food prices..no jobs..

[Karl_K]

Food prices are driving me nuts 10% increase on average in just a couple months and some items over 3x over last year.
Meat has seen one of the larger increases.
I have been buying lower priced alternatives and hitting sales just to try and make my money stretch.

Trying to live on odd jobs and reserves makes it twice as painful as the job hunt has not been going well.
Overall companies here are shedding employees not hiring.

How are things in your area?

 

[monarch64]

Karl, I hear you.

I've been working for the past 3 years on growing our own produce. It's slowly but surely happening. At the moment I'm reading and learning all about preserving (i.e. canning/drying/etc.)

I'm really sick of walking or driving to the nearest supermarket and giving my hard-earned dollars to companies who abuse the earth and every other aspect involved to sell an end product that is inferior.

I saw a thread here in Hangout about Hobby Lobby. No mention was made of Whole Foods (Whole Paycheck) and their relationship with Eden Foods. So interesting.



ETA: to answer your Q about how things are in our area: we live in a community that is inflated due to the fact that it's a university town in which there is a relatively higher COL. I'm not sure what a gallon of milk costs, or a lb. of ground beef because we don't drink cow milk or eat meat, but I know my parents do and pay considerably less just 18 miles away. I'm not a good candidate for a census on this topic because we are in an abnormal situation as far as COL. I look forward to others' responses.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Food prices are driving me nuts 10% increase on average in just a couple months and some items over 3x over last year.
Meat has seen one of the larger increases.
I have been buying lower priced alternatives and hitting sales just to try and make my money stretch.

Trying to live on odd jobs and reserves makes it twice as painful as the job hunt has not been going well.
Overall companies here are shedding employees not hiring.

How are things in your area?

Yea, crazy! ..bought some short ribs for 4th July BBQ it cost $6.05 per lb.. . Cheer up Stormy Pepsi is bringing back bottled sodas.. but I don't think it'll taste like the 70's - 80's Pepsi...

http://thumbs1.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/ma1FCZc6Ir13R-aP8Ap_m2g.jpg

 

[Jennifer W]

Sorry to hear it, Karl. So sorry. There's nothing more demoralising than wanting to work and struggling. Things are not too bad where I am, but it's still quite precarious and everything you have to buy costs more and more. Food, heating fuel, transport, everything. I know exactly what you mean.

 

[MissGotRocks]

I am constantly astounded by rising food prices. Sadly, when situations ease that caused the huge price spikes, they won't go back down either. I am particularly amazed at meat prices. You can go to a restaurant and buy a meal cheaper than you can buy it at the store and cook it. Restaurants too though have downsized their actual plates so that even though they still look full, they are smaller than ever.

It seems like such a rugged recovery with no real rhyme or reason to the 'uneven' texture of it all. I hope job opportunities come your way shortly Karl - could you ever think of moving to another area?

 

[marcy]

Karl, PS dust coming your way to find a great job!

Things aren't too bad here but most jobs don't pay enough to easily support a family. The best paying jobs in town are government and you need to know someone to get on there. Housing is high here - medium prices on homes are over $193,000. Gas, food, utilities are all rising and continue to do so. Google says our cost of living here is 2.6% higher than average and our unemployment rate is 3.4% lower than national average of 6.3%.

I have a lot of bad food allergies so can't eat pork, poultry or fish and buying beef is getting more expensive. More pasta coming to our dinner table.

 

[makemepretty]

We have three teenagers in our house and usually more as guests. Groceries are killing me! We don't have any of that double coupon stuff you see on tv. I keep telling my husband we'll feel rich when it's just us to support. Our grocery bill a month is practically a mortgage payment.

 

[monarch64]

Karl is great at economizing. I remember posts about 'sghetti and making it last for a week a few years ago. I don't think he or Wifey4evr will starve!

Karl, I'm thinking my most positive thoughts for you regarding your job hunt. Believe me, I empathize--I've been there. You are fortunate to have extensive computer skills and I'm very sure that soon you'll be employed again. Take care. Wishing you and W4E the best!

