Shoppers scrimp as food prices rise

[UpInArms]

Source: Reuters

SECAUCUS, New Jersey (Reuters) - Patricia Norris' family is feeling the one-two punch of higher fuel and food prices.

Her husband works as messenger, driving around to deliver packages. But the job is not as profitable as it once was because rising fuel prices are eating into his earnings.

With money tight and food prices rising, Norris can no longer afford to buy beef and chicken on a regular basis.

"We buy meat only for special occasions. Like for Easter, we had a ham," she said after a shopping trip at her local Wal-Mart in Romeoville, a mixed blue- and white-collar suburb of Chicago.

Norris must purchase only what is on her shopping list, to avoid spending more than she can afford.

"Sometimes I cry," she said, when she passes items on store shelves she can no longer buy.

Across the United States, consumers like Norris are finding that grocery shopping has become a sobering experience as their budgets fail to keep pace with food costs.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSN0221593620080404?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews&sp=true

[Purveyor]

1. "We buy meat only for special occasions...." This is America? God Damn the politician and robber

barron's. They are for the most part, one of the same.

Just how long do we allow this to continue? When we are all in the bread/soup lines....

[roseBudd]

2. I buy cheap tough beef & pork & it spends about 8 hours in a slow cooker...

Cheaper cuts can actually be more flavorful.

I am glad that I read Diet For a Small Planet, it helped me to realize nutritional denisity. I learned that milk, eggs & legumes & grains were some of the best buys. When I was a poor college student I would buy a pint of milk for lunch. I never are Ramen noodles because I was cooking brown rice.

[Purveyor]

3. One of the best purchases I ever made was a meat grinder with all attachments at a yard sale

Regardless of the cut, trim the fat and put it through the grinder and 'its all tender'!

[Warpy]

5. I eat very little meat

but I confess I'm a sucker for the frozen fish at Costco. I do a package of one variety or the other a month and that's pretty much it for flesh food.

Still, even though I can well afford a meat diet for the first time in ten years, I've just gotten into the habit of cooking the cheap stuff. I have learned to love beans and brown rice and roasted veggies. I love spring rolls with lots of cheap cabbage, leftover rice, cellophane noodles and fried tofu and dipped into a hot chile and peanut sauce.

Meat three times a day is really unnecessary and most people will be a lot healthier if they start cooking the cheap stuff and using meat as a flavoring instead of the main event with fries.

Busy people get into the bad habit of too much fast food and too much processed food. People who are feeling strapped are on the steep side of a learning curve right now as they figure out how to get nutrition for pennies rather than an easy but unhealthy food fix for too much money.

Best thing that they can do is buy a big general cookbook.

[Lorien]

54. I throughly agree. My dad has always been a "meat with every meal" kind

of guy, like so many Americans. It didn't effect him much before he hit middle age. By his 50s his food habits caught up with him. Now heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes have made a huge impact on his day to day life. My mom, by comparison, eats what many people might think of as a "third world diet". Part of it was inspired by her time spent as a missionary in a remote area of China. Her diet is VERY similar to yours, and her health is ideal. She almost never even catches a cold, and at 65 she can still spend a day in the hot sun roofing a house or doing other heavy construction (a hobby of hers). She weighs what she did in college and moves like a 25 year old. The contrast between she and my father (they have been divorced for decades) is enormous, and diet is the primary difference between them.

If you think about it, throughout much of history our ancestors only ever ate meat on weekends or holidays. It was expensive. It wasn't until the middle of the last century that meat became an addition to every meal (thanks to factory farming, which is a horror for the animals involved, and none to healthy for us). If people look to non-processed whole grains, fruits and veggies for the bulk of their meals they'll not only be saving their bank accounts, but their health too.

[Gonnuts]

14. and the 8 hours of energy offset any savings ...

like building bigger smokestacks to cure air-pollution ... pay $1.29 for meat and spend $5 cooking it in addition to adding to environmental repercussions ... makes sense to me ...

[roseBudd]

24. It does not cost $5 to use a slow cooker - cooking for 8 hours uses 560-watt hours of electrici

[Art_from_Ark]

82. In other words, that's about half a kilowatt-hour

If your electricity is 20c/kwh, then it would cost barely more than a dime to slow-cook your meal.

[TommyO]

38. Care to provide some proof for your $5 figure?

[BryMan]

53. I found a great deal today

Boneless pork loins 1.49 lb in a mom and pop in New Hampshire. For some reason pork loins are less desirable cuts, but I find them alot better tasting.

