Food prices
I had a couple of questions about spending $300 on food a month.
Does that price include non-food items?
Yes, that is only food. I don't buy shampoo, cleaners or diapers from the grocery store. The dollar stores or Walmart or much cheaper.
I live in CA and they don't mark milk down here.
In same places they won't mark down items. If that's the case just find the cheapest you can. All these tips aren't going to work everywhere. Some people can get beef cheaper by going to a farmer, I can't. Some will find great clearance items and others will have cheaper in season fruits and veggies. Just do the best with what you have available.
You use fruits and vegetables for your meals. How do you purchase those and keep within your $300.00 budget? I buy them either at Aldi's or on sale. When we don't have fresh veggies and fruits in the house we then use frozen or canned.
What about this rice shortage?
What about it? People are panicking in fear and causing it to be a problem where there isn't one.
"USA Rice Federation spokesman David Coia said there is no rice shortage in the United States."
"What adds to the price spike — and the run on specialty products like basmati — is that rice consumers tend to be very loyal. The market is highly segmented by type of rice and quality, and buyers will generally not take a substitute, Childs said."
If some rice is having a shortage like basmati and you don't want to change the kind of rice you eat that's your problem. So there isn't a problem for us in the US but we seem to find the need to cause a problem for ourselves.
Stop watching the news! Good grief, I watched the the news for 10 minutes this morning just to see what all the hoo-rah was about and I just about had an anxiety attack! Most of the "money problems in the news" aren't because there is an actual problem it's because someone thinks there might be a problem in the future so they feel the need to tell everyone about a problem that isn't happening, then people get scared and prices go up!
There might be a shortage of rice so prices go up.
There might be a war so gas goes up.
There might be a shortage on oil so prices go up.
Ethanol might be better for the environment so prices go up.
Yes, prices are going up. That's life. Deal with it. I find it interesting that people have such a hard time paying $3.50 for a GALLON of gas but don't think twice about paying $5.00 for 12 OUNCES of coffee! They holler about paying $40 to put gas in their tank but don't think twice about paying that much for dinner 3-4 times a week!
You will have to give some things up to pay for these prices jumps but it's not like we are starving here. Most Americans, myself included, could stand to loose a few pounds anyway.
Now, I know that there are people on fixed incomes like mom who will notice a huge crunch and I am not talking about you. I am talking about the people who are trying to keep up their "standard of living" with prices going up.
This isn't the Great Depression so take a deep breath and find out where you can cut in your budget to pay the extra $100-$200 a month for gas and $50 for food. Just cutting out sodas alone would give you the money for the increase in food prices and for some families would pay for the hike in gas.
I have faith you can do it so stop being afraid!
Tawra
Does that price include non-food items?
Yes, that is only food. I don't buy shampoo, cleaners or diapers from the grocery store. The dollar stores or Walmart or much cheaper.
I live in CA and they don't mark milk down here.
In same places they won't mark down items. If that's the case just find the cheapest you can. All these tips aren't going to work everywhere. Some people can get beef cheaper by going to a farmer, I can't. Some will find great clearance items and others will have cheaper in season fruits and veggies. Just do the best with what you have available.
You use fruits and vegetables for your meals. How do you purchase those and keep within your $300.00 budget? I buy them either at Aldi's or on sale. When we don't have fresh veggies and fruits in the house we then use frozen or canned.
What about this rice shortage?
What about it? People are panicking in fear and causing it to be a problem where there isn't one.
"USA Rice Federation spokesman David Coia said there is no rice shortage in the United States."
"What adds to the price spike — and the run on specialty products like basmati — is that rice consumers tend to be very loyal. The market is highly segmented by type of rice and quality, and buyers will generally not take a substitute, Childs said."
If some rice is having a shortage like basmati and you don't want to change the kind of rice you eat that's your problem. So there isn't a problem for us in the US but we seem to find the need to cause a problem for ourselves.
Stop watching the news! Good grief, I watched the the news for 10 minutes this morning just to see what all the hoo-rah was about and I just about had an anxiety attack! Most of the "money problems in the news" aren't because there is an actual problem it's because someone thinks there might be a problem in the future so they feel the need to tell everyone about a problem that isn't happening, then people get scared and prices go up!
There might be a shortage of rice so prices go up.
There might be a war so gas goes up.
There might be a shortage on oil so prices go up.
Ethanol might be better for the environment so prices go up.
Yes, prices are going up. That's life. Deal with it. I find it interesting that people have such a hard time paying $3.50 for a GALLON of gas but don't think twice about paying $5.00 for 12 OUNCES of coffee! They holler about paying $40 to put gas in their tank but don't think twice about paying that much for dinner 3-4 times a week!
You will have to give some things up to pay for these prices jumps but it's not like we are starving here. Most Americans, myself included, could stand to loose a few pounds anyway.
