Author of Be Ready for Anything and Bloom Where You’re Planted online course
If you listened to any of President Biden’s State of the Union addresses, you may have been surprised to hear that inflation has slowed down. (Here’s Marie’s breakdown of the speech.)
A fact check from USA Today clarifies Biden’s claims:
Biden touted six straight months of slowing inflation, arguing that his policies are helping tame what has been the top domestic challenge of his presidency.
The president is correct that inflation is trending downward. Yet there are nuances.
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- Consumer prices were still up 6.5% in December from a year earlier: Prices are trending down but Americans are still facing historically high costs of living. One household staple, eggs, cost 60% more than a year ago.
- Cost of living is high: Families are still struggling to pay high energy bills along with other rising costs for essential goods, like food and rent, that are increasing at a faster rate than the overall rate of inflation. Grocery prices rose 10.4% annually in December and rent rose about 7.5%, while overall inflation increased by 6.5%.
Of course, I’ve never heard a president give a SOTU address in which he didn’t try to spin his performance in the most positive light possible. Grabbing onto a statistic that supports their supposed good work as a leader is as universal as it is misleading.
Perhaps giant corporations are facing less inflation, but the average American is still struggling to make ends meet. Our reality is quite different than the one reported in that speech, no matter how much it’s repeated that everything is just fine.
What are food prices really like?
Time Magazine recently investigated the cost of food in America, and here’s what they found that belies the President’s statement that we’re doing a whole lot better economically.
Although overall inflation is starting to cool, shoppers haven’t seen much relief in terms of grocery prices, which were up 11.8% in December compared with a year earlier. Gone are the days when someone could walk into a grocery store and buy a dozen eggs for $1.50 or a gallon of milk for under $3. Instead, nearly every food group costs more than it did a year ago: grade A eggs are up 138%; margarine, up 43.8%; butter sticks, up 38.5%; all-purpose flour, up 34.5%; and spaghetti and macaroni noodles up 31.3%, according to the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data.
When you apply the increases across an entire cart of groceries, we’re paying hundreds of dollars more for the same food.
Why is the price of food so high?
It appears we’ve been weathering the perfect storm – if by “perfect” we mean economically catastrophic.
First, there are all of the issues that remain after the pandemic devastated the economy. Farmers cut back on food production to keep afloat, and now the laws of supply and demand mean that the same butter costs 31% more than it did a year ago.
Then there’s the avian flu epidemic. This has seen the poultry population decline, obviously reducing the supply of meat and eggs. Eggs are the one thing that has seen the most dramatic increase – they’re up a whopping 138%.
Bad weather has also affected the food supply. Everything from droughts to floods to insect-borne viruses has decimated fruits and vegetables. The Time report says:
…a wholesale box of romaine, which would normally cost around $10 to $20, was being sold for nearly $90 in November and December.
As well, our supply chain never fully recovered after the Covid pandemic decimated it.
When will things get better?
It’s really difficult to say when the price of food will go back down. We’re in such a precarious situation that any issue could cause more increases, but at the same time, it’s possible that it nothing bad happens, we could also begin seeing some decreases. Time reports that there’s no clear-cut answer to the question that’s on everyone’s mind.
Analysts say that there’s no straight answer on when grocery prices will drop as it relies on a number of factors, including post-pandemic consumer demand, ongoing supply chain shortages, geopolitical events such as the war in Ukraine, and unstable weather patterns.
But many of these key factors fueling inflation are starting to fade—meaning prices should stabilize this year, even if they may never go back down to pre-pandemic levels. Shipping costs are declining and Americans are purchasing less as they feel the pinch of inflation. Tom Bailey, senior analyst of consumer foods with Rabobank, predicts that prices will soften up in early 2023 as we “revert back to more improved production and more reasonable demand.”
Still, there’s a possibility that some prices continue to rise. “If the last 24 months have told us anything, don’t ever assume that things can’t change or get away from us,” he says.
In my opinion, we’re better off expecting the worst (continuing increases) while hoping for the best (some relief from the inflation.)
The CEO of Walmart had more to say about the future of food prices.
Walmart Inc. CEO Doug McMillon called inflation in dry grocery and consumables “stubborn, mid-double digit,” saying “those are going to just be with us for a while.”
“And it’ll get a little confusing because you’ll hear inflation numbers that start to sound lower, but you’ll have to remember, that’s on a two-year stack,” he continued. “So if inflation in dry grocery and consumables is only three or five, that’s on top of 15. And that’s still a problem for the customer and a pressure in their wallet.”
According to McMillon, the situation was different in the fresh food categories. He told analysts and investors to “think of the fresh categories as kind of bouncing around, going up and down, and being more volatile.”
Eggs, he noted, were “at 200% inflated in January” but have since dropped to “just 50% inflated,” something he said is “still a problem.” Meanwhile, milk “is actually less than a year ago,” and beef “is lower in terms of pricing” as well, McMillon said.
Walmart remains profitable, with the company doing well when people have extra money, and maintaining growth when times are tight by offering “value.”
Make the most of what you can afford
The goal here is for us to focus on our own households and make the most of the food we can afford. We need to use multiple strategies to do this, all of which I included in detail in my most recent book, What to Eat When You’re Broke.
