# More food inflation coming



## Guest (Sep 29, 2011)

Lately, I've been paying closer attention to the food industry trade publications than I had for a while. Things are looking a little scary.

General Mills just ended their fiscal year. Sales UP 9% but profits DOWN 14%

McCormick, sales UP 10%, profits DOWN 10%. McCormick has announced that they are going to raise prices beginning in the last quarter of 2011, and into 2012. If they do, all the spice companies will.

The story is similar in other food segments across the industry.

In view of all this, I figure it would be a good idea to try to get as much as possible of the most critically needed staples (flours and meals, beans, rice). And I need to get stocked up on certain spices.

We go through a LOT of chili powder. I searched Amazon for bulk chili, but they don't seem to have ordinary chili (they have a lot of fancy imported stuff, etc). *sigh* There's a particular mom and pop store catering to Hispanics in Wichita Falls that carries cheap(ish) bulk spices, so I'll try there and see what they've got.

I did find a good deal at Amazon for organic stone ground cornmeal- 25# bag for $22.99 + free shipping via S&S plus a $2.50 coupon to clip on the page, bringing it down to $20.49 for 25# - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...17145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B0049YP72E I can't get it that cheap locally, so I guess Amazon it is.

I can get rice cheap locally. Beans are not cheap. But I'll check the prices in the store that carries the bulk spices and hope for the best.

I haven't felt this urgent about stocking food since pre-Y2K. But I keep reading the food trade publications and it's unnerving.

Still need a few other basics, like oatmeal. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed.


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## Leister Square (Feb 7, 2010)

Seems like buying it now will save you money --it's only going to go up. I was shocked at the prices recently. Not one particular thing I could put my finger on that had gone up significantly, but my grocery bill for a few things was high. Meat is going through the roof. There was no meat in my order that shocked me. It's a little here and a little there which really adds up. Do stock up. Don't forget the turkeys that go on sale in a few weeks! I can them.


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## ghmerrill (Feb 22, 2011)

Stocking up will help, short term, but I believe it's going to get to the point that if you dont produce it, you are probably not going to be able to afford it.


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## AR Cattails (Dec 22, 2005)

Ladycat, thank you so much for keeping us informed on these issues.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

ghmerrill said:


> Stocking up will help, short term, but I believe it's going to get to the point that if you dont produce it, you are probably not going to be able to afford it.


and producing it isn't that cheap unless you already have all the equipment needed.....


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

Ladycat, have you tried bulkfoods.com? I get some spices from there, and they've got pretty good prices. Plus not a bunch of fillers like some of places add.

http://www.bulkfoods.com/whole-foods.asp?wholesale=4256

Also, Amazon has a McCormick's chili powder in a 2-pack (40 oz total) for $23.44 with free shipping as of today. I like this product because it doesn't have MSG in it. Salt is the second ingredient, though....

http://www.amazon.com/McCormick-Cho...56BC/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1317298034&sr=8-9

And here's a "bulk" one - 16 oz for $12.10 with free shipping. It's salt free: 

http://www.amazon.com/Frontier-Chil...r_1_3?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1317298300&sr=1-3


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

Leister Square said:


> Seems like buying it now will save you money --it's only going to go up.


That seems to be the way of life, especially in these times.

I also can turkey. It is so convenient to open the jar to make a turkey and stuffing casserole with some dried cranberries that way or even turkey and dumplings.


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## Becka03 (Mar 29, 2009)

LAdyCat- please post the bean deals you find on line- all of ours are pretty expensive here too! I can not find them cheaper than 1.49 for a 12 ounce bag !?!?


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

Emergency essentials has spices by the pound...not a huge selection but ok
beprepared.com


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## Guest (Sep 29, 2011)

Becka03 said:


> LAdyCat- please post the bean deals you find on line- all of ours are pretty expensive here too! I can not find them cheaper than 1.49 for a 12 ounce bag !?!?


I will if I find any online. I'll be checking the prices at that one mom and pop store that's in the Hispanic part of town and hope they're cheaper than Walmart!


