Things that have gone up in price so much, you just had to reluctantly stop buying/using

[OH_Homeschooler]

22 minutes ago, marbel said:

Oh yeah. I am so tired of going from store to store to get what I need at a decent price. And I'm aware that driving around has a cost too, but sometimes it just has to happen. And figuring out what to eat out of all that. I've been doing it for a long time so I should be used to it, but I still miss the days when I didn't have to pay such close attention.

Can I suggest using things like Walmart pickup? I buy whatever I can at Aldi because 99% of the time that is the cheapest, but I also do a weekly pickup at Walmart. Lately I've been going to Aldi one night during the week, and Walmart pickup is Friday night. If what I need isn't available when I'm at Aldi, I just add it to my Walmart list (sometimes even when I'm waiting to checkout at Aldi). You can add things to your list all week, and then save things for later if you realize you don't need them right away. You can see what's a good deal without going there. I get a lot of shopping done that way without having to set foot in Walmart. 

I've also been stocking up on laundry and home stuff at Costco when it's on sale, so I have to buy that stuff a lot less often. Regular price at Costco isn't always the best, but once it's on sale I know I probably won't find a better price. The sales are usually a month long, so I might get a box of something each week of the month and then I'm set for a year. I used to get all that stuff at Target and now I rarely go to Target. 

[shawthorne44]

Lots of expensive/wasteful stuff, we'd already cut out.  For example, I make laundry detergent, and we don't use paper towels.  We have chickens so we eat lots of eggs.  In fact I don't eat eggs in restaurants because they taste so nothing.  Because I love eggs I eat a lot less beef.  

The recent cutbacks are eating out and fast food.  Also the DevaCurl conditioner.  

[Spryte]

Oh! Yes. Salmon. We used to have salmon weekly, but have cut that back to more like once every two or three weeks.

[kbutton]

5 hours ago, Condessa said:

I started making homemade granola bars a few months ago to save money, and then when dh brought home a box of (previously favorite) granola bars, no one wanted to eat them.  They prefer mine.

Recipe? I used to have one I kind of liked, but it wasn't very granola-y. 

[kbutton]

I have been finding enough sales that we don't have to cut back on tons, but I am more careful about processed foods for the kids. A lot of it is the healthier side of processed, but I don't bake for them because I try not to handle gluten stuff, so they do get more store bought treats than I normally would prefer. They also eat a lot more carbs than I do, so that's part of why they get a bit more processed stuff than I would like. I am going to try to get them baking for themselves on the weekends--one of the kids really likes to and finds it relaxing, but he's not been doing it lately. I am GF but also low carb, so my treats were already pretty limited. The kids eat too much canned soup, but the prices on what they like have not gone up as much as some stuff has. 

I've also been fortunate to hit stores on off days where they had a lot of markdowns on meat and sometimes fresh items. Most of it is marked down because it's slow. I have to be careful about eating older fresh food (the histamine builds up), but it's been okay so far. Even some fresh fish has been marked down 50% with days to go before it's date. I think people are cutting back enough that they aren't letting stuff sit around too much. We are eating more canned salmon again (and one of our kids prefers it). 

I drink cheaper coffee. I almost always use my grounds twice--I found that most brands are fine used again, and the rest are fine with just a little bit of fresh grounds added. 

I am going to try to push homemade waffles for breakfast, etc. We can either make them in batch and freeze them for the toaster, or we could figure out how much mix is needed and divvy that up for quick individual servings in the AM. I will also push more homemade muffins for breakfast. I have one kid that just really likes variety, and he's the one that has always been underweight. But variety means not just more flavors of waffles or muffins; it means that he doesn't even want breakfast at breakfast some days and will make ramen instead. 🤦‍♀️ He needs more nutrition than ramen offers, sigh.

[mommyoffive]

Um nothing really. 

I think sometimes we are just flexible.  When eggs went up, we just didn't buy them.  They are back down in the $2 range for a dozen so we are going back to buying them.

We don't eat out, hardly ever.

We only drink water, milk and tea.  We have juice on hand for sickness.

