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| My grandmother, Ina Dobson, endured hard times in this house. |
Well, let’s talk of hard times some more. There comes to me in times like these a sort of spirit of battle. I feel it as a challenge to me to outwit circumstances . . .– Ina Dobson, 1932
Mike and I decided years ago to buy quality food at the grocery store and avoid expensive restaurants. “Everybody eats well at home,” we agreed. Even so, I do the best I can to shop conservatively and not be wasteful, but these days, my sense of “value for money” kicks in. The other day, a quart of egg subs was almost $5.00, and that was at Winco! I balked at that, but when Mike makes his “no cook” ice cream, I insist he use pasteurized egg product. So many grocery items approach and/or surpass the $5.00 mark now, and that’s just daunting. I’m so glad I’m not feeding a family.
Remember when a 3-oz. package of Jell-o was ten cents? It was a dessert staple in many homes. Now it costs so much that I buy only what I need for a few favorite recipes. In the ‘60s, baby food was ten cents a jar, and it seems like the jar was twice the size it is today. And the jars themselves were coveted for their handy size and screw-on lids, which meant the jars were often re-purposed. Daughter Hallie purees Silas’ solid food herself, and we are grateful she doesn’t need formula.
As
my dad was canning peaches in the ‘70s, sister Nina confided that when she
could buy a can of peaches for 39 cents, why would she take the trouble to can
them? I wonder what she would think today. Canned fruit is so expensive but so
is produce!
And how about the shortages? Store aisles just aren’t as full and well-fronted as they used to be. Sometimes I’m startled by the lack of product. We’ve all heard about baby formula, but more items are added to the list – like mustard and peanut butter, etc. Some items seem to disappear without fanfare – pie crust mixes, for instance. And the other day I went to buy Mike’s favorite hard candies – butterscotch and cinnamon discs – and couldn’t find them at three stores. (Today, I found hard candy, pie crust mixes, AND Farman’s pickles at Barney’s in Orofino.)
And
it’s not just food items in short supply either. I’ve been searching for a size
G afghan (Tunisian) crochet hook. I couldn’t find it locally or from my
favorite online craft retailers, and Hallie even looked at JoAnn’s in
Seattle. But of course, Amazon came to
my rescue with an inexpensive set made in China. (Sorry – but I bought them.)
I’ve also flirted with store brands since prices began to soar. Some things don’t matter, but for the most part, I’m not impressed. It comes back to buying quality food and eating well at home, but I admit that it crossed my mind as I shopped the soup aisle ($2.00 for a can of cream soup!) that we just have to learn to eat differently.
Have
you made changes in order to cope with inflation? KW
15 comments:
I feel generally powerless against inflation. I do make most of Silas' food, but that's less about cost cutting and more about control and the desire to really know what's in there.
I guess we are powerless against inflation, but still, we might make some adjustments -- be more mindful of sales, use less meat, grow a garden, etc. The price of junk food (chips, etc.) -- always expensive anyway -- is now astounding! Are they kidding me? I can do without it.
I've always been a careful shopper, learned from Mom, and it was invaluable in our early days of marriage. Every time I go to the store I'm blown away by the prices. They just keep going up. And up! We don't eat a lot of meat; I'm fortunate in that Dan is happy with casseroles and the like. He hasn't hunted in the last few years but we still have elk burger. I make all our bread products which is really a savings as bread is $5 (at least at my last look), however flour is going up dramatically. Ann and I shopped together the other night as Dan and Eric worked on a project, and we were both so thankful that we are able to buy what we need without worry. We both thought of the many people who don't have that luxury.
Hi Chris! I feel the same way. All of our family can afford to buy groceries, and we are grateful. It's my sense of "value for the money" that kicks in. Mike also likes casseroles and a variety of foods, and that does help.
I do shop Winco almost exclusively and there are quite a few Winco brand items that I'm very pleased with. I stop in at Safeway occasionally because I like their coffee creamer, and last time I checked some other prices and couldn't believe them. $7.59 for a jar of Best Foods mayo? Who actually buys their groceries there? But it always seems busy when I'm there. Meanwhile I resurrected the old lasagna recipe from when we took our microwave cooking classes all those years ago, and Dan declared it a WINNER! Score!
