what dissappointed me about moving to East TN (Knoxville, Morristown: public schools, university)

[Beretta]

Originally Posted by mbmouse

Whites in North East TN sells their brand name milk (Whites) for $3.46 a gallon and it tastes (according to hubby and boys who drink it) just like Mayfields that is now selling for over $5.00 a gallon.
I too am a bargain shopper SmokymtnGal, so don't feel alone hehehehe
I also try to grocery shop once a week and do it all at once verses by a few things here and there every day or so. This does save money. I have a circle route I always take. I hit three stores in two days, buying meat in one place one day while I am in that area, dry staples in another and dairy in another. Saves gas and time which saves money. I am also very lucky to be 6 miles away from a VA grocery store where my office is. So that one day I buy meat, I buy it in VA. And seeing as I am feeding teenage boys, that saves me a lot!

I love White's! I have three dozen eggs from their store in my fridge right now! I wish they would come down here to Maryville. For now, I happily shop in the Kingsport store when I get up that way. I don't leave home without a cooler!!

As long as it is ok to say the name of the store (I am not affiliated with it), the farm stores in the Knoxville area are Weigel's. They are a Knoxville area icon. http://www.weigels.com/

[gemkeeper]

I am going to feel like a wet blanket at this party.

I just talked to the Dairy manager at the Lincoln Park, MI, a suburb of Detroit, Meijer store and milk is $2.77/gal. this week for the Meijer brand. (This was my old Meijer store many moons ago.)

But, we do not live on milk alone. I know from experience that prices on other necessities of life are more expensive in Michigan than Tennessee.

SMGal, I used to mix our milk, also. One half Carnation instant with a gallon of whichever one was on sale. With our 4 boys and hubby, too, being heavy milk drinkers, I easily went through 5 or 6 gallons a week.

And, on cookie baking days with all of the friends over - forget it. The gallon of milk was gone in 1/2 hour.

[MrsMtnsOnTheMind]

Anyone know why milk is so expensive?

The milk federation reported that U.S. dairy exports have risen 75 percent between 2003 and 2007. So who is drinking all our milk?

Chinese consumption of milk is up. Which means more people are demanding milk. In China, milk consumption has soared along with rising incomes, a massive expansion of the dairy industry and the increasing familiarity with -- and taste for -- non-native foods among young urbanites.

Another factor behind slowing U.S. milk production is the high price of corn, the primary feed for dairy cattle. Prices are up primarily because of the growth of the ethanol industry. The increase in gas and diesel prices is also affecting dairy farmers, which in turn affects the price of dairy products.

[AlisonL]

Originally Posted by SmokyMtnGal

I could go on and on about bargain shopping as it is a passion of mine...I'll shut up now

After we move, I will have to contact you for a list of your favorite bargain stores.

[gemkeeper]

Originally Posted by HengyMama

Anyone know why milk is so expensive?

The milk federation reported that U.S. dairy exports have risen 75 percent between 2003 and 2007. So who is drinking all our milk?

Chinese consumption of milk is up. Which means more people are demanding milk. In China, milk consumption has soared along with rising incomes, a massive expansion of the dairy industry and the increasing familiarity with -- and taste for -- non-native foods among young urbanites.

Another factor behind slowing U.S. milk production is the high price of corn, the primary feed for dairy cattle. Prices are up primarily because of the growth of the ethanol industry. The increase in gas and diesel prices is also affecting dairy farmers, which in turn affects the price of dairy products.

Too bad. This means that the Chinese will soon be also sharing the high incidence of heart disease, obesity and poor nutrition that Americans now have the market on.

Very few people realize, at least those I talk with, that it takes more energy (of which much is gas and oil) to produce ethanol than ethanol itself saves! It does burn cleaner, but not cheaper.

Let's feed those cows and drink more milk. (And, as SMG would say "Eat mo' chik'n!)

*Tried to give you a cookie for all of that great research, HengyMama, but was told to spread it around first! But, thanks so much anyhow.*

[Beretta]

Originally Posted by AlisonL

After we move, I will have to contact you for a list of your favorite bargain stores.

Looking forward to it.

[M TYPE X]

Tennessee is the South. Meijer doesn't even operate in Wisconsin. The stores here in mid-state Illinois remind me how much I hate shopping at both Meijer and Wal*Mart. You can always find what you want in Wal*Mart, whereas Meijer is less than 100% chance. Many KMarts in Michigan are in OK shape, but when I was living in Ohio, I managed to find ALL the scummy ones.

Milk is about $3 per gallon in Illinois.

[hjlacey]

I live in Rogersville and have found that I do bulk shopping in Bristol VA, and definately shop around for any other item then check in nearby VA to see if it will save more than the tax to run up there and buy it. My hubby has always shopped around and we have usually saved because of that.

[NCTarheel07]

Originally Posted by marmac

NCTarheel07 says ---I USED to live in SE Michigan.--$4.99 for store brand milk is crazy. Milk was always $2.79 a gallon at Meijers.

That is an unfair comparrison as dairy products ere sensitive to price swings and adjust quickly when the price goes up.
In order to be fair you should have posted the price of milk --TODAY--at Meijers in SE Michigan.

Yesterday, in the #1 dairy county in Minnesota, I purchased a half gallon of 2% milk and paid $2.49 . That is in line with what you are now paying in Eastern NC.
I would guess the price of milk today at Meijers in SE Michigan would be very close to what you are paying today in Eastern NC.

your wrong. When I moved from Eastern NC to Michigan in the late 80s, milk was still 2 dollars a gallon cheaper in MI than NC back then. I moved back to Eastern Carolina a couple years ago, and its still the same case. Like someone above mentioned, a gallon of milk in a mejer store south of detroit was 2.77 a gallon. Im talking about gallons, not half gallons. A half gallon here runs about what a full gallon does there.

Milk, dairy products and groceries are always cheaper in MI than in NC, TN or anywhere in the southeast or east coast in general. I guess it must just be a midwestern thing. There is more dairy production up there.

as for the cost of living, NC and TN have more taxes than I have ever seen in my life. Property is cheaper in these states, but the taxes sure aint. Tennessee has some of the highest taxes in the nation. They do have their excellent health care system to brag about, though. and good roads.

[gemkeeper]

NCTarheel, according to the Tax Foundation, which is kind of a data-collecting oversight organization, Tennessee ranks 48 out of 50 states for local and state tax burden, not including the federal taxes that all have to pay. And, yes, TN does have great roads and health care to boot.

As one might expect New York at #3 is up there with VT, #1 and ME, at #2 right at the top of the list of highest taxed states in the Union. I don't mind being way down on the list at 48th.

So, what on the surface seems to be major taxation is quite low in comparison to almost every other state in the country! Sounds good to me.

Actually, according to their statistics, you folks in NC are much heavier taxed than most Southern states with a ranking of 19th highest state and local taxes.


http://www.taxfoundation.org/news/show/335.html