My kids and dh are huge milk drinkers and cereal eaters.  We embrace the store brands.  Honestly, they taste the same as name brand things.  I think there has been one time where we thought it was gross.  

I do stock up on sales at Costco.  

[Ottakee]

13 hours ago, Lecka said:

We have made some changes.  
 

We are buying 2-Liter sodas now instead of cans.  They aren’t 2-Liters, they are smaller, but they are working well for us and saving money, they are a treat and aren’t going flat.  
 

I have gotten a really good pinto bean recipe and we use it for nachos and burritos.  I used to use ground beef for Mexican-style foods.  
 

Would you like to share the pinto bean recipe?   I have one that is mostly vegetarian so that would be good.

[Kassia]

22 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

 

  We embrace the store brands.  Honestly, they taste the same as name brand things.  I think there has been one time where we thought it was gross.  

we've found that many store brands of products (cereal and other products) are just as good or even better than the name brands.  

 

4 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

Would you like to share the pinto bean recipe?   

I'd love to see it too!  

[Guest]

Put me down as another who (mostly) does not eat out now. Also, if I do, I’m not getting an adult drink. 
 

I was in Ulta yesterday, getting root touch up, when I looked at face sunscreens. I had one in my hand but when I looked at the price, I thought it must be mis-shelved. $48! Nope; that was the price. I figured I’ll scrape by on the old Neutrogena one I have. Sheesh.

[ScoutTN]

Our cuts have been mostly in other areas: entertainment (few or no theater tix, no symphony), vacations (which we rarely took anyway, none now), not replacing worn out things til they actually break or disintegrate, etc. Books too, I have only bought books necessary for Dd’s homeschooling and a couple of gifts. 
 

We have always been tightly- budgeted, thrift shoppers etc. 

[marbel]

2 hours ago, OH_Homeschooler said:

Can I suggest using things like Walmart pickup? I buy whatever I can at Aldi because 99% of the time that is the cheapest, but I also do a weekly pickup at Walmart. Lately I've been going to Aldi one night during the week, and Walmart pickup is Friday night. If what I need isn't available when I'm at Aldi, I just add it to my Walmart list (sometimes even when I'm waiting to checkout at Aldi). You can add things to your list all week, and then save things for later if you realize you don't need them right away. You can see what's a good deal without going there. I get a lot of shopping done that way without having to set foot in Walmart. 

I've also been stocking up on laundry and home stuff at Costco when it's on sale, so I have to buy that stuff a lot less often. Regular price at Costco isn't always the best, but once it's on sale I know I probably won't find a better price. The sales are usually a month long, so I might get a box of something each week of the month and then I'm set for a year. I used to get all that stuff at Target and now I rarely go to Target. 

Yeah, unfortunately that has not worked out well for me. I did that a lot when it first became available, and it was great, but over time it became less useful. They were so frequently out of what I ordered even after I placed the order. Or they'd substitute something completely different till I stopped allowing any subs. I'd still get completely wrong stuff though - like, instead of whole milk I got low-fat chocolate milk. I could never trust that the produce would be acceptable. WM was always good about refunding, but then I still had to acquire the stuff. 

I'm sure different WMs are run differently but it is not a useful option for me. 

[Lecka]

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/81550/terrys-texas-pinto-beans/
 

This is my new pinto bean recipe.  We really like it here.  
 

Because I have a large jar of green chilies I have been using that instead of green salsa but I plan to change to green salsa when we finish this jar.  
 

Edit:  freezes well, great on nachos and in burritos with rice and cheese.  
 

Another edit: I also soak beans and then cook in the crockpot on low.  I drain most of the liquid for nachos and burritos, but it’s good with the liquid, with rice.  

Edited March 17, 2023 by Lecka

[OH_Homeschooler]

50 minutes ago, marbel said:

Yeah, unfortunately that has not worked out well for me. I did that a lot when it first became available, and it was great, but over time it became less useful. They were so frequently out of what I ordered even after I placed the order. Or they'd substitute something completely different till I stopped allowing any subs. I'd still get completely wrong stuff though - like, instead of whole milk I got low-fat chocolate milk. I could never trust that the produce would be acceptable. WM was always good about refunding, but then I still had to acquire the stuff. 