[Akoto]

4. I have been making a lot of soups/stews lately.

They are nutritious, and they're a good way to stretch a buck. They make the cheaper cuts of meat a lot tastier to eat, too. I prepared beef vegetable stew a few days ago. It was dinner that night, and I also got a lunch and a second dinner out of it. It gets boring, but it's better than going hungry.

[BattyDem]

6. Soups, stews, and stir-fry for us, too.

Cheaper cuts of beef are fine because of the longer cooking time. (For stir fry, I'll often braise the meat until it's tender and then add it to some stir-fried veggies.) I look for recipes that allow me to take about a pound of meat and make a hearty meal simply by adding some veggies, rice or pasta. If I make fried rice or pasta primavera (with frozen veggies), I don't even need the meat. Like you, we get two dinners and a lunch out of every dish. If there's still a bit left over after that, I'll freeze it and have it for lunch the following week. I try not to waste ANYTHING because the food is so damn expensive! :-(

edited: typo :blush:

[roseBudd]

25. Insterad of traditional stew vegetables, I am microwaving store brand bags of mixed veggies

to fold in at the end so they aren't overcooked, using a lebanese spice miuxture from Gardenia called Soluk and serving on rice. Different veggies make it seem less boring

[The Doctor.]

7. Crazy as it sounds...$30 worth of "Chinese" food with veggies, chicken,

and rice will feed my family of five for three to four days.

Funny how that works.

We still do beef on Friday and Fish on Sunday, but stringing everything out on rice, pasta, and peppers is very cost effective.


We know the engineering that limits our choices. We don't have to budget that way... but not doing so is foolish.

[struggle4progress]

8. Guns? Or butter?

[barb162]

9. I have noticed prices almost doubling on many items in the last year.

[Vodid]

10. So, Meat is one of our American rights...

Surely we live in the land of privilege when the poor can complain that they are not eating enough meat. Jeez, give me a f*ckn break.

[NMDemDist2]

11. did you read the article?? these aren't "the poor" these are middle class

working families.

nice compassion there

:eyes:

[Vodid]

17. Eating Meat; rich, middle class or poor

I don't care what economic class you are in, eating meat uses significantly more resources than eating plants. In terms of our limited resources, you can easily draw a comparison to someone driving a gas guzzler to a person that eats an "American portion" of meat. Very few on DU support gas guzzlers.

[NMDemDist2]

41. I have no argument there, but that's not what you said n/t

[Lorien]

57. I agree. A truth many don't want to face is that beef contributes more to

climate change than automobiles do: http://www.mcspotlight.org/media/reports/beyond.html

[LanternWaste]

48. Privilege is a rather relative concept...

Seems to me that meat was merely an illustrated facet of a much larger problem-- people are having a much more difficult time purchasing groceries.

I either missed the phrase in the story, "Meat is one of our American rights..." or you have a keen grasp of over-dramatizing a smaller point to drown out the actual implied summation of the story...

Privilege is a rather relative concept.

[Baby Snooks]

12. I've been rich and I've been poor and...

Being poor wasn't really so bad. Until the past year or so when the electric bill began to get quite scary and the grocery store wasn't following the Wal-Mart example and prices kept going up instead of going down. And it will only get worse.

As diesel continues to climb so will everything else. Even restaurants are getting hit. By the higher prices they pay and the higher prices they must charge their customers who as the months go by are noticeably fewer and fewer. Be prepared for higher electric bills this summer as well. Most providers around the country use natural gas to generate electricity. And natural gas is higher this year and will be even higher during the summer. I learned years ago that heavy drapes work wonders during the summer as well as the winter. Any windows that let light in also let heat in. A light bulb uses far less energy than the air conditioning unit. Discover the joy of vegetarianism. Cheaper and in some ways more nutritious. Discover legumes. High in complete proteins. Just like meat. But without all the fat.

If you order delivery, keep in mind they are paying more for their gas. Tip a little extra. Same with wait staff when you eat out if you are among the lucky ones who still can.

And buy rice now. It will go up. Significantly according to some. As will most produce. Rice is a wonderful staple. Per serving, one of the cheapest and yet one of the most nutritious. And one of the most versatile. Casseroles, soups, you name it.

And most of all remember to donate directly to your food pantries - most have to buy their inventory from food banks which few realize. Which makes your direct donation of food that much nicer. Check with them and see what their needs are. Most supply personal care products as well.

If you run low, remember those food pantries. Most are very aware of how even the "middle class" is struggling. They are there for everyone. Especially those they know have given to them directly and hopefully will give to them again when they can.

Happy days are not coming back for many Americans. Not for awhile anyway. We have to take care of ourselves. But also each other.