Job market here sucks, btw. Our city is not good at creating jobs nor attracting companies. It's something both my husband and I are constantly putting in effort for. Squeaky wheels, we are. And that's all we can do. Hard to start up a company when you're also piece-mealing together work for yourselves to feed/house/clothe your family. We're doing great, but know plenty who aren't so we're striving to bring about change and make our city more amenable/of interest to outside businesses. (Of course we love locals, who doesn't, but locals don't employ the masses.)

 

[packrat]

I can't get out of the grocery store for under $100. Generally it's about $125-$150, weekly. That's not counting pet food, cat litter, shampoo, etc. Milk is 4 something a gallon, the good 93% hamburger is 5 something a pound. I feel bad buying the kids Raviolios and party pizza's (dangit Monnie I can't even type that w/out snickering) but cripes, the price of real food is insane. We don't have double coupons etc. When I was little, my grampa and gramma had Wednesday as "go to town day" b/c it was double coupon day..and every now and again there would be triple coupons. So back in the day you could get a ton of food for not much. Not anymore. Not here anyway. Those extreme coupon shows don't apply here that's for sure.

Unemployment is low here, according to what I saw on google...but I dunno, do they count drug dealers and meth labs as work?

I hope things start to look up for you Karl!

 

[zoebartlett]

I'm sorry you're having a tough time, Karl.

I can't say I pay too close to food prices. I try to stock up on some things when I notice sales, but I don't have the patience to seek deals through coupons. We usually go to the supermarket that's closest to us, although it's more expensive than the ones on the other side of town. I know we pay more for many items, and I'm sure a lot of it is the fresh produce we buy every few days.

As for jobs, I was told in the late winter or early spring that my teaching position would be eliminated at the end of the school year due to budget cuts and declining enrollment. This is the second time I've gone through this -- the last time was just last spring. After 4 months of applying and interviewing, I was offered a position in another district last week. I'm going to accept it on Monday.

Teaching jobs are really hard to come by in my area, or at least to hold onto, usually through no fault of the teacher. My state doesn't have much industry and many people are moving away, which means that schools don't have as many kids. Because of this, not as many teachers are needed. I have several years of experience/education (which makes me more expensive than others), and I know that's cost me a few interviews and positions. It's been frustrating, but it hasn't burned me out. I just keep plugging away, doing my best. I'm looking forward to my new position in a new grade at a new school. I'd love consistency though, so I'm hoping this job sticks! From what I understand, there are many more teachers than there are jobs around the country, especially at the elementary level. I can't really speak about jobs in other fields, although my husband has lost a position in the past, due to the bad economy.

 

[Karl_K]

Karl is great at economizing. I remember posts about 'sghetti and making it last for a week a few years ago. I don't think he or Wifey4evr will starve!

Karl, I'm thinking my most positive thoughts for you regarding your job hunt. Believe me, I empathize--I've been there. You are fortunate to have extensive computer skills and I'm very sure that soon you'll be employed again. Take care. Wishing you and W4E the best!

Job market here sucks, btw. Our city is not good at creating jobs nor attracting companies. It's something both my husband and I are constantly putting in effort for. Squeaky wheels, we are. And that's all we can do. Hard to start up a company when you're also piece-mealing together work for yourselves to feed/house/clothe your family. We're doing great, but know plenty who aren't so we're striving to bring about change and make our city more amenable/of interest to outside businesses. (Of course we love locals, who doesn't, but locals don't employ the masses.)

LOL We still do that.
Its the same amount of work to make one meal of getti as a large pot so why not make a large pot when you find the needed stuff on sale and spread it out over a bunch of meals.
Same with cooking burger or chicken for taco's and such.

Thank you and everyone else for the thoughts.
The area I live in seems to shoot itself in the foot time and time again when it comes to attracting jobs.

 

[mochiko42]

Hang in there!

My husband and I have recently started to try to eat less meat. I found that you can save a lot on grocery store bills if you cut down on the meat. You don't have to go vegetarian entirely, but use meat to flavor the dish rather than be the central focus. Also, for chicken, I would buy the entire bird, cook it and then save the bones to make stock for chicken noodle soup. We also divide up a pack of bacon into several individual ziploc bags to freeze for later use. This way I can get 3-4 dishes out of one regular pack of bacon (we might have 1/4 pack of bacon with eggs for Sunday breakfast, then 1/4 pack of bacon in a bake or pasta, soup, stir fry with veggies, etc.)

