Just curious.

My partner and I were talking about this last night while we were throwing the ball back and and forth with the dog. Both of us work pretty much all the time, way more than 40 hours a week each. We don't eat out, we rarely go to movies, we certainly don't wander around and shop for entertainment, but it seems like over the past year we have really been struggling financially. We're current on all our bills, we just have $0 left over lately. Food has gone up, heat has gone up, and gas has gone up--all the basic things you pretty much have to have--heat, food, shelter.

What about the rest of you? Have you experienced this? What say you?

Just read that in MI where we live 15% of the population gets food stamps. I'm going to research it a bit, but I think that's a lot of people on food stamps.

You are certainly not alone! Everything has gone sky high while wages remain at rock bottom and jobs are cut. How coud we expect to stay ahead on anything or have anything left over if we only receive minimum wage and have to pay the equivilant of two paychecks just for rent and another full check (sometimes more) for utilities? This doesn't include food, vehicle and insurance, gas or any other household needs. Just seems like the cost of living is far outrunning the wages these days.

Bonnie

Its the same for me.
I work 45/55 hours each week just to make ends meet. The cost of food in the UK has risen drastically over the last 2 years. I'm turning back to more home made meals and value pack cheaper food to do this with, then freezing it.My main problem is time to do this, so I'm spending all week working then all weekend stocking up on making  freezer food for the family.

I have found an online coupon site that gives money off or sometimes free food vouchers, you don't need to be on benifits to qualify all you need to do is register; not sure if I'm allowed to put up the web addy here??........if your in the UK and want it please send me a message!

I joined Sam's Club last week--that's how bad it is getting. Joining Sam's Club for me is the equivalent of selling my soul to Satan. My thought though was that if I buy basics in bulk then shop more rarely for meat and veggies, I might save some dough.

pgrundy wrote:

I joined Sam's Club last week--that's how bad it is getting. Joining Sam's Club for me is the equivalent of selling my soul to Satan. My thought though was that if I buy basics in bulk then shop more rarely for meat and veggies, I might save some dough.

I'm like you. I'd rather not, but I shop at Wal-Mart because prices are cheaper...

I think most people are feeling the crunch these days.

A word of warning about Sam's Club- they are deceptive. I have most grocery prices memorized for items that I buy all of the time. Sam's Club is very bad about selling things in odd sizes or quantities, making it more difficult to figure out if you are actually saving. A lot of the times when I broke it down by ounces, feet, or whatever unit, Sam's Club was charging me more. It happened so often that I didn't renew my membership.

Angela Harris wrote:

I think most people are feeling the crunch these days.

A word of warning about Sam's Club- they are deceptive. I have most grocery prices memorized for items that I buy all of the time. Sam's Club is very bad about selling things in odd sizes or quantities, making it more difficult to figure out if you are actually saving. A lot of the times when I broke it down by ounces, feet, or whatever unit, Sam's Club was charging me more. It happened so often that I didn't renew my membership.

Wow, thanks for the warning!  I haven't even gone there yet, but when I do, I'll go armed with info and a list. I guess our first instincts tend to be right after all.

Sometimes certain things cost more at bargain stores such as Walmart, surprisingly.  Not everything, but certain items I can find more reasonably at Target and Stater Brothers here in Southern California.  One thing my mom does is shop at a local market in her small community that offers double coupon deals every day.  This market is usually overpriced compared to others, but with double coupons some things are actually cheaper.  I used to think it was amusing when people would roll their eyes at those who used coupons, but I think in today's economy it makes sense to use coupons.  Many of us do not even drive to work anymore because it is cheaper to walk, carpool, and take the bus.  Many work places offer really good incentives to those who carpool.

I shop in a grocery store in Massachusetts called Market Basket. They are the
most reasonably priced of all the grocery chains (vs Shaws and Stop & Shop)
I just was mentioning to my family last week that I'm walking out with less
grocery bags after spending the same money each week. The sizes are definitely
getting smaller. In particular and most noticeable was that the yogurt containers
got cut by about 70%, but the prices stayed the same! It's a subtle difference most
of the time that they are counting on so consumers don't get enraged. But this
one was real obvious and you can bet I'm going to be paying closer attention to it.

I know exactly how you feel.  As a college student, with tons of education loans and little to no income, I have really been hit hard.  It seems like I go into debt just to pay for the basics.  My parents are having a hard time too keeping afloat, and they both work at very well-paying jobs.  It just shows that the only people who aren't suffering right now are the super wealthy. 

In terms of cheap grocery stores, I really like Winco.  It has really good prices and is employee-owned.  You do have to bag your own groceries though, but that's really not that bad.  One downside is that there aren't many Wincos around, so there might not be one near you.

This trend is set to continue.

With fuel prices up, food will cost more. Not just in transport costs to get it to the cities, but also because food gets turned into ethanol, and if fuel prices are high, the farmers get more by selling their crops for fuel than for food.

Add in growing standards of living in China and India, who are now eating more meat and therefore consuming more feed grain, and food prices are set to go up and up and up some more.

Just yesterday, I heard that 90% of kids in Indonesian orphanages aren't orphans. Their parents have given them up into State care because that way the kids will get fed and educated, and the parents couldn't afford to do that.

We may have it tough, but it helps to keep a global perspective.

In times gone by, we lived closer to where we worked, we grew veges and raised chickens in the back yard, and we were surrounded by family and all helped each other out. It may be that we need to rethink our modern lifestyle a little, if it is becoming unsustainable.