[Gonnuts]

16. Jesus-H-Fuck'n Christ!!!

The economy is in a free-fall into a depression (you can forget "recession" - we passed that a year ago)and instead of talking about tearing down the walls of the White House and dragging the cretins out that caused all this as they stuff their pockets with billions, you fucking people start trading recipes!!!

What in the fucking world is wrong with you people?!!! It's gotten to the point that I want to see this spoiled, pamper, lame-ass, ignorant, delusion populace brought down to 3rd world status! What the fuck is it going to take? After nuclear bombs hit Tehran and gas soars to $8 gal? What kind of fucking recipes are you going to be trading then? Perhaps someone can post the finer art of garbage picking? Maybe you can dial-in the White House web-site and get a few tips on how bush eats pheasant while we eat crow.

28% of Americans are now on Food Stamps - 28% - and that's just beginning - where does this have to get before you physically march down to your reps office and DEMAND they start doing their jobs? 35%? 50%? 75%? Where is the point civil disobedience kicks in?

This week will mark the 5th anniversary of the fall of Baghdad - how you going to spend it? Like you did with the 5th anniversary of the stat of this fucking illegal war - doing fucking nothing - because the turn-out in D.C. was pathetic - as all you are! Start doing something!!!

aah, fucking never mind ... go eat your lentil soup and suck on a ham bone ...

If not you? Who?

If not now? When?

[Delphinus]

20. You get it, Gonnuts.

Thanks for slapping us with some reality!!

[JNelson6563]

21. You make valid points

Indeed it will take more than trading recipes to address the situation we are in.

I am very involved in politics, mostly local and state, it takes a great deal of time and effort. To put life on hold for a couple or few days to go protest in DC is not something I can afford to do and I am sure this applies to many DUers.

While your points are valid and could be the sort of thing to incite action, such comments would have to be followed up with suggested action to be effective.

Lastly, remember that many Americans are so busy coping with the changes faced in daily life just to survive, taking action agaisnt the government is not the first idea that occurs. That tends to come (if history is any kind of gauge) when the people (enough of them) have reached the end of their rope. When there have been enough foreclosures, enough families losing everything and enough people starting to go hungry THEN will you see people taking to the streets. We have a long way to go. Before we get to that point, during the in-between time, first there will be that increase in the crime rate. Poverty and desperation levels usually play into the crime rate dramatically.

So while I share your sentiment that it is time for the clarion call to action, I can tell you that conditions are not yet where they need to be for such a thing to happen. There still needs to be an even sharper upturn on the misery charts.

Julie

[llmart]

51. Both of you are correct......

I'm as angry as gonnuts but I also observe the people around me every day and there are still many, many people out there shopping at the upscale stores. All of those people aren't rich. They are merely ignorant middle class people who are still trying to live off credit. They just don't think anything could happen to their way of life. JNelson is also correct in that it hasn't affected enough people yet. However, having said that, what is the definition of "enough"? Is it just that those people are not being shown on our corporate news stories? When they start showing these types of people as human interest stories every single night at dinner time, then maybe you'll see more action.

I get angry at some DU'ers also. I'm a baby boomer and we raised hell when we were young and we saw inequities in our country. I don't see that with the current younger people, many of which are here on DU.

You don't have to march in Washington to do something. Make one phone call to your representatives in Washington. Send them an email. Write a letter. I don't care if your reps are Dems.

[Frank Cannon]

22. Word up, bro.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Zorra]

23. C'mon, chill out. We still have to eat while we sharpen our pitchforks

and march toward the Bastille.

[NM Independent]

27. I hear ya man, I really do,...

but you're forgetting that a lot of us here - even those downthread trading recipes - realize exactly what is at stake, and exactly who's to blame. You're preaching to the choir. However, some of us in the choir are walking a financial tight rope. A few hundred dollars bail, should I get arrested while protesting, would sink my family. We'd be homeless, and I have a son and a pregnant wife to think about. Not to mention that some of us live in the boonies, and going somewhere that a protest would do any good or get any attention could cost at least a couple hundred with gas prices how they are - for me anyway. This exact situation is exactly what "they" had in mind. How better to keep us from being a problem? It royally pisses me off, but I quite frankly can't do a fucking thing about it.

We know what's coming. There is a real problem out there now - and a growing problem in the future as we march to that 3rd world nation you mentioned - in that the majority of people are going to starve if they don't figure out how to eat cheap in a big hurry. When food and gas get too expensive, the restaurants, fast food franchises, and even some grocery stores will get so expensive they'll lose too much of their profits and have to shut down. Less competition will mean that the remaining local establishments can jack the prices yet a little higher. To add to the problem, the minimum wage working poor will face inflation like has never been seen. Of course, with so many business closing down there is no way it will be increased either. This nation has been so damn spoiled that when that happens people are going to be left looking around at each other, like, "what do we do now?"