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## Terri in WV (May 10, 2002)

Here's another place you can check for spices and such- www.herbco.com. I've ordered from them(Senna, for hair dye). They have reasonable prices and I get my order quickly.


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

i have had good luck from this place for spices.

http://www.spicebarn.com/

we are just now seeing the begining of what we all or at least some have seen coming......this is just the tip....the next 12 months are just a start.wait for the time after that.....we aint see nothing like what is coming down


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

ghmerrill said:


> Stocking up will help, short term, but I believe it's going to get to the point that if you dont produce it, you are probably not going to be able to afford it.


amen !!!!!!!!!!


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

I buy the 25# bags of beans at honeyville grain online....when the 10-15% cpns are available...25#pintos work out to $1.33 # with discount


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## Maggie (May 12, 2002)

Ladycat: Thanks a huge bunch for the link to the org. cornmeal! I need to get it ordered today Have a great day, Maggie


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## PrincessFerf (Apr 25, 2008)

ladycat said:


> McCormick, sales UP 10%, profits DOWN 10%. McCormick has announced that they are going to raise prices beginning in the last quarter of 2011, and into 2012. If they do, all the spice companies will.
> 
> The story is similar in other food segments across the industry.
> 
> ...


You might want to look at this place: http://www.spice-work.com/new/
I have been buying from them for over 20 years. I rarely get spices anywhere else. A "mom n' pop" place and they're the most dedicated people I've know in their line of work.


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## Guest (Sep 29, 2011)

mpillow said:


> I buy the 25# bags of beans at honeyville grain online....when the 10-15% cpns are available...25#pintos work out to $1.33 # with discount


That's still higher than Walmart. I'm hoping to get them cheaper even than Walmart.


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## Guest (Sep 29, 2011)

Thanks for all the links to the bulk spice places, everyone. I'm checking them all out.


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## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

ladycat said:


> Lately, I've been paying closer attention to the food industry trade publications than I had for a while. Things are looking a little scary.
> 
> And I need to get stocked up on certain spices.
> 
> ...


I don't read trade publications, but have seen what is happening at the local food store and Krogers. Overall, I'd guess prices are up by about 15% over this time last year. I shop loss leaders, and even those are not the bargain they were last year. 

As to spices, I buy all mine from here: http://www.myspicesage.com

I don't know what you consider a good price on chili powder, but spicesage has it for 5 lbs. for $29.50. I usually only buy a pound at a time, so I pay $9.50, still a bargain over grocery store prices. Shipping is free and they always offer a couple of "freebies" with the order.

Edited to add: I know you don't care for the chili seasoning, but for those who do, their chili con carne seasoning is excellent. It does have salt, but not too much.


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## Packedready (Mar 29, 2011)

I buy 10 lb bags of beans at Costco $6.88 for the bag or .68 lb. Last year at the Mexican market I paid .33 lb. I could have bought the beans slightly cheaper at the restaurant supply house for 50 lbs but if the Mexican market lowers the price, I can return to Costco. I posted 2 months ago that beans were going up, I knew this because the restaurant supply had limits of only (5) 50 lb bags.


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## Vickie44 (Jul 27, 2010)

My once signifigant stash of coffee is dwindling. I had pd 1.99, then 2.49 for my coffee on sale and had alot stored which I was happy about as the price was up to 4.49 for a few months . I was waiting on a sale, checked yesterday and it is now 6.49! Even cheap crummy store brand is 3.59 now . Might have to cut down on coffee, perish the thought~ Vickie


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## ai731 (Sep 11, 2007)

Packedready said:


> I buy 10 lb bags of beans at Costco $6.88 for the bag or .68 lb. Last year at the Mexican market I paid .33 lb. I could have bought the beans slightly cheaper at the restaurant supply house for 50 lbs but if the Mexican market lowers the price, I can return to Costco. I posted 2 months ago that beans were going up, I knew this because the restaurant supply had limits of only (5) 50 lb bags.


The $70 yearly membership I would have to pay (in Canada) isn't worth the savings at Costco for me anymore, unfortunately


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

ladycat said:


> That's still higher than Walmart. I'm hoping to get them cheaper even than Walmart.


last time I was at walmart they had no pintos...none....just canned ones (yuck)

I think I did pay around 79c a pound for the 4# bag last time I could get them at Walmart (they don't carry the large bags anymore)


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## Guest (Sep 29, 2011)

May as well get used to it. The era of cheap food in the United States is coming to a close.