Don’t waste food. Make sure you reduce the amount of food that spoils before you get to it. As well you should learn to use leftovers creatively. Some people don’t enjoy eating leftovers but by reinventing them in delicious ways, not only will your family eat them, they’ll love them. Turn them into hearty soups, pastry pockets, and flavorfully made-over meals.
Eat cheap meals. Dial back the price on at least one meal per day. Sure, we’d all love to have delicious, healthy, fresh meals three times a day. But we’d also like to keep the electricity on. By making one meal daily as inexpensive as possible, you can greatly stretch your food budget. I often do two meals and a snack as opposed to three squares. Breakfast is generally eggs, toast, and juice or an apple, (not outrageous, even with the price of eggs), dinner is a bigger meal, and at some point, I eat something that costs around a dollar. That might be a can of tuna with mayo, peanut butter and crackers, or a piece of fruit.
Time is money. If you’re putting in lots of hours making ends meet, getting the kids to and from their activities, and maybe even working a side gig, getting dinner on the table might be a challenge some nights. Those are the nights that a lot of people throw in the towel (and the budget) and end up hitting the drive-through or ordering pizza out of desperation and exhaustion. It’s important to have some delicious shortcuts that you can get on the table quickly. These might cost a little more money than a carefully curated scratch meal, but they’ll still be way less than taking the whole family out to dinner, even at the cheapest place in town.
Plan ahead. Also, speaking of those desperate drive-through dinners, another way to avoid them is by planning ahead when you can. Use your crock pot, do meal prep on the weekends, and get your next meal set when you put your leftovers away in the fridge. If you can make your homemade meal more convenient, then you won’t be as tempted to blow the budget.
Learn to use different foods in your menus. A lot of us prefer healthy meals bursting with fresh produce, lean meats, and whole grains. And while these foods are quite ideal, they’re also very expensive, particularly when fruit and veggies are out of season. Provide balance to your diet by using well-seasoned canned produce, tuna, dried beans, and other less expensive staples. Believe it or not, there are very tasty ways to eat these things that your family will love. You can dramatically decrease the cost of your meals by working in some of these ingredients. You just have to make them taste good enough that your family won’t waste them.
These are just a few strategies I wrote about in detail, and they helped me survive some really hard times as a single working mom on a very tight budget. Grab the book for as little as $2.
How are you handling the rising price of food?
Is the price of food going up in your area? What items, in particular, have given you sticker shock lately? How are you managing your food budget these days? Share your most startling prices and best ideas in the comments.
About Daisy
Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites. 1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2) The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.
Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.
Great article! I am in the Midwest and the entire local grocery store is startling. It’s a bigger chain yet my family says prices are even higher in their little towns around here. I end up shopping at 4-5 different stores lately just to find the best prices. After 30 years of making dinners for the family, I’ve had to drastically change the menu…
I picked two stores for best prices, (Wal mart is one) I found running around (costs time and gas) is not the best way. Unless the stores are really close together which is not likely in most places. I go to dollar general for cleaning supplies, misc. non food items, and watch sales at grocery stores.
It is surely a mixed bag of nuts right now. In Walmart yesterday, I was surprised to see butter is down .51/pound on store brand. Now, Hershey syrup 24 oz is $4.28 and that was a shock to me. I remember not too many years ago it was $1.50. Peanutbutter that was $1.78 just a few years before the supply shock is now almost $5. Not many deals. That cube/case of Pepsi is really up. $10.78. This gracefully aging person remembers paying $4.50. I am fortunate to have a not so worn path to small country discounts. I do notice the path is better worn to them than a year ago.
Avian flu is an excuse in order to starve humans. The droughts and floods are from geoengineering, also done on purpose. The food facility fires are also done on purpose. All of this to kill off the weak and starve the rest into submission to the nwo and its one world government. The only way to survive is to accept Jesus as your savior, otherwise when you are weak you will give in and accept their mark.
So you’re saying, if I understand correctly, we all have to become Evangelical Protestants now or we won’t survive.
Nothing on how to fight geoengineering. Nothing on how to rebuild these ruined food facilities and make them better to reduce these fires and sabotage. Nothing on how to remove these NWO villains starting in local elections. Just become an Evangelical or all is lost.
Sorry, neighbor, that is worse than heretical. That is despairing. Two thumbs down.
NO need to become an Evangelical or any other denomination. Just get a Bible and read the words. Daniel and Revelation are companion books and GOD actually has a plan and ALL of what we are going through and will be going through is ALL part of GOD’s master plan for the end of humanity and planet earth as it is today…Believe on the name of the LORD JESUS CHRIST and you will be saved and then believe it and fight for your life with all you’ve got. NO sermon/preaching needed. JUST believe. Things sound gloom and doom but they must happen GOD’s way. He is the most powerful force in the entire universe…The NWO is coming and the ONE World Government as well as the One World Religion so read up, learn, prepare, get your spiritual house in order and it will all work out in the end. DONT TAKE THE DREADED MARK b/c when you do that you have sold your soul to satan and it will be the end…ALL who believe and persevere will be spiritually saved, the rest will witness hell on earth…Wars, Rumors of Wars, Famine (massive starvation) Earthquakes, Inflation, Weird weather events…ALL of it is coming. GOD BLESS
I forgot DROUGH… That is part of all of those future events. Add that please.
I agree with you about the faux avian flu, the food facility fires and Jesus but skeptical about the droughts. The elites tell us that all but 500 million worldwide need to die, then their useful idiots call us wacky because we believe them.