When that happens, those who know exactly "what we do now," and those who they spread the word too who have a good idea, will be that much better off. Hopefully, they won't be one of the millions (billions? - it will be global after all) of people to die because they couldn't quite figure it out and starved to death. So, don't get so mad at people trying to preemptively save some lives. It's better than the other preemptive stuff we've dealt with until now.

Oh, and expect to see every meat worthy animal to be hunted out of existence. They are free if you poach, after all, and there will be too many people doing it to catch even a fraction of them (like pot now). Everything from coyotes to bears, antelope to bison, boars to mustangs, fish to birds, bugs to snakes, and yes, even rats and mice. The munitions industry will be very happy, and ammo will be expensive, so that's one more reason to buy as much as you can now while it's still cheap.

P.S. I can get a little crazy with my theories, so I guess I should have told you to put on your :tinfoilhat: Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean I'm wrong though. In fact, I'm usually right more accurate in my predictions than most "psychics" are with their theirs. I predicted the subprime meltdown 6 years ago when it started getting way to easy to get a house with ARMs and home prices started increasing too fast. It was an obvious bubble to me.

Sheesh...I talk to fracking much...sorry.

[Psephos]

28. Your stats are wrong

It's 28 million people, not 28% of the population. Works out to about 9% of the population. Historically, that's not aberrant.

Also, the official measure of recession is two consecutive quarters of negative growth in GDP. The U.S. has yet to post even one quarter of negative GDP.

I'm in Michigan. We've been living for five years with what everyone else is just starting to experience. We seem to get by.

Meanwhile, I notice that everyone posting here has a computer, electricity to run it, and seems to have had dinner last night.

Let's get a Dem in the White House this November and quit with this "we're entitled to a soft life" mentality. We're not. Progress is relative. We can do better than what we've done. Much better. That should be our first goal.

[chat_noir]

32. Bureau of Economic Analysis - Recession: How is that defined?

In general usage, the word recession connotes a marked slippage in economic activity. While gross domestic product (GDP) is the broadest measure of economic activity, the often-cited identification of a recession with two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth is not an official designation. The designation of a recession is the province of a committee of experts at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), a private non-profit research organization that focuses on understanding the U.S. economy. The NBER recession is a monthly concept that takes account of a number of monthly indicators—such as employment, personal income, and industrial production—as well as quarterly GDP growth. Therefore, while negative GDP growth and recessions closely track each other, the consideration by the NBER of the monthly indicators, especially employment, means that the identification of a recession with two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth does not always hold. For information on recession, or business-cycle, dating (rest here: http://www.nber.org/cycles/jan08bcdc_memo.html)

http://tinyurl.com/6mwv8t


NBER:

A recession is a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, normally visible in real GDP, real income, employment, industrial production, and wholesale-retail sales. A recession begins just after the economy reaches a peak of activity and ends as the economy reaches its trough. Between trough and peak, the economy is in an expansion. Expansion is the normal state of the economy; most recessions are brief and they have been rare in recent decades.

In choosing the dates of business-cycle turning points, we follow standard procedures to assure continuity in the chronology. Because a recession influences the economy broadly and is not confined to one sector, we emphasize economy-wide measures of economic activity. We view real GDP as the single best measure of aggregate economic activity. In determining whether a recession has occurred and in identifying the approximate dates of the peak and the trough, we therefore place considerable weight on the estimates of real GDP issued by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The traditional role of the committee is to maintain a monthly chronology, however, and the BEA's real GDP estimates are only available quarterly. For this reason, we refer to a variety of monthly indicators to determine the months of peaks and troughs.

The committee places particular emphasis on two monthly measures of activity across the entire economy: (1) personal income less transfer payments, in real terms and (2) employment. In addition, we refer to two indicators with coverage primarily of manufacturing and goods: (3) industrial production and (4) the volume of sales of the manufacturing and wholesale-retail sectors adjusted for price changes. We also look at monthly estimates of real GDP such as those prepared by Macroeconomic Advisers (see http://www.macroadvisers.com). Although these indicators are the most important measures considered by the NBER in developing its business cycle chronology, there is no fixed rule about which other measures contribute information to the process.

