Prices for key foods are rising sharply

[Cieje3]

I grew up in near poverty, and was taught that one must work in order to eat.
Due to weaknesses beyond my control, I have been unable to find the "right job" that I can stay on for long periods of time and make "headway".
I for one am on Social Security Disability and do not abuse it.
I recieve a small amout of food stamps every month and do not share/exchange them.
On the extreme few times I have bought a cheap lotto ticket with spare change and won $10-$20, the winnings are stuffed into emergency funds, minus the price of an ice cream cone from the ticket vendor.
I hate living like this.
Each time it seems like things might just turn around (for me anyway) this kind of economic doom and gloom talk rises and stifles any semblance of optimism I had.

I'm not gonna bellyache anymore except for one thing.

I DO NOT FIT THE STEREOTYPE OF THE AMERICAN SS LOSER AND THE ENTIRE IDEA INFURIATES ME MORE THAN I CAN ARTICULATE!

Sorry for yelling.

[Just A Clay Pot]

Hey, Cieje3...

How's this for a weird response? I for one am proud to hear how you are hanging in there. Things are tough in this economy, and there is no doubt it will get worse. But, you are living proof of how the Lord will provide for each of us as we occupy til He returns.

"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" Matt. 6:26

Stay strong in your belief in the Lord. He's gonna keep you covered all they way. Some day soon we're all going to be seated at the Lord's table, and all this will seem like a distant dream that fades quickly in the light of His new day.

[Cieje3]

Thanks, JACP.

And sorry again for the rant/outburst.

It simply burns my soul to be "On my butt" when I am able to so many things, but unable to find my perfect spot.

Mom always said it's not good for the soul to not work. I was always skeptical of stuff she said, but nowadays I can't even enjoy a good game anymore unless I feel I've really EARNED the time in front of my T.V.

And this is from a former game addict, too!

Yes, I also praise the LORD for providing for me in my hours of need. I am simply venting my desire to glorify him through my work ethic and related skills, etc..

Who knows? With the way the waves seem to be turning for me at this current season, the LORD may be preparing to prosper me despite the doom and gloom the economical analysts are predicting.. If GOD prospered Egypt in spite of a famine through Joseph, then he can do the same for me regardless of whatever may be in the future!

Wow. Thanks again for lifting me up. I'm ready to go out and plow some grain now! (Just kidding, I'm not a farmer.)

[RememberTheName]

My wife and I can't go to the grocery store without spending more than $70 anymore. We're doing better about finding things on sale and whatnot, but sometimes it's to the point where I think we'll have to give up alot of things that we enjoy just to be able to eat... luckily I have a wonderful father and he helps us out alot with money. I thank the Lord every day for my wonderful parents.

All our other bills really add up as well. We both play alot of computer and video games online, so a decent internet connection is a must... I wouldn't be able to deal with dial-up again. I know it sounds horrible, but seeing as how my career is in computers and networking and I'm paying alot of money to go to school for it all I feel that a good connection is worth the money.

However, It also doesn't help that I'm unable to find work at the moment, and my wife is having trouble locking down a job as well. All the job offers I get are things I don't have the experience to do or don't pay me what I deserve and have gotten from previous jobs. Really, does anyone want to sit in a warehouse that gets up to 120-130 degrees in the summer putting computers together for $7.00/hr?

Through the grace of God however, I'm able to go back to school for more certifications in Networking and whatnot, so that'll open up more opportunities for work. My wife is almost done with school as well, so I have no doubts that we'll be just fine. Now however, we're barely getting by. As said before, if it wasn't for my father and the grace of God we'd be living on the side of the road by now.

[eve_anne_gelical]

Boy, no kidding. I went to the store this morning and the milk I get was $1.69 per gallon in January, $2.99 per gallon today. It means no more boxed foods, whole foods, good meals, no driving around town (in my gas sucking Durango that I would not part with for anything) since in town driving kills my mileage and ABSOLUTELY no daily coffees. Yesterday, my venti white mocha at Starbucks was $4.10!!!!! Belt tightening time.


$2.99 a gallon ? that's a bargin, I paid $4.69 here in N.Calif. yesterday.

[LisaJo]

[quote=Cameron;154736]:heythere Issac

Wages may not rise immediately, but they will at some point. That will likely set off a round of inflation.

Hopefully good ole supply and demand will also work. For example, if people cut back on milk or stop buying it, the price will drop. That is, until the dairy farmers start to feel the crunch, then the government will bail them out with subsidies. (our tax money)

The minimum wage was just adjusted, though it is still paltry, and the people on social security have their checks adjusted to match inflation.

