Thursday notes

First:   Flour prices have taken a hike.   That translates to higher prices on pasta and bread.   Another reason why it is a good idea to stock.  It doesn’t make the prices any cheaper, but it pads the way so the shock is a little diminished.   I did discover that delivery flour is 7.59.   Bought at costco it was 6.99.  It was previously 6.39.   It still makes a loaf of bread for .25.  

The bargains the last two weeks have been minimal.   We have basically two corporations that control most of the market.  Kroger owns QFC and Fred Meyer.   Albertsons owns Safeways and. Albertsons.
Then, we have Winco, Costco, and Grocery Outlet.   When we had the debacle of Albertsons selling to Haagen and Haggens going bankrupt and selling back to Albertsons, the prices at Albertsons and safeways took a big hike.   I can imagine that all the legal fees took a toll on profits.   At Kroger, qfc is the more expensive and the more full service store in relationship to Fred Meyers.   Winco is no frills and employee owned.   I do find that if you ask a question at winco, you get an informed answer, or they point you to someone that can accommodate you.    Costco is turning into a food from Mars store.   More and more, I am finding that the basics like oatmeal, yeast, and cornstarch are missing or they are out of and they have plenty of hemp, seaweed, and cage free eggs.

Grocery Outlet is appealing to the ‘special’ crowd as well.   There is some bargains, but a lot of organic.    My experience with organic has been that two days after something hits the door, its growing hair prettier than mine.    No food is going to do your family any good if you are feeding itnto the garbage disposal.   Our farm lands  have been farmed for hundreds of years .   To accept that all those pesticides used for years have completely disapated from the soil is not a logical conclusion for me.   Going organic costs 38 percent more than regular food.   The real truth is that you cannot buy organic on a four dollar a day budget.   It is not practical to go to the store every day and buy just
what you are going to eat that day.

We are not store or brand loyal,  thats how we eat well  on less than four dollars a day.  





















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