Food Inflation and my $3.15 Leek
Last week I made something for the coffee hour after church. Trying to jazz up my cheese spread, I decided I'd put some leeks in there. This required the purchase of one (1) leek. One. And it cost $3.15. I was so shocked at checkout that I just paid it. As I checked the receipt, I realized that the butter was surprisingly expensive, too.
All produce has gotten super expensive. And I'm extremely surprised at how little it's being talked about. There was this Washington Post story:
The cost of a Thanksgiving dinner in the U.S. will jump 13 percent this year, the biggest gain in two decades, as prices rose for everything from turkey to green peas to milk, the American Farm Bureau Federation said.
A meal for 10 people on the holiday, which falls on Nov. 24 this year, will rise to $49.20 from $43.47 last year, the biggest increase since 1990, based on foods traditionally served including stuffing and pumpkin pie, the farm group said today in a release.
Now, I'd love to see someone make a huge Thanksgiving meal for that price, but maybe I just live in an even higher cost area. I mean, one leek at $3.15 isn't going to go terribly far for 10 people this Thanksgiving.
Looks like that covers only a turkey, frozen green peas (frozen?), pumpkin pie mix out of a can, whipping cream, whole milk, stuffing, rolls, cranberries, and three pounds of sweet potatoes. Which sort of sounds like the saddest Thanksgiving ever.
In any case, I know that we eat better in this country than anywhere else, and for cheaper, too. But these prices are getting out of control, aren't they?
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May '10
Re: Food Inflation and my $3.15 Leek
That's how it is with any administration in Washington. Eventually the leeks in the press will doom you...
Mar '11
Re: Food Inflation and my $3.15 Leek
But... but... but... economists don't count food costs in inflation estimates because that doesn't count.
Except it sure counts when your vegetable is over 3 bucks a pop.
Nov '10
Re: Food Inflation and my $3.15 Leek
Unfortunately the polls show that the majority of Americans still do not hold Obama accountable for the horrible economy.
This is what I mean when I refer to the serious decline -- morally, politically -- in America. I have no idea how one turns that ship around. People ultimately get the governments they deserve...
Jul '10
Re: Food Inflation and my $3.15 Leek
$3.15 for a leek? Does it sing? Or turn into a 4oz lamb chop?
Otoh, if you are into real estate you could trade that leek for 3, maybe 4 houses in Detroit.
What was it Cato complained about? A jar of imported garum going for more than a plot of land, I believe.
Dec '10
Re: Food Inflation and my $3.15 Leek
Mollie, the fool in the White House doesn't have a clue what to do. Divorced from the simplest realities of life the left pronounces on everything but understands nothing. Yours is the observation that will make many ordinary voters realize what a lemon they bought in 2008. Now to convince them that there's something new at the market worth buying in 2012.
Apr '11
Re: Food Inflation and my $3.15 Leek
I am very particular about my food, which is to say I like good food of a high quality. So generally I pay more than average, but I too have noticed this disturbing trend. Perhaps higher end food costs go up quicker...but somehow I think that isn't the case.
For me its hard some times to say also because Hyde Park is so isolated the local food stores are essentially monopolies, and I don't feel like traveling far to do grocery shopping in Chicago.
IT is something though that I think should worry politicians and all of us, because for low income people food is a major part of the budget. I just know though that if it does get bad the first thing the government will jump to is price controls, and that will be a disaster.
Dec '10
Re: Food Inflation and my $3.15 Leek
Did some grocery shopping today...20% higher than budgeted. I guess this is just what we have to deal with until we have an economy again.
May '10
Re: Food Inflation and my $3.15 Leek
Lots of reasons, but the two that come to mind immediately:
Drill here, drill now. Build the Keystone pipeline now. Increase domestic refining capacity.
Aug '10
Re: Food Inflation and my $3.15 Leek
Yikes, I just want to know where you shop.
Aug '10
Re: Food Inflation and my $3.15 Leek
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
All produce has gotten super expensive.
In my experience, produce prices are always super-volatile to begin with, depending on season and the shipment your store's gotten in lately. However, I have noticed that cheap, durable, and easily-stored white cabbage is holding pretty steady -- between 30 and 70 cents a pound around where I live.
