Saving Money as Prices Increase

[Oaktree]

I also stopped buying bagged chopped salad, chopping up a head of romaine is pretty easy and lasts longer in fridge.

Don't think I've ever bought packaged salad, it looks like it's 90% iceberg lettuce with a few shredded carrots and/or a little bit of cabbage. Like you said, a head of romaine will last longer and is about half the price.
What bugs me is that the only spinach that supermarkets seem to sell anymore is *&%^ baby spinach. If you don't use it all in 2 or 3 days it just goes bad. There used to be a kind of crinkly spinach that had a much longer useful life, but no one seems to carry it anymore.

 

[kenmac]

Are you saying this air source heat-pump works well & at a high efficiency at below 0 F (-17.8 C) temperatures as indicated in your post #118 earlier?

I certainly would like to find out more about it if possible.

Like make & model if you don't mind please?



View attachment 720874

Not the smaller Trane unit. Its the tall white unit. But yes, this VRF is rated to heat below -20 (hot gas bypass)
I have hit single digits where I am and it still puts out the heat. Zero back up heat.

They are installed other places that get much colder than where I am.
Just google VRF, or Mini splits.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Anybody still use fillers in ground meat dishes? I can remember when meatloaf, meatballs and similar had about 25% rice or cauliflower added as a filler/extender.

TVP - Textured Vegetable Protein - used to be a popular admix in hamburger, up to 25% I think. It would soak up some of the grease in higher fat burger. You could even buy it in the bulk food section and add your own. I think it was soy protein, processed from soy meal after the oil had been extracted. I haven't seen it in years. I don't know if there is a reason or if it was just a food fad that didn't make the grade. Nowadays it's vegie burger to the rescue.

 

[not2old]

In the 50's it was oatmeal mixed with hamburger for patties or meatloaf.

 

[daugen]

actually the oatmeal added would probably be the healthiest part of the meatloaf... I use Pepperidge Farm stuffing
for a little added flavor. Oats, soy, all good for us. Meat not so much. Though I make a mean meatloaf and surprising what leftovers you can
hide in a meat loaf. Add some corn as a filler too, sure makes it all taste better.

No saving money in vegan food for sure, most of the "meat" is around 9-10 dollars a pound around here.
Cheapest bulk 80/20 hamburger I saw yesterday was 3.49 a pound.
I start losing interest in food over 6 dollars a pound.
No reason for cereal to cost over 4 dollars a pound but it does usually..

Salmon just went up a dollar a pound here. 11 dollars a pound is pricey protein.

We have to learn to just say no and find a less expensive alternative, without being stupid.
As in who wants cheap brake pads?...

50 years ago my father gave me one share of stock in Alpine Geophysics, now long gone. They made fish protein food in big bags
to be shipped to Africa to feed the starving folks. I don't know why it never got off the ground.
maybe it tasted horrible

 

[ultrarunner]

Just waiting for Christmas Tree Sticker Shock... both natural and artificial

Prices expected to be up significantly and supply down plus logistics.

Each year a friend in the business ships 2,000 of Oregon's finest to Hawaii..

This year the order had to be cancelled as on time delivery was iffy at best ..

A tree that has been floating around the Pacific in a cargo box arriving after Christmas has no market...

 

[Skeans1]

Just waiting for Christmas Tree Sticker Shock... both natural and artificial

Prices expected to be up significantly and supply down plus logistics.

Each year a friend in the business ships 2,000 of Oregon's finest to Hawaii..

This year the order had to be cancelled as on time delivery was iffy at best ..

A tree that has been floating around the Pacific in a cargo box arriving after Christmas has no market...

Not just that most of Oregon’s Christmas trees are burnt this year so they have zero value for anything other then pulp/chip wood.

 

[ultrarunner]

Plus drought and many shifting to "Other" crops with much shorter time to harvest...

 

[ddbackhoe]

It is obvious prices are on the rise. It is not awful yet, but some think it will get considerably worse. I am not one to get caught with my pants down. SO, I was hoping to gain some insight on things y'all are doing or plan on doing to make the blow not quite as bad.

I am in pretty good shape, better than most probably but we can always do more.
Some things that I am planning on doing or everyday life things that help my situation.

Heating - We live in the SE TN so heating costs are not a huge issue. We have a reasonably efficient heat pump as our main source of heat. On top of that we also have a wood stove in our living room that we use to supplement in the winter. When it is cold and I am home like on weekends our heat pump doesn't run. NEW PROCEDURE - I also plan on running an oil filled radiator during the week while my wife is home so the heat pump doesn't have to work too hard. Probably one in her office and one in the main living space.

Transportation - We both drive 28 to 30 mpg vehicles as our daily drivers, so that helps. And my commute to work is 4 miles, wife works from home. My farm truck is a 85 F250 that get 7 mpg, not much I can do about that except drive it only when necessary.

Food Stuffs- Prices of food are on the rise. Beef and other meats are following right along. I have a deer and a half in the freezer and half a wild boar. Hopefully put another deer in there soon. Also plan on doing the usual gardening this spring. Hopefully seeds will not be in short supply. Might even start it out a little early this year with a cold frame or DIY greenhouse.

Those are the things I have thought about so far. What else have y'all thought about to help ease the sting of rising prices. REALLY value the collective braintrust that is TBN. What are you doing/gonna do different?

Why only use the wood stove when you are home? If you aren’t buying firewood, I would use the wood stove instead of the electric radiators.

