The Emporia Gazette

May 27, 2012

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Are you feeling the pinch yet?

High fuel costs, high food costs, sewer rates, water rates, property valuations. I’m being nickel-and-dimed (by which I mean Lincoln, Hamilton and Jacksoned) to death!

I’m sure you’ve already done the easy things: eat out less, brownbag your lunch, try the house brands of foods to see how they work out, buy in bulk ... but just how bad is it?

I pulled out one of my favorite brunch menus, made a shopping list and in the space of an hour went to the three largest grocery stores in town to get prices. The menu is Eggs Benedict, cottage cheese with sliced peaches and decaf coffee with fat-free French vanilla creamer.

I haven’t been saving old grocery receipts so I didn’t have a hard-and-fast reference to help me see whether or not my perception of rising food costs was accurate. To help, I resorted to the government’s annual Consumer Price Index report, which is an average of nationwide costs for a non-brand specific item. It’s not a precise, region-specific, brand-specific comparison, but it’s close enough.

Take my 11.5 oz. tub of dark roast decaf coffee. I paid $5.43 on my shopping trip. That same amount of coffee, according to the Consumer Price Index, was $2.49 in 2007 (and $2.36 in 2006). Therefore my cost, based on a personal annual consumption of 26 tubs, has gone from $64.75 in 2007 to $141.18 for 2008, assuming there are no further increases. And that doesn’t even account for tax! There’s some food — I mean drink — for thought.

The eggs were just as shocking. One dozen was $2.49. In 2006, normal eggs would have been $1.28, and in 2007 $1.51. Now, I bought the premium Omega-3 enhanced, cage free, happy chicken eggs. I could have bought the antibiotic-laced, caged up, unhappy chicken eggs for $1.79, and it may come to that. But I would just about bet the farm my fancy eggs only cost $1.89 last fall.

Here is my shopping list.

HAPPY WEEKEND

BREAKFAST

1 dozen Eggland’s Best eggs, brown 1 pkg. (6) Sara Lee Sourdough English Muffins

1 (15.25 oz.) can Dole sliced peaches

1 (16 oz.) tub Hiland cottage cheese

6 oz. pkg. Hormel Canadian bacon

1 lb. Land O’Lakes butter, unsalted

1 (11.5 oz) can Folgers Decaffeinated Dark Roast Gourmet Supreme

1 (16 oz.) Coffeemate Fat Free French Vanilla (liquid)

I put the prices into two charts, one showing the name-brand cost, and the other the cheapest available. In the name-brand group, the difference from Store One to Store Three is $4.22 ­— a whole gallon of gas and then some, or lunch at a fast food place. The spread on the store brands is $3.93, not too shabby either. But what about the quality? I went on the Internet to see what people are saying.

One blogger said: “Store brands often have the same exact ingredients as name brands. Many store brand products are actually name brand products in different labels. It's trial and error for us. They’ll eat Kraft Miracle Whip, but not the store brand, while store brand mustard and ketchup are fine.”

A mom in Atlanta writes: “I call my girls a plague of locusts because they devour everything in sight. I buy a lot of store brand foods ... no one has complained about it yet and it saves me a bundle.”

Another blogger questions, “How do I know where the store brand foods come from--China? Is the store brand chicken soup the leftovers from Campbell’s?” That’s a big kettle of fish that is very hard to get into, since we have such bizarre laws on product labeling. I’m pulling a “Scarlett O’Hara” on that one.

However, when I shop for salmon or shrimp, I have to weigh the cost against the origination. Whether it’s wild-caught or farmed. Did it come from a place known to use chemicals and medicines to improve their harvest? It’s so complicated--maybe I’ll do an experiment on that this summer.

The charts show everyday prices, but I usually hunt for sales and coupons before making my purchases. There are standard things that I like to keep in my pantry and refrigerator, so when I see a sale I pounce. Why pay $3.89 for a box of butter when it is often on sale for $1.99? It’s all the sweeter when you happen to have a 25-cent, 35-cent or even 50-cent coupon that the store will double. Now my $3.49 butter only cost me about $2.49 or the $1.99 sale butter could end up being 99 cents.

On my shopping trip, I had a 35-cent Eggland coupon (clipped from the Saturday Gazette, no less), which doubled to 70 cents. I also had a 55-cent coffee coupon, doubled to $1.00. That’s like getting the peaches for free!

A recent article on the BBC Web site caught my eye. It was a global comparison of food costs, and some of the statements were interesting. A family in Guatemala spends 40% of their income on food, about $250 a month (US) just on the basic ingredients, so that all dishes are prepared from scratch. In Beijing, China, a family of three spends so much on housing they have two or three meatless days a week, and the amount of meat is stretched with extra vegetables. Finally, a family of five in Cairo, Egypt, spends 80% of their income on basic foodstuffs, and still has had to cut back to two meals a day.

So it’s not just Emporia, but the whole world that is having to pinch the penny. Let’s hope it eases up soon!

Next week we’re looking at the Dutch Oven. Your challenge for the week thereafter is another round of economical recipes. Do you have any great ideas for good meals that don’t cost an arm and leg? Send it to murphysmenu@yahoo.com or The Emporia Gazette, P.O. Box C, Emporia, Kans. 66801. Let’s get cooking!