My husband and I currently live outside the US, partly due to the economy. We are in our early 30s and figure we had better save up as much as we can while we still have our health. Where we live, jobs are easy to find, and income tax is low (5-10%),and no sales tax. We have good public transportation so no need to pay for a car. Taking taxis can be cheaper than owning a car in these parts, anyway. The main problem is that housing is the most expensive in the world. Yesterday an 110sqft apartment in a suburb two hours from downtown sold for US$180k..it's basically an unfurnished concrete room 11 x 10 ft...

In terms of food, I like to buy organic or free range, but find it can be expensive. So for fresh produce like organic chickens, I will go to the supermarket in the early evening just when they start slapping the 50% off stickers on stuff. then I just freeze everything for later. Makes a huge difference!

 

[AprilBaby]

As you know, I'm not far from you. My hubby got the pink slip Friday. He is in computer science. He is 58 so certainly age discrimination comes in to play. Hopefully you both get a job soon!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Hang in there Stormy!.. We all know it is tough to find a good paying job nowadays. Our DD #2 only gotten 1 job interview in the past two yrs thanks to the current Admin in DC for strangling our economy to death.

 

[mochiko42]

Come to Hong Kong! We really have trouble finding hardworking people who will just show up on time to work. I have a friend who works in the local trade department supporting SMEs and she said that her most popular workshop is "how to manage Millennials in the workplace"..

 

[Karl_K]

As you know, I'm not far from you. My hubby got the pink slip Friday. He is in computer science. He is 58 so certainly age discrimination comes in to play. Hopefully you both get a job soon!

I am so sorry to hear about your hubby :{
The computer industry is rampant with age discrimination and outsourcing.
At 44 it is coming into play also add in a messed up arm and its even worse.

 

[cflutist]

As you know, I'm not far from you. My hubby got the pink slip Friday. He is in computer science. He is 58 so certainly age discrimination comes in to play. Hopefully you both get a job soon!

I am so sorry to hear about your hubby :{
The computer industry is rampant with age discrimination and outsourcing.
At 44 it is coming into play also add in a messed up arm and its even worse.

Karl and AprilBaby, I totally understand and wish you and DH the best in your/his job search.

I was given "early retirement" aka laid off 3 months short of my 55 birthday so that the corporation would not have to give me medical insurance during retirement (covered by hubby anyway). The left hand didn't talk to the right hand. I had just received a raise, a bonus, and stock options. Also, I gave up my office and decided to work from home permanently (we had virtual teams all over the world including offshore in India and nearshore in South America). My immediate boss just spent over $1000 ordering me office furniture, a fax/copier/printer, and a really nice ergonomic chair. Out of the blue just a week later I get a phone call from the exec 3 levels up who said "effective immediately stop work, save what personal files I needed, sign the Severence Package that will arrive tomorrow morning via FedEx, and return my laptop, phone, etc. I had to sign my life away if I wanted that 14 month Severance Package, that I would not sue the company, would not steal employees away, etc. That Severance Package also included instructions on how to collect Unemployment.

So then I asked my immediate boss, what should I do with the office furniture etc that he ordered and had not arrived yet ... Answer keep it. It all got delivered AFTER I was laid off, how stupid was that.

Needless to say, I was devestated then but have now moved on with my life.

As far as groceries? I know how to survive on canned soup, peanut butter toast, and pasta.

 

[cflutist]

Should also mention that I met an older laid off software engineer while volunteering at the local Police Dept. He currently has a job as a partime checker at Sam's Club and has been unsuccessful in finding another job in his line of work either.

 

[AGBF]

As you know, I'm not far from you. My hubby got the pink slip Friday. He is in computer science. He is 58 so certainly age discrimination comes in to play. Hopefully you both get a job soon!

