Just yesterday I was reading this post and the comments about the price of butter. How Much Are You Paying For A Pound Of Butter These Days? - One Hundred Dollars a Month There are some pretty high prices across the country.
Butter was on sale at Kroger this morning for 2.88 a pound. I already have 15 pounds in the freezer and 2 in the fridge but for this price plus the two .75 cent coupons I had I decided to get a few more. A store worker was loading all of the unsalted butter into crates. She told me she had an online order for 300 pounds. Interesting! I picked up 8 and went on.
On the way home I kept thinking who would buy 300 pounds of butter? We have a few small bakeries in the area and I wondered if it was one of them. The prices for buying from wholesale companies for restaurants and bakeries have sky rocketed since the end of 2020. A lot of items are double or even triple what they were. These businesses run on such a tight profit margin I don't blame them if they are watching sales and buying from the stores instead. I wondered if this is one more reason for some of the shortages on the shelves. Whether it was a local business or someone really worried about a butter shortage I'm sure there are going to be a lot of unhappy people with the empty butter case.
Honestly I know there are a lot of reasons for shortages at the store besides businesses starting to shop there. Weather related crop failures, farmers giving up the farms because it is just too expensive, increases in fertilizer and fuel. Shortages of workers in almost every field. It's almost like a perfect storm.
I'm not a worrier by nature and I've said many times I like to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Worrying doesn't solve anything and we have no idea what the future holds. I do have to say though the rapidly increasing prices of everything is a bit scary. I know butter is something you can live without I'm just using this as an example. I can't imagine how people on lower incomes and/or larger families are handling this. How will they handle it if it continues to get worse? I've seen inflation and rising prices for one reason or another in my lifetime but I've never seen this much of an increase and it doesn't seem to be slowing down.
Are you a little worried about the increasing prices on everything?
It's so hard on young people if they don't have a support system. My kids and their kids and my family and extended family have that support in place, but so many don't. You're right. It's not butter per SE, but all the things together. Those that rely on infant formula are hurting. Rely on gas for getting to low paying jobs are hurting. It has to get better, but in the mean time, yes, plan for the worse, but we can't eat up life worrying.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's an accumulation of SO much right now coming at us from all directions. Now more than every I think we have to count our daily joys and blessings. The entire world is hurting in so many ways.
DeleteHello and yes. I am concerned about many things in our country right now. I see that those who need baby formula are having a hard time finding it. I like your thoughts. Prepare for the worst, but hope for the best. Have a cozy weekend, my friend.
ReplyDeleteHi Billie Jo. I just saw a FB post from an old neighbor saying she mainly breast feeds but does use one formula to supplement and can't find it anywhere even online. We can only pray and remember we still have many joys but for some I'm sure they're getting discouraged. Enjoy your weekend!!
DeleteI am concerned with the costs of items going up. Not so much for us because we can manage but for those "working poor" people. And rents are astronomical here too; sometimes going up by $500 or more per month when leases come up for renewal. It has to end some place I keep saying! I wonder too if local restaurants are getting some of that butter order. I know my son, who works at a fine Italian restaurant, has commented they have had issues getting things they need and then the price of food has skyrocketed even for them. They use a lot of butter so I could see that some place like that might want to try to get what they can locally, just to have it on hand. Last week a dozen eggs here was $3.03. This week $2.52. It was nice they came down but I hear that chicken/eggs are going to keep going up because of the avian flu affecting a lot of chickens. And then here on the NextDoor app people were talking about gas stations being out of gas! But I like your attitude and I think we sort of have the same thing. We are planning for the worst, but hopeful for the best! On that "cheery" note, have a nice weekend :)
ReplyDeletebetty
It's the same for us. We're fine but I worry about so many others.
DeleteIt's very hard for restaurants right now because of the price increases. They can only raise their prices so much before people cannot afford it and then sales go down.
The housing and rent is high everywhere from what I've heard. Who could afford an extra 500.00 a month? I haven't heard of any gas shortages here but I wouldn't be surprised. It's like we're being hit from every direction.
Keep praying!! I hope you have a wonderful weekend as well.
Well as one who has always stored food, I just watch and make sure I have enough of things I would need if SH*t really hit the fan. Wheat, salt,honey or sugars, and oil of some kind. Then I add powdered milk, and anything else I regularly cook with. Try and keep a good 6 month supply of all things. Butter at Christmas time, I can go through 20 pounds in no time. If you had to bake your own bread, butter would be a life saver, not only for texture but to eat with it. Okay cold meds are messing with my syntax, sorry.
ReplyDeleteIt's the same here. We've always stocked it's just something we've always done. Hurricane season will make you learn why quickly.
DeleteI'm mainly worried about younger families or the elderly on a fixed income. Prices on everything not just consumables are going through the roof and I don't see how they can keep up.
I'm more worried about availability than prices. As long as I keep working, I can pretty much still afford anything. But ordering 300 pounds of butter? That's insane. I think I have three sticks of it in the fridge, but I only use it when I need to.
ReplyDeleteYes availability is my main concern as well. I'm pretty sure it was one of the local bakeries. I can't imagine anyone wanting to store 300 pounds of butter but who knows.
DeleteI suppose I am not. I tend to buy what I need/want and I am not a big spender to begin with.
ReplyDeleteI worry more about availability.
DeleteI worry a lot about the increasing prices! Every trip to the grocery store is so stressful anymore! I try to cut back everywhere I can, buy stuff on sale and some in bulk so I can split it up into several meals. Luckily just me and my husband and we don't need too much for ourselves!
ReplyDeleteIt's just the two of us also which helps. I don't know how large families are doing it. I'm worried more about availability, especially in a few months.
Delete