In my opinion, the “avian flu” that resulted in the slaughter of millions of chickens was about as real as the plandemic. (My family had the virus; my husband and I both had long covid and he ended up in the hospital. The virus was real – but I absolutely believe that it was designed, executed and paid for with our tax dollars, courtesy of dr. nazi. It just didn’t work as well as they had hoped; hence the killer jabs.)
The attack on our food supply – including bill gates and china buying up farm land, china buying American beef processing plants, the attacks on Canadian and Dutch farmers by their own governments – looks very ominous.
And unless I missed it in another comment, Bill said nothing about Protestant evangelicalism. Catholics and Protestants share the same Jesus and the same faith.
NO, actually that isn’t correct. The Christian Protestants do not exalt MARY (she was with sin and even prayed to JESUS to forgive her. They don’t count the Rosary Beads. They do not exalt a man like the Pope who is supposed to be infallible. They don’t confess to a “priest” b/c that is NOT at all necessary. JESUS is the son of GOD and HE will be the one who will judge ALL of us of our sins. There are sooooo many wayst hat the two are NOT alike at all. The Catholics even printed up their own Bible and switched around the 10 Commandments did they not. But if you think they are the same then you must have been brainwashed and programmed to think that way…Did anyone tell the that the False Prophet that will appear is going to be a Pope? Hummmm…And when you know the TRUTH, the TRUTH will set you free (spiritually free)…Until then it will be rough.
When I said we share the same Jesus and the same faith, I absolutely didn’t mean that we (Protestants and Catholics) share every point of doctrine. I assure you that I haven’t been brainwashed, but neither am I going to pick apart Catholics. I’ll bet if you and I sat down and discussed doctrine, we’d find many points of disagreement. That’s not my point. I can’t think of one single denomination that I agree with on every issue. A common modern mistake is to consider that different denominations are different religions. Not so. Different religions are Hinduism, IIslam, Buddhism, New Age, Zoroastrianism, etc. Christians share belief that Jesus is the Son of God and the only way to the Father, regardless of their denomination.
I don’t agree with Catholics about the Pope or the divinity of Mary. However, we Protestants have really missed the boat about honoring her as the mother of our Lord (Luke 1:48).
It’s ironic that you question whether I’ve been brainwashed while you postulate that the pope is the False Prophet and that the Catholics have changed scripture. That’s not in the Bible. Revelation 22:18-19 18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. And while we’re talking about changing scripture, do you use the NIV?
Your response kind of saddened me, because you’re one of the commenters that I nearly always agree with and look forward
to seeing what you have to say about a topic.
Learn to bake your own bread.
Much cheaper, tastier and healthier than store-bought.
Youtube channel:
Jennycancook
has a great video on no-knead bread. Very easy to make.
I also switched from three meals a day to two meals and a snack, with the snack often being a thick slice of homemade bread and butter and a hard boiled egg or piece of cheese.
Hope to raise my own salad greens on a shelf in my kitchen soon, which will save even more money. Good Youtube video on the Provident Prepper channel on how to do it.
Actually, I think I am eating healthier since so many “convenience foods” are now out if my price range.
Val,
+1 on home made bread!
We broke out our bread making machine a few weeks back, loaves are getting better with practice but were fine from the first try. Last night we made home made pizza, it was yummy! Between our new bead making skills and our five friendly chickens, my confidence in our self sufficiency has taken a big leap.
That’s exactly the way a 110 year old lady said she ate as a child. 2 meals a day with a lunch snack or what she could get her hands on in a farm. Bluberries being picked, etc.
A morning shake in the blender for breakfast, a package of crackers for a snake and actually 1 real meal a day. I am fine. I have lost 44.4 pounds in 5 years. I am not about 147 which is good b/c I am 5ft. 6in. tall…Maybe popcorn for a nite snack or some fruit. My blood work was back today. ALL normal except my glucose was 10 higher and now I am going to work on lowering my sugar content. I don’t want to be a diabetic. My mom was in her older years. I hope to kick it before it happens…
I have noticed price increases on some of my items. I have food restrictions so I’m already shocked into paying more for groceries unfortunately. My son & his girlfriend are in Yuma, AZ & their egg prices were $10/dzn at Walmart for pasture raised & $8/dzn for the white eggs. I suggested to her to find another $2 somewhere in her budget by cutting out some junk & getting the more nutritional brown eggs if she could= more bang for the buck. Brown pasture raised eggs here in WI were $4.79/dzn! Don’t know why, not complaining!
If I may encourage some, that if the cereals, breads, oils, milk, sodas, chips, etc are blowing up the budget, try to eliminate, replace or learn to substitute with healthier options or make your own if you have time. Quite often there are waaay healthier life promoting items than the fake, chemically sprayed, bleached & sugar laden groceries. Beat them at their own game I say!
I notice not many people shop in the gluten free/alternative food isles! 😉 The healthier options are more calorie dense & sustain you longer while giving you more energy & better health if you can commit. I learned new skills during the plandemic to shop for some things differently because some aisles were empty.
I honestly feel ripped off going to Walmart for groceries, they are NOT the most cost effective. I feel badly for those with no other options. Ideally I shop 3-4 different stores. I don’t mind paying more for quality but get angry when I feel ripped off.