The committee’s approach to determining the dates of turning points is retrospective. We wait until sufficient data are available to avoid the need for major revisions. In particular, in determining the date of a peak in activity, and thus the onset of recession, we wait until we are confident that, even in the event that activity begins to rise again immediately, it has declined enough to meet the criterion of depth. As a result, we tend to wait to identify a peak until many months after it actually occurs.


http://www.nber.org/cycles/jan08bcdc_memo.html

[DemocratInSoCal]

42. Right On!!!

You said it all. THEY just have too much power. We have so little control as individuals. And since they can FIX the vote when they want, and RIG the media to SPIN for them, what can we do?

There are far too many IDIOTS out there, and the fact he can even get 28% approval, makes me SICK! That's still over 1 in 3, and AFTER WHAT HE'S FUCKING DONE????!!!!

JESUS H. FUCKING CHRIST Is Right!

[bdamomma]

46. civil disobedience is way over due, to these thugs.

how much more are we going to let them abuse us all, I find them truly disgusting and insulting us all.

[Juneboarder]

50. You must feel really tough...

I know... it does indeed make you such a bigger person when you cuss to emphasize your point.

Honestly, though, I do agree with a large amount of what you have to say, but there must be a way to convey your message without attacking everyone, especially those that truly feel the way you do. I can point out many people here on DU that are NOT pathetic and truly good, honest people.

But thank you for your insight :)

[Zhade]

70. I think you're mistaking "toughness" for legitimate frustration.

NT!

[fascisthunter]

74. You Definitely Get It

:toast:

[crim son]

78. Reading your post I feel all the anger I've been holding in.

There's a reason we aren't doing anything: it won't make any fucking difference. That's the perception, anyway. I know that I feel completely hopeless. I can march and hold signs and boycott and write letters to the paper and vote and put signs in my yard and nothing seems to change.

Nevertheless, your point is taken.

[dysfunctional press]

83. been there, done that...

even though i am permanently and totally disabled with an extremely painful spinal condition- i felt it was important to drive to dc to protest at the coronation of the coup in january 2001. i thought that there would be millions upon millions there to protest and possibly even take back the country before the criminals could even get started.

but it didn't happen.
people didn't care, and they still don't.

and it's getting to the point that i don't either, anymore.

[NashVegas]

76. You Will Find Being Poor Isn't What It Used to Be

When you hit a certain age, social opportunities = career opportunities, and a busy social life comes with certain expenses.

Maybe it wasn't always like this... but I sort of doubt it.

[NJCher]

13. cost of wheat has doubled since the first of the year

Here's something I'll bet most of you don't know: how much flour costs for a loaf of bread. Here's how I found out yesterday.

We were flipping through the channels at lunch and saw a segment about the people in food service and how they have had to cope with the rising prices. They showed a loaf of artisan bread priced at $7.95. I asked my spouse, who is in the gourmet food field, how much the wheat for such a loaf of bread cost. He said about 40 cents.

At that point, I said I was glad I had purchased a new bread machine. The recipe book showed how the crusty, rustic breads could be made.

The price of wheat is likely to go very high as I have read in the news that a certain type of disease (rust) is attacking wheat in overseas markets. It will probably spread here. Wheat would be a good product to stockpile in the freezer, if you have the space. BTW, a full freezer burns less electricity than a partially full one.



Cher

[davsand]

34. The "middle man" is making out like a bandit.

Cher, you make a very good point in your post, and this in nothing new. The guy who produces the food very often is not the one getting rich when the prices go up at the grocery store. Thirty years ago the farmers were talking about farm subsidies and the rallying cry was "parity not charity." Not much has changed since then, I guess.

If it costs more to produce it very often the last ones to see any increase in profit are the guys growing it.



Laura

[Joe Bacon]

39. Cher, the best thing I did was buy a bread machine!

I was having major problems with my blood sugar levels because I would eat Roman Meal bread, not realizing that it's loaded with high fructose corn syrup! Now I make my own whole wheat bread and I know what ingredients go into it!

[Manifestor_of_Light]

63. I make my own bread in a large Cuisinart.

Great stuff.

[Gonnuts]

15. Rock Bottom

at end of article a women states that she hopes it doesn't get any worse and we've hit "rock bottom".

we haven't begun to see rock bottom - let me inform you of where we're at ...

when a tsunami hits water at first rushes from shoreline out to sea before a titanic wave comes roaring in - we're in that state now ... this is just beginning - what is about to happen over next year will be of things from nightmares

and of course what are Americans doing? are they taking to streets demanding their government start acting like one? why, nooooo ... they're shopping at Wal-Mart! further destroying the very economy they'd wish to do better ...

a very hard rain is about to fall and very few are prepared

[kaygore]

18. Ironically, in the long run, less meat and pre-made foods will be healthier

The less expensive food very often is the more nutritious and making food from scratch can be also as well as much less expensive. Guess we are going to have to relearn how to live like the rest of the world!