Hi everyone. I think we're all in the same boat - prices are going up all the time and that's on items that are vital like food, shelter, etc. Well I decided I would start a hub to try and collect money saving tips on these necessities so please go and take a look and if you have any more to add then please do - we all need the help. The address is http://hubpages.com/hub/Money-Saving-Tips Thanks.

Well 2 cars, thats $100-180 every 2-3 weeks, Fun. Food going up because of it...Not just that, the Boston Herald went up 50 cents. It was $1 now its $1.50 that has to be bad to raise a newspapers price. Best of all investing blows because the stock exchange is just bad. Man if it wasn't for a few things we couldn't do it.

I learned Buying in Bulk is best. Get more then you need at once, it's worth it over time.

But other then buying things for my girly, I haven't been getting any extra things. Maybe a magazine here and there. I don't need anything else other then tv and internet really. I mean, I now write on Hubpages a lot as a hobby and it helps a little bit over time to pay for things. The 4th is coming up-I know today I got all the food for a party and everything. I already know it will be expensive because we are going to see a movie before the fireworks. Holidays are always too expensive. I been thinking of ways of cutting the costs and everything, some things work some don't. All I know is always look for new opportunities. If your at a part time job try to get two jobs, or if you are working 30 hours a week for $12 an hour, its better to work 45 hours a week for $10 an hour. Always apply for a job better then you have, if you get it quit, if you don't keep working where you are.

Wish you luck in saving money and the times really are getting rough.

Angela Harris wrote:

I think most people are feeling the crunch these days.

A word of warning about Sam's Club- they are deceptive. I have most grocery prices memorized for items that I buy all of the time. Sam's Club is very bad about selling things in odd sizes or quantities, making it more difficult to figure out if you are actually saving. A lot of the times when I broke it down by ounces, feet, or whatever unit, Sam's Club was charging me more. It happened so often that I didn't renew my membership.

Lol. This is easily negated by reading the OZ of what you get. Read what it says thats in there-if that amount isn't there its a lawsuit for fake advertising. Read the packages people I'm serious. A big bag of chips for $4.50 and two smaller size bags for $5, $5 may be the better savings. Say the one big one has I don't know..64 OZ of chips. And each of the smaller bags have 38 OZ. Do the math.
Large Bag= $.07 an OZ
1 Small Bag= $.131
2 Small Bags= $.0657

That's about a penny savings per OZ. Hope this helps (and you make savings on a bigger scale then a penny lol)

In this day and age of soaring inflation it is so easy to get into debt.
Food prices hiked,fuel,gas,electric plus other commodities way out of all proportion no matter where we live.
Successive governments in our various countries tell us to tighten our belts.
No fault is ever put where the blame really lies.
Greedy oil barons who put extortinate prices on oil is one of the many factors.
Is it not time we the people of this world acted together and said no! to these greedy giants who hold us to ransom over, food oil and other necessary commodities.
What do you think?
Because when your money is not stretching it is the greedy giants who are taking it, time to say no more.

ronmason20 wrote:

In this day and age of soaring inflation it is so easy to get into debt.
Food prices hiked,fuel,gas,electric plus other commodities way out of all proportion no matter where we live.
Successive governments in our various countries tell us to tighten our belts.
No fault is ever put where the blame really lies.
Greedy oil barons who put extortinate prices on oil is one of the many factors.
Is it not time we the people of this world acted together and said no! to these greedy giants who hold us to ransom over, food oil and other necessary commodities.
What do you think?
Because when your money is not stretching it is the greedy giants who are taking it, time to say no more.

Rising oil prices will affect the prices of alternative combustible fuels like gas, coal, and kerosene, due to competition. Also things made from burning those fuels - like electricity.

It will also raise the prices of anything transported by road, sea, or air, which includes most food these days.

Also, as the price of oil goes up, ethanol becomes a viable alternative - and it is made from food crops. That will reduce the supply of food, which raises the prices.

However, the reason for the oil price rise is not greed or profiteering - it is rising costs and decreasing supplies.

The supply of fossil fuel is limited, and we have got past the stuff that is cheap to extract. The price of fossil fuel is going to continue upwards indefinitely, until it just becomes pointless trying to use it. The occasional war in oil-producing areas doesn't help, either.

We will need to learn to live on one year's worth of sun energy per year, instead of raiding the stored sunlight from previous millennia.

There is no point blaming some mythical "oil baron" who you think is holding out on you just to charge you more at the pump.

Start thinking about how to change your life so that you don't use as much fuel. Buy locally-grown produce, move to a warmer climate so you don't need heating in winter, convert your car to a hybrid that can go eight times as far on a gallon of fuel, and start your own vege patch in the back yard.

Much better use of energy than ranting at imaginary bad guys ...

You are talking to a ghost, Mark

I see. I had no idea.

Perhaps I should hang out my shingle as a medium psychic speaker-to-the-dead type person.

It would have to be easier money than writing about the finance markets ... "Uncle Albert says go short on Citibank" ... hmm ... this is growing on me ...

Well, it seems I am even better at this than I thought. Uncle Albert was right on the money with shorting Citibank - did you see what happened just a couple of days later?

How many people followed Uncle Albert's excellent advice and made a killing? Was it all my followers who caused the run on Citibank, perhaps?

I should do this for a living ...

LOL You should run a stock advisory service and call shorts on every stock in existence for a few years to come. I bet your accuracy will be way better than 50%