Luckily my husband & I eat only 2 meals a day. A morning ‘kitchen sink’ smoothie loaded with calories sustains me till dinner (or ‘dinch’). Meal planning is a must I must do every Sunday otherwise I’m lost. I use up what it’s the fridge for that week. It isn’t always something my husband wants but he gets over it.
Instead of looking at it like ‘they’ are doing something to us by raising prices (thanks Democrats), I try & challenge myself to not having to shop nearly as much (therefore saving money Dave Ramsey style).
Being gluten and dairy free makes everything more expensive sadly. Also, the color of the egg, whether white, green, light or dark brown, makes no difference nutrition wise. The extra color just makes them fun.
It’s not the color of the shell, it’s the color of the yoke. If the yoke is pale, then the chicken was likely fed a diet of mostly corn. This makes the eggs high in branch chain amino acids that are not particularly healthy. The benefit of free range or pasture raised chickens is that they eat more protein (chickens are omnivores) in the form of insects and an occasional frog or field mouse. The yokes should have a darker, rich color. These are the eggs you should buy if you can.
Yes you can definitely tell the difference in the yolks. My husband wasn’t so sure so I bought some to compare (before egg prices sky rocketed). The cheapest “basic” eggs were a pale yellow and very runny. The pasture raised yolks we’re very dark and almost orange and the white wasn’t runny at all.
Beg to differ on that! Don’t go by the USRDA, they are captured. Brown have more vitamin A & E & omegas. You CAN taste the difference & see it upon cracking open the egg.
My sister tried pasture raised when visiting & she couldn’t stop mentioning how much more flavorful it was compared to ‘organic’ brown eggs. My neighbors raise a few chickens & feed them crap seed. We tried some eggs & my husband & I could tell immediately because they tasted like sugar was in them…yuck. They don’t let their chickens free roam like should & feed them cheap grain full of sprayed seed hence cheap eggs. There IS a difference!
My comment was in reply to MamaBear!
OMFG.. perhaps you should go back to eating three meals a day so your brain gets the proper nutrients.
Does omfg stand for oh my f—ing God? If so, shame on you.
And saying that a different opinion than yours on nutrition is even meaner than your usual comment.
Great article, Daisy! Loved the “Make the best of what you can afford.” I noticed that several of the underlying causes of inflation issues were “the Covid pandemic.” It was not the Covid pandemic, but “the Government response to the Covid pandemic.” Also, missing from the underlying causes was the #1 cause: The printing of $7 Trillion by the Federal Reserve.
The only time that overprinting of money affects Inflation is when we are in hyperinflation. Our current round of inflation never even became as high as 1/10 of hyperinflation. The inflation during the 70s-mid 80s was 5-6% higher. That’s the boogeyman excuse. Anyone who tells you that the government printing money is the #1 cause of inflation inflation doesn’t understand economics (nor inflation). Republicans and Democrats print money or lower taxes (which leaves the government to spend more) every time they are in power.
The San Fran Fed, Janet Yellen, and Obama’s economic advisor Larry Summers all have stated the reason for our current inflationary environment is due to the government injecting trillions of dollars as “stimulus.”
I think they might know a thing or two about economics and inflation.
So letting people starve during the pandemic was preferable to quasi-inflation? Zero income = zero food and I know that you did not flunk basic math.
No.
Not closing the economy, forcing millions out of a job, closing small businesses was the solution.
The economic recovery was lead by Red States re-opening their economies.
CA and NY were dead last in the economic recovery.
Excessive money printing is inflation – inflation of the money supply. Rising prices are the symptom of the inflation of the money supply. More currency chasing the same or fewer goods results in rising prices. Rising prices are not the cause of inflation. This is not well understood by the general populace. Of course that premise does not include other issues that affect prices like supply chain issues etc.
I’m a single mom (of a teen) who is also supporting an adult child and disabled grandchild temporarily. Food and necessities have become out of reach for us. I have cut out all nonessential items from our budget and have stopped drinking soda and eating snacks like chips. I do buy my teen a couple liter style bottles of cheap soda a month a two bags of chips. She’s been able to handle the differences with grace since she’s not feeling deprived. I’m better off without that stuff????
I have a homestead and have a producers certificate to sell eggs. I never have a shortage of customers and have kept my prices super low. But I am going to have to raise them this next month because I just can’t absorb the rise in feed prices any longer.
I’ve had to change directions with my little farm due to the rise in feed prices which lost me a full year of certain income. I used to raise bottle calves and sell them, but milk replacer jumped $20 a bag which took away my entire small profit. With ten calves at a time, a 50 lb bag of replacer was used up every five days. I couldn’t find buyers who were willing to pay the difference, so I stopped raising calves. My milk cow just calves, so I will raise a couple on her this year, but the numbers I was doing.
Now I’m starting up a quail business, I have a market with falconers and raw dog food folks. Hopefully by next year it will replace my lost income. That’s two years of drastically reduced income on top of inflation.
I try not to grocery shop in person. By shopping online, I am less susceptible to impulse purchases and am able to make wiser decisions. I make a menu for the month and only buy what is needed. I have had to dip into my preps for some items and that concerns me as it’s impossible for me to replace them right now.
But mostly, I’ve found we are fairly resilient and flexible. I work from home and homeschool my daughter so we’ve cut out all trips to town that aren’t necessary. We have signed up for the local food bank which is generous once a month. Anything we can’t use is shared with other families.