[Bluenorthwest]

33. Actually I think

Less trucks and more home grown foods will be healthier!

Food not lawns, grow don't mow!
Grow what you can, can what you grow!

[bklyncowgirl]

19. Food gets carried on trucks. Trucks run on diesel. Diesel is $4.00/gallon

Get the connection.

[BreweryYardRat]

26. Is NJ getting hit really hard or something?

I can get a pound of shoulder chop beef here in FL for $3. Cheap, quick-cooking, and tasty. Even with country-wide pricing differences, that shouldn't be suddenly out of reach for most people.

[LostinVA]

29. Thank the gods for Trader Joe's

Although, even some of their prices are getting high (for them).

Haruka doesn't eat meat, but I do, and I'm not eating quite as much as usual.

[Psephos]

30. Amen! n/t

[HockeyMom]

31. COSTCO

We go about once every 6 weeks and buy our meat and chicken at COSTCO. I put them in portions for 2 in food saver bags in the freezer. I make a lot of stir fry and salads using only a small amount of meat.

Unfortunately, there isn't much I can do about the cost of veggies. Since we are only a household of 2, I cannot buy produce in bulk. That is very expensive, especially considering that I now live in Florida. I was shocked to see how expensive fresh fruits and veggies are here in comparison to up North. Why? It's grown here!

What is cheap is Gulf Shrimp, especially when on sale. I buy that also and since it is very large, we only eat maybe 3 or 4 each in a salad or stir fry.

[Lorien]

56. Costco has some of the best prices on organic fruits and veggies-juices too

I have some friends and neighbors who buy with me at Costco. I have an executive membership, which costs $100 per year, but by sharing it with friends and neighbors I get about $150 back at the end of the year and my friends get huge savings on their grocery bills. Costco has been adding more and more organic and "green" items to their stores. I huge container of organic baby spinach costs less there than a tiny bag does at Publix.

[file83]

60. That box of organic green leaf salad for $3.96 that lasts me a week.

Gotta eat those greens!!!

[Zhade]

71. Is it true organic, though?

I've heard about the "relaxed" labeling standards and all.

[Historic NY]

35. Yes sir them Republicans will fix our economic woes...........

more tax cuts, renew the tax cuts, buy the election with rebates, people will think they are getting something.

[mainegreen]

36. The only reason we're doing ok there is we cut out the middle man.

Buying direct from the farmer or the rancher/pig farmer.

However, it used to be that saved us money. Now it just means we're back where we were.

[spinbaby]

37. I don't believe this thread

This family is having trouble affording food and we're telling them they shouldn't be eating meat anyway? Whether or not they eat meat is beside the point--they're a working family on the financial edge. We should be talking about the policies that brought them to this, not telling them to dine more ecologically or shop at Costco.

[annonymous]

40. I have been scrimping for some time now.

I am going to try to plant more stuff in my garden. Fresh produce costs are outrageous. I buy meats at Costco when I can but have been avoiding frozen dinners and convenience foods. Most foods I buy are generic with few name brand items except Ragu spagetti sauce and Heinz catsup. I have cut back on buying milk too.

[Summer93]

43. We could teach

I am now realizing that the younger generation has not learned how to cook nor garden. They spend their time socializing.

What happens when a young family gets into a place where they cannot afford to purchase fast food? They do not have the alternative to go home and cook their own food - they don't know how. They can't grow their own food - they have no clue what a carrot is let alone how/where it grows as it not part of the fast food menu so, why would they look for it.

Perhaps as a senior there will be a place for teaching the present generation how to cook and how to garden and what bounty of food they can bring from the dirt.

As I am on my last legs I get Meals on Wheels delivered to me. I really enjoy some of the old recipes that come to my door created locally by some wonderful people. Salmon casserole, clam casserole, stuffed peppers, corn pudding and of course, hot dogs and beans with brown bread, turkey with mashed potatoes.

How many young people would enjoy salmon casserole made from canned salmon? Most of them would turn their noses up to fish unless it is deep fried and between two buns with the special sauce.

[llmart]

52. Amen!

I am always amazed (I'm 59) at the numbers of younger people who don't have a clue how to cook or bake or sew or grow vegetables. How did that happen? My two grown children both know how to cook and put a meal on the table. They also know how to budget their money.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

64. Check out your state's Extension Service.

Search nationwide for your Extension Service Agents
USDA Website:
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/index.html

Every county in Texas has a Home Demonstration Agent and an Agricultural Agent. They will teach you how to grow plants, flowers, crops, animals, and how to cook, sew, can, freeze food, and do all sorts of things. They do this free of charge.