Unfortunately, our Government don't care enough about our minimum wage workers. They can go to another country and get the same services for a much lower "Minimum Wage" price. Sweat shops have not gone out of business, my friend. Just one reason we import much more than we export. We are a consumer Nation and that in and of itself, could clearly be our downfall.

[Issachar]

We are a consumer Nation and that in and of itself, could clearly be our downfall. Actually, downfalls are always due to selfishness. So yes, I agree with your "consumerism" comment. Consummerism is nothing more than the flesh trying to satisfy itself (selfishness). Of course, it cannot be satisfied but it will keep trying; hence, consummerism. Selfishness is the antithesis of godliness.

Issachar

[eve_anne_gelical]

[quote=Cameron;154736]:heythere Issac

Wages may not rise immediately, but they will at some point. That will likely set off a round of inflation.

Hopefully good ole supply and demand will also work. For example, if people cut back on milk or stop buying it, the price will drop. That is, until the dairy farmers start to feel the crunch, then the government will bail them out with subsidies. (our tax money)

The minimum wage was just adjusted, though it is still paltry, and the people on social security have their checks adjusted to match inflation.

Unfortunately, our Government don't care enough about our minimum wage workers. They can go to another country and get the same services for a much lower "Minimum Wage" price. Sweat shops have not gone out of business, my friend. Just one reason we import much more than we export. We are a consumer Nation and that in and of itself, could clearly be our downfall.


Also when the minimum wages are raised ( and all wages for that matter) businesses that have to pay those increases turn around and raise the costs of thier goods to consumnes to make up for it. They don't eat the expense, we the consumer do.

[Daniel]

An hour ago I paid $4.39 for a gallon of 2% milk. :ufocow


From http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20216612/

PARIS - Unlike oil, we probably won’t ever run out of milk. But the two liquids have one thing in common: They’re trading at record highs.

Reasons include growing appetites for dairy foods in China and elsewhere in Asia, where chains such as McDonald’s and Starbucks are introducing unfamiliar taste buds to cheeseburgers and lattes. Other factors are rising costs for animal feed, shrinking European production and long-standing drought in Australia and New Zealand, the world’s largest milk-exporting region.

Paying more for milk is causing an uproar in Germany, where families consider providing children with an affordable glass of milk a fundamental right. It is also a concern for consumers in the United States and elsewhere in Europe.

Milk prices hit a record last month in the United States, where consumers paid an average $3.80 a gallon, compared to $3.29 in January, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It forecasts prices will remain high throughout the year.

Prices are likely to remain high worldwide until dairy farmers add more cows or shift production to powders, which are more easily traded than the liquid stuff.

International dairy prices increased 46 percent between November 2006 and April 2007, with milk powder prices increasing even faster, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization.

Companies like candy giant Hershey Co. that use dairy for their products are feeling the pinch. But in many parts of the globe, dairy farmers are cheering.

“Global demand has been extraordinary for American dairy products, but global supplies of dairy products have been exceptionally tight,” said Michael Marsh, head of the Western United Dairyman trade group in California, the top dairy-producing U.S. state.

“From the American dairy farmers’ perspective, you have almost a perfect storm.”

In China, milk consumption has soared along with rising incomes, a massive expansion of the dairy industry and the increasing familiarity with — and taste for — non-native foods among young urbanites.

Pizza Hut sells its cheese-laden pies even in smaller Chinese cities, and milk, yogurt and individually packaged cheese slices can be found in small local supermarket chains. Foreign-owned stores such as France’s Carrefour, Germany’s Metro and America’s Wal-Mart cater to slightly more sophisticated tastes, selling crumbly blue cheeses, wheels of gouda and red-waxed balls of Edam.

Products from Chinese dairy giant Mengniu even carry the label of being the official milk of the Chinese space program. Its drinks promise to “fortify the Chinese people,” with packaging showing a space-suited boy clutching a glass of creamy goodness.

China’s growing love of dairy is a far cry from two decades ago, when the country was just opening up to foreign products and availability was limited to milk, yogurt and, on rare occasions, butter. The Dairy Association of China estimates consumption will rise by 15-20 percent annually in the coming years.

Premier Wen Jiabao, on a visit to a dairy farm last year, said his “dream” is for each Chinese child to consume a pint per day. He is boosting production to try to keep up with demand, but the world’s most-populous nation remains a net importer of dairy products, including milk powders.

The boom in biofuels is also pushing up corn prices and, as a result, making animal feed more expensive. Farmers have responded by raising milk prices.

[SharpSabre]

my venti white mocha at Starbucks was $4.10!!!!!

You should hop on over to this thread (http://rr-bb.com/showthread.php?t=12489&highlight=starbucks) :lol2