Eggs are Getting Ridiculous Again

@porwest Hmmmm. I didn't know that chicken prices weren't up.

It's a thing. Oh well. What can you do? But one does wonder, and it's an interesting mystery when you think about it. Only the egg layers are affected? How come chicken prices haven't gone up? Maybe I smell a rat.

@LindaOHio Chicken isn’t cheap here. It’s not as much as red meat, of course, but it’s not a bargain by any means. The cheapest way to get chicken here is to buy a whole rotisserie chicken, which really makes no sense since they cook it for you, but whatever.

I guess it would depend on what I am bartering. lol. Not that long ago the average price for a dozen eggs was under a buck.

@porwest Her hens are laying big time right now...she just brought me 3 dozen huge, fresh brown eggs a little while ago. We don't always barter, because we are good friends. But I try to have something for her. Times like today, she decided I would use the extra ones if she dropped them off, and she was right. I am going to make some homemade noodles for the freezer.

@porwest I have done that many times, it works great.

@porwest I remember hearing about a freeze killing the coffee trees ?? in Brazil. The next morning, the prices in the stores doubled the price of coffee. They will take advantage of anything to raise the prices.

There's always something to get us to pay more. lol

@akalinus I mean in cases like that, it is something that at least makes sense from a supply and demand perspective. It's not unfair to ask more if you have less to give or when you have lost millions of dollars in crops you can't harvest and sell. I mean, think about it. You have an item at a garage sale and 10 people want it. Who do you sell it to? The lowest bidder or the highest one? One guy says he'll give you $10 and the other says he'll give you $100. You're taking the $100. lol

The prices in the stores are outrageous. They raise the prices because they know we need to eat to live. I feel sorry for families with kids.

We won't be seeing an end to high prices any time soon, that much I know.

@akalinus Food prices here have gone up a lot over the past few years, some things more than others. For example for a long time butter was about 70p a block and now it's about £2.30. That's more than three times the price! It's a combination of many factors. For a long time food has been unrealistically cheap. Many dairy farmers went out of business as it was uneconomic to keep going, and sold their land for building. So of course if there are not enough producers the price will be higher. Then the minimum wage was introduced and has just been increased, fuel prices are high which of course affects distribution of everything, costs of production such as animal feed, fertiliser etc have all gone up too. Now it feels like a big shock but in reality prices should have been higher before and then much of this would not have happened.

$2 is not great. But it's better than $3.77. Not less than a year ago my average price for a dozen eggs, though, was under $1.

@porwest Eggs are expensive in HK.

@Beestring So I have heard. Then again, don't chickens just run wild there? Can you catch one or raid a nest or something and get some eggs that way? lol

@LovesEverybody I simply avoid recipes that would call for eggs.

It depends on how you define "decent." For about two years before this inflation hit I was buying a dozen eggs for under a buck. Now I would consider $1.49 to under two bucks "high, but decent." Anything over $2 and I don't buy them. Aldi is MOSTLY cheaper. But like any store, not on everything. No matter what, you have to know your prices to know if something is a bargain or not.

@porwest If you used to buy them under a buck then I can understand why you wouldn't buy them for over $2. What do you do if you have a recipe that requires eggs and eggs are $2+ You are right about not everything in the store is cheaper. I find that Walmart's Great Value brand went way up in price, however, that brand is still cheaper than most other brands. Unless the other brands are a deeply discounted sale.

It is a never ending cycle. It is what it is.

@porwest I admire your ability to manage your money and not spend impulsively. There are times when I just say 'the heck with it" and buy an item in the store I'm at when I know it's cheaper somewhere else. I don't do it often because I'm retired and have to watch my pennies too.

I have always shopped this way anyway. From store to store. I go to who has the best price and time my shops according to what's on my list and who has the best price. Not a penny gets wasted in my house. Not one. Ever. No matter the economy. But yes, this inflation has really taken its toll on the bottom line for everyone. It's just nuts anymore. I am back to eating more casseroles and soups to spread the dollars as much as I can, even though money is not an issue for me.

@Marilynda1225 Making sure to watch my pennies early on is what allows me to not HAVE to pinch them now. I pinch them because I choose to. Having money is about making every penny count, not wasting it, saving and investing it wisely, and never taking it for granted. I will never understand that many people cannot put together these two things. "I struggle because I don't have enough money," and "I don't care if I spend more than I have to every once in a while." lol. The reason people ever have money issues, severe or not, is BECAUSE they don't take the time to make sure they keep more of it. If money is spent it's value is zero. If money is saved it's value is virtually limitless. Not only could I retire early at 50 BECAUSE of how I dealt with my money. I am also able to ENJOY it. It's not about saving 2 cents now. It's knowing if I DO save it, it's worth 3 1/2 cents tomorrow. Just my two cents worth. But if you heed the advice here, it MIGHT be worth 3 1/2 cents to you at some point in the future. lol

@porwest They are almost always out eating in the fields, and they also eat a lot of leftovers that would otherwise be composted.

@nela13 I guess that does save a few pennies.

That definitely would save some money. Well, except for the people who own the chickens. I imagine the feed and upkeep is not cheap.

Eventually on a lot of this stuff there IS going to be a breaking point, I think. Many people do not have the convictions I do to simply refuse to buy things if I don't like the price. Granted, you can't do it with everything. But I do it wherever I can, and when it comes to eggs, while I love them, it's something I can live without if that needs to be what happens. At the end of the day we still get to vote with our wallets, and you are right...if certain things don't leave the shelves, they will have no choice but to bring the price down or write off the losses when they are forced to throw it away.

The "gas I will use" idea is one I have debunked multiple times. If we're talking a few cents, it's not worth it. If we're talking $1, it is. Consider the average vehicle gets at least 15 miles per gallon. Gas is averaging around $3.50. It will cost you 23 cents to drive one mile. If the eggs are $1 cheaper a mile away, you still save 77 cents by traveling the extra mile to get them. To save money, math has to be your best friend, and while doing the calculations seems pointless, if it saves you money to know the true cost of the savings and distance traveled...it is time well spent.