I am very, very sorry. However...do not give up! My husband lost a great job (laid off) with a wonderful bank in New York at age 53. He was out of work for an entire year. He went into New York City by train from our suburb every day for a year and made use of the cubicle he felt lucky to have been given as his compensation when he was laid off. There, in his 3-piece suit, he made phone calls and networked, and worked on his résumé all day. After a year he finally got a job, but it was in Virginia, outside of Washington, DC. Our family (with a young child) had to move. Our little daughter was very attached to her grandparents and had seen them every day of her life. All our friends and relatives were in Connecticut. Then, as my husband was about to sign the contract, he had a heart attack. He was slim; a runner; had no history of heart trouble; and had no heart trouble in his family! While recovering from angioplasty and having stents put in, his heart stopped and they called a code on him and I found myself sitting with a nice Protestant clergyman!

But his heart resumed beating. He lived. The new employer accepted him although he had had a heart attack. And, because I had been able to go back to work part-time as a social worker while he was unemployed, we never even went into debt.

I know we were lucky. I feel very bad about the people who are poor and hungry, believe me. I think that no one should go hungry or without shelter in this country. But I wanted you to know that there is hope for a white collar man in his 50's to get a job. It may just take more time and effort than we are used to.

I wish you and your husband a lot of good luck. Karl, I sure hope you know I wish you luck, too!

Big hugs,
Deb

 

[TooPatient]

As you know, I'm not far from you. My hubby got the pink slip Friday. He is in computer science. He is 58 so certainly age discrimination comes in to play. Hopefully you both get a job soon!

I am so sorry to hear about your hubby :{
The computer industry is rampant with age discrimination and outsourcing.
At 44 it is coming into play also add in a messed up arm and its even worse.

Are you both in WA?

DH got laid off on Thursday with about 1400 other people from this area. Senior Software Development Engineer with 30 (nearly 40) years of experience. Lots of good people who had been with the company for 10+, 15+, and even 20+ years are now out of work.

 

[Gypsy]

Well, from what I understand in the Bay Area we are hiring. I'm sorry your search is going poorly.

Food prices are OUT OF CONTROL. I agree.

 

[justginger]

I am sorry things are tough for you guys, stormy. I hope a great employment opportunity comes up soon.

I am in a very different area, so can't compare apples to apples. That being said, I spent $76 on four cocktails at a birthday bash at the casino last night, if that gives an indication of the leisure prices of Perth.

Thankfully for me, with an ageing population, my job is stable. However, the largest employers around here are slumping - mining is slowing down and some employers have laid off >30% of their staff. The general feel of the city is less boom, but not quite bust yet.

 

[missy]

I am very sorry about your job Karl and sorry about AprilBaby's and TooPatient's dh's jobs as well. I know how stressful and difficult this time can be.
I am sending job dust and good thoughts your way and hoping you all find something amazing very soon! (((Hugs))) and good employment wishes to all of you.

 

[lknvrb4]

We live smack in the Midwest (Illinois) and the job market is horrible. My DH got let go last September because of corporate restructuring and no fault of his own. It took him 9 months almost to the day to find a job and the job he got is contract to hire. He had applied for hundreds of jobs, had lots of phone interviews, a few real interviews but man is it tough. He has a degree and many years of experience and that does not mean anything these days. We also could not move out of the area due to my divorce agreement with my two older kids Dad. Being locked in the area really stunk.
As far as food prices, we try to eat organic and pasture raised meats. We hit the local farmers market and get meat much cheaper than the grocery store crap. We stock up at Aldi's for produce because they do carry some organic. Once a month we drive into our closest Trader Joes which is a little over an hour away and stock up on what we need there because their prices can't be beat.
Hang in there, it will get better.

 

[zoebartlett]

I'm sorry to hear that, AprilBaby and TooPatient. I hope your husbands find something soon.

 

[diamondringlover]

I am so sorry your job loss Carl and your hubbys AprilBaby and toopatient my company went thru a tremendous bunch of layoffs just last fall, I live in the Midwest...most of the jobs were outsourced to India and some to China leaving a bunch of workers in the US without jobs..it angers me, I made it thru this time, but my company is known to lay off older workers so I live in constant fear of losing my job (I am 53). I had a friend laid off a year ago last October it took her a year to find a job, she had sent out hundreds of resumes. I hope things get better soon for everyone out work, but honestly with the outsourcing that companies are doing I don't look for things to get better any time soon. I just hope I can hold on long enough to retire...

