shop. We now go to "Filipino stores" for our vegetables as well as farmer's markets. We've planted a lot of various edibles and we buy stuff from local suppliers some of whom are our neighbors. We not only get a good price but keep the money in the community, too.
Our grocery expenses have actually gone down lately. We just aren't paying the prices they are asking anymore.
A year ago my spending averaged $30 a week for groceries, now I am averaging $20 a week for groceries. The more food prices go up the less I buy, kind of strange how that works.
For that kind of budget I hope you're not buying too many dead foods, like crackers and chips, canned and frozen stuff, etc. But on that budget I don't know how you can afford fresh produce and fresh sources of protein. If I were spending that amount, it would go for whole grains, fresh fruit and greens, fresh fish, and little else.
1 - Food prices have been and will continue to increase.
2 - Mitigate the effects of 1 by learning how to store food long term. No longer the brand of nut-jobs and fringe conspiracy theorists, storing food is a smart way to save money and be prepared for the unexpected.
3 - profit!?!
1 - Food prices have been and will continue to increase.
2 - Mitigate the effects of 1 by learning how to store food long term. No longer the brand of nut-jobs and fringe conspiracy theorists, storing food is a smart way to save money and be prepared for the unexpected.
3 - profit!?!
When did canned soup go up to $1.00 or more for a 10.25 oz can???
And why is there a shortage of Cream of Celery soup now that I am looking for it???
Don't tell me prices aren't going up, I can see it for myself...
Some of the prices may not have changed but the size of the package sure has shrunk...
Location: where you sip the tea of the breasts of the spinsters of Utica
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The prices definitely leaped this month, even at Walmart. Everyone's talking about the higher price of coffee, but I also saw it in mayonnaise (about 50% higher), bread, and some cold cut meats (I hope no food cops are reading this!)
One nice surprise was that bags of medium/large frozen shrimp became more affordable.
Sam Walton giveth, and Sam Walton taketh away. He's up there! Or maybe down there.
The prices definitely leaped this month, even at Walmart...
You really can't determine that "prices definitely leaped this month" without evaluating the basket of goods. Psychologically, we notice the prices that rise but not the ones that fall or stay the same.
Moreover, the p% of your budget matters too. As an example, if housing costs fall a little but coffee rises a lot, you are better off because housing is 25% of regular people's budgets, while coffee is minor.
A factor that has not been mentioned here, is the subsidizing of the grocery market by the federal government, in the form of a huge increase in food stamps issued.
Not here to argue the moral/social factors about food stamps, but anytime the government subsidizes anything, the costs go up for those of us who are paying for it "out-of-pocket". The food companies don't care if those of us trying to stick to a budget bypass their rising prices. There are enough people being subsidized out there to take up the slack.
As usual, those at the top and bottom of the 'totem pole" reap the benefits. The average working people in the middle pay the tab.
Location: where you sip the tea of the breasts of the spinsters of Utica
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MTAtech
......Moreover, the p% of your budget matters too. As an example, if housing costs fall a little but coffee rises a lot, you are better off because housing is 25% of regular people's budgets, while coffee is minor.
So does that mean housing costs have fallen 25% for everyone? Woohooo! Someone forgot to tell my landlord, I'll have to call him today.
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Woohooo! Someone forgot to tell my landlord, I'll have to call him today.