Produce volatility wouldn't explain the butter, though. Food prices are going up...
Judging by the bill of the cart ahead of me today, though, junk food prices are remaining relatively steady by comparison to healthier foods (though I shopped at a different store from my usual one today, and maybe I just happened to be at a store where junk food is cheaper and real food is more expensive than what I'm used to).
Aug '10
Re: Food Inflation and my $3.15 Leek
Dunno if this will be helpful to you or not, since you said you didn't like to travel far for groceries, but do you know whether you have a Garden Fresh Market or a Family Fruit Market in your part of Chicago?
In my experience, both are very affordable, and chock-full of all sorts of interesting foodie-friendly ingredients to explore. Not all of their stuff is the freshest, but there's always something fresh. So if you have the luxury of picking what's fresh once you're there (rather than having to stick to a list), or if you buy some stuff to use immediately, you'll do fine. The prices are worth it.
Jul '10
Re: Food Inflation and my $3.15 Leek
Well, if Y'all would have planned ahead like Me..... I'm still living off what I stored in the basement for Y2K.
Thank goodness for media inspired apocalypses.
Oct '10
Re: Food Inflation and my $3.15 Leek
See a photo a a bunch of leeks, did you mean just one big one ?
The last time I priced Ribeye steaks raised an eyebrow a bit.
Edited on November 14, 2011 at 3:36amApr '11
Re: Food Inflation and my $3.15 Leek
There are of course ways to make very tasty food for very cheap, and I often do, but some times you just want something particular. If you have some really set in stone recipes or meal plans you can see the price of food increasing. This is where I notice it the most. I made a note of it when buying what I like to call (super bacon) which is just very nice thick cut bacon. I recall not more than 2 years ago I could get like a 1.5 (which is like 10-12 slices that's how thick this bacon is) cost me like 7$ now its 9$. It makes me feel a bit silly complaining, considering just how expensive 7$ bacon is to begin with, but I mean its like 20% jump in price in two years... I only use it as an example because I know the price very well cause I, buy it so infrequently. I have seen this kind of spike also in Nutela (another great food). Butter, Milk, eggs, bread are so commonly bought I just never notice when prices go up.
Jun '10
Re: Food Inflation and my $3.15 Leek
Don't even get me started on peanut butter. I know the crop was a disaster but $4 for a jar?
Re: Food Inflation and my $3.15 Leek
This was the Giant down the road. Giant is a pretty middle-of-the-road grocer here in Virginia.
Re: Food Inflation and my $3.15 Leek
wilber forge: See a photo a a bunch of leeks, did you mean just one big one ?
The last time I priced Ribeye steaks raised an eyebrow a bit. ยท Nov 13 at 6:36pm
Edited on Nov 13 at 06:36 pm
It was just one. Not an actual photo of my purchase!
Re: Food Inflation and my $3.15 Leek
Jimmy Carter: Well, if Y'all would have planned ahead like Me..... I'm still living off what I stored in the basement for Y2K.
Thank goodness for media inspired apocalypses. ยท Nov 13 at 6:32pm
Oh, so you live off of Stuckey's pecan logs and beanie weenies too? MRE's aren't half bad either. Kindred spirits and all that.
Jul '10
Re: Food Inflation and my $3.15 Leek
Dave Carter
Oh, so you live off of Stuckey's pecan logs and beanie weenies too? MRE's aren't half bad either. Kindred spirits and all that. ยท Nov 13 at 7:10pm
Correct Me if I'm wrong, but ain't MRE's labelled by "shelf lived[?]"
Edited on November 14, 2011 at 4:27amOct '11
Re: Food Inflation and my $3.15 Leek
There is significant unreported inflation. Even though we have fewer people working we are producing way more than we were several years ago? Some can be explained by productivity increases but I think a lot has to do with inflation as well. It starts in financial assets and spreads. We have been printing money like crazy for almost 11 years now because the fed has never wanted to take a liquidationist approach instead we have preserved the rot in the economy and created inflation. Shadow government statistics is on the case: http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data/inflation-charts See also this article from The Milwaukee journal sentinel regarding coupon use being way up since 2008. http://www.jsonline.com/business/coupon-use-grows-at-fast-clip-lu2vob2-133749538.html