In terms of percentage of household income spent on food the U.S. has some of the cheapest food in the world relative to the other industrialized nations. There are/were a number of reasons for that some of which are now changing. If we can buy fresh, out-of-season, produce flown in from below the equator then the food we produce here can likewise be exported. And enough of it is.

We've had cheap food for so long here that we've become accustomed to it and many believe that's it's the way it is all over the world. This is not the case and is gradually becoming not the case here any longer.

Ordinary, plain old potatoes have been a dollar a pound or close to it in my local markets for a while now. Same for sweet potatoes except for the several months around harvest. When I can find white potatoes substantially cheaper I have to examine them closely because it's a near certainty there'll be enough rotten spots to run the price of the edible parts back close to that dollar a pound mark.


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## anniew (Dec 12, 2002)

One local dollar store always has 4 pound bags of pintos for cheaper than anywhere else...Alan, you are so right about our cheap food. Since that is fast becoming a thing of the past, it is just another good reason to bone up on gardening skills to produce as much of your own as possible. Also, buy locally.....so they can stay in business...if transportation becomes an issue and food can't be reasonably shipped in across the country, we will NEED to have local sources, so buy from them and keep them producing.


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## melissa78 (Oct 14, 2010)

Vickie44 said:


> My once signifigant stash of coffee is dwindling. I had pd 1.99, then 2.49 for my coffee on sale and had alot stored which I was happy about as the price was up to 4.49 for a few months . I was waiting on a sale, checked yesterday and it is now 6.49! Even cheap crummy store brand is 3.59 now . Might have to cut down on coffee, perish the thought~ Vickie



It's gotten to where I only drink coffee at work where it's free!:indif:


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## Becka03 (Mar 29, 2009)

I wish we had a dollar store!


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## Becka03 (Mar 29, 2009)

mmm- we have an only a dollar store- I am gonna go at lunch- we don't have the "Dollar Store" just the Dollar tree...


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## siletz (Oct 5, 2010)

I buy my beans at our local restaurant supply store for about $17 for 25 pound bag. Might be worth a try. That's where I find our rice and flour as well.


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## Guest (Sep 29, 2011)

mpillow said:


> last time I was at walmart they had no pintos...none....just canned ones (yuck)
> 
> I think I did pay around 79c a pound for the 4# bag last time I could get them at Walmart (they don't carry the large bags anymore)


The Walmart I go to is surrounded by a heavily Hispanic population, and they have a BIG Hispanic section, and a BIG display of dry beans. The 10# bags of pinto beans have been about $11 for the last several weeks.



Becka03 said:


> mmm- we have an only a dollar store- I am gonna go at lunch- we don't have the "Dollar Store" just the Dollar tree...


The Dollar Tree is where I'm going to check for bottles of spices that I don't use a lot of. 

A few spices I need in bulk (onion, garlic, chili, comino, oregano, probably one or two I'm forgetting). But for most spices, a bottle of a few ounces is enough to last me a long time.


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## Guest (Sep 29, 2011)

A.T. Hagan said:


> May as well get used to it. The era of cheap food in the United States is coming to a close.


Several factors are involved.

Crop failures.

Weakening dollar

Subsidies to farmers are being cut.

Add all those things together, and we're only seeing the beginning of runaway inflation.

Growing your own is great if you can. With feed prices, it's not cost effective for many people to produce their own meat, milk and eggs.

Droughts in some parts of the country, with flooding, late springs and early winters in other parts, are making it hard for many to have a garden.

People here lost their veggies this summer, even with massive amounts of watering and irrigation, just due to the hot, dry wind.

Someone posted in another thread that we could make a wind break for a veggie out of scrap tree wood or something. First wind storm with sustained winds of 40-60mph and gusts up to 90mph would knock down anything like that. We get several of those wind storms a year. They can last for many hours, sometimes a day or more. 

