Anyone Else Notice the Price of Food Lately?

We are seeing the same thing here in Las Vegas...I can't believe how high everything is going. It use to be cheater living here in Las Vegas. But now it is getting crazy!! Gas prices went down a bit here but not like accross the country. Some reason they are staying high here. The cost of living keeps going up and up and the wages stay the same. A person gets a small yearly raise and that doesn't even touch how high the cost of living has gotten. It is getting crazy. What is so scarey is crime is on the rise also, that all goes with the prices going so high for the everyday person to live on. Something has to break....

Food prices are only going to get worse. I don't mean to sound all "environmental" but the truth of the matter is that nature is confused. With all the wierd weather patterns and seasons being too long or too short, plants are getting confused as to when to grow, bloom, etc. Just look at the cherry trees in DC. They aren't supposed to bloom yet, but they have and the cold is killing them. And it is happening all over the world. The stinky corpse flower bloomed several weeks ahead of schedule due to unseasonably warm weather. Not to mention that most of the fruits and veggie in the US are imported from Chile, Mexico and Brazil. Most of the stuff grown in the US is exported to other countries. It doesn't make sense, but that is how it is and the result is extremely high prices for the consumer. Milk should not be almost $5 a gallon (here in Dallas), but it is and we have to pay it because our kids need milk. Unfortunately the more we buy it the more the manufacturers think they can charge. It's a catch-22 and we as consumers are trapped by it.

It is very typical of winter here that prices go up. Some of them never go back down, once the producers get us used to paying the higher prices. The freeze in California last month has caused shortages in oranges and other produce, so the prices there are higher. As far as eggs go, I have always been told that chickens lay fewer eggs in the winter, so think of supply and demand. Grain crops for bread and cereal this year have suffered through a lot of drought and negative growing conditions. That explains the bread and cereal costs. It can hit a family really hard. I try to find the consistently cheapest places to shop, buy in bulk, buy and freeze markdown foods. I learn when I will find meat marked for quick sale, and then I save roughly 40% and freeze it. At the end of this summer eggs were cheaper than they have been in years. I do hope to see a drop just prior to Easter, as the stores will have ordered in a lot, and will have to sell them or risk them going out dated.

I've noticed several price changes lately. The gas prices here are the worse ones for giant price jumps. It was one pretty stable price for about a week, and then next thing we know, it suddenly changed and went up 2 cents. It does this constantly. I wish it wouldn't because it would certainly help me out a lot. I'm a college kid and I can't afford these constant price jumps.

The price of food has held steady more or less so long as I've been shopping. Sure gas is more expensive but food is still cheap. check the ACCRA Cost of Living index to see food prices city by city.

One thing that we have started doing to help with the cost of food is using AngelFood Ministries. You can purchase a basic unit for $25 and that is enough food to feed a family of 4 for approximately a week. The food is really good and it is the same stuff you can buy at the store. The menu changes every month and anyone can buy from them. They also have monthly specials where you buy a basic unit and then you can buy the specials. We normally buy 2 basic units and 1 of each special. On average our monthly food bill with AngelFood is about $133. The we just spend about another $50 a month in fresh veggies. If you include dog food into our food budget our family of 3 with 3 dogs spends about $200 a month for food. The first time we used AngelFood we bought 1 basic unit. Then I went to WalMart(the cheapest store in our area) to compare what we got pricewise. We spent $25 with AngelFood but would have spent just under $92 for the same amount of food at WalMart. If anyone is interested here is the link to the AngelFood site. You can find a link to your city and state to see if they have a host site near you. It really can help with a family's food costs. www.angelfoodministries.com

Wow, I can't believe some of the prices you guys are giving. 24 eggs here is less than 2.00 (WV, by the way.) A gallon of milk is 2.47. I don't know about the other stuff, but I shop at WalMart and usually am able to stretch my dollars pretty well. I'd pass out if I walked in and saw those prices.

