Food Prices, Shortages & Inflation - The Trash Index

[old fashioned]

Now excuse me for a bit. I am going to check the couch cushions for change so I can go out and buy some inflated ice cream

ummm...would that be Chocolate by any chance??

 

[CrimsonRose]

Now excuse me for a bit. I am going to check the couch cushions for change so I can go out and buy some inflated ice cream

ummm...would that be Chocolate by any chance??

chocolate is worth it's weight in gold! so it's still cheap enough for me to afford! LOL

 

[Wifezilla]

I am cranky due to lack of sleep. Not a malady requiring immediate doses of chocolate to keep male members of my family alive

 

[old fashioned]

 

[StupidBird]

I just spent $7 on fresh fruit yesterday - the cheapest stuff too, apples, sale grapes, sale plums - and barely filled the four bowls for our breakfast today. Being on really medically restrictive diets, I might just be hitting that 30% soon for food.

Of 4 adults in our house, 1 has a full time job and carries all the health insurance, 1 has a temp job that just started, 1 has 2 part=time jobs, and 1 is crippled up with various chronic illnesses and can't work (yet doesn't qualify for nada). We have internet only. No land lines and (GASP) no tv. Between us there are two running vehicles and a motorcycle. It is 8 miles to a store with no public transport.

But you know what? I am pretty well off! We pay our bills every month. No credit balances. The maintenance gets done, the insurance is paid too. No matter how crappy I feel, I can almost always stagger out to watch the chickens. Sure, the garden weeds are taller than a horse.

Between the advice on BYC and SS and EG, I'm pretty sure we will make it.

 

[sunsaver]

Happiness is the greatest measure of wealth. There were times when i was making up to $600 per day, but i was not nearly as happy as i am now.

 

[k15n1]

Food prices are indeed volatile, but not all increases in food prices are due to inflation. As the dollar loses value, the price of items go up (inflation).

You're right, multiple factors are involved. I guess I was trying to point out that there are measurable factors that influence food prices, not an evil plot against working people or some other intangible or mysterious force. And BTW, the low price of food is a federal policy, so whether you like big or small government, keep that in mind.

Anyway, I'm just saying that food prices go up AND down. The price of petroleum products also fluctuate, sometimes up, sometimes down. There's a philosphoical point of view that everything is always getting worse (for whatever reaons) and I don't think the facts bear it out.

 

[Boogity]

. . . And BTW, the low price of food is a federal policy, so whether you like big or small government, keep that in mind.

I don't believe that for one second. Show me.

 

[Wifezilla]

Some food is subsidized making the prices artificially low. That is usually processed food containing corn, soy, wheat, and sugars. You know...non-food that the government and the food manufacturers try to pass off as health food. If you eat actual FOOD food, your are paying real costs.

There's a philosphoical point of view that everything is always getting worse (for whatever reaons) and I don't think the facts bear it out

Things feel like they are getting worse now because THEY ARE. They don't always get worse, but at this point, prices are rising, wages are falling, inflation is growing...so yeah. Things suck right now.

The current administration is engaged in a "let's pee on them and tell them it's raining" plan.

I guess I was trying to point out that there are measurable factors that influence food prices, not an evil plot against working people or some other intangible or mysterious force.

Inflation, excess regulation, high taxes, the health care plan, etc... are not what I call mysterious forces, but it sure does look like an evil plot against working people from where I am standing.

 

[k0xxx]

. . . And BTW, the low price of food is a federal policy, so whether you like big or small government, keep that in mind.

Actually, I believe the opposite is true. I have not seen where food is subsidized to make it lower. The government pays farmers NOT to grow some foods, so that the prices WILL NOT be lower. They were originally intended to subsidize small farmers' income during periods of low prices, and to artificially reduce the amount of certain crops on the market in an effort to raise prices.

The following is from Wikipedia regarding the Farm Subsidy Programs (and yes, I know that WIKI can be manipulated): "Direct payment subsidies are provided without regard to the economic need of the recipients or the financial condition of the farm economy. Established in 1996, direct payments were originally meant to wean farmers off traditional subsidies that are triggered during periods of low prices for corn, wheat, soybeans, cotton, rice, and other crops."

I am not aware of ANY Federal program aimed at lowering the cost of any domestic crop. The government has gone out of its' way to lower the costs of foreign producers, so that they can send their produce here.

The Feds also subsidize the cost of ethanol producers, thereby encouraging more corn to be diverted to fuel and less available for food, which in turn causes the price of food corn to increase.