I'm sure different WMs are run differently but it is not a useful option for me. 

That is true, I actually use a different Walmart than the one I used to go to for a lot of these reasons. I hope you find something that works out better for you!

 

[bolt.]

4 hours ago, QueenCat said:

I'm with you on the diet soda... It's my only caffeine & I'm not giving it up.

On the one hand, you totally deserve the indulgence of diet soda, if that's just a pleasure to you, I'm sure it's worth it.

On the other hand, if the experience doesn't matter and it's actually all about caffeine -- you should know that it comes in little pink tablets at the drug store -- a hundred of them for the cost of a few servings of soda.

Edited March 17, 2023 by bolt.

[Arcadia]

3 hours ago, Faith-manor said:

I thought of one more thing, seafood. Both elderly moms' doctors adamantly want them consuming fish, fin fish. My mom, in particular, had a low grocery budget. So we normally provide our of pocket, fish one night a week for both of them. They do not like tilapia, so we usually do perch, cod, or salmon. Those have gone up quite a bit. Not doubled in price, but definitely $2-5 more per lb depending on the species. We are still buying it for them, and they buy enough to have one more meal per week, but they are squawking about it so I suspect we will have to supplement more. I am encouraging tuna for lunch. I was going to buy canned salmon and make them some salmon patties for sandwiches, but that has also gone up a lot, and when I went to two different stores, they had none.

We have to depend on fish oil supplements for that. My kids would eat tilapia but thrive on salmon. They would eat tuna or sardine sandwiches but canned tuna/sardines are not cheap either. We get canned salmon from Trader Joe’s. I think Costco has canned salmon too.  
 

We stopped buying watermelons when the mini watermelons cost more than $1.50 each. Now they cost $3.99 at supermarkets we go to. The regular size watermelons are also expensive. When I had a horrible case of heartburn, my husband bought watermelon juice for me to hydrate and calm my acidic reflux. A litre carton of watermelon juice, no other ingredients added, cost $3.99. 

[Paige]

I might stop buying random "household objects" for science and arts and crafts. We don't buy soda but DS needs 2 2 liter bottles to make a tornado next week. If I was going to buy it, I'd want it to have something someone in the house would drink. But $3.87 for 1 2L of soda?? That's a no. It'll probably go flat before we drink and I'd just pour it down the drain. I'm going to ask the local giveaway group for some. The same thing for Pringles cans or yogurt cups- I'm not sure the experiments are worth wasting money. I used to be fine with it if it was just a few dollars.  

[prairiewindmomma]

45 minutes ago, Paige said:

I might stop buying random "household objects" for science and arts and crafts. We don't buy soda but DS needs 2 2 liter bottles to make a tornado next week. If I was going to buy it, I'd want it to have something someone in the house would drink. But $3.87 for 1 2L of soda?? That's a no. It'll probably go flat before we drink and I'd just pour it down the drain. I'm going to ask the local giveaway group for some. The same thing for Pringles cans or yogurt cups- I'm not sure the experiments are worth wasting money. I used to be fine with it if it was just a few dollars.  

Same. This is one of the reasons we switched to Mystery Science. The materials for the science experiments were much easier to source--mostly stuff I printed off with the occasional paperclip, paper cup, pipe cleaner, or string.  

[QueenCat]

1 hour ago, bolt. said:

On the one hand, you totally deserve the indulgence of diet soda, if that's just a pleasure to you, I'm sure it's worth it.

On the other hand, if the experience doesn't matter and it's actually all about caffeine -- you should know that it comes in little pink tablets at the drug store -- a hundred of them for the cost of a few servings of soda.

True... but I do like my diet pepsi 😉

[marbel]

9 minutes ago, QueenCat said:

True... but I do like my diet pepsi 😉

I think that if possible, it's important to keep little pleasures. Like a diet pepsi, or a particular type of chocolate, or super-premium ice cream. For me, it's having a glass of wine occasionally. I buy inexpensive wine and don't drink it all the time, but I am sure to have some in the house for when it is wanted. It is consumed slowly and with pleasure.