Every time one of them is over, I go outside and find all sorts of amazing stuff. Large tree branches, lawn furniture I never saw before, barrels, shingles from people's houses, you name it. Sometimes I get something really useful. Last one we had, I found a big blue tarp in the pasture. 

But you can imagine what that does to gardens and crops.


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## Maggie (May 12, 2002)

Ladycat, Thanks again; my cornmeal is ordered! 

If anyone knows of a great deat on 25# of organic oats (regular) Please let us know. TIA, Maggie


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

My neighbor called me yesterday, she heard on NPR that Peanut Butter is about to go sky high, bad crop and next year looks to be bad also. 
Beans are going up because fewer acres were planted, potatoes going up for the same reason (we are lucky if we can find a 10# bag of taters for less than $2.99). Then of course all grains are going up too...and anything made with the grains.


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## Guest (Sep 29, 2011)

marinemomtatt said:


> we are lucky if we can find a 10# bag of taters for less than $2.99


I wish I could find potatoes that cheap. That's what a 5# bag costs here.


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## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

I think the word of the day should be stagflation.


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## Guest (Sep 29, 2011)

marinemomtatt said:


> My neighbor called me yesterday, she heard on NPR that Peanut Butter is about to go sky high, bad crop and next year looks to be bad also.


I found it! NPR website: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/20...-js-in-the-forecast-thanks-to-peanut-shortage


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

You can get pinto beans for .70 cents a pound by buying a 50# bag at Sam's Club for $35.18.

Also check out www.clnf.org to see if they have a delivery route near you. Some items are a good deal and some you can get cheaper other places. If there is a delivery spot near you, there will almost assuredly be a purchasing group in you area ordering cooperatively in order to meet the delivery minimum.


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

For those tha are interested there is a place In Spokane Wa. Called northwest pea and Bean.
You can get Lentles still for $10 a 25 pound bag. Split peas for $7 for 25 pounds. You do have to buy 20 bags, but maybe you can split an order with some one.
We buy the 20 bags and get half lentles, half split peas, and some whole green feild peas (24.5 percent protien). The whole feild peas are $5-$6 a bag and we use them to feed our rabbits out, mixed with grain and greens from our yard and garden.
They also have pearl barley, which is great with the lentles to make soup.
Call ahead to check prices. They are in the yellow pages. You can get out of there for about $250 dollars with a good stash of preps.


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## Guest (Sep 29, 2011)

SquashNut said:


> For those tha are interested there is a place In Spokane Wa. Called northwest pea and Bean.
> You can get Lentles still for $10 a 25 pound bag. Split peas for $7 for 25 pounds. You do have to buy 20 bags, but maybe you can split an order with some one.
> We buy the 20 bags and get half lentles, half split peas, and some whole green feild peas (24.5 percent protien). The whole feild peas are $5-$6 a bag and we use them to feed our rabbits out, mixed with grain and greens from our yard and garden.
> They also have pearl barley, which is great with the lentles to make soup.
> Call ahead to check prices. They are in the yellow pages. You can get out of there for about $250 dollars with a good stash of preps.


That would be a great deal if we found something like that here. But I know NOBODY with whom I could split such an order.


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

ladycat said:


> That would be a great deal if we found something like that here. But I know NOBODY with whom I could split such an order.


I am sure the prices are low at the bean place because we live near the area they are grown. And i know tx isn't growing to much these days. But I have to post about the pea and bean place every once in awhile, in hopes of helping those near here.


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## Packedready (Mar 29, 2011)

I have a Costco membership that I end up getting the membership fee free because I get money back on all purchases including stamps. I also have the American Express that is hooked up to Costco that I get money back. I end up making money on all my Costco purchases. Check into it.


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## Guest (Sep 29, 2011)

Packedready said:


> I have a Costco membership that I end up getting the membership fee free because I get money back on all purchases including stamps. I also have the American Express that is hooked up to Costco that I get money back. I end up making money on all my Costco purchases. Check into it.


We don't even have a Costco here.


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## Jean in Virginia (Oct 5, 2008)

Ladycat, I ordered chili powder from herbalcom.com and was very pleased!

