Plant that Garden Bigger - Inflation "Spiraling Out of Control

I dream of prices like these. I am CONSTANTLY amazed at the low prices you folks quote -- food prices in Canada are typically much, much higher, which is one of the reasons I try to grow as much as I can.

For instance, milk. We are currently paying $3.99 for a HALF gallon. Cheese is something that you folks seem to get quite cheap -- the CHEAPEST I can find here for plain old cheddar (the crappy store brand stuff) works out to over five dollars a pound. Tuna -- I keep hearing about this mythical $0.49 can of tuna -- up here, it's well over a dollar a can.

Onions were selling in my local this week for $5 for a 3lb bag. I'm so glad I grow my own. Potatoes --- a 10 lb bag sells, at this time of year, for about $8.

Future inflation is NOT why I grow our own. I do that for many reasons, but most of all, because it's crazy not to if you've got the space with grocery prices what they already are, and because I get a far superior product.

I'm increasing the size of my garden this year, adding to my orchard, and putting in a few new herb beds. I'm also offering some space to a lady in town who would like to garden, but has no room to do so.

__________________
Ignorance is the true enemy.

I've seen the village, and I don't want it raising my children.

www.newcenturyhomestead.com

We expanded some but mostly the large area of my flower bed is a veg bed instead. I think the biggest thing we are doing is watching what we eat. We are eating less meat and watching our portion sizes. We only planted what we know we like and I plan to can most of it instead of using the freezer. I have a large chest freezer but would like to downsize to a small one just for what little meat we need. It is just DH and I except when the kids come on sunday. Really the only time everyone is here is for holidays and everyone brings something because I told them I was tired of cooking it all. The main reason for all this is because of health concerns more than the economy although that is part of it to. I just think we should all do everything we can to help ourselves all the time then we don't have to worry so much.

i also agree that i don't trust in the news or government to tell me anything..i've always planted extra so i have enough to give away and i always have about a years of food and paper supplies etc on hand..as we have gone without in the past..and i rotate it so that it is always freshest..

we have 2 freezers besides our frig..and cause we don't raise our own meat we buy organic meat when it is on sale and freeze it in portions to size for our family, i also freeze dairy and fruits and vegetables

since moving i am finally able to put in a garden where i believe i'll be able to harvet plenty. i also just now told the butcher to put our meat in small packages, i agree with another poster that we'll cut some meat but double the veggies, and for us, i often add beans to stretch meat. portion size is another--i could certainly afford to loose a few, all of which isnt' a cut back really, its actually adding to our health. and i have a friend who is going to teach me to waterbath can this fall, tomatoes, pickles, dilly beans, etc. so i can stop buying tomatoes (on sale) for a buck a can, THEN have that blasted can to try to find a place to dispose of. so that will save in trips to the dump as well.

some ppl don't get why some of us wives stay home--in my area its cheaper for me to just get part time work here and there (never steady), than otherwise. i dont' need a car, nicer clothes, etc. and i am able to do all this canning, animal tending, etc.

I don't listen to the TV or the gov. either. The Internet is the only way to go. I just got done combining 2 freezers. Put a bigger pressure tank on the water(well). And In a few mins. the Mercury vapor light will be unscrewed. Our Elec. bill is outrageous, so I'm looking for ways to minimize that. The next big thing I need to do is put in a new water heater with a timer and a blanket. Actually "I" is getting our friend the plumber over, because I can't deal with our michigan basement-spiders everywhere. I'll be canning alot of meat this year. I got my eye on a heifer that hasen't produced.

My wife and I used to have a 50 gal elec water heater, but changed it out for a tankless on demand heater. Our elec bill fell by 20% and she still gets her hour long showers that she never got before with a tank. We also added a water reducing shower head and a handheld showerhead which helped shave a lil more off the total.

It isn't just tomatoes. If you go into any of the stores selling health foods, the prices have gone out of sight. BULK broccoli seeds for sprouting - over $30/lb Kuzzu which used to be $3/pouch or less is now at $8/pouch. I looked at some of the bulk containers to see price per pound and saw some fairly common spices (not saffron, duh) at over $130/lb..

You don't finance two wars for years, bail-out your friends on Wall Street and not raise income taxes without doing something. The value of the dollar is going down again. It always has gone down, but the trend has been slow enough that most people could keep up.

I do need to check these out, there is only the two of us also. 20% is alot!

Harry -- you might want to try this site:

http://www.sprouting.com/usastore/enter.html

Still not cheap, but cheaper than $30/lb for broccoli seed for sprouting -- and organic.

I've ordered from them for some time now, and product and service are both amazing.

__________________
Ignorance is the true enemy.

I've seen the village, and I don't want it raising my children.

www.newcenturyhomestead.com

I'm TRYING to get the garden bigger this year (new baby....love her to death, but not very condusive to intensive gardening). And trying to remember to do succession planting (if that's what it's called) when you continue planting. For some reason I usually just plant once then call it quits. Doesn't make much sense, but never thought of it any other way until recently.

Also, just got home from the feed store & bought the last (41 of 'em) of their cornish crosses for $1.08 each. Real bargin for around here. Also have to make sure we butcher them as soon as they are ready & not keep feeding them past their prime as it's just wasted money into chicken feed.

I don't really rely on what the TV (as if we had one) or the government "experts" say about the food prices. I see it go up every time I have to go to the store.

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I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them. - Thomas Jefferson

Tracy, thanks for the link. It is now bookmarked. I know popcorn sprouts, but had never considered using it FOR sprouts. Gotta try some of the stuff there.

My DS installed my new tankless water heater 2 weeks ago and I am loving it. I don't know about the savings yet. Mine is propane with electronic ignition. I am enjoying not having the water get to cool before I can finish my shower. There are just two of us also.

Added a green house and am planting alot in that. Expanding the garden and the apple trees are full of blossoms this year. If it doesn't freeze in the unusually warm spring we are having, we will have alot of strawberries to add to the freezer and make jam with and the raspberries always seem to be loaded even in the bad years. I really need to learn how to process what we do have (canning soups and meats) but I am planting more so that I can share a bit more with others. One thing we are going to do this year that we haven't for a while is grow a batch of chickens for processing. Haven't done that in a while and am missing the eggs and meat.