I also will do almost anything not to give up on eggs. Not that they are a true pleasure for me, but they are a diet essential for my husband and me. (I know they are not for everyone.) 

 

 

[Jaybee]

Even when eggs were at their highest, I still bought them, because as a source of protein, they were still less per serving than any meat I could buy. I just cut back on the meat instead. I know there are plant-based proteins I could sub (and do), but then you have the carb aspect that can make it a delicate dance sometimes.

[HomeAgain]

I’m going to compare at our other grocery store tomorrow, but this feels insane. 

[Lecka]

Yikes! 
 

The smaller-than-2-liter sodas are under $3 here, too.  They are in the high $2.80s.  

[Kassia]

I have a 16 oz container of Badia garlic powder in my Amazon subscribe and save order that I got for 5.72.  I hope it ends up getting delivered.  I had no idea it was getting so expensive.

 

[Faith-manor]

46 minutes ago, HomeAgain said:

I’m going to compare at our other grocery store tomorrow, but this feels insane. 

Whoa!

[Ausmumof3]

Weirdly we are the opposite at the moment. Last year was really tough but prices seem to have regulated a lot and dh and I have both had a pay rise. Our interest rate has gone up on the home loan so overall that’s a bit more each week.

I think the main thing that’s really helping is it’s summer and we have a stack of produce plus so do other people and everyone’s sharing it around. We are drowning in quinces, tomatoes, pumpkins, zucchini, eggs, chilli, herbs and figs. The only thing that’s frustrating me is I don’t have preserving facilities yet.

We don’t buy red meat though. We do have a constant supply of venison and buy some chicken.

[Arcadia]

1 hour ago, HomeAgain said:

I’m going to compare at our other grocery store tomorrow, but this feels insane. 

MSRP is $9.95 https://shop.mccormick.com/products/mccormick-garlic-powder-5-37-oz

My local Safeway is 

“Member Price 

Your Price $5.99 each/ ea Original Price $9.99”

 

[Halftime Hope]

21 hours ago, Faith-manor said:

Absolutely agree. I am not sure why it is that low other than maybe there are a lot of beef ranchers selling out. 

Yep, this. There is a local ag guy who can quote ag magazines and reporting like nobody's business. Meat prices have been low due to all the farmers cutting back herd sizes, but add that to cuts in nearly all grain crops and the exorbitant costs of inputs, plus the drought, and he expects we're just beginning to see a huge increase in all kinds of meats.

[Condessa]

16 hours ago, kbutton said:

Recipe? I used to have one I kind of liked, but it wasn't very granola-y. 

Sure.  They’re quite sweet.
 

5 cups rolled oats

1 cup almonds, roughly chopped 

2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

⅔ cup honey

¼ cup butter 

¼ cup vegetable oil 

½ cup brown sugar

2 t vanilla extract 

½ t salt

1 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped 

½ +¼ cup mini chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees and line large rimmed cooking sheet with parchment paper. Leave the edges of the parchment paper extra long.  Spread oats and almonds on another large rimmed baking sheet and bake 5 minutes.  Add coconut and stir then continue to bake, stirring every 3-5 minutes until they begin to toast.  Remove and place in a large bowl.

In the meantime, combine butter, oil, honey, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat and stir occasionally until the butter is melted and bubbling and the sugar is completely dissolved.

Pour the butter mixture into the bowl with toasted oats, almond, and coconut and mix together.  Let cool for 5 minutes, and then add the cranberries and a 1/2 cup of the mini chocolate chips and stir.

Put the mixture into the pan prepared with parchment paper and press the mixture firmly into the pan.  I start with a spatula and then my hands as it is cool enough, and then I fold the long ends of the parchment paper over the top of the granola mixture and place my heaviest pot on top and press down for a couple of minutes.  I then lift the parchment paper, sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips on top, set it back down and press on top the paper with my hands to press the chocolate chips into the surface of the granola mixture.