Inexpensive, basic ingredients, American origin, 4.10 per pound.

It also doesn't have that bitter aftertaste that some chili powders have.


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## TheMartianChick (May 26, 2009)

I have been having good luck buying some of the things that are being discussed in this thread. For the past year or so, we've been finding more food items at stores like Ollie's Bargain Outlet, Big Lots and Dollar Tree. Ollie's is relatively new to our area, but we visit regularly. The stock changes regularly, so when you see something that you like...Buy it up!

In the past month, I've purchased 16 oz bags of coffee for $1.89, canned fruits and vegetables in juice not syrup for 79 cents, name brand cereal at 1.99 box, ziplock brand bags for 1.99 box or no name brand for 99cents a box, pasta 69 cents a box, crackers for 1.99 box, Pillsbury self-rising flour for 99 cents for a 5 lb bag, etc. The store sells all kinds of things...Hubby even found 3 pair of Levi's jeans for 7.99 each. In my freezer, I have 1lb bricks of Fleishmanns yeast that I paid $1.99 for.

They also have a lot of books, outdoor things, toys, appliances, linens, etc... The stores are warehouse style, so there are no frills and the wesite doesn't show even a fraction of all that they carry. It isn't the kind of store that you go into with a list and an agenda. Instead, you bring the money that you can afford to spend on preps and you buy as much as you can of things that you can use. While I've seen beans and rice there, I don't actually buy it because we aren't big eaters of those items.

You might want to see if there is one near you:

http://olliesbargainoutlet.com/


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## Guest (Sep 29, 2011)

TheMartianChick said:


> You might want to see if there is one near you:
> 
> http://olliesbargainoutlet.com/


Nearest one is 813 miles away. ound:

But I knew there wouldn't be one here because if there were, I'd already know about it. I know where everything is that we do have. Keep in mind, our choices here are very few. The nearest bargain/salvage outlets to us are in Dallas/Ft Worth and Oklahoma City.

Well, we have a Big Lots, but I already posted why I won't buy food there. 

We have a Dollar Tree, and sometimes I find a deal there, but it's a very small store with a tiny food section. There just isn't much to be had there, unless I want to buy miniature packages of processed junk food for $1.

Our best choice for almost anything is Walmart. With few exceptions, the supermarkets, and mom & pop grocery store sale prices are higher than Walmart regular prices.


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## Pelenaka (Jul 27, 2007)

Ladycat, pretty dang smart to subscribe to those newsletters. Never would have thought of it. 

Just throwing this out there since I know allot of peeps don't care for facebook (I was one of them) most stores/companies have fb pages & offer coupons for hitting their like button. Currently Save-a-lot has a $5 off coupon just for liking them. If they upped the anti I'd do more than just like them lol. 

Chatted with my gf the coupon queen yesterday and she turned me on to a CVS pledge worth 2 bonus bucks so I'm buying butter which I'm almost out of. 
Fresh Dairy & Meat is the only items I can't do my swagbucks/amazon grocery shopping with. 

As Alan wrote cheap food will be a thing of the past.

~~ pelenaka ~~
http://thirtyfivebyninety.blogspot.com/


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## Guest (Sep 29, 2011)

Pelenaka said:


> Ladycat, pretty dang smart to subscribe to those newsletters. Never would have thought of it.
> 
> Just throwing this out there since I know allot of peeps don't care for facebook (I was one of them) most stores/companies have fb pages & offer coupons for hitting their like button. Currently Save-a-lot has a $5 off coupon just for liking them. If they upped the anti I'd do more than just like them lol.
> 
> ...


Those Facebook coupons are a HUGE help!

Our local supermarket currently has a Facebook coupon for $3 off ground beef (not a typo). I grabbed that one for tomorrow's big shopping trip.


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## rags57078 (Jun 11, 2011)

dollar tree has a free online membership and they email you updates alot and yes they ship .
for corn meal why don't you buy corn from a farmer and grind it yourself ?


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## Guest (Sep 29, 2011)

rags57078 said:


> dollar tree has a free online membership and they email you updates alot and yes they ship .
> for corn meal why don't you buy corn from a farmer and grind it yourself ?


