food has gone up a ton

Yakira

Mon, May 05 2008, 5:24 pm

Is WIC very very strict? Like if I am making a couple of hundred dollars more on my check then the qualifying number, is there a chance I would still get it?

It really stinks to be in the lower-middle class. Here, you get a 10% discount at the grocery store and mikveh if your husband learns or is a Rebbe. Plus better tuition breaks and all of the free gov programs. For thos of us making slightly more money with working husbands, there is really no breaks Sad

Tamiri

Wed, May 07 2008, 12:02 am

Here in Israel I am envisioning real food problems. In the U.S. I did not know of people who could not pull a bit from here, save a bit from there but I am reading that some of you there are also wondering how to cover the costs. I hope it does not come to going hungry.
I think that life as we know it is going to have to change. A lot of you were born into the affluence of the 80s and don't realize that it's not the way life has always been.
I think that people are going to have to cook more and waste less. Get used to eating cheaper foods. Less eating out and convenience items. Less disposable. It's going to be hard to change our mind sets.
Do you agree?
I also wonder if this will affect the rich people too.

raizy

Wed, