Inflation 1973-2023 in my recipe box

Today I was looking through my recipe box (sort of a historical archive now since I rarely bake) for something cobbler like/lite and found a recipe for cheesecake that serves 12 by my cousin Judy who lives in Winnebago, IL and grew up in Byron. It was dated August, 1973, so I have no idea why we were exchanging recipes. Our big family reunion was 20 years later and for that she contributed some from her mother, Aunt Gladys (d. 1976). Anyway, I'm not going to make a cheesecake, but on the back of the card I noted the prices. Things have changed a bit in 50 years. Pie filling (for topping) .59; Dream Whip .26; graham crackers .23; cream cheese .55. It seems I didn't count the sugar, eggs, and butter because I probably had that on hand (called homemaker math). It's in my handwriting, so I probably copied it to fit in this tiny box for 3 x 5 cards.

Some on FB are old enough to remember the nightmare of stagflation of the 1970s--high inflation, high unemployment, and low growth. In 1973 the average rate of inflation for food prices was over 13%. In August 1973 when I noted the prices, the food inflation rate was 18.2%! That may be why I noted the costs on the card. Compare that to 2023 food prices which was 5.8% for the year. The killer rate we all remember (and blame Biden for) was about 10% for 2022. I blame this primarily on the lockdown which really messed up all levels of the economy as well as health.

Data are from https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/food-inflation-in-the-united-states/? 

The cost of food--still grateful

 Sometimes I need to remind myself that we in the U.S. still have plentiful, and inexpensive food, despite what Joe Biden is trying to do to the economy in the name of climate change.  I just spent $25.05 at Aldi's.  I buy a lot of fresh things there (and a few bakery items), and it's only a mile from my home. Ohio doesn't tax food, and recently removed tax on disposable diapers. 

Dozen mini muffins blueberry         3.45

10 gourmet choc chunk cookies      2.19

Cantaloupe chunks 16 oz                 3.29

Pineapple spears 16 oz                     3.49

Butternut squash 2.03 lb                   1.81

Sweet onions 2 lb.                            1.89

Yellow potatoes, small                      3.49

Bananas,  1.55 lb   .41/lb                    .64 

1/2 gal. whole milk                            1.61

Orange juice  1.6 qt                          3.19

According to move.org (a moving company) "The average cost of groceries in America in 2023 is $415.53 a month per person1. [Ohio is $392.59 per person a month.] However, this number can vary greatly depending on factors like age and personal eating habits. Location is another important—though potentially surprising—factor in determining food costs. Groceries cost more in some US cities and states than others." How Much Does Food Cost in the US? | Move.org

Nerd Wallet says:  "Have food prices been rising? Absolutely. Thanks to a combination of inflation, pandemic-related supply-chain disruptions and tariffs on certain foreign imports, food prices have steadily risen since 2020.

But inflation has been slowing in the past year and the latest data shows the cost of groceries aren’t rising as fast as they once were.

Food prices rose 3.7% between September 2022 and September 2023, according to the most recent consumer price index (CPI) report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. By comparison, at the same time in 2022 prices rose 11.2% over a one-year period." The Cost of Groceries: Are Food Prices Going Up? - NerdWallet

It's too bad we have such a weak resident in the White House

 Someone else might have known how to get arms to President Zelenskyy so the Ukrainians could fight and farm.

From an investment newsletter: "

There is going to be a worldwide food crisis, but Wall St is just not recognizing it even though it has been very clearly forecast for weeks. There is no avoiding it. Fertilizer is simply not sufficiently available, or costs far too much, and Ukrainian and Russian wheat and corn and sunflower oil are not going to be available. Many less developed nations like Egypt and others in that region and southeast Asia are already having to spend subsidies they cannot afford. There are already some disturbances in Peru, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe that will grow to be riots as food prices climb and shortages become apparent. These countries do not have the ability to continue the subsides for as long as they will be required. Trouble ahead. Other commodities are also headed up. There is no avoiding higher inflation for the next couple of months.

Beyond Burger—the plant based burger

We tried this last night. Ours wasn't as expensive as what this YouTuber says—we paid $3.99 for 8 oz. John thinks they taste good--I'd say, tastes "OK," my husband said, “Don't do this again.” Left a lot of residue in the pan even with a spray. But if you're desperate for a burger experience--it's made with pea protein isolate, canola oil and coconut oil. We didn't add cheese or catsup or pickles. I think he was tasting memories.

https://youtu.be/_pRP3-SyzT0

We both felt uncomfortable later in the evening. But for people who don't want/tolerate beef, it's pretty close. . . especially if you add cheese, pickles, lettuce, sauce and can only taste that. I bought mine at Marc's.

