I am just plain amazed at the prices of things!

It is amazing isn't it. I have noticed it, our meals are planned by sales and coupons for what I can. It would be nice to know how to make alot of it. I have been using vinegar and baking soda a lot more than I used to.

Hi, check out this site: http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes/ I have been making my own detergent for about six months or more. I will say that I have used the felsnaptha soap and liked it okay. Wal Mart did not have it, so I got Ivory soap this last time and I do not like it as well as it does not stay so well mixed. I bought pitchers to keep it in and it did not shake up. I liked it better in a big bucket and I used a soup ladle to stir it and dip it into the wash. I do not use fabric softener, I use white vinegar in one of those Downy balls. I read that you can take the static out of the wash by putting a crumpled ball of foil in the dryer with your wash. I have not tried it yet. On the laundry soap, the box of Borax and of washing soda last for three or four batches of soap. It cost less than six dollars when I bought the soap and those two items. I started doing this because the cheap laundry soap made me itch. Vinegar, baking soda, washing soda, peroxide and ammonia all clean your house cheaper and safer than what they want you to get in the store. I always by short dated meats and then package them to freeze, saving about forty percent on that. I cook lots of different bean dishes. I make most things from scratch without mixes, and that is cheaper as well.

No kidding it is almost as if if they think we are too dumb to realize the truth. The products are getting a bit more colorful and decorative but way smaller in size. I look at labels and the is the first thing I notice is the shrinking content. I especially hate that they raise the price and then put it on sale for what use to be the price, almost like we should feel like wow it is on sale, not necessarily.

yes, they think we are stupid. I especially love the claims that "less packaging is better for the environment", when what they are really doing is exactly what you have described above. Unfortunately, most of us are forced to buy the stuff at the higher prices, because by the time we drive from store to store to get the "bargains" (actually just reasonable prices) we have spent the money we would have saved on gas!

I am sorry to say that these price increases are just the beginning, unless the crisis in the middle east and Japan gets resolved, we will have to brace ourselves more prices increases.

I'm afraid we haven't seen the last of the prices going up. With the price of gasoline on the rise and harsh winter which froze a lot of produce in the south we are sure to see an increase. As for the package sizes this has been in the chain stores for years. Twelve ounces replace the one pound packages we get else wheres. There are however many ways to save on our food bills. I live in Northern Pennsylvania near the New York state line. Here there are many Amish families that operate discount food stores. It is well worth checking out their stores. Some stuff is dented cans or slightly out dated dry stuff but so far I have not found much wrong with any of it. Also recycling cans and redeeming them for groceries in New York state or other states that offer deposit can lower the bill at the check out. If you have cash off coupons to contribute along with the deposit refunds you can save plenty. My husband and I try to keep plenty stocked up. Buying extras at a discount will save us a lot when the prices start to soar. We usually have extras before winter sets in anyways, but now it's more of beating the price hike thing.

I find this frustrating too. Everything is getting more and more expensive and I have no idea how I'm going to afford things a few years from now. We have learned to make our own bread, so it's cheaper for us now, and I bake a lot of other things. But I can't make things like laundry soap, etc, and you're right - the packages are shrinking and the prices are increasing.

Yes, everything has gotten more and more expensive yet our income is still the same. Since February 2011, the price of gasoline here increases every week. Maybe this is also due to the conflict now in Middle East which is the global source of fuel. I also observed other commodities increasing in prices like bread but the size are getting smaller. I think i need to start making my own farmville in my backyard.

What you've said is true, here in my place the price of almost everything gets higher and higher. I just came from the market early this morning and i can't help but complain how the prices dramatically increase in just a week. I even compute everything i bought upon returning home just to make sure that my eye is not deceiving me. How sad that at the same amount of money I a lot every week for food I get to bring home less and less.

We sure do have to watch every penny! Since the recent floods here in Australia, we have noticed that all our fruit and vegetables have increased in price by about a third! People are not buying like they used to - I'm certainly not! Even general food prices have increased and I guess will continue to do so - there have been so many natural disasters lately all over the world, which always seems to affect food prices for the worse. To counter-act it, I am growing more vegetables than I ever have before, I bake my own bread and pizza bases (much tastier anyway), and I make everything from scratch - I never buy packet mixes. When I buy meat I try to buy in bulk as it works out cheaper, then separate it when I get home and freeze the portions. I never buy cleaning products - you can clean the house with Borax, vinegar or baking soda which are cheap to buy and last a long time.

It happens in Indonesia, too. The food prices increase by 200 - 300% while our salary stays the same. How can we afford them now, unless we cut all budgets for electricity, gas and fuels. Many of us live frugally, already.

In my opinion, maybe they do that, so everybody could still afford them. Not all persons could afford buying those in big quantities so i guess it's their one way of being affordable to all people. Yes, prices are increasing. Sad to note that my company wouldn't even budge to give us even a small pay hike.