Perhaps I should be ashamed to admit it, but I do shop Albertsons/Safeway. The coffee creamer IS good. Their milk is the best we've found -- or I return it. We like their store-brand bread and apple juice. Etc. But I also keep a list of items that I buy at Winco or Walmart. We don't like Winco's milk.
Chris -- I thought of more comments on your comment.
Even though I shop Albertsons, I too have been amazed at all the shoppers there. Still, they aren't as crowded as Walmart and Winco, and distancing might be part of it. Also, you have to play their game -- "Albertsons (Safeway) for You" -- in order to get the deals. They now require that you enter your phone number or they won't allow you the sales price. I think a lot of older people shop there because they don't press you to use self-check like Walmart does and they also pack your groceries.
I don't remember that lasagna recipe. Did you "bake" it in the microwave? I made lasagna yesterday with my new triple layer pan. I admit that I've slipped away from baking in my microwave. I should think about that on these hot days.
This is Joanne. After reading about the difficulties In finding favorite convenience foods people have come to rely on in recent years, I am thankful that I have been living at a more basic level when food is concerned. I have always used basic food like flour, milk, eggs, home canned fruit, veggies and meat which I learned to store in case of emergencies. I always cook at home from "scratch". I bake my own bread. In the past, I even learned how to do sourdough when given a start that worked well when we lived in New Zealand. I grind my own flour from bulk golden wheat too. I supplement fresh milk with powdered milk. I have collected the equipment I need to do these things; i.e., wheat grinder, pressure canner, dough mixer, canning jars and lids, etc. I try to recycle as much as I can.
Aunt Joanne -- I'm so impressed! I still need to learn how to bake bread (it's on my list). Grinding your own wheat is a whole new level I hadn't even considered! Do you have to order the wheat? I'll have to pay attention to the bulk aisle, but I don't recall ever seeing bulk wheat.
I wonder how the cost compares making your own bread to buying it. I could get on board with this.
Hi Hallie, you can buy a bag of flour for five dollars or less and make multiple loaves of bread. I've made our bread for many years, first by hand (spoon and kneading), then using the Kitchenaid mixer, and when I worked by bread machine. Now I use all three methods, depending on time, mood, and recipe. I have friends who, like Joanne, grind their own wheat, but I've never done that, but it always sound cool! The more we do on our own, the better, the less expensive, and the more satisfying it is, I think.
And Kath, yes the lasagna is "baked" in the microwave. I love that the noodles don't have to be cooked first, and of course in the summer, not having the oven on is a boon. Don't know why I got out of the habit of making it, probably when I started teaching and many recipes just slipped out of my mind when it became filled with the needs of 26 kids!!
I gave Safeway our landline number years ago and it doesn't seem to have hurt anything. They're not getting my cell number, however!!
Well, I totally got out of the habit of using the microwave for meals, though we do use the microwave a lot. I still have the recipes from our class, I think, but I let the cookbooks go. That's not the end of the world, though. We can find recipes online.
I don't know why I lost interest in the microwave. I feel a revival coming on!
As for the bread, my mother said she didn't bake good bread, and I accepted that it must be hard. Obviously, she wasn't interested in perfecting the skill. It was a different time, as we say. But Halie, if you take up grinding your own wheat, you can grind some for me and I'll give it a try.
I use my microwave all the time. I rarely use my oven or cook top. Although there are things that are just better on the stove.
Hi Becky! When Chris and I took the microwave class at Deranleau's some 40+ years ago, it was explained that microwaving is boiling. Baked goods don't come out as we expect from the oven, but sometimes that's okay, especially when the weather is hot. I found a mug recipe for shortcake. One is perfect for the two of us to share, and it doesn't heat the house. (We also like mug brownies.)
I still make the microwave coffee cake recipe that came in the cookbook accompanying that first microwave. It's Daniel's favorite and Ann's family has it often.
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