Two of my grandparents were County Agents in Mississippi and then they came to Texas and were County Agents in Texas. They taught an awful lot of people skills to keep from starving to death.

[NickB79]

44. And we're converting 25% of the corn crop to ethanol each year

Boy, are our priorities fucked up or what?

[9outof10]

66. That figure is reaching 50%

Now animal feed costs more. So now the costs all dairy, meat and grain products have risen considerably. For what? Ethanol? It lowers our gas mileage. Ruins our vehicles not made to run on it. All the diesel (at $4.39 a gallon) equipment used to harvest it cause more carbon emissions than we are saving.

The only politicians I am going to blame are the ones that are pushing for this.

[Megahurtz]

45. And if McCain gets in there

it will only get much, much worse.

I don't think he's McSame, I think he's McWorse. :scared:

[bdamomma]

47. no matter what we think about our candidates we have to vote

in a Dem. The world will be watching us very closely, cause whatever we do affects them too.

[KamaAina]

49. Oddly enough, I have not noticed a drastic increase out here

on the one hand, one way I can tell that the national economy is in the crapper is that we stop getting as many specials* (translation: we'll give you the mainland price just for this week).

On the other hand, prices out here were already off the charts. It sounds like the Patricia Norrises of the world are being introduced to Hawai'i-style "sticker shock".

[FlyingSquirrel]

55. I went shopping today

I make pretty good money. My wife, not great but she likes her job (unlike me). We've been living pretty well though. But the food prices are finally hitting home even with me. I almost bought a couple of take-and-bake pizzas from the grocery store - they looked yummy. But they were 10 bucks each. A few months ago I probably wouldn't have batted an eye, but today I put them back and bought a few smaller cheap frozen ones. I tended to buy orange juice in the big plastic or milk cartons.. today I bought it frozen for the first time in I can't remember how long. I debated over some tortillas because some prices were listed by pound and some by ounce. Awhile ago I'd have just shrugged and gotten whatever looked like a reasonable price, but today I got out the calculator and figured out which was really cheaper. Passed by the yogurt, it was too expensive. Everything seemed expensive to me. And like I said, we're not really hurting for money although we are $20,000 or so in debt and don't own a home. Hate to think what someone getting food stamps is going through.

[yorkiemommie1]

77. $4.79 for 10 burrito size flour tortillas at my market

That was a couple months ago. I put them down, went next door to Target and paid 3 dollars less for the same thing.

We do a lot of produce shopping at our 99cent store. Their produce is fabulous and same brands as in our market.

[cliss]

58. I'm going to take issue with several comments on this thread ~

1. Re: meat. Why is eating meat considered a necessity? There are plenty of countries where people have never even eaten a piece of meat. There are many, many cultures where it's considered a luxury. Even in Europe where I grew up, we ate many meals without meat, or we ate fish. When we did have meat, it was in small portions.

2. A vegetarian diet is better anyway. The facts are in. A diet heavy in meat is bad for you (lots of grease in the arteries). Also, I believe it takes something like 10 lbs. of grain to produce 1 lb. of beef (?). Also, beefs are a drain on the environment.

3. Grains / beans. There are plenty of grains which have more protein than meat. I believe pinto beans are 52% protein. A meal of rice & beans is a complete protein. The idea that we "need" meat is nonsense. Besides, the food industry is coming up with meat substitutes which are incredibly yummy (like Garden Burger, Boca, Morningstar Farm, Chik Patties they're better than greasy meat).

4. Why aren't we grabbing our Pitch Forks?
Look, we're going through an economic meltdown. There's not really much any of us can do. The absolute BEST Thing for us to do is to have our own personal HOUSE in order. And that means cutting back, laying low, surviving this thing. You don't think that has an effect on Washington?

[eilen]

59. I don't think at issue is eating meat vs. vegetarianism

The point is that most people can't afford their average weekly grocery bill. It has gone up.


Gardenburger, Boca burger, Morningstar Farms--- those are even more expensive than meat. They had the Morning Star Farms patties on sale-- 4 patties for 3.29 vs. regular price of 3.99.

I purchase frozen (Ezekiel) sprouted wheat bread for my husband and I and it hasn't gone up in price like the bagged "fresh" bread-- they are starting to be about the same in price. $3.99 a loaf for the sprouted grain bread. I am thinking next time I go to the co-op, I'll pick up some bulk grains and sprout them and see if I can't make a loaf myself. My son will only eat white bread--and sometimes I eat it too. I dusted off my old bread machine-- to start. As I get a bit more confident, I'll start making it without the machine.