It’s seed starting time, and I’m being careful with garden planning this year. No trying new varieties- only planting the varieties I know we like and have produced well for us in the past. I’m looking forward to warmer days!
You offer some great ideas! However, for “cheap” meals, here in N. Central IN, I really do not find truth in any report of real, raging inflation! A local chain-grocery offers its cheapest, grade A, large, generic eggs at $2.79/doz.–a year ago those same eggs cost $0.39/doz. or a whopping increase of 700 %! Most people do not buy generic–they are TV programmed to buy name brands. Those large, grade A eggs start at $3.39/doz.–which a year ago cost $059/doz. or a 500% increase! ; cage free grade A, large now sell for $4.99/doz. For those who attend local farmer’s markets, current, free range, large eggs price out at $8.75/doz.
The canned tuna meal for less than a dollar? Maybe. If you eat it straight out of the can or pouch, only. Personally, I will not buy straight run “light” tuna because its taste is too strong. Instead, I buy only “white” chunk tuna, thus I expect to and always have paid more. Next, tuna comes in several ounce sizes. As a normal, 6’2″, 180# male, the $0.99 “light,” canned Starkist tuna contains 5 oz.–sorry, that is not enough for me at one meal–even if I “stretch” it with fillers. For a petite woman, those 5 oz. might fully satisfy. However, I seriously doubt most people eat the tuna straight out of the can; meaning one must add fillers, bread, crackers, or other items to fill out a balanced diet. My wife used to take “white” tuna pouches, only 2.5 ounces to work with crackers. Those pouches now cost $1.85 @. That totally blows away lunch for less than $1.
I seriously appreciate your article, really. I just think there is a worse reality hiding in the grocery store than a first glance read would indicate.
For a fun question: What on earth are dried beans!? They come in a can, haven’t you found them, all nicely ready to pour into a recipe? OK. How do we re-educate our society to use dried beans? What! Yup. They have to learn to plan meals ahead, soak those beans over night! OH well. I cook with dried beans, but in my travels and associations with the 45-and under crowd, they have zero idea that beans come in sacks!
Great article! Too many times I see authors not understanding economics and just blaming the President in office at that time. Presidents have usually very little to do with inflation. It’s supply and demand or environmental factors that really control prices. If there is a winter storm, it will affect crops and livestock. It there is a drought, it will effect them as well. When CA got hit by atmospheric rivers, it delayed planting season. Which will affect harvest in two to three months. Planning on feeding your family means being aware of the things that will impact your groceries. And sometimes, the weather is perfect but our reliance on foreign goods or at least how foreign goods affect the global price of goods is the factor. Currently 30% of the world’s output of fertilizer is effected by Ukraine and Russia at war. Which means high fertilizer prices. This in turn means those costs get pushed on or farmers grow less.
The cost of fertilizer was on the increase before the Ukraine/Russo war.
The Ukraine/Russo war did exacerbate it. But that had more to do with sanctions against Russia, namely natural gas.
Natural gas is key to fertilizer production. Due to the costs of NG spiking, 70% of Germany’s fertilizer production went off line.
“Presidents have usually very little to do with inflation. ” I used to say the same thing when I was a Democrat and Carter was president.
our grocery bill has went up but thankfully we haven’t had to compromise the healthy food. I would still consider myself frugal as I work my menus around whatever produce is on sale and try to get what I can in bulk. I didn’t buy a lot of processed foods before but now I’ve completely eliminated them which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We just bought an additional freezer and stocked up on chicken that we ordered directly from the producer when they had a big sale. One odd thing I noticed is pasture raised eggs have went up a little but the regular eggs have increased so much they’re only $1 less than the pasture raised. I was talking to an elderly woman in the store and she was telling me that being on a fixed income she’s had to pick one meat per week in order to keep her grocery bill around the same.
25 months ago I was paying 1.87 per gallon of gas, today 3.19 that`s a 1.32 more
that`s a 41% increase ,until that goes away prices will stay high
We are in Hawaii, and most food is shipped here and high prices are “normal”, but the increase in the past 2 years is noticeable even to us. We bake our own bread, we grow as much as we can, keep a few quail, but what we buy is dramatically up. Eggs are way up (of course)…even things like almond milk at Costco…3 gallons was about $9 but in the last few months has gone to $12…avocado oil roughly doubled in price($11 to $20+), and we are also seeing “shrinkflation”….package sizes decreased but prices about the same (for less product)….frozen blueberries shrunk…maple syrup.
We almost never eat out or buy meals. We cook from scratch for many meals, and I’ve dipped into my dried beans (with the idea that I better get good at cooking with them for whatever is ahead).
What about all the free range chickens wandering around? They are all over the islands.
I use to buy my wheat berries from Homestead Heritage in Waco. It was $60 a five gallon bucket and shipping was free. I had to stop because not only did the price go up for the wheat, but they now charge shipping which was very expensive.
I buy raw milk straight from the dairy, but even that has gone up $1.00 the last time I brought. I am expecting it to go up even higher.
I don’t buy eggs. A friend called to say she had been in Costco and there was no eggs. She was checking to see if I had any. I raise my own chickens, but the feed is almost double from what it use to be. I could not help her (she lives over 200 miles from me and she was looking for eggs for her church breakfast).
