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Holy Moly! I Spent Eight Bucks on Butter!
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Patti Ghezzi | DivineCaroline
August 01, 2008
I’ll get right to the point: I spent eight bucks on butter.
With all the news stories about the rising cost of food, I thought I’d check my most recent grocery receipt and see how I fared. My eye went straight to a $7.99 charge. For Horizon Organic Unsalted Butter. BUTTER!!! Four sticks! This is insane! It had to be a mistake.
I told my mom about it and she was appropriately aghast. She called me on her cell phone later that day. She was standing in the dairy aisle at Publix. It’s true. $7.99 for butter. If I had chosen a different organic brand, I could have gotten four sticks for $5.49. And, of course, I could have saved more money by buying non-organic or the store brand. It’s only butter. These days I hardly ever use it. I enjoy a grilled cheese every once in a while, and while I’m at it I usually cook one up for my daughter as well. But I’m not baking toll house cookies or whipping up recipes from the Barefoot Contessa. Not that I don’t worship the Contessa now and forever, but I’m looking ahead to summer and the reality that I will be donning a bathing suit.
So shame on me for not being a more careful consumer and checking the price before I tossed the butter in the cart—I take responsibility for my foolish actions.
But, still, something’s seriously whack here.
The rest of my receipt is full of charges that don’t seem as outrageous, but that are higher than I’ve ever paid before. A box of Life cereal is almost five bucks. A small bag of dog food is $11. I remember when the same size bag was $8.50.
This is bad for everyone, because everyone eats. Some city-dwellers don’t own cars and don’t have to faint at the gas pump like I do, but the cost of food impacts everyone. What about families who are already on the verge of losing their homes due to the mortgage meltdown? What about single mothers living paycheck to paycheck? What about families where the breadwinner—there’s an apt term—has been laid off?
MakiWulf
2 months ago
72 comments
When we were in Hawaii in 1998, I usually shopped at the military commissary. But there was a grocery within walking distance, so one day, I walked down to the local grocery, intending to buy cheese, eggs, milk, tortillas and bread. I had $20. I got there, and milk was $6 a gallon! I looked to make sure that I had not inadvertently picked up the "Manna from Heaven" Milk. Needless to say, I did not get everything on my list that day.
Flash forward to now, I am at the grocery store needing eggs...picked up an 18 count, regular, no-frills, large eggs, and the guy at the check out informed me that they were $6! I looked around to make sure that I had not been transported back to Hawaii...needless to say, feeding 2 children will not be done on $200 a month anymore...
Daniela
2 months ago
1492 comments
That's an interesting point, Stgreg11...
stgreg11
2 months ago
60 comments
Also, as the prices of food increase, the sizes decrease, too. You can't buy a true pound of coffee anymore. It is less than 16 oz.
mzbrown
2 months ago
378 comments
Great Article! and so so so true!!! I rarely buy cereal for my son...and of course he wants all the sugary cereal that he doesn't need anyway (oatmeal and grits it is!!!)...when I do buy it, it's definitely when it's on sale...and he knows he better savor every berry in the box!!! LOL
A few weeks ago I went to the store to pick up "a few things' came out spending $60 dollars and had 2 bags. I look at the cashier and asked "where are the other bags?" she told me that was it...i started checking items against the receipt and behold I had all the items I was charged for. I shop with coupons and I catch items on sale, and I try not to indulge in items 'we want', but only in things 'we need"...but my goodness...I can't get the necessary items without breaking the bank....and lets not even mention the sales tax being 10.25%!!!
Maddie
2 months ago
94 comments
Truthfully, brand name cereal has been priced at close to $5/box for quite a while. When my husband indulges his penchant for Cheerios, he buys the Brand X kind. Or he'll buy the Gen'l Mills brand when they are priced on special at 2 for $5. What really angers me is that when our local Ralph's (La Crescenta, CA) finished their beautiful renovation, they immediately began to discontinue ALL of their GENERIC products! I was perfectly happy shopping in a store that did not have a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in it, did not have a sushi bar, and was laid out in a way which with I was familiar. It's so beautiful now, I can't afford to shop there!
stgreg11
2 months ago
60 comments
Cereal prices are outrageous, too! I live in the middle of farm country so I can buy fresh, organic butter for under $3/lb, and the store brand, not organic is $2.40. I see an increase of $20 in our weekly food bill, but I buy fresh produce and local meats. These prices are comparable to the larger chains, but, in genreal, food prices are high.
kellebelle27
2 months ago
874 comments
Oh, i'm not sure what we know about biodiesel, but I'm not sure why so much emphasis is being placed on ethanol when it strains food supply. There are school busses in north carolina running on biodiesel, made from left over fry grease from the school cafeteria. Perhaps its not as big as ethanol because most cars are no longer diesel engines, but trucks and busses are. Fuel from a waste product with little to no toxic side effects or products? where is all the news on this?
kellebelle27
2 months ago
874 comments
at least we are learning something we should already know, our parents and grandparents remember the depression. we became wasteful and entitled. These are problems people in other places in the world would enjoy having, compared to no running water or no access to proper medical care . HOWEVER, this is america. These rising costs are nonsense. they affect the people who are already having enough trouble. and recession? to me, negative growth is when you make the same amount of money and possibly less, but spend more on the things you can't live without.
I am enraged! I really and truly wanted to kick the gas pump yesterday! I felt like it was insulting me! sorry, this is simply a vent about something i don't know how to fix.
I do know I've been environmentally conscious all of my life and I should be happy that people are paying more attention to the dwindling natural resources and growing population. But I cant help but feel that there is some kind of economic injustice being done to those who are most vulnerable. boo. Again I apologize for my rant, perhaps next time I post I will have some solutions.
TheEverydayFeminist
2 months ago
440 comments
Funny article about a not-so-funny topic. Nicely done. Who knew butter was such a valuable commodity!? :) The subtle increase in food prices are across the board at the grocery store and cummulatively affects the bottom line in many consumers bill and overall budget. Thank you for this contribution.
AM_Morgan08
2 months ago
386 comments
I came to the realization about food prices rising when I noticed my bill going up and I was buying the same amount of food as before. I decided to buy only what I know I would eat or drink. No more I'll try this out and maybe I will like it. I definitely don't toss out as much food as I used too. I don't have any kids with right now but it doesn't mean I still shouldn't be more spend conscious. Great article.