Refrigerate at least 2 hours before removing from the fridge. Peel the parchment paper off the block of granola mixture and cut block into bars.  Makes about 3 dozen. 

 

Edited March 18, 2023 by Condessa

[DawnM]

9 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Um nothing really. 

I think sometimes we are just flexible.  When eggs went up, we just didn't buy them.  They are back down in the $2 range for a dozen so we are going back to buying them.

We don't eat out, hardly ever.

We only drink water, milk and tea.  We have juice on hand for sickness.

My kids and dh are huge milk drinkers and cereal eaters.  We embrace the store brands.  Honestly, they taste the same as name brand things.  I think there has been one time where we thought it was gross.  

I do stock up on sales at Costco.  

Kind of the same here, we buy them, but we don't use them as much as we used to when prices skyrocket.

We still eat out more than we should.

Overall not too many changes, although when some things get too high we wait for sales or cut back.   I still get steak when it is on sale.   We love steak and potatoes.

[fairfarmhand]

2 hours ago, Halftime Hope said:

Yep, this. There is a local ag guy who can quote ag magazines and reporting like nobody's business. Meat prices have been low due to all the farmers cutting back herd sizes, but add that to cuts in nearly all grain crops and the exorbitant costs of inputs, plus the drought, and he expects we're just beginning to see a huge increase in all kinds of meats.

Right now, farmers in our area are still feeding hay. Last year, there were some pockets of drought, so many farmers were short on hay, this means they are running out of hay before the green grass grows in. Add to that the cost of buying feed (inSANE!) and the high costs of fuel, it's just not a good time to be raising beef.

However, when the cow herd (overall in the US) gets smaller, it will stay smaller for awhile. It takes TWO YEARS for a beef animal to get to slaughter weight. So when the cow herd is small it'll take some time for the spring calves of this year to grow up to be slaughter weight. And if farmers sell a healthy number of their beef mama's it may take a couple years for them to be old enough to reproduce.  And then THOSE steers have to grow to 2 years to be slaughtered. 

[mommyoffive]

1 hour ago, DawnM said:

Kind of the same here, we buy them, but we don't use them as much as we used to when prices skyrocket.

We still eat out more than we should.

Overall not too many changes, although when some things get too high we wait for sales or cut back.   I still get steak when it is on sale.   We love steak and potatoes.

Yeah, we are not an egg family.   Nobody bakes or makes things with eggs and we don't eat them for breakfast.  Once in a while a breakfast meal.  But I am just getting them while they are cheap and making hard boiled eggs as snacks.  But we didn't miss them at all when they were expensive.  

[chiguirre]

On 3/16/2023 at 7:56 PM, Brittany1116 said:

I forgot about Triscuits. I only buy them about 3 times a year. Now there is a 7 or 8 oz box that is higher in price than the big Family Size box ever was. 

Aldi has Triscuit dupes that are really good for $1.50 a box

[Brittany1116]

Just now, chiguirre said:

Aldi has Triscuit dupes that are really good for $1.50 a box

Thank you, I will look for those. 🙂

[Shoeless]

10 hours ago, HomeAgain said:

I’m going to compare at our other grocery store tomorrow, but this feels insane. 

Wow, what store is that?! Our local grocery has that same size for $6, which feels outrageous. I buy the giant store brand instead. 

[Ausmumof3]

2 hours ago, Shoeless said:

Wow, what store is that?! Our local grocery has that same size for $6, which feels outrageous. I buy the giant store brand instead. 

That would be insane even in Aussie dollars!

[DawnM]

14 hours ago, HomeAgain said:

I’m going to compare at our other grocery store tomorrow, but this feels insane. 

https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Brand-Garlic-Granulated-Ounces/dp/B07VVGKHLH/ref=sr_1_1_ffob_sspa?crid=1CEIC31N412RR&keywords=garlic+powder&qid=1679139252&sprefix=garlic+powd%2Caps%2C376&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyT1dCRkpNQ1kyV0YmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAxNjUwMjUyRUsxM1pXNlVFV1pNJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA3NjA2NDQxN01CNzlNMEdJOTFXJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

 

Amazon has it for $2.99.   I have started checking Amazon for this sort of stuff.