What’s wrong with this paragraph?

“It is no longer controversial to say that the United States food system does not support a healthy diet. Junk food is extraordinarily palatable and virtually omnipresent; its advertising is pervasive; many Americans do not live within convenient distance of a grocery store stocking healthy alternatives; and healthier foods are typically perceived as costlier. In this environment, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides 42 million low-income people with financial assistance to purchase food. Most SNAP recipients, because they tend to live in lower-income communities, are exposed to the worst of the US food system: more unhealthy food marketing through traditional and social media, more unhealthy foods in the stores where they regularly shop, and fewer healthy foods that are financially within reach. Although SNAP benefits are intended to provide low-income families with sufficient food-purchasing power to obtain a nutritious diet, there is broad consensus that current benefits are insufficient [1]. The US food system is in urgent need of policies and programs that support and facilitate better dietary habits.”

1.  There is no United States food system.

2.  There is no agreement on what is a healthy diet.

3.  There is no agreement on what is junk food.

4.  What’s the number in a statement like “many Americans?”

5.  What is a healthy alternative?

6.  Are healthy foods really more costly per ounce or per pound?

7.  How many are “most SNAP recipients?”

8.  What broad consensus and who are they?

9.  “Policies and programs” is code for more government.

10. When was it ever controversial to say we Americans didn’t have a healthy diet?  I’ve heard it all my life and I’m 79!

https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1002662

Who determines that healthcare is too high?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American family earned $74,664 (before taxes) and spent $57,311 across various expense categories in 2016.  [not sure what is “family”—probably means household—doesn’t give number of people] 

1. Taxes 2. housing 3. transportation 4. food 5. pensions and insurance 6. Entertainment and contributions 7.  health care

Taxes are the biggest chunk. $18,900 each year, and then housing, $18,886. “Following housing costs, transportation ($9,049), food ($7,203), and pensions and personal insurance ($6,831) topped the list for the biggest ticketed items on most Americans' budgets. For the majority of people who prefer not to cook, the cost of dining out could add up big. The occasional luxury experience may not seem like a big drain on the average budget, but entertainment, cash contributions, and apparel and services accounted for nearly $7,000 (over 10 percent) of most Americans' annual expenses.”  Health care was $4,612. That said, health care increased almost 67% between 2006 and 2016, 8 years of which Obama was taking over our health insurance choices.

https://www.creditloan.com/blog/how-the-average-us-consumer-spends-their-paycheck/

The price of beef

Dinner Sunday and Monday was beef roast, potatoes, onions and carrots in the crock pot, fresh fruit, and carrot cake (I also count that as a vegetable). I only mention this to tell you I was horrified to pay nearly $10 for just under 2 lbs of a rather tough stringy cut of beef. Let's stop burning corn in cars; it mucks up the environment and causes food prices to soar.

http://time.com/61393/beef-prices-record-high-since-1987/#61393/beef-prices-record-high-since-1987/

http://www.postcrescent.com/story/money/2014/08/09/meat-prices-soar/13797437/

Alternative to coupons

I found the article--it was in the September 2, 1981, Upper Arlington News--about 28 years ago. Here's the points I made.

• I did the research after a conversation with co-workers who felt guilty that they didn't clip coupons, or didn't like it.
  
  
• At the time I was a librarian in the OSU Agriculture Library and had access to little known publications that provided the answers.
  
  
• If homemakers would use their time in preparation instead of coupon clipping and sorting and parties, they would save much more and serve their families better food.
  
  
• Coupons were most often available for highly prepackaged food which are the most expensive.
  
  
• I attributed women's (housewives) need to do this to being convinced they needed a paycheck to feel valuable (remember, we were only 10 years into the rush to go back to work as a result of the women's movement). "Clipping, filing, storing, redeeming--why it is just like office work, and you sometimes even get a check in the mail for your efforts. At last there is tangible reward for all your efforts," I said.
  
  
• Homemakers are given a false sense of contributing to her family's economic well-being by being convinced that she's saving money.
  
  
• The writer found my food budget very interesting--"she feeds her family of 4 (including a teenage son and daughter) for $50 or less a week. That's less than the government figures a family of four using food stamps must spend."
  
