How are you handling rising food and energy costs?

[RedAngie]

True, eggs were ridiculously underpriced for decades for the value received.

The same with cereal. You probably get at least 10 servings out of a large $6 box. Not at all expensive.

 

[MillauFr]

The whole entire paper plates, plasticware, and cups are empty and has been for quite some time. If there are paper plates, they are ridiculously prices.

It is really hammering those who don't have a good source of water to wash dishes. Just read an article about a Phoenix suburb who got their water supply cut off. Ouch.

 

[mrodgers]

True, eggs were ridiculously underpriced for decades for the value received.

The same with cereal. You probably get at least 10 servings out of a large $6 box. Not at all expensive.

Well, I don't know what kind of cereal you are eating, but I can tell you that there is no more than single serving boxes of Fruity Pebbles sold anywhere

I disagree eggs were ridiculously underpriced at any time. It's a sustainable system that costs nothing but the property to raise them. You don't have to feed them, you don't have to buy new ones. They reproduce naturally and eat out in the yard. It's the gathering them up and packing them into small boxes and feeding them garbage that costs money and is totally unnecessary for the production of eggs.

 

[barkley]

Pet food has been an issue on and off throughout the pandemic. The costs are also way up. The wet cat food is now full price at $1.19 although often on sale for $1.10 per can. The dry food IF I can get it (because ideal weight/healthy metabolism variety is less well stocked) $31.38 regular price for 16 lb bag. It wasn't all that long ago it was low $20s. One time though we had to pay more than $42-$43 but every retailer seemed to have that price must have been very hard to get at that time supply-wise.

The times I've gone down the cat aisle at the Walmart here they haven't been stocked that much maybe 1 or 2 bigger bags per variety with usually at least 2 or more varieties completely out.

I usually order pet food through Chewy and luckily had no problems during the pandemic getting my cats’ preferred wet and dry food.

i was going to say the same-chewy has kept me well stocked. yes, the prices have gone up a bit with them just like everyone else but looking back at my orders over the past year or so i think they still beat wally-world and the big pet stores (the auto ship discount and free shipping help save as well).

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

i was going to say the same-chewy has kept me well stocked. yes, the prices have gone up a bit with them just like everyone else but looking back at my orders over the past year or so i think they still beat wally-world and the big pet stores (the auto ship discount and free shipping help save as well).

Unfortunately Chewy has had inventory issues too or the length of time to get the food due to stock is too great. I've also looked at Target.

Chewy is only less expensive when ordering the wet and dry food at the same time due to shipping costs. Auto ship would work on the wet food only for us. The Petsmart treats program works well for us though.

But Chewy is definitely good to check, they are a good company.

 

[tzolkin]

I disagree eggs were ridiculously underpriced at any time. It's a sustainable system that costs nothing but the property to raise them. You don't have to feed them, you don't have to buy new ones. They reproduce naturally and eat out in the yard. It's the gathering them up and packing them into small boxes and feeding them garbage that costs money and is totally unnecessary for the production of eggs.

But, we are talking about eggs that are for sale in the grocery store, not a romanticized version of backyard chickens. For the amount of labor and supply cost, they were underpriced at $1/dozen. The cartons alone cost like 50cents even if you buy in bulk.

You are grossly misrepresenting how easy it is to raise chickens. It absolutely does not cost "nothing but the property to raise them" and even if that were true, then you would have to take the value of the land into consideration when determining the total cost of the food you receive. (If I bought property for $100k for the purpose of being able to free-range animals for food, that would be part of the cost of raising those animals.) I grew up on more than one farm and the meat and eggs from our animals was definitely not "free" when you take into account the shelter and equipment cost/maintenance, the countless hours of labor, and the food necessary to feed them over the course of their lifetime.

Also, modern chickens are not really suited to the life you are imagining. Most domesticated animals need humans to survive. If we stopped using them for food, they would not become wild animals. Some chicken breeds (like the ones typically used for egg-laying) have completely lost the instinct to go "broody" so there would not be any natural reproduction. There are social issues that come from having too many roosters or not enough resources so you really can't just leave them to their own devices to find enough food and water (chickens kill each other all the time). Their shelter needs to be thoroughly cleaned regularly; they will not do that themselves like some other animals. Heck, you even have to teach baby chicks how to eat and drink. It's really not as hands-off as you imagine.