I have noticed the inflation as well, it is rediculous, and its not just at the grovery store, there is a restaraunt that our family frequently visits, for the past year we had been able to go eat there for $20, and 2 weeks ago the prices went up, with us ordering the same things we usually order it was $25, I know that $5 doesn't seem like alot, but geez, we are gonna go broke just trying to eat, and the price of milk is rediculous, & bread, I remember when bread was $.50 - $.75 a loaf (the store brands, but now they are up to almost $2 a loaf) Gas prices are strange too, I noticed at the Chevron by our house on Wednesday gas was down to $2.04/gallon, Thursday $2.03 & yesturday it went back up to $2.09.

Yes we have noticed that prices keep going up. There are two thing in the united states firing this up. 1. Anticpation of rising minimum wage. Some states have already done that. 2. rising gas prices. the extra costs are now catching up to us. The only was to combat that is to become self sufficent. Since that is really hard to do in this world. Just try your best to over come these obstacles.

Yes, the same thing is happening in Australia too. One thing that I really find annoying is that the healthy food is the most expensive. Fresh fruit and vegetables, low-fat dairy products, wholemeal and multi-grain bread, meat - they're all way too expensive for anybody on a tight budget to purchase. And so we end up in this vicious cycle - those who cannot afford to purchase good healthy food then end up sick and drive up the demand on the public health system. They also end up having more time off work, so they are in the perpetual spiral of just not having enough money to get ahead.

Ours does that too. I usually pay around $4/gallon for DS's whole milk, and over $1 for a dozen eggs. Meat is unbelievable and fresh veggies are right up there too. I have to make careful lists and really keep track of who's having the best sales. We try not to buy processed junk food and just get the healthy stuff, so I guess that helps a little. It sure doesn't seem like it though.. I'd love to be able to go grocery shopping and just get all the stuff that looks so yummy, without having to worry about the prices.

Gas prices go down? wow, they never go down here, only by tiny amounts. I guess its a good thing really as it is better to not encourage people to drive. The food prices here always go up slowly but there are always some ofers on things to help you will your bill.

Even here in the Philippines, the price of food has gone up. Ive noticed that we had to double our grocery budget in just a couple of months. Miraculously, gas prices here have gone down, by a few cents. But prices on other products haven't gone down. Maybe it'll follow soon.

No, in brazil there're very cheap food, just like a milk galoon for R$1.00, what means, 0.50 cents

Yes, I totally agree, prices are rising, I've noticed that too because the economy is getting a little tight and the cold freeze in the midwest and around the country won't be helping when juice increases in price. That's why it's a good idea to check around for the lowest prices at discount stores and stock up if we're able on items that do not need refrigeration when they're on sale. Times are getting tough, so we need to counteract them. All I know is about the U.S.A. but I'm glad I live here, because I hear it must really be hard for those in other countries who are not as fortunate and don't have the opportunities we do. Good luck to you and to us all.

I am in the Philippines and it is actually just the same...because everything we buy include tax already so we have a price increase as well..They call it value added tax. That's why people here are getting poorer and poorer.

I understand what you mean exactly. The price for food, and nearly everything else, has gone up. Just to buy some cereal it's four dollars. And if you want milk, there's another 3 dollars. And eggs is about 2 dollars these days too. I think the prices go up with the years, because I know back way in the day, everything was much much cheaper.

I think it is the same everwhere in the US. I just went to the market today and hardly bought anything and it cost me 100.00. They know that we need the stuff and we buy it. We should all stock up on the things that we need and then for like a week or so, no one goes to the store. My husband explained it to me one day that it is a supply and demand thing. I would like to go back to the old days when bread and milk where like 10 cents. And then if you go to different stores like Save a Lot or a MARCS they have stuff just a little bit cheaper, dont understand it myself. Like a joke i heard--"If Walmart keeps on lowering their prices then why isnt anything free yet"

gas prices has some contro;; over the price of food as it takes gas to get food to the stores but so also does the greed of the merchants if they can get $2.00 for saomething this week and they get it for less next week do you realy think they are going to lower the price if we still buy it for $2.00!the only way to lower the proces is to lower the demand when prices get high

This goes on no matter where you live. You need to get sales papers for each store and make a list of what you plan to buy at each store. Stock up when things you use are on sale. Freeze what can be frozen. Eggs right now are extremely expensive. Several months back I got them on sale for 49 cents per dozen no limit. When the sale ended, they were $1.59.