  
• I'd gradually changed my shopping habits to include more fresh items and I "shopped the walls" for produce, dairy and meat avoiding the sea of prepackaged foods found in the center aisles.
  
  
• I didn't drive around looking for bargains, read labels, bought generic brands.
  
  
• Our children thought "real cheese" tasted funny when I made the change, so I recommended making changes gradually and ease the family into healthier, lower cost eating.
  
  
• And of course, because I was a librarian, I recommended some books, "The supermarket Handbook" by the Goldbecks, and "Diet for a small Planet" by Frances Moore Lappe, and More with Less Cookbook by Doris Longacre. I still use the Longacre book occasionally.

I get a chuckle out of today's greenies who think they invented this.

Speaking of old letters--a 1981 thank you

I mentioned I found a 1993 letter I'd written to "The Lutheran" about 15 Health Care values and principles. I also found a 1981 letter thanking me for my views on coupons which apparently stemmed from an article about me in the Upper Arlington News (or possibly the Columbus Dispatch, don't remember). [Loyalty cards are just the more up to date form of couponing.] This woman "got it." But not many do. If there's anything harder than convincing the American public that the government doesn't create jobs, it's convincing them that businesses don't exist to give away their products. She wrote:

"Thank heaven someone has finally spoken out to say what I have thought about couponing for some time now! Although I am not a Northwest area resident, I work in the area, and saw the article about your views in this week's paper.

Since I am a working mother who drives 36 miles each way to and from work everyday, I don't have a lot of time to read anything other than the essentials, or to learn new skills (i.e. couponing), but I kept asking myself why everyone else seemed to be able to save so much with coupons (or at least that is what the avalanche of articles about couponing would lead you to believe), when I could rarely find coupons for anyting I buy other than Pampers.

I didn't think I was dense (I have a degree in home economics, although I am not working as a home economist at this time), but either I was not cooking like all those who were couponing, or I had missed the boat somehow, because I never found coupons for fresh fruits or vegetables, whole wheat flour, meat or frozen vegetables that weren't suced, friend, or practically pre-digested!

Thanks for your views speaking out for those of us who seem to be losing out to all the convenience food junkies. I can only guess that the myriad of articles pertaining to nutrition and good health are falling on deaf ears, if they are noticed at all. Why is it that the extremists always seem to get the most press? In this case, the convenience food freaks must just have more time for publicity than those of us who are spending time preparing good, wholesome meals. Thanks again for your well-reasoned input into a subject which has been irritating me for some time now."

Update: I checked this woman on google and found her at the Plaza of Heroines at Wichita State University to honor everyday women who are heroines in people's lives.

Really bad advice for saving on food

The Extension Office at the University of Illinois has a special web page on financial advice, which includes saving on your food dollar. The worst possible advice is to suggest clipping coupons (or using a loyalty card). Here’s my e-mail to them:

Dear Debra,

I see on the web site for financial advice that clipping coupons is suggested as a way to save on food costs. Coupons are a marketing scheme--in the long run it is very deceptive. Coupons, now often shaped like credit cards, are the size of a dollar. They most often are used for promoting 1) processed food, 2) to cover price increases, and 3) to introduce a new product, which is probably a variation of one already on the shelf, like a Ritz cracker in a different shape. Coupons help the printing companies, the ad designers, and the workers in 3rd world economies who count them, but they don't help the American consumer. The smart consumer should plan menus, stick to a list, shop the walls, stay out of the snack and soft drink aisles and contribute her own labor to reduce food costs. Loyalty cards also increase food costs as do games and sweepstakes. The first coupon was a wooden nickel, and you know what we say about those.

Would posting calories help?

For lunch today I had onions, peppers, carrots, broccoli and cucumbers grilled in a little olive oil. It was fine; tasted good. But I topped it off with some sugar-free peanut butter chocolate ice cream. The calories were posted on the carton. And I ate it anyway.

Will posting calories prominently really make Americans think twice and order more healthy items? "Anecdotally, you hear constantly about people who've changed their choices," say [New York City] Commissioner Frieden. "You go into fast-food places and you hear a lot of buzz online."

Elisabetta Politi, director of nutrition at the Duke Diet & Fitness Center, isn't so sure. "Some of our clients know so much about nutrition they could teach the classes, but does that help them control their weight? Absolutely not," she says. From WSJ Health Journal

The editor of this story needed to find a different photo to show how rising prices for food are hurting people.