 

[Oaktree]

TVP - Textured Vegetable Protein - used to be a popular admix in hamburger, up to 25% I think. It would soak up some of the grease in higher fat burger. You could even buy it in the bulk food section and add your own. I think it was soy protein, processed from soy meal after the oil had been extracted. I haven't seen it in years. I don't know if there is a reason or if it was just a food fad that didn't make the grade. Nowadays it's vegie burger to the rescue.

Had forgotten all about that stuff, it was kind of the rage back in the 70s as I recall. I vote for food fad on that. As I recall it gave the meat a weird texture.

actually the oatmeal added would probably be the healthiest part of the meatloaf... I use Pepperidge Farm stuffing
for a little added flavor. Oats, soy, all good for us. Meat not so much. Though I make a mean meatloaf and surprising what leftovers you can
hide in a meat loaf. Add some corn as a filler too, sure makes it all taste better.

No saving money in vegan food for sure, most of the "meat" is around 9-10 dollars a pound around here.

I tried that beyond brand vegetarian meat once. Once was enough, it was awful. Ditto for the veg burgers. I'll stick with the real thing.

Not so sure soy is good for us, doesn't it have high amounts of estrogen in it? Not something a guy wants extra of in his system, not even that good for women.

Stews are something else you can hide a lot of leftovers, freezer burned stuff, etc. in.

 

[RickB]

Groceries will have to get a lot more expensive than they are now before I start cutting big corners in that department.
Eating good healthy food prepared at home has more benefit than a few bucks a month more in the bank account.

 

[riptides]

Groceries will have to get a lot more expensive than they are now before I start cutting big corners in that department.
Eating good healthy food prepared at home has more benefit than a few bucks a month more in the bank account.

Is a good perspective.

Now is a good time to look at what your actually eating and make some changes if one is worried about cost.

 

[5030]

Groceries will have to get a lot more expensive than they are now before I start cutting big corners in that department.

I suspect they will Rick... Only a matter of time. I just wonder what the tipping point far as the general economy goes. Personally, I think we are headed for a big bust...

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Groceries will have to get a lot more expensive than they are now before I start cutting big corners in that department.
Eating good healthy food prepared at home has more benefit than a few bucks a month more in the bank account.

There's a lot of fat in my food budget. I eat pretty high on the hog, though I have slacked off on buying ribeye. You can still pick up tri-tip for $3.47/lb. locally, and I just bought a ham butt portion for $1.88/lb. I made a pot of navy beans and ham with the bones and rind from the last ham, and was shocked that the really big market I shop at was out of navy beans. None. No great northern or kidney beans either.

It might seem like paying $18 for a 10 lb. ham is a budget buster, but the ham meat went to a couple dinners, a couple omelets, a big batch of mac 'n cheese, plus the big pot of navy beans. Call it $1.50 per meal, $2.00 with other ingredients. Cooking is key to thrift. My dinner last night was a baked potato topped with sloppy joe. The sloppy joe is only about 1/3 burger. The rest is onion, tomato sauce, and seasoning. Cheap eats.

Our Thanksgiving feast this year will be Dungeness crab, steamer clams, and green salad tossed with caviar, fresh baked bread rolls, and a good white wine, probably a dry Riesling, with Marionberry pie, whipped cream, and good coffee for dessert. I'll leave the turkey and dressing for people who don't live near the North Pacific. The ingredients alone will run over $30/plate, but it's a feast day. We don't eat like that often, and would never pay the over $100/plate price in a restaurant. With transportation, tips, and drinks, dinner for four would run about $600. Forget that.

 

[zzvyb6]

As hyperinflation takes hold (a year's price increase rate in 1 month), I'm seeing register prices way above shelf prices. A shop can just go in and increase all items in 1 swell foop and not bother to nick the shelf or package prices. I'm waiting for a Giant Size chocolate bar to be $3.00 and be the size of a postage stamp.

 

[5030]

My wife just bought me a new watch from Walmart 2 weeks ago. Last night I looked at the same watch on Walmart's website and it increased 8 bucks in price.

 

[ruffdog]

If the woodstove is going we cook things like chili or tomato soup on it instead of using the electric stove. We also canned 47 quarts of tomatoes from two plants. We have a bunch of potatoes in the basement and 27 quarts of Acorn squash froze. We never throw leftovers away...if it makes a turd, we eat it.

The best way to save money is if you are content with your life. We are not buying a bunch of stuff because we are happy with what we have. If you go into debt because you over extended your self, you become a slave to your accumulated stuff.

 

[5030]

Exactly. With us, farm is paid for so the only liability is taxes and insurance. Same with the vehicles and we heat (both the house and the shop) with a corn burning stove so no gas (propane bill) either. Only utility bill is the electric and I've managed to trim that pretty well too.

 

[ruffdog]

There is 2 types of inflation. One is monetary inflation that is connected by economic policy and the amount of money in the economy. The fed since the spring of 2020 has been taking on $120B a month in QE (quanitive easing) assets and that was to free up cash in the economy but would probably cause monetary inflation. The Fed has now said they plan to taper back QE by $10B per month.

The other inflation that is what we are mostly seeing is supply and demand inflation. People want to buy cars/trucks/tractors and they are not on the lot so the price goes up. The shelves at the stores don't have the items we want so the price goes up. Once supply matches demand, the prices should realign again.

I agree with what I have heard....that Covid and the supply chain issues won't be resolved until post 2022.

 

[5030]

I agree with what I have heard....that Covid and the supply chain issues won't be resolved until post 2022

Hears the same thing as you and that is why buying a tractor or implements right now is an exercise in frustration. IOW, gonna get worse before it gets better.