There are no grocery store chains where I live. There is a family in a small town near us (25 miles away) that buys groceries and sells them marked up in their store. The nearest decent grocery store to where I live is actually 100 miles away.
I did find a small processor up by San Angelo that butchered some of my ducks and chickens at a good price. I am cutting down on my poultry to reduce my feed cost. I don’t sell my eggs or chickens, but have donated them to friends and family as gifts.
All the Houston area Costco’s have eggs. $6 and a little for the 24 count pack.
I have my own chickens. I am feeding them my household scraps and allowing them to forage. I’m foraging some too! Also plan to have a huge garden this year! Made from scratch meals? You bet!
Check out the Chapwood Index, which is a much more reliable indicator of actual inflation.
All of this is an orchestrated attempt to enforce the “global warming, green agenda, build back better, eat bugs B.S.” plus the added in culling of animals because of suspected avian or swine flu or whatever malady is the current bogeyman. The whole “reduce carbon footprint” with the curtailment of energy sources is the culprit and food is directly affected either by cost of transport or the input it has in fertilizer. Just remember, we are basically carbon based, so think about how that fits into the NWO dream, ie population reduction by any means (injectable poisons under the guise of healthcare) they think that can be used against humankind. This article is foreboding in the extreme and encourage everyone to take a look and think about how to mitigate the effects of same:
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2023/02/21/the-hunger-games-begin-soaring-energy-costs-leads-to-rationing-of-vegetables-in-u-k/
Coming to a neighborhood near you soon in my estimation. I haven’t even mentioned all the disasters of chemical spills nor all the food production facilities that have mysteriously been destroyed by happenstance, not just here but worldwide. We are in a war for our survival as a species it would seem against very dark forces.
Obama…fundamentally changing America.
Democraps want people miserable because they themselves are not happy people. Look around, what they are doing is making people miserable and oddly, that makes them happy.
So expect this to continue…..
Every time I go food shopping, I go by the eggs and smile. God, I love having my little flock of chickens and collecting Butt Nuggets each evening.
My garden, provides me with lettuce, tomatoes, radishes, pickles, carrots, potatoes, beans, spinach, peppers, corn, and all types of herbs.
Butt nuggets…hilarious!!
Eat two meals a day. That is how GOD fed the prophets and his people. Two meals a day. Also, learn to eat starches and sweets in the morning and save the heavy “artillery” meats for the evening meal.
This balances the way the body needs to work (energy) and repair (sleep. Work in the morning/day, repair in the evening/nights. Meat makes you sleepy for a reason.
Here in New Zealand inflation is around 7% but is more like 12% for food. Many people are struggling. I make what I can from scratch, garden and we have chickens and fruit trees. I share what we produce with my elderly parents, mother in law, and disabled brother as well as my own family of four. They are on pensions and a govt benefit (my brother is unable to work due to his disability). At the moment they are okay, but every little bit helps. Am gardening furiously and am expanding the number of garden beds this year. I also purchased your book, Daisy – it’s fantastic! I know it will be a big help to us.
Somewhat off topic, but still related.
As the price of food hits everyone but the very wealthy (67% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, and 47% of those making six figures), less and less people are dinning out.
That means those in the food&bev industry i.e. waiters/waitresses/bar tenders are making less in tips.
To add to that pain, the IRS announced this month the Service Industry Tip Compliance Agreement (SITCA).
If you have ever worked in food&bev in the past, you know you would walk at the end of the evening with cash tips, and the IRS could never get their hands on a dime.
On the books, you appear to be making, say, $28k a year. Off the books . . . well, I knew a few waiters and waitresses it was closer to $50k. Note, I never made that as I was a busser, runner, or expediter. I got a reduced hourly wage, then tipped out. I was also working PT, not full.
The SITCA program makes the restaurant track the employees hours and amount they get tipped data, and then use that information come tax time.
So, it is those in the food&bev industry whom are taxed more. That would be the lower economic bracket.
That whole SITCA thing is a disgrace. My husband and I both waited tables and it is definitely not easy. If we dine out we tip very well and in cash so it doesn’t all have to be reported.
Tip compliance has been around for quite a while – memory serves me it started during the ray-gun era. Restaurants (whether they kept some/all tips or not) were required to gross up (for lack of a better term). This is why one should pay cash – debit/credit leaves a paper-now-digital trail. Until servers make a living wage, TFB. Sure, high end restaurants and gentlemen’s clubs make good tips. Most restaurants don’t.
I have worked in fast food, casual and fine dinning in the late 80s, some in the late 90s.
Only time I saw some kind of tip compliance was in the late 90s.
It failed.
I knew of a number of waiters/waitresses/bar tenders who were making a living wage in casual dinning. But that was back before SITCA.
And truth be told, if corporations and the wealthy paid their fair share, it would not be an issue. Deficits are fine if you cut taxes for the golden children.
You mean like Nancy Pelosi, whom would not bring a bill to the floor that prohibited Congressmen and women and their families from profiting off insider information?
Of note, the “avian flu” epidemic should be past. It takes a chick about 7 months to become a laying hen. The covid “epidemic” is long over.
Here is what seems to be causing the egg price rise. Chickens are laying fewer eggs, and a lot of it is being traced back to certain brands of chicken feed!!
Makes one wonder if this isn’t by design.
This is a good article and most people are being affected by food price increases. Fortunately, my wife and I are less affected than most people because we have prepared for this for many years. Here are ten things that we have done that might give others some constructive ideas.
