SurvivalRing
Rich Fleetwood - Founder - author/coder/podcaster
We’ve been running on the monthly SSD shopping trip on the third of every month for three years now. When I was working for the state of Wyoming, I was getting a monthly paycheck then as well, and we settled in to that lifestyle fairly painlessly.
However, back then we were only having a recession…not historically high inflation, nor free fall into a greater depression. Because of the recession hitting, and the fact that Wyoming's income from energy royalties, which came from coal, coal bed methane, oil, and natural gas, and 0bama killed all that, our state's abilities were hit harder than most, and in the succeeding years of my state employment I didn't get a raise or promotion, nor did anyone else.... which is why I quit and moved to Nashville, for better job opportunities.
My personal measurements of our grocery hell right now are bread, milk, eggs, and meat.
We had been getting great value Honey Wheat bread for most of the last 15 years. It has always been under $1. Then, four months ago, it jumped to $0.98, and than within a month, up to $1.48 (and last visit $1.58 this past Wednesday).
At $1.48 a loaf, we switched to GV white bread @$1.00 a loaf…which it’s been for a while, until IT jumped 10% to $1.10 this week.
It may not seem to all of you like it’s much, but we depend on bread daily.
A gallon of GV 2% milk six months ago had dropped to $1.98 a gallon, which was the lowest it had been for a couple of years here, before it rose to a high of $3.39 this spring. Right now it’s sitting at $2.93 a gallon. We’ve got more than a dozen large sealed bag containers of powdered milk, but I’ve never liked the taste of it.
Because of the culling of tens of millions of chickens and turkeys the last year due to the resurgence of bird flu, the price of eggs soared, with my jaw dropping when I saw a 60 ct package of large grade A eggs hit $19.62 a month ago. A single 18 count package was $5.29 this week.
Because of Annie’s stage three kidney disease, she only eats chicken now. 15 years ago, you could find boneless, skinless chicken breasts in bulk packaging for $1.99 a pound. Now, it’s $3.24 a pound at both Walmart and City Market (Kroger’s). Walmart went up first, and then CM. The next closest grocery stores are 100 miles or more in EVERY direction...360 degrees of too far.
It’s been three months since I’ve bought beef, and that was only when it was marked down.
10 years ago I was buying whole cows, or sides. A whole cow with the roasts, steaks, ribs, and hamburger, totaled $2.91 a pound for EVERY POUND, after the cost of the cow and it’s processing. Can’t even believe I’ll ever be able to buy another cow, or whatever portion we’d want…
Across the board, our groceries…JUST groceries…is up between 30 to 40%. For the first time in my life, we can’t afford to get normal groceries we’ve historically depended on. And, we’ve ALWAYS shopped with coupons, case lot sales, or clearance or markdown prices.
When I was growing up, my mom shopped fairly regularly at bread outlets, with markdown prices. The last bread store that we used to shop at was in south Casper. I don’t remember the last time we shopped there (it’s been 6 to 8 years ago…), but I’ve been looking for it the last two years when I was in town for doctor appointments. It’s not there anymore…nor can I find any other discount bread store…anywhere.
I’m well aware that inflation is only going to continue rising, and I fear that we’ll be seeing hyperinflation in the coming year or two.
This really sucks.
However, back then we were only having a recession…not historically high inflation, nor free fall into a greater depression. Because of the recession hitting, and the fact that Wyoming's income from energy royalties, which came from coal, coal bed methane, oil, and natural gas, and 0bama killed all that, our state's abilities were hit harder than most, and in the succeeding years of my state employment I didn't get a raise or promotion, nor did anyone else.... which is why I quit and moved to Nashville, for better job opportunities.
My personal measurements of our grocery hell right now are bread, milk, eggs, and meat.
We had been getting great value Honey Wheat bread for most of the last 15 years. It has always been under $1. Then, four months ago, it jumped to $0.98, and than within a month, up to $1.48 (and last visit $1.58 this past Wednesday).
At $1.48 a loaf, we switched to GV white bread @$1.00 a loaf…which it’s been for a while, until IT jumped 10% to $1.10 this week.
It may not seem to all of you like it’s much, but we depend on bread daily.
A gallon of GV 2% milk six months ago had dropped to $1.98 a gallon, which was the lowest it had been for a couple of years here, before it rose to a high of $3.39 this spring. Right now it’s sitting at $2.93 a gallon. We’ve got more than a dozen large sealed bag containers of powdered milk, but I’ve never liked the taste of it.
Because of the culling of tens of millions of chickens and turkeys the last year due to the resurgence of bird flu, the price of eggs soared, with my jaw dropping when I saw a 60 ct package of large grade A eggs hit $19.62 a month ago. A single 18 count package was $5.29 this week.
Because of Annie’s stage three kidney disease, she only eats chicken now. 15 years ago, you could find boneless, skinless chicken breasts in bulk packaging for $1.99 a pound. Now, it’s $3.24 a pound at both Walmart and City Market (Kroger’s). Walmart went up first, and then CM. The next closest grocery stores are 100 miles or more in EVERY direction...360 degrees of too far.
It’s been three months since I’ve bought beef, and that was only when it was marked down.
10 years ago I was buying whole cows, or sides. A whole cow with the roasts, steaks, ribs, and hamburger, totaled $2.91 a pound for EVERY POUND, after the cost of the cow and it’s processing. Can’t even believe I’ll ever be able to buy another cow, or whatever portion we’d want…
Across the board, our groceries…JUST groceries…is up between 30 to 40%. For the first time in my life, we can’t afford to get normal groceries we’ve historically depended on. And, we’ve ALWAYS shopped with coupons, case lot sales, or clearance or markdown prices.
When I was growing up, my mom shopped fairly regularly at bread outlets, with markdown prices. The last bread store that we used to shop at was in south Casper. I don’t remember the last time we shopped there (it’s been 6 to 8 years ago…), but I’ve been looking for it the last two years when I was in town for doctor appointments. It’s not there anymore…nor can I find any other discount bread store…anywhere.
I’m well aware that inflation is only going to continue rising, and I fear that we’ll be seeing hyperinflation in the coming year or two.
This really sucks.
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