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My theory is price increases due to the the Bernanke loose money policy and the spending plans of the last 2 presidents debasing the US dollar. Resulting in stagflation or as they say these days the jobless recovery.
Stuff I gleaned from reading the WSJ is SE Asia awash in rice I'd imagine a reaction to the shortages and rationing of last year. Though California Valley Congressman Devin Nunes had an op-ed blaming the Endangered Species Act for the diversion of water to the Bay Area to protect a minnow fish. Speaking of endangered species sounds like California farmers "dehydrated" out of business.
Also they still grow sugar in Hamakua don't they? Good thing because of the sugar shortage-
http://sugarcaneblog.com/2009/08/12/food...-shortage/
Other people want to make friends- I just want to make money.
James Cramer
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I just returned from my yearly trek to New England and experienced culture shock at how CHEAP the food is. Milk $2.39/gal., sour cream $.79/16 oz., boneless-skinless chicken breast $1.99/lb., 90% lean ground beef $1.79/lb, Post cereal $2.49, bread $.69/loaf, half gallon brand name ice cream $1.79. And the most shocking one of all BANANAS @ $.39/lb!
One long deep breath later and I do a reality check. In Hawaii I have no heating or cooling costs, I grow my own bananas, pineapple, citrus, coffee, etc. My property taxes are 92% cheaper here, I don't have to shovel snow, I can garden year round, the ocean is warm, the fish are brightly colored. The list of pros goes on and on. So food is a lot and gas a little more expensive, but the other benefits of Island living far out weigh those inconveniences.
Mau ke aloha no Hawai`i,
Carrie
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No more sugarcane grown commercially anywhere on the island of Hawaii.
Food prices have gone way up, we've pretty much scaled back buying much food from the grocery. We don't buy food anyway, we buy ingredients. They are much cheaper. We get a lot more from the farmer's markets, the back yard and the food co-op. We also eat less these days. So, overall, we are spending the same or even less on groceries but we are getting much different groceries.
"I like yard sales," he said. "All true survivalists like yard sales."
Kurt Wilson
"I like yard sales," he said. "All true survivalists like yard sales."
Kurt Wilson
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KathyH, seems from both KTA and Safeway. We've bought Safeway nonfat refried beans for 10 years now, and the couple cans we got here were like soup. Very odd. Hopefully just a fluke. I've bought frozen chicken both good and bad, from both Safeway and KTA. I'll try to dig to the bottom of the freezer now - maybe they weren't hard frozen enough? Weird about the Walmart cat food - sure seems across the board on that one! MtnViewBlue, totally agree about how much we save on other things. Don't forget no garbage or water bills. Food prices are actually similar to SF area, maybe 10% more here, except for things like potato chips and cereals, which are way more here. But dairy is just as expensive there, canned foods about the same. Thank goodness we can grow more of what we eat here than we could on the Calif. coast. And property taxes - we were paying, get this, $8700 a year there. Can't afford THAT retired!
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BTW, homemade refried beans are a lot better than anything in a can, cheaper too. You can freeze them easily as well so that they are as handy as canned ones.
I agree prices are close to what we paid for almost everything in the Bay Area, less for some things. Availability for certain things is difficult here and abundant there. I constantly whine about the wine prices here. And property taxes are so much lower it is WONDERFUL! I agree, ours are at least 90% less than CA taxes were (we moved back there in 2006, so no prop 13 savings for us.)And I am so glad to only have to pay a $20 bi-monthly water bill too! Our last water bill for our CA house was $700 and we were not even living there, that was just for irrigation and keeping the pool filled in July.
Like Hotcatz we buy ingredients, nothing pre-made except some "emergency foods" for the Earthquake Kit.
Regarding the cat food issue, the only one I have bought at Walmart is Sheeba Chicken. My cat loves the stuff and it is less than $1 a can there and $2 at all of the other stores. However, even at $1 a can, it is not cheap so she does not get it for every meal.
Aloha au i Hawai`i,
devany
www.myhawaiianhome.blogspot.com
www.eastbaypotters.blogspot.com
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We might just get back to making homemade refried beans - thanks for reminding me. We lived in Conn. for 3 years once and made our own. Back then couldn't get tortillas at all, so we had them fedexed from Calif! We only get frozen stuff for those days when we're exhausted and don't want to go to a lot of trouble at dinnertime. I haven't gotten our first elec. bill, though - definitely had a high energy bill in Calif. for heating (which was almost all year round), but here we're running those fans all the time and have a pool, too, neither of which we ran there. So I don't know what to expect!
btw, $700 for a water bill? Whoa. And I thought we had high bills on Calif. coast!
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A $700 water bill? Sounds like you have a leaky pipe.
Assume the best and ask questions.
Punaweb moderator
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We were in the East Bay... the sunny side of the Las Trampas. 2.5 acres of landscaped terraced gardens and an almost olympic sized pool. They charge you a base charge for water and then the overage goes up for every 500 gallons. When it is 100+ degrees and you only get rain from December-February... that is the way it is. I am sooooo glad we sold that house!Every time it rains here I smile.
Here we use propane for hot water, dryer, cooking and that is our salvation in the Helco Department, plus we moved to a lot smaller house.
The refried beans freeze well and you can do them with black beans too. I hear you on tortillas. When I lived in Beaufort, SC in the early '80's the only tortillas were CANNED! I kid you not! I had my mom mail them to me from S. CA.
Aloha au i Hawai`i,
devany
www.myhawaiianhome.blogspot.com
www.eastbaypotters.blogspot.com
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Same thing on canned tortillas in Hartford, Conn. in the 80s!
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