1. We have a 12 ft. by 28 ft. garden and a half dozen fruit trees. We grow friut and vegetables and preserve around 230 or more jars or pkg. of produce per year. We have done this for over 30 years and are now eating our produce from 2018-2020.
2. We have stockpiled store bought canned foods and dry canned flour, sugar, and other dry good staples. We ramped this up during the Covid Crisis, adding an additional 50+ jars or cans of food.
3. We put in a small and inexpensive greenhouse to start our plants and have already planted over 250 seedlings for this spring.
4. We bought a calf for $300 and had it raised and grass fed by a friend of ours in another state. We now have a freezer full of beef at a cost of about $2.15 per pound.
5, We get two deer per year and always have some deer meat in the freezer.
6. We bought two extra freezers a couple of years ago in anticipation of what is now happening.
7. We buy meat that is marked down for quick sale at the 4 stores at which we occasionally shop.
8. We buy replacement canned food only at dollar stores or discount stores.
9. We make a lot of stews and soups that are filling and easy to produce from our stockpile.
10. We share and trade foods with and between a small goup of people with whom we have been cooperating for the last few years.
Good article daisy.
As for prices coming down, not a chance look at ohio derailment and the toxic chemicals in air and ground water. This will crush crop growth in entire midwest so up it goes. The chicken egg issue is too much bt corn in mix, being a pig farmer we have heard from people we know that the feed is causing loss of live birth by up to 75 percent. This will cause huge HUGE food increases.
All the cereal crops and the grain seed area are affected by this water issue in ohio which will reach the Mississippi basin. This will be toxic nearly forever if you eat it you wont do well health wise. If you want to see real msds from vinyl chloride it was updated 2 weeks ago BEFORE train spill use the wayback machine and be horrified at the original one.
As for people craving snacks we have two suggestions air fryer for the potato chip lovers. There is a cook book from mennonite community “farmhouse cooking” isbn 09730385-0-0 or email [email protected]
It has an abundance of from scratch recipes for all kinds of treats along with a ton of other neat simple recipes and substitutes for ingredients. We have zero affiliation with the group or book seller just live in a community with many mennonites.
The other thing is to make a small business or trade item from buying a used piece of industrial/commercial equipment like a gelato maker or candy making machine. At auction you can get for pennies on the dollar then it up to you.
We bought a gelato machine for use (larger group) now its a major trade item for us. The roi was one season 5 months.
As for cheaper food if you live near farming community you can post in local paper willing to work in exchange for food… weekends or afternoons most farmers can always use help and can pay in food but with costs of fertilizer and fuel cash is tough. Plus you get to know your farmer so you know how your food was raised.
Here we have a community garden, they always need help and distribute the food to those in need.. first pick goes to who help in garden.
Talk to a food wholesaler and buy super bulk to save with friends. You can get most things by carton and pallet size which saves you money. Buy big packages not store sized as packaging is at least 30 percent of cost of food.
If really hard up, i have done this in past is go and dumpster dive at grocery stores some now will pour bleach on top but most wont just dont make a mess. You can find alot of broken packaging but stuff inside is fine. Most vegetables can be cleaned or bad parts cut off and still used … some high end restaurants / food producers call it upcycled food.
The crappy parts of vegetables in most cases can be fed to animals like pigs or chickens. Even rotting meat can be made into maggot production to help feed your chickens.
Learn to forage, this is a skill and can be done in urban areas as well. Parks with more wild areas work well in urban areas. Also look in industrial area where people dump.pets rabbits ect.
Learn to hunt.. big game is ok but fishing and small game keep you fed and a sling shot with a bunny buster arrow is silent and can take small game birds and rabbits.
Get rabbits cheapest meat for input. You can even get free ones in local paper just dont tell owner.
Part but not all is companies refused to raise their prices. Shrink/cheapen was the name of the game until they could shrink/cheapen no more. Yeah folks are struggling and deficit hypocrites have no issue cutting back (or eliminating help). Name of the game is to get rid of poor/sick people. Just keep their owners, I mean campaign donors, happy. Time for people to see if their elected official walks the walks and cease being a one/two issue voter. You aren’t pro-life when you cut back/stop feeding children.
You left out the purposeful sabotage, poisoning of the land, waterways, livestock & plants. Coincidental “Burning” of food processing plants & Fake recalls of “Contaminated” food that is finding it’s way into Government stockpiles. Do Not Trust Any Government Propaganda, Any Bank Propaganda, Corporate Propaganda – this is All Planned: “Viruses”, “Infections”, “Weather”, “Poisonings”, “Contaminations”, “Disrupted Supply Chains” on & on – All initiated by Government & their Fellow Demons in Banking, Global Corporations & the “Elite” 1% Disciples of Satan. They want 6 Billion of You DEAD at any cost “Viruses”, Starvation & WW3 – they are accelerating the game plan since The Tan Grandaddy of the MRNA Poison – Trump gave us The Beautiful “Vaccine” – the US Military is behind this with their 600 Million doses of The Warp Speed death Jabs ordered up Before the Magical COVID which has a patent from 2015. Wake up Sheeple! You Absolutely Will Be Exterminated just keep being Good Little NAZIs & OBEY, OBEY, OBEY – Never Believe Your Own Eyes just OBEY! Don’t Think Only Obey Do Not Pray Only OBEY Do Not Hesitate Only OBEY!