For one thing, they don't grow corn around here.

For another thing, if they did, there wouldn't be any. Due to the drought, the wheat and cotton never even sprouted.


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## rags57078 (Jun 11, 2011)

sorry ladycat I sometimes forget differant areas of the country are differant


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

My son has started saying, "If it isn't home grown meat, there won't be any meat on the table next year." 

It's a good thing we don't have to rely on the veggie garden this year. Too bad it didn't do well because the price of fruit and veggies just keep on going up.

Chili powder is one area where I won't scrimp. It's too critical to the end flavor. Mostly I grind dried chilies just as they go into the dish, but that is not cheap. But I don't want to cook up several pounds of meat and a bag of beans and have the flavor be substandard due to cheap chilies.

I buy my dried chili pods and my chipotle chilies at the local Mexican market. Penzey's sells a good chili powder and their prices aren't horrible, especially in the larger quantities.


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## Cindy in NY (May 10, 2002)

Ladycat - did you say that you had a new Aldi's near you? They used to sell pintos at about $1.29 for a 2 pound bag. Not sure what the price is now.


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## ChickadeeL (Dec 10, 2008)

At Sam's here the 10 lb. bag of pinto beans is $6.83. Still a good price. At Walmart today I noticed they were $1.33 a pound unless you bought the 5 lb. bag and then they were around $1 a pound.

Sam's has chili powder (Tone's) 20 oz. container for $3.88.

But I have to say it is getting harder and harder to earn back the membership fee.

I have been telling my kiddos the era of cheap groceries is ending. Thankfully we have a garden.


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## Guest (Sep 30, 2011)

Cindy in NY said:


> Ladycat - did you say that you had a new Aldi's near you? They used to sell pintos at about $1.29 for a 2 pound bag. Not sure what the price is now.


Yes, we now have an Aldi but they don't have any dry beans at all.


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## julieq (Oct 12, 2008)

We just loaded a 20 ft enclosed trailer (borrowed from a friend) for the first trip to our new house, hopefully on Monday (due to close tomorrow). 

Most of it is food storage items, i.e. 6 gallon nitrogen packed buckets, canned goods, etc. But also lots of cases of empty canning jars (which need to be filled this winter). It was tough loading all of those heavy cases and buckets, but everything we've purchased has already gone up in price. It's sort of frightening.


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## hermy68 (Mar 12, 2011)

you know, costco, wallmart, dollar store, ect all have web sites that you can buy they things you need and have them shipped. if you are like me I live far enough away it is worth it to do that rather than buy a tank of gas at $75 to go there. I will pay 12 dollars shipping and not have to deal with the idiots!..... especially round the holidays


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## acde (Jul 25, 2011)

from scratch
Chili Powder

Ingredients

6 oz. Dried Chiles, seeded and cut lengthwise into 1-inch wide strips

2.5 oz. Cumin Seeds, whole

.25 oz. Garlic Powder



Directions

Toast the chiles, in batches, in a dry pan

Toast the cumin, in batches, in a dry pan

Grind the chiles, in batches, in a blender

Grind the cumin seeds, in batches, in a blender

Combine all ingredients


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## Guest (Oct 4, 2011)

Aha! Atwoods is having a spices sale- 7.5oz to 18oz for $2.99 each with in-ad coupon. I'll have to check that out!


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## Guest (Oct 4, 2011)

acde said:


> from scratch
> Chili Powder
> 
> Ingredients
> ...


I just use plain chili and add the comino, onion, and garlic separately.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

ladycat said:


> Thanks for all the links to the bulk spice places, everyone. I'm checking them all out.


Don't miss Atlantic Spice! http://www.atlanticspice.com/
My friend that buys with me from them just sent me an e-mail this morning saying she found another place called Mountain Rose Herbs (dot com). I haven't looked them over myself yet, but she was very encouraged by what she saw.