Now, I know that there are people on fixed incomes like mom who will notice a huge crunch and I am not talking about you. I am talking about the people who are trying to keep up their "standard of living" with prices going up.
This isn't the Great Depression so take a deep breath and find out where you can cut in your budget to pay the extra $100-$200 a month for gas and $50 for food. Just cutting out sodas alone would give you the money for the increase in food prices and for some families would pay for the hike in gas.
I have faith you can do it so stop being afraid!
Tawra
posted by Tawra Jean at 10:14 AM
15 Comments:
AMEN to everything you said. I work in a pawn shop/payday loan store, and all day long people come in and complain about the gas prices. They don't complain as they are paying $100 a month for their cable or Dish Network; they aren't complaining about the huge soda they bring in or the bottled water. They don't bat an eye at the cost of the little Chihuaua or whatever-breed puppy they are carrying around (at $400+ for the puppy). They have thumping stereos that shake our windows, but that's not what they complain about. Nor do they complain as they load up on DVD's or CD's, it's just the price of gas. Most of our female customers have artificial nails, just dropping THAT habit would more than cover their extra gas expenditure. But that won't happen!
how much do you budget for non food? paper goods, cleaners, body care etc?
Amen Sister! Excellent post! I agree with you 100%.
Neal Cavuto (Fox News & Fox Business Channel) said something similar yesterday after reporting that Sam's Clubs are going to ration the sell of rice and flour.
While there really are shortages of some foods here (wheat) and elsewhere (rice) he said the panic being caused will make the entire situation worse by causing even more shortages and higher prices.
For some reason it is so easy for us to slip into fear. Thanks for speaking words of truth and sanity. I've been receiving your newsletter for some time now, but this is my first time to read your blog. Keep up the good work!
I totally agree with you!! I hope that this might help (but I won't hold my breath) with a culture change away from the 'Bigger, Better, Shinier...and Right now' mentality that has plagued the US. Hopefully, that will be replaced by 'Use it up, make it do and do without'!!
please may I quote you on the gas price/coffee price? I would like to maybe use it in my siggy line on message boards, maybe on my blog...
Jennifer
Yes, you may quote it.
It's so true!
Tawra
Common sense! All too rare these days!
Sheila
I totally agree with everything you said, and Aldi's has been a huge help in making food more affordable so we can afford the gas. We paid down all credit card debt with tax refund and vehicle will be paid off in less than 6 months. I'm going to get some fun stuff with our economic stimulus check - your dining on a dime book being one of them. I have your penny pincher and dig out of debt books and they are both great!
We are slowly trying to cut expenses here but I find it's difficult when everyone is not on board (hubby for instance). My husband is all for cutting back, but his idea of that is switching brands of beer - although I guess that's a start.
Any advice on how to get the rest of the family more on board with the frugal lifestyle??
I totally agree with your assesment. The news media will do anything they can to keep our attention and fear sells!!! It takes effort to not buy into the anxiety provoking "new". There's a new disease every month, new disasters ever week. They re-cycle them over and over to get people hyped up! Don't buy into fear-mongering tactics. It took me a long time to realize there is seldom any REAL problem out there that I need to attend to.
I think we probably all understand one another's feelings about the sky-rocketing gas prices. It is impacting many facets of our lives.
Since incomes are not going up at the same time, I am curious to know where others are squeezing the money from in their budget, to keep up with the amount of gasoline that they need to get to work and so forth?
I mean, sometimes you can pinpoint, when you give something up, where the newly found money goes to instead -but when your income cannot keep pace with the rising cost of gasoline - which pot do you rob from?
Everything each of you has said about 'dropping' some habits to help pay for gas is true, and I applaud the whole concept of moderation.
I would point out, however, that ALL things are interconnected in our very modern, complex society. If you drop the 'habit' of artificial nails, some beautician is going to find her income cut. If enough people drop it, she faces being homeless. It's an unpleasant fact, but true.
If you totally drop your habit of drinking cokes, that's great. But the people who work in the factory that make that coke are going to face lay offs.
We are all connected. We should always think of each other when we make our choices, and if the choice has to be 'drop the nail habit', say a prayer for the beautician.
I think your blog and newsletter are great, and they are always helpful to me. May we all help and support each other during the difficult financial times.
Sincerely,
Patti W.
I just read that most of the 3rd world spends 60-80% of their income on food. Prices go up and they starve. We are spoiled. Yes it hurts and yes I complain, but try to remember that.
By the way I think Tawra meant "lose a few pounds" "loose" is when you have already lost the pounds, and you are talking about the clothes :0)
Thanks I just added it to my sig line on a message board I am on and did a blog post on it! And of course I have told several people! ;)
FWIW, I don't watch the news so I didnt' even know there was a food shortage!
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