Rising cost of food


pam

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My mom told me many years ago, when she was a teenager her Stake President said in one of his talks that we will see the day when you could have a wheelbarrow full of money yet won't be able to buy a loaf of bread.

I'm starting to see the full start of what he said about 70 years ago.  

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My wife has a small business that sells into the chicken community.  She was paying attention to bird flu a long time ago.   It's nasty, nasty stuff.  The migratory birds spread it all around the world.  If you're a poultry farm, and one of your chickens tests positive, your entire flock must be culled.  And that started happening last year during the northward migration.  Things quieted down for a while, then got much worse with the southward migration.   Many Tyson foods farms have been decimated, and I'm using the literal definition of the word. 

We have some chickens, and they haven't seen the sun in a year as we're keeping them inside to protect them both from the migratory threat, and also from the govt agencies that try to oversee backyard flocks.  Some of those agencies are very much not friendly, and they've got a rather wide berth when it comes to warrants and seizing and destruction of property and whatnot.

 

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Food will be worth its weight in silver in my opinion in the future.  I had to get rid of a good portion of my food storage because I am moving in the near future.  We still have about four months of food I believe.  Do not forget water filters either.

One of the first things I want to do when we get to our new location is buy up more long term food storage.

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Rising costs are somewhat hidden due to shrinkflation.  But inflation is bad enough that even shrinkflation cannot mask its effects.

We have our own chickens.  They don't quite lay enough to keep us in eggs all the time.  But we have some.

My Colorado relatives say that they had to pay over $1.00 per egg just a couple weeks ago.  I don't know if that has changed since then.  We were happy to have them at 35 cents per egg at Aldi.

About 6 months ago, we saw a famine coming.  And we stocked up on stored foods.  But if you think this is the worst, I'm sorry to tell you that there is bad news ahead.  Later this year, we'll not only see even higher prices, but shelves will be more empty than what we saw during the shutdown.  This condition will be going up and down for the next couple of years.

There is stock market rally currently.  It will last another month or so, maybe less.  But you should really stock up on durable goods (toilet paper!) while they are still available.

@pam, if you end up in dire straights, come on over to Houston.  We've got room for you.

As far as the wheelbarrow full of money, it was a reference to the Weimar Republic and Zimbabwe.  They had a collapse of their currencies, and the wheelbarrow thing was a literal reality during that time because the governments continued the deficit spending with wild abandon.  We're now in a situation where the President will be very happy to just keep writing checks at a whim just because it is politically expedient.  And no amount of inflation or Fed Interest Rate hikes will deter him/her.

So, yes, it could happen very soon.

Edited by Carborendum
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One of the problems here in San Antonio is pretty much HEB has the monopoly on food.  Yes we have Walmart and in many ways I prefer it.  Since it's a national company there is more of a variety of many items.  So we don't have many options at all for the number of people who live here. Kroger is coming into the area but only as a delivery service not a brick and mortar building.  

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I've been telling people for decades to get their food storage.  Last fall our SP decided it was important enough that he dragged me with him through the stake speaking about the topic in each ward.

 

If you need some help/ideas: Easy Preparedness: Why Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness? (preppercop.blogspot.com)

 

Or feel free to reach out to me privately.

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17 minutes ago, pam said:

One of the problems here in San Antonio is pretty much HEB has the monopoly on food.  Yes we have Walmart and in many ways I prefer it.  Since it's a national company there is more of a variety of many items.  So we don't have many options at all for the number of people who live here. Kroger is coming into the area but only as a delivery service not a brick and mortar building.  

Try this: https://www.azurestandard.com/

Also get grains and legumes from the Church https://store.churchofjesuschrist.org/usa/en/new-category/food-storage/food-storage/5637169327.c  Prices have gone up on these as well.  They were selling for $35/box about two years ago. Now they're over $45/box.  

Once upon a time, I created a 1box = 1 month / person storage.  It had all the macro-nutrients you'd need, and most of the micronutrients.  But some of the micro-nutrients were a bit on the low side.  So, supplements would be recommended.

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I've ordered from the church online cases of different items. Does anyone know if you can order a variety of different items to make up a case if you are picking it up in person? Or does it all have to be the same item? @mirkwood?

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5 hours ago, pam said:

I've ordered from the church online cases of different items. Does anyone know if you can order a variety of different items to make up a case if you are picking it up in person? Or does it all have to be the same item? @mirkwood?

I don't know about pick up in person.  I suspect you cannot because they produce them by the case.  

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5 hours ago, pam said:

I've ordered from the church online cases of different items. Does anyone know if you can order a variety of different items to make up a case if you are picking it up in person? Or does it all have to be the same item? @mirkwood?

You could try https://www.happypreppers.com/Provident-Pantry.html.  They sell individual cans.  To put together a menu, count calories and nutrients.

Macro-nutrients: Carbs, Protein, Fats, Fiber, Water

Micro-nutrients: Too many to list.  But the most nutritious combination for micronutrients would be Broccoli & Potatoes.  Between the two of them you have a wealth of nutrients.  Be sure to include the potato skins and the broccoli stems.  They have the majority of the nutrients.

To round it all out, you may want to have some gummy vitamins.  Don't look for big percentages. It's bad to have to depend on vitamin pills for nutrients.  They should only be used to round out a scant diet that may be "low" in certain areas.  They should not be the primary source of any single nutrient.

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My in-laws found a grand deal on some very nice wheat grinders and gave them to everyone for Christmas. I now realize I need to up my wheat storage. Bought some flour today and was even surprised at its price. 