Honestly, I haven't seen much jump in price in the last 6 mos (not counting meat and dairy...although our butter prices haven't gone up but a few cents). I'm beginning to believe that is because of what I buy and how. I just updated my price book on a few items yesterday (it had been 6 mos since I had done that) and the biggest jump was in canned soup...up 10 cents. Most things were the same price or up only a few pennies. Now, that said, I didn't buy any precessed food other then white flour and sugar. Everything was "gut level" ingredients with the exception of cream of X soups. I may see a price difference when I buy some crackers or cereal...but those are fluff items that I can cut out of our budget if I need/want to.


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## ccfromnc (Jul 23, 2011)

Ohio dreamer said:


> Don't miss Atlantic Spice! http://www.atlanticspice.com/


I agree! I stocked up on a lot of spices from them and they averaged 29 cents an ounce... Great prices!


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## Guest (Oct 6, 2011)

ladycat said:


> Aha! Atwoods is having a spices sale- 7.5oz to 18oz for $2.99 each with in-ad coupon. I'll have to check that out!


I did great at the Atwoods $2.99 sale. I got a number of basic spices, including several 10oz bottles of chili powder. This worked out to $4.78/lb. for the chili.

I also got basil, parsley, comino, and several other staple spices.


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

Prices are all over the place here... a WM supercenter "lite" opened last month, and the crunch is on. We have a WM, an HEB, and a Brookshire Bros..... all battling it out. Initially, HEB and Brookshires were deserted, but folks are coming back.

HEB's house brands are the same price as last year, amazingly. The 'name' brands have gone up around 25% this year.

Staples are stable... 4lb sugar still ~2.14, 4lb flour this month, .99c.... tea hasn't budged. Pintos in the low 60s, blacks, reds, navy, etc. still 99c/lb.

The butchers are still good to me... they have went from 35K/week down to 25K/week.... but still are getting me enough to feed the dogs, and us, most nights (two family packs of ny strips, and two pork loins, and the usual other stuff)....

I'm really rooting for my favorite store to stay in business!


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## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

Son and I are seriously ramping up our garden starting with hauling several years of barn cleanings to sheet compost whole garden area. Feel that, more and more, we will have to provide our own vegetables/fruit if we want to eat well. Got the meat area covered and the chickens paying their way now. The changing weather patterns are going to be a huge factor in growing your own. So many reports of garden failures this year.


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## Bluesgal (Jun 17, 2011)

I want to move to TX for your prices Texican - 4lbs of Sugar here... $2.50 ON SALE this week....1lb of butter.. on sale for $2.99/lb 4lbs flour on sale for $2.00


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## bee (May 12, 2002)

Yes, but if you move to texas for the prices you'll also have to deal with their drought...I think I'll stay here and deal with the problems I know!

A previous thread said we were seeing the end of cheap pasta...someone never told the local stores here. Past 2 weeks two stores running 10 pounds for 10 dollars..and one of them was Barilla. I have plenty of pasta on hand so passed on the sales.

Did get a couple of cans of sardines canned in water to try..49 cents at the scratch and dent..Crown Prince brand. Gotta remember to open one and see if they are worth buying more..I like mine smoked in oil, these are plain in water.


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## bruce2288 (Jul 10, 2009)

Two items I believe will be much higher next year. 
Wheat Dry conditions in Texas, Oklahoma and SW Kansas will adversely affect next summers harvest. Much of the wheat planted in these areas will not even germinate without rain and with out substantial rains will winter kill.

Beef The amount of cows slaughtered will greatly reduce the comeing calf crop. This large culling of cows has actually held down beef prices this year by adding tonage to the beef supply.


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## the mama (Mar 1, 2006)

I just found out that Firehouse Subs, sells their 5 gal pickle buckets with lid for $2. The money goes to a public safety foundation.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

texican said:


> HEB's house brands are the same price as last year, amazingly. The 'name' brands have gone up around 25% this year.


Maybe that's why I'm not seeing the price increase others are in flour, sugar and such. I only look at/price the house brand at each store.


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## edjewcollins (Jun 20, 2003)

texican said:


> The 'name' brands have gone up around 25% this year.
> 
> I agree with that here in michigan, about 25% across the board, but with exceptions. Coffee: 1 year ago @ around $5 a 34 to 39oz can now $9 to 10 for same. Beef up around 25%, but we all know thats about to shoot up.


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