Edited March 18, 2023 by DawnM

[Tenaj]

I made pies on Tuesday and used up all my Crisco.  At my local Kroger the price to replace 48oz. was over $10.  I always buy Crisco because I think it is better than the store brands but I had to change this time which was still over $6.  

I'm trying to find bean recipes that my family will eat but it's a hard sell.  

[HomeAgain]

5 hours ago, Shoeless said:

Wow, what store is that?! Our local grocery has that same size for $6, which feels outrageous. I buy the giant store brand instead. 

This is our major chain: Stop & Shop. You can see the emblem down below toward the left and they share that with a few other chains in other regions.

I tend to shop at a more regional chain and Trader Joe's, but this was closer when I ran out for bread and honey last night.  (Honey was also insanely priced.  I bought a small container for $6 and will contact our local supplier that we buy from in the summer to get it at  $20/quart)

[Halftime Hope]

12 hours ago, fairfarmhand said:

Right now, farmers in our area are still feeding hay. Last year, there were some pockets of drought, so many farmers were short on hay, this means they are running out of hay before the green grass grows in. Add to that the cost of buying feed (inSANE!) and the high costs of fuel, it's just not a good time to be raising beef.

However, when the cow herd (overall in the US) gets smaller, it will stay smaller for awhile. It takes TWO YEARS for a beef animal to get to slaughter weight. So when the cow herd is small it'll take some time for the spring calves of this year to grow up to be slaughter weight. And if farmers sell a healthy number of their beef mama's it may take a couple years for them to be old enough to reproduce.  And then THOSE steers have to grow to 2 years to be slaughtered. 

That's exactly what he was pointing out, but I didn't write it out. It will take a number of years for this to recover. I don't think even buying beef in bulk and stocking a freezer will get people through this kind of a long-term gap.  Ultimately, this will translate everyone paying much higher prices for beef.  

 

[Shoeless]

16 hours ago, HomeAgain said:

This is our major chain: Stop & Shop. You can see the emblem down below toward the left and they share that with a few other chains in other regions.

I tend to shop at a more regional chain and Trader Joe's, but this was closer when I ran out for bread and honey last night.  (Honey was also insanely priced.  I bought a small container for $6 and will contact our local supplier that we buy from in the summer to get it at  $20/quart)

The price differences around the country are wild! 

Garlic is pretty easy to grow, I think? Maybe I'll start growing and dehydrating it 😜

[TravelingChris]

?My problem is rhat many health wiseest items have disappeared. Like I was using the highest level protection briefs made by one company and adding their overnight pads to them.   The company apparently stopped mak8ng the highest v level..  Now I am super embarrassed and have t I buy expensive pet urine products to do laundry..  Dh just wants me to r b row hopeles messes away and buy new I nes. 

I wanted to buy anot g er teiangle type rollator- now 3 times the price an x you can't get it snyway.

I have to order my Amish msde desk this week.it used to take 3-4  months to get even a very much larger pieces.  Now I will have to wait 8 months

I was shhockef how high lots of products t n at I bought in21 while recover I n g from my left knee disaster have more than doubled I n price

   The funny thing was my over r 500 dollar buy at Amazon yesterdayl theyclaimed on l y 32.  Wwas tax deductible. No actually the only things that weren't were the 2 Rubbermaid  laundry baskets at 23 dollars each.  

[73349]

21 hours ago, Halftime Hope said:

 Ultimately, this will translate everyone paying much higher prices for beef. 

Some people can't or won't. It might be that the herd sizes will keep getting smaller.

I grew up eating beef about twice a week. I haven't eaten any this year. I have my menu made out until Memorial Day, and beef isn't on it at all. (Maybe for DH's birthday? But that's not until November.)

[Faith-manor]

22 hours ago, Halftime Hope said:

That's exactly what he was pointing out, but I didn't write it out. It will take a number of years for this to recover. I don't think even buying beef in bulk and stocking a freezer will get people through this kind of a long-term gap.  Ultimately, this will translate everyone paying much higher prices for beef.  