I think I pondered this elsewhere on the forums, but I'm concerned about those who within a day are suddenly panicked for food. I feel secure having meat in the freezer and a bunch of piles of canned veggies and whatnot.

On eggs, my town refuses to allow chickens (though I know where several rebel chicken keepers are). It's depressing and a bit worrisome. My daughter has a friend who lives across the street from the city boundary who happily keeps all sorts of livestock, so perhaps I can go beg that family if worse comes to worse on eggs. I like and use eggs enough that so far I'm willing to forego other stuff in order to buy eggs, but it's getting ridiculous. 

In another month or so it'll be time for seed starting. Perhaps I'll get serious about that and canning this year. 

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https://www.farmersalmanac.com/the-year-without-a-summer-10880

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanic_winter_of_536

Could you imagine if we had a Volcanic winter today?

Millions would die.  

We have zero national reserve.  

The smallest disruption of services (COVID, supply chain) has brought us to our knees.  It wont take much more to push us over the edge.

BB9EF747-E534-4DE5-9DFA-3663C5BAAF17.thumb.jpeg.576013d10dd4713830d08e56d6010909.jpeg

19 people died from rain…

3000+ people died from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Pretty sure that was worse.  Who is writing these headlines?!

 

Edited by mikbone
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2 hours ago, Backroads said:

On eggs, my town refuses to allow chickens (though I know where several rebel chicken keepers are). It's depressing and a bit worrisome. My daughter has a friend who lives across the street from the city boundary who happily keeps all sorts of livestock, so perhaps I can go beg that family if worse comes to worse on eggs. I like and use eggs enough that so far I'm willing to forego other stuff in order to buy eggs, but it's getting ridiculous.

Really stupid if you ask me. I can see cities banning Roosters, but banning hens just shows their ignorance. Allowing small lots to have 3-5 hens would not cause any problems. Common myths around smells and rodents don't hold water as long as the chicken feed is kept locked up in secure containers, and if the hens have enough room to scratch around.

Edited by scottyg
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3 hours ago, Carborendum said:

You could try https://www.happypreppers.com/Provident-Pantry.html.  They sell individual cans.  To put together a menu, count calories and nutrients.

 

You can do the same through the links at my blog.  They look like they mostly sell Emergency Essentials products.  

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2 hours ago, scottyg said:

Really stupid if you ask me. I can see cities banning Roosters, but banning hens just shows their ignorance. Allowing small lots to have 3-5 hens would not cause any problems. Common myths around smells and rodents don't hold water as long as the chicken feed is kept locked up in secure containers, and if the hens have enough room to scratch around.

We live in one of the armpits of Utah yet the city council wants to think us fancy.

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3 hours ago, Still_Small_Voice said:

Bill Gates now owns 242,000 acres of farmland.  I hope the Church is buying up a lot of farm land. Who knows, maybe there will be a lot of church members called on missions to work farmland?  This may help with future food shortages.

Yeah, there was a bit of a news leak about such things last April.  Our church is the fifth largest private landowner in the nation, with 1.7 million acres.   We are the country's largest nut producer.  We're one of the largest beef suppliers to McDonalds.  We literally own 2% of Florida's land mass.    Lots and lots of farmland in about every state.

 

image.thumb.png.1d6b2a43d0afaa55e89aaba64640bdf0.png

 

This was the last hoorah of the mormonleaks people before they closed up shop permanently.  https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2022/04/05/new-database-gives-widest/

As far as Bill Gates goes: 

Quote

A church subsidiary called AgriNorthwest recently outbid a Bill Gates-owned company with an offer of $209 million to buy Easterday ranch properties in eastern Washington out of bankruptcy proceedings. The working ranch included 12,000 acres of potato, onion and cattle lands as well as valuable water rights.

 

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6 hours ago, Carborendum said:

You could try https://www.happypreppers.com/Provident-Pantry.html.  They sell individual cans.  To put together a menu, count calories and nutrients.

Macro-nutrients: Carbs, Protein, Fats, Fiber, Water

Micro-nutrients: Too many to list.  But the most nutritious combination for micronutrients would be Broccoli & Potatoes.  Between the two of them you have a wealth of nutrients.  Be sure to include the potato skins and the broccoli stems.  They have the majority of the nutrients.

To round it all out, you may want to have some gummy vitamins.  Don't look for big percentages. It's bad to have to depend on vitamin pills for nutrients.  They should only be used to round out a scant diet that may be "low" in certain areas.  They should not be the primary source of any single nutrient.

I've bought quite a bit from from Emergency Essentials.  I just wanted to compare prices.  I know you used to be able to purchase individual if picking up but the provident living website has changed since I last looked at it.

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10 hours ago, NeuroTypical said:

Yeah, there was a bit of a news leak about such things last April.  Our church is the fifth largest private landowner in the nation, with 1.7 million acres.   We are the country's largest nut producer.  We're one of the largest beef suppliers to McDonalds.  We literally own 2% of Florida's land mass.    Lots and lots of farmland in about every state.

image.thumb.png.1d6b2a43d0afaa55e89aaba64640bdf0.png

It's kinda funny to think that this is what they consider an "exposé".  I tend to think: Thank the Lord for preparing us for what is to come.

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11 hours ago, pam said:

I've bought quite a bit from from Emergency Essentials.  I just wanted to compare prices.  I know you used to be able to purchase individual if picking up but the provident living website has changed since I last looked at it.

Augason Farms is another good option (they were purchased by EE.)

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