I just paid almost $17 for two grass-fed beef shanks which are usually a cheap cut of meat, and lemons (not even organic) were just barely under a dollar each.
Here are a few sites with information, although I don't agree with some of them that are merely cost-cutting without addressing healthier foods. No doubt bulk fills our stomachs, but does it make or keep us healthy?
Affording groceries duringtimes of rapid price increases
During the past two years
alone, the price of some household staples such as bread, milk, and eggs have
increased in price by as much as 69%, while the median household income has
only increased 1%.
•In Soups and Stews that
call for diced potatoes, use uncooked rice instead. Allow half an hour for soup
or stew to simmer so rice can cook.
•Use cooked rice in place of
oats or bread crumbs in meatloaf and hamburger patties to make them go further.
•This is not food related...
BUT keep a rice hot pack around the house for those aches, pains, and
headaches that arise from time to time. Take a clean tube sock, fill halfway
with rice, and tie a knot in the end. When you need a good hot pack, just heat
in the microwave for about a minute or so. Be careful because it gives off a
moist heat and can burn skin if too hot when placed directly on it. This is a
long lasting heat source that can be made in a jiff!
Never thought about using rice instead of potatoes. Good suggestion I am growing more potatoes this year (hopefully) and a large of a garden I can manage. I don't know why potatoes rose so much in price. Wasn't too long ago one could get 10 pounds for 99 cents. Now they are almost $5.00 for an 8 pound bag.
ReplyDeleteMamma Bear, my system doesn't handle carbs very well so I seldom grow more than a few potatoes, or even sweet potatoes which I handle better. It will be interesting to see how I do with rice but since there are hundreds of varieties, a lot of experimenting is in order.
DeleteWe've cut back on a lot of things we get from the store. I eat mostly from the farm, the exception being nuts. Mostly one can not get really quality food from the store, even with the more expensive organics.
ReplyDeleteSo if I am going to shell out the big bucks, it will be for the more nutrient dense foods I can grow myself. For many people, quality meat will become a problem as prices rise.
Though why grass fed beef should rise is beyond me. Not if it's truly grass fed. Often it is not, many farmers still tend to feed out grains, especially in winter or to finish. This drives our beef breeder wild, as he raises his just as we do, strictly grass fed.
The feed for layers/broilers is still rising from the drought a couple years back that decimated the corn industry. It hit organics hardest.
Pam, the grass-fed beef shanks came from a commercial store so I'm sure many hands made a profit along the way. I really cannot complain a whole lot though because they were the nicest shanks I've ever seen.
DeleteI wish I could grow more of what I choose to eat but age, health and acreage stand in the way.