 

Agreed. Beef can only be kept for so long before it gets freezer burn. So in the short term, beef eaters can mitigate the issue, but that lasts maybe a year at most and then the consequences of our farm policy mess will still intrude.

I have been watching Clarkson's Farm, and reading on a social media farmer/rancher/agricultural support group thing, and the insanity of farm policy of the UK as well as the US is just astounding. On the surface, it looks like ignorance and political BS for the sake of BS. But it isn't, it is a corporate driven, capitalism sponsored mess to deliberately cause family owned farms to tank so their land can be sold to two entities, one being corporations like ConAgra and their ilk, or the other being wealthy, huge contracting firms who want to develop luxury homes/subdivisions/resorts on the property, acquiring it for dirt cheap when the farmer goes bankrupt and the property is auctioned to pay creditors. D.E.P.R.A.V.E.D. Local zoning boards and councilors/commissioners do go along with this crap out of ignorance and well stubbornness at not being willing to change, and also feeling entitled to cheap food as well as general discrimination against farmers as often local politicians see themselves as better than and above the farming community. They play right into these corporate entities and their bribed politicians' hands.

[Dmmetler]

On 3/17/2023 at 3:57 PM, HomeAgain said:

I’m going to compare at our other grocery store tomorrow, but this feels insane. 

If you have Asian or Latin-American groceries, bulk spices are MUCH less expensive there (I have one of each right across from each other, making hitting both on one grocery trip easy). 

[mommyoffive]

On 3/17/2023 at 3:57 PM, HomeAgain said:

I’m going to compare at our other grocery store tomorrow, but this feels insane. 

Dollar Tree also carries spices around here.  Not sure if they have this one.

[Halftime Hope]

6 hours ago, 73349 said:

Some people can't or won't. It might be that the herd sizes will keep getting smaller.

I grew up eating beef about twice a week. I haven't eaten any this year. I have my menu made out until Memorial Day, and beef isn't on it at all. (Maybe for DH's birthday? But that's not until November.)

That's the whole point of TBTB.  (And of course, feel free to 'you do you'.)

[Halftime Hope]

5 hours ago, Faith-manor said:

Agreed. Beef can only be kept for so long before it gets freezer burn. So in the short term, beef eaters can mitigate the issue, but that lasts maybe a year at most and then the consequences of our farm policy mess will still intrude.

I have been watching Clarkson's Farm, and reading on a social media farmer/rancher/agricultural support group thing, and the insanity of farm policy of the UK as well as the US is just astounding. On the surface, it looks like ignorance and political BS for the sake of BS. But it isn't, it is a corporate driven, capitalism sponsored mess to deliberately cause family owned farms to tank so their land can be sold to two entities, one being corporations like ConAgra and their ilk, or the other being wealthy, huge contracting firms who want to develop luxury homes/subdivisions/resorts on the property, acquiring it for dirt cheap when the farmer goes bankrupt and the property is auctioned to pay creditors. D.E.P.R.A.V.E.D. Local zoning boards and councilors/commissioners do go along with this crap out of ignorance and well stubbornness at not being willing to change, and also feeling entitled to cheap food as well as general discrimination against farmers as often local politicians see themselves as better than and above the farming community. They play right into these corporate entities and their bribed politicians' hands.

I'm not familiar with Clarkson's Farm.

[73349]

25 minutes ago, Halftime Hope said:

That's the whole point of TBTB.  (And of course, feel free to 'you do you'.)

What's TBTB?

[Eos]

15 hours ago, Shoeless said:

Garlic is pretty easy to grow,

Super easy, and you can easily grow enough in a pretty small patch to have a year's supply without having to dry and powder it.  Fall planting works best around here, but some years I've put in a spring crop and it's really fine.  You can eat the flowering buds, too, which you have to snip off to get the bulb to form underground.

[Melissa in Australia]

I know it isn't a food, but I had to take twin 1 to his annual children's hospital appointment. 

 This time last year a hotel room was $123 overnight for a 2 bed room

Today I paid $198   overnight for the exact same room