 

[AGBF]

Once a month we drive into our closest Trader Joes which is a little over an hour away and stock up on what we need there because their prices can't be beat.

If there is a Trader Joe's close to you, you might think of a temporary job there once Unemployment benefits stop and you can no longer look for a job full time. (I know that looking for a job full time is the most important use one can make of one's time!) I meet the most highly educated men working as cashiers there. It has often made me think of applying for a job there. I think the average education level of their cashiers in my area is a Ph.D. Almost everyone has taught school and/or been a school principal. Many have travelled widely on their jobs and know the world and geo-politics thoroughly. It's always a pleasure to check out there; conversation is stimulating! AND the price tag is low!

Deb/AGBF

 

[Karl_K]

We live smack in the Midwest (Illinois) and the job market is horrible. My DH got let go last September because of corporate restructuring and no fault of his own. It took him 9 months almost to the day to find a job and the job he got is contract to hire. He had applied for hundreds of jobs, had lots of phone interviews, a few real interviews but man is it tough. He has a degree and many years of experience and that does not mean anything these days. We also could not move out of the area due to my divorce agreement with my two older kids Dad. Being locked in the area really stunk.
As far as food prices, we try to eat organic and pasture raised meats. We hit the local farmers market and get meat much cheaper than the grocery store crap. We stock up at Aldi's for produce because they do carry some organic. Once a month we drive into our closest Trader Joes which is a little over an hour away and stock up on what we need there because their prices can't be beat.
Hang in there, it will get better.

I am in IL also.
Because I am/was self employed cant get unemployment either.
Thankfully I had a bit of a reserve saved up and picked up some odd jobs here and there which helps stretch it.

 

[HopeDream]

Yeah, Food prices here are quite high here too.
I moved from the mainland to a major island last year, and noticed many things jump by about $0.50-1.00 in price just because they can get away with it . $4-5 for a loaf of sandwich bread, or a 2l of soymilk, A 500g package of bacon is $5-6. Peanut butter and jam sandwiches, oatmeal, and eggs are your friends.

Here's a cookbook you might enjoy : https://8b862ca0073972f0472b704e2c0...xd6wdCBD_2tdUdtM0d4WTJmclU/good-and-cheap.pdf (The pulled pork is delicious)
http://www.leannebrown.ca/cookbooks

I think the rising cost of meat is due to the repercussions of recent disease outbreaks in the US meat industry, so costs my go down for you eventually. However, climate change and increased frequency of droughts is going to continue to drive food costs up , so start saving now.

200 years ago, just affording food was a huge challenge for our predecessors, so we've actually come a long way. (Back when poor meant you were in danger of starvation, instead of not being able to afford organic produce and artisanal cheese).

On the plus side, I heard lobster is cheap this year due to an abundant harvest .

Edit: I'm sorry so many people are out of a job. You all deserve satisfying work that pays well. I hope you find an opening soon.

One strategy used by a skilled immigrant placement firm in my city is to have each candidate organize 10 informational interviews with local firms (Not applying for a position, just a friendly chat with HR about the company, what they do, and how you would fit with their corporate culture). It seems that everyone ends up in unadvertised positions surprisingly quickly. Maybe you could give it a shot?

 

[Sky56]

I know this sounds weird, but I never notice food prices because it seems like I spend what I always have. I eat good but really cheap food - the most expensive thing I buy is cheese. We live on fruit, veggies, nuts, rice, dried semolina pasta, soymilk, tofu, cheese, yogurt and beans. 95% of what I buy is organically grown.

I don't buy meat, fish, seafood, chicken, milk or eggs and drink no alcohol, same with my husband. A bag of frozen lima beans or black-eyed peas is still little over $1. Fruit and veggies have gone up, but in the summer and fall, I get them for free from friends who beg me to pick their gardens. Tofu has gone up, but not crazily so.

I shop smart, for instance organic Sumatra coffee beans are around $14 at my local health food store - I bought them there for years - then I found out last year that Winco sells the same beans for $5.98! They're dark and greasy and just as good.