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Post Info TOPIC: The Grocery Bill
garougal


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The Grocery Bill
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I read an interesting article on msn.com about the increasing cost of groceries that was pretty interesting. Here's a few pieces I thought I'd share:

As painful as rising gas prices have been, big jumps in food prices are worse because we spend so much more of our budgets feeding ourselves (12.8%, on average) than we do feeding our cars (3.4%).

To help you cope, I consulted the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which tracks the Consumer Price Index, to find the five foods that had soared the most in price between March 2007 and March 2008.

And the winners of the most inflated foodstuffs are (drumroll, please):


  • Flour, up 37%.
  • Eggs, up 34.8%.

  • Sweet peppers, up 29.2%.

  • Milk, up 23.1%.

  • Dried beans, up 21.6%.


That last one is particularly painful. I can't count the times I've told some debt-addled reader to reduce expenses by "eating beans and rice if you have to!" Oh, yeah, and rice is up 10% in a month; some warehouse stores are starting to limit bulk sales because of stockpiling.

The causes of food inflation are many, with the importance of each dependent on which expert you quote. Among the most commonly cited:

  • Speculation in commodity markets.

  • Bad weather.

  • Rising global demand, particularly in China and India.

  • The weak dollar.

  • Higher transport (fuel) costs.


If you want to know more about how to save $$$ on these items, go to http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/CollegeAndFamily/RaiseKids/HowToFight5FoodBudgetKillers.aspx?page=all



-- Edited by garougal at 12:57, 2008-05-02

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RE: Teh Grocery Bill
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jeez!!!!!!

when I calculate my 401k $ using the online calculator, the automatic default rate of inflation is 3% a year. I don't think I can even select a double-digit number!? omg.gif

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garougal


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RE: The Grocery Bill
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I know what you mean. The irony is that these items were, for a long time in the U.S., among the poor man's staples. I wonder what could be considered in that grouping now?

-- Edited by garougal at 13:05, 2008-05-02

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Jeremy Riggs


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The McDonalds Dollar Menu hmm.gif

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garougal


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You joke, but there might be some truth to that. hmm

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Trish


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Ramen noodles.

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garougal wrote:

You joke, but there might be some truth to that. hmm


So now they'll not only be poor but they'll be fat and have clogged arteries to boot!

It really is true though.  When you've got three bucks, you can eat pretty well at McDonalds.

 



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WebGuy


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I'm not sure I'd want to call it eating "well" . . . but you can stop the hunger.



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Trish


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I'd rather not eat than eat at Mickey D's all the time. bleh.gif

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I really dig the info on financials that can be gotten on msn money. I almost have to look nowhere else.smile

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firefly


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I went to get groceries the other day, spent $100 and I felt like I didn't really get muchhmm

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Trish


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I spend at least $200 a week on groceries and that's if I don't get a whole heck of a lot. My 13 year old just eats through my budget. I went went this w/e to get groceries and they were out of the generic brand flour. Not one bag to be had. I ended up getting a bag of unbleached specialty flour cheaper than I could get Gold Medal or Pillsbury. That's crazy. That might seem inconsequential to some people, but I bake at least twice a week. I have to bake 12 dozen cookies Wed. night. Paying almost a dollar more for a 5 lb bag of flour adds up quickly.

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For the first time in a long time, I am watching the sales flyers again for the grocery stores near me. pasta based meals seem relatively reasonable at this point. and still the 4 lb bag of navel oranges are two for $5. more often than not vitamins are on sale too buy one get one free.

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