 

[NotUrsula]

Their shelter needs to be thoroughly cleaned regularly; they will not do that themselves like some other animals.

God, isn't that the truth? I grew up in the rural deep South, in an area where there were enough bugs, worms, and berries naturally occurring, that you could let chickens just forage in the yard without much deliberate feeding or care, and we had near neighbors who did it. It was God-awful. The smell of ammonia from the droppings carried for miles, and so did the stench of dead chickens, because they also did kill one another regularly, or dogs got to them. Raising enough free-range chickens to really sell eggs commercially is labor-intensive and requires a *lot* of space; if they are kept in a fenced yard the smell is quite strong unless it's regularly raked.

 

[Colleen27]

I disagree eggs were ridiculously underpriced at any time. It's a sustainable system that costs nothing but the property to raise them. You don't have to feed them, you don't have to buy new ones. They reproduce naturally and eat out in the yard. It's the gathering them up and packing them into small boxes and feeding them garbage that costs money and is totally unnecessary for the production of eggs.

Have you ever had chickens? Because this is not at all a realistic picture of the care involved in keeping layers. First of all, laying flocks are usually maintained without a rooster so they don't reproduce naturally at all. Second, they not only need to be fed but also need a heated water source and shelter in the winter months in most of the country. And even with proper care, egg production naturally slows in the winter to conserve energy; without regular access to feed and unfrozen water, the chickens may very well find ways to survive but likely wouldn't lay regularly.

Pretty much all animal protein in an industrialized farming system is underpriced, both because of the cruel efficiencies that reduce the need for the most expensive farm input (land) and because of how much of the environmental costs we allow large producers to externalize via unregulated spillover pollution and taxpayer funded cleanup when it does get too problematic to be ignored. Eggs are no exception to that.

 

[DisneyHardin]

Also, modern chickens are not really suited to the life you are imagining. Most domesticated animals need humans to survive. If we stopped using them for food, they would not become wild animals. Some chicken breeds (like the ones typically used for egg-laying) have completely lost the instinct to go "broody" so there would not be any natural reproduction. There are social issues that come from having too many roosters or not enough resources so you really can't just leave them to their own devices to find enough food and water (chickens kill each other all the time). Their shelter needs to be thoroughly cleaned regularly; they will not do that themselves like some other animals. Heck, you even have to teach baby chicks how to eat and drink. It's really not as hands-off as you imagine.

Having chickens is not much different than having a dog. My brother and sister in law have chickens. Instead of having to hurry home after a family get together to let the dog out, they have to hurry home to put the chickens in the coop for the night or they will be come dinner for wild animals.

 

[CdnCarrie]

18 eggs $5.58 here this week.

 

[firefly_ris]

Having chickens is not much different than having a dog. My brother and sister in law have chickens. Instead of having to hurry home after a family get together to let the dog out, they have to hurry home to put the chickens in the coop for the night or they will be come dinner for wild animals.

Yep. We didn't have chickens but we had ducks -- Khaki Campbells and Welsh Harlequins. They were fun but ducks are huge mess makers and definitely not maintenance free in any capacity. They were in a fenced in area with a fenced roof (hawks) but we still went out at dusk to shut them inside their hut for the night. One evening the kids were in charge and someone forgot to fully lock the gate shut.... next day no ducks. I miss them and would have some again but probably not until we move to a warmer climate, taking care of them when there's 4 feet of snow on the ground and 2 degrees outside was the least fun part.

Friends of ours have a decent flock and they have them living together with their 2 goats which protect them from predators! That seems to work out pretty good.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Eggs today at Aldi ran from $4.79 to $5.17 per dozen. They used to be two something.

Although many of Aldi’s prices were up, they didn’t seem as steep as those at my regular grocery stores.

The CBS Evening News tonight had a segment tonight on why egg prices are so high:

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/what-is-causing-egg-prices-to-skyrocket/

 

[Mysterian]

I noticed gas went up a bit at my usual station. Checked the news, and bleh, we're in for another gas hike.