I can certainly see the difference in my weekly shopping the past few months. I cleaned up our old freezer, that I had empty and unplugged to save on energy and plugged it back in. I'll be picking more items up extra from now on and freeze; make up homemade pizza crust, partially bake, then freeze for homemade pizzas, surplus veggies and fruits, growing a garden this year too.

We have cut down on our meat consumption, we make it stretch. I almost always take a portion and hide it from the guys (my dh and ds) for dh's lunch the next day. We make "Eternal Soup" that is bean based and receives our leftovers. I heat a thermos full every am for dh's lunch.

I am very frustrated by the weather. It is still so cold for April. Today it rained all day and was so damp and chilled. We are Zone 4/5.

[Systematic Chaos]

62. Definitely make your own bread.

Also, consider hanging around a bit on www.vegweb.com for a while and check out the recipes for "burgers" made out of beans, tofu, TVP, etc.... You can make really tasty patties for about 20 cents a pop if you use the right recipe.

Tofu, by itself, tastes like shit. Tofu, when used properly in a recipe, is divine.

I'm about 97% meat free right now, and about 90% dairy free. In the next couple shopping trips both of those numbers will approach 100%. I have no regrets, and our food bills are dropping.

[eilen]

65. We sure could cut down on the amount of meat we do eat and

I have stopped drinking milk although my dh and son still do. I use the almond milk. I do still eat cheese-- I love a grilled cheese sandwich and pizza, plus parmesan cheese... yum. I don't think I could give up cheese. I think I digest it better because it is has been fermented.

Thanks for the link, I will check it out!

[Zhade]

72. I disagree. Morningstar is NASTY. Tastes awful.

There's a type called Quourn (sp?) that Whole Foods carries that tastes astoundingly like real chicken, made primarily from mushrooms (I love 'shrooms).

But I take issue with your arteries comment, because as an unrepentant omnivore I eat a fair bit of meat, yet my doctors have proclaimed my heart/bp/etc to be pretty much perfect despite my weight.

It's not always as universal as you suggest.

[Miss Carly]

61. I have resorted to only buying meat in family packs

meat and chicken, then I go home and break them down into multiple meals and freeze them. DH noticed there was not as much hambuger in the spaghetti, I told him that he might as well get used to it.
Carly

[FarCenter]

67. Until sales of bottled water and soft drinks decline, I'm not taking this seriously

Two products with no nutritional value that continue to do well.

[Zhade]

73. Spring water actually has nutritional value, but purified water is useless.

What we need is improved city water - there's a legitimate reason we in L.A. have to buy water (the city swill is delivered in concrete pipes and picks up a LOT of magnesium, making it taste like shite).

[Terran]

68. Just an observation--local anecdote

I just recently started working a part-time job (on top of my full-time) at a local grocery store--big chain in the Midwest. I'm working as a checker, and worked yesterday, a Saturday, very busy day as you might expect, for food shopping. I was shocked to see that nearly half the card transactions I processed were paid with credit cards, not debit cards.

Things have been tight lately for my partner and I, so we've resorted to credit to buy food here and there--that's partly why I got the second job, so that could stop. But I somehow figured I was the only one doing it! It's been quite an eye-opener.

[FarCenter]

69. Credit Cards versus Debit Cards

Credit card have much better consumer protection features than debit cards.

If you pay them in full every month, there is no interest charge.

Some credit cards have no annual fee and also offer cash-back rebate features of up to 3%.

Don't get one with an annual fee, and don't get one that gives the "rebates" in points or airline miles -- they are both rip-offs to be avoided.

Of course, the last thing you should do is actually use credit cards for borrowing money.

[ret5hd]

80. Just a question on this...

I have a card w/ no annual fee, and i pay in full every month (so no interest from me either)

But it does have "points". So how am i being "ripped off"?

[FarCenter]

81. You get more back with cash rewards

The 1% cash back is a better deal for you.

The points can be redeemed for air travel or for merchandise or for gift cards that the bank gets for less than the 1%. Look at the catalog of merchandise rewards. Typically they are requiring points equivalent to the full MSRP and the merchandise is often older models being discontinued.

Besides which, some of the cash back cards will give you 2 or 3% back on part of your charges.

[Zhade]

75. A snapshot of our fucked-up priorities...

(Don't get me wrong, I love the internet.)

[DiverDave]

79. Wanna save money on vittles?

Try this site:

http://www.thegrocerygame.com/

I saw a comparo shopping trip with and without this.
Without 168, with, 47...

I'm signing up this week...