When going out to eat, we heavily consider going to the food court of a mall. We dont need to tip or buy drinks as we bring our own beverages. For a family of five, thats about 20 bucks saved.
I was born and raised in the suburbs/city and bought a farm over 15 years ago and learned how to live that lifestyle and have prepped for over 30 years.
I completely understand both sides of the coin…limitations that require creativity within the confines of a suburbian/city environment…and the challenges/learning curves/obstacles/labor that accompany the freedom to be self sufficient in more rural areas.
Historically, I’ve only eaten 2 meals per day by choice and what my body requires with an occasional snack in-between. I am stunned by the prices at the grocery stores and am heavy hearted when I contemplate how people are faring who don’t have the resources that I and others have.
But, as I read the comments shared in this post, I can’t help but think about what I have done in the past, what I am currently doing, and what I can, or plan to do in the days ahead.
I understand that many of things I can access now may not be available, or unaffordable in the near future. But, the self sufficiency I strive for these days does not require or depend on a ‘all or nothing’.
A 5lb bag of potatoes can be made into a variety of foods, including chips. I’ve made my own potato chips and that 5lb bag of potatoes cost the same as a bag of chips, except I was able to make far more things out of 5lbs, than I was with one bag of chips. The point is, I can understand giving up certain cost prohibitive things, but that doesn’t mean I can’t make it myself and still quell the occasional craving.
A package of raw corn tortillas can also be made into a variety of meals, including corn chips. I do this all the time and actually prefer it over the store-bought chips.
Grinding your own grains, flaking your own oats from oat groats will cover a variety of foods.
Dehydrating, canning, preserving in a variety of ways can bridge the gap from one produce season to the other.
Dragonmaker, I don’t know where you live, but I am currently bottle feeding a calf that was rejected by her mom so I understand the price increase in milk replacer, but…regardless of that price increase, I’m not understanding how there’s no profit if the calf is raised to maturity and then sold to others in 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 or whole when taken to the butcher for processing. I believe what you’re saying but it’s just surprising to me because in my area, and when compared to the prices at the local grocery stores for their garbage meat, the cows I raise, even with the increased price of milk replacer, still can bring a profit because it is raised organically and 100% grass fed.
Goats and sheep are smaller alternatives to cattle. I have a friend who has only 3 acres and who isn’t in a position necessarily to raise a cow, although she has in the past for the family. So, she recently told me that she’s gotten back into goats. There are dairy goats, meat goats, and dual purpose, but all three of those have the ability to offset the cost of raising and care and bring in a little profit.
For those in the non-rural areas, it’s completely different obviously. But, there is the potential offset some of the grocery store products and also connect with the rural folk to purchase at far better prices.
And then there is the consideration of hard hit finances. I lived the first 12 years here on the farm with no outside income except for what I was able to produce here on the farm through breedings, bees/honey, body care products, etc so I totally comprehend and have the physical ailments to prove it.
I know that all of the above has been talked about in depth here at TOP (and far more), but I couldn’t help but take a moment to write this little tome as I read everyone’s replies. I’m not giving up chips lol. I may not buy them, but I can and will still make them. 🙂
eggs were under a 1$ a dozen now over 3$ to 4$ a dozen milk 2 gal. for 4.50 $ now 8.50 $ for 2 gal.bread over 3 $ a loaf for a 1 1/4 pound loaf they were 1 1/2 pound a loaf a whole uncooked chicken is over 12 $ pork is still cheap
Living on Vancouver Island I’ve noticed that pork is still extremely cheap…$1.99-2.49 a pound. When it’s that inexpensive I buy pork loins and grind it myself as most ground pork can be $4.99 a pound. I also render down the fat and store in jars in the fridge for the best home fries. Walmart also has halal meat and sometimes it doesn’t get sold as quickly as “regular” chicken. When it’s marked down I buy the heaviest pkgs I can find and either freeze or pressure can. Normal pricing is around $23 for 7 chicken breasts or $20 for the halal. Eggs here are just over $9 for 18, at Walmart, but I usually get my eggs from a farmer for $6 a dozen.
Please smile & feel all happy inside.
Everyone on a world-wide basis are now in this new & modern era, where NOBODY can afford to live or die. Kinda gives a whole new meaning to that phrase ‘processed food’ doesn’t it?
*and the tears fall*
In my area (PNW) prices and supplies have fared better than in some parts of the country. We did a no buy for groceries in January and had no issues. I find I am buying more essentials and less impulse items. Thankful for preparedness way of life! So our eating habits have changed little.
Some great ideas here in this article and in the comments. Living on a ranch selling grass fed beef has made our own beef supply free. My cold storage room is my fast food store 20 miles from the grocery store. I have bought lots of extra coffee for future bartering. I won’t barter my home canned goods because others don’t return my canning jars and at today’s cost, not willing to hand over the container.
I can everything: leftovers, dog food, broth, dairy, pork hocks for beans from the stores and from my garden.
My inlaws receive food from our local food bank. What they cannot use, they give to me. One of those things was a giant head of cabbage that no 90 year old could eat. So I made and canned crispy coleslaw in pint jars for them- so much more practical. Raised by a depression Era mom, we don’t waste anything. She scraped butter wrappers and egg shells. When we return to those times, I will be well trained. Thanks everyone for sharing.