I still have trouble finding dry cat food too, I'm going to have to become a Chewy member. People seem to be hoarding the stuff the moment it's put on racks.

 

[barkley]

there was signage on the dairy cooler when i went to the store yesterday alerting customers to the fact that what appears to be the same half gallons of milk we've bought forever no longer legally qualify as half gallons b/c the producers are now only filling them with 59 oz. so a 5 oz. reduction.

 

[Mysterian]

there was signage on the dairy cooler when i went to the store yesterday alerting customers to the fact that what appears to be the same half gallons of milk we've bought forever no longer legally qualify as half gallons b/c the producers are now only filling them with 59 oz. so a 5 oz. reduction.

This reminds me. Apart from cutting quantities, eggs are one thing that companies cannot offer in smaller sizes.

That is until they genetically engineer chickens to lay tiny eggs.

 

[5kidsmommy]

I noticed gas went up a bit at my usual station. Checked the news, and bleh, we're in for another gas hike.

I still have trouble finding dry cat food too, I'm going to have to become a Chewy member. People seem to be hoarding the stuff the moment it's put on racks.

We've been using Chewy for years, the only time I had delays was right in the middle of the pandemic. Their prices have gone up a bit but not much. I have auto order on for my wet and dry food for my six cats. I use Amazon Prime auto delivery for my litter since I use a pellet system and they have the best prices. I have had the most issues getting pads and pellets for those. I also have a couple regular litter boxes and clumping litter has nearly doubled in price. My six cats are fricken expensive and they are picky. So I have to get the same stuff every time.

I was doing most of my shopping at Aldi as I have been for a couple decades but their prices have gone up considerably. Now I do most of my shopping at Meijer and BJs. I used my cash back credit cards and pay the balance every month. The rewards help a little. I've gone back to using coupons and shopping sales and buying in bulk. It's the only way I can keep costs down.

 

[Mysterian]

We've been using Chewy for years, the only time I had delays was right in the middle of the pandemic. Their prices have gone up a bit but not much. I have auto order on for my wet and dry food for my six cats. I use Amazon Prime auto delivery for my litter since I use a pellet system and they have the best prices. I have had the most issues getting pads and pellets for those. I also have a couple regular litter boxes and clumping litter has nearly doubled in price. My six cats are fricken expensive and they are picky. So I have to get the same stuff every time.

I was doing most of my shopping at Aldi as I have been for a couple decades but their prices have gone up considerably. Now I do most of my shopping at Meijer and BJs. I used my cash back credit cards and pay the balance every month. The rewards help a little. I've gone back to using coupons and shopping sales and buying in bulk. It's the only way I can keep costs down.

Does Aldi's sell pet food too? I have two Wal-marts on the ride home from work, and there's no other alternatives I can think of to check.

 

[5kidsmommy]

Does Aldi's sell pet food too? I have two Wal-marts on the ride home from work, and there's no other alternatives I can think of to check.

They do but I have never bought pet food from them. I have always bought it from Chewy or when not available which has only happened once I get it from Pets Supplies Plus.

 

[mrodgers]

This reminds me. Apart from cutting quantities, eggs are one thing that companies cannot offer in smaller sizes.

That is until they genetically engineer chickens to lay tiny eggs.

Most actual food, yes, they can not reduce packaged size because most actual food is sold by the pound or piece. For eggs, they would have to start selling them individually. And probably sell you the carton for $0.10 like the bags you need to carry your groceries home easier.

 

[tinkerbellandpeterpan]

Does Aldi's sell pet food too? I have two Wal-marts on the ride home from work, and there's no other alternatives I can think of to check.

We get cat treats at Aldi which my 2 cats love, but we get their food (wet and dry) and litter from Chewy. We have been lucky (knock on wood) that they have always had their preferred food even during the pandemic. They eat Fancy Feast wet (they won't eat any of the pate varieties but other than that aren't particular) and Blue buffalo indoor cat/hairball control dry food, and their litter is Dr Elsey's clumping (40 lb. bags). I feed the FancyFeast for the hydration factor and not nutrition.

Aldi does have cat food....at least definitely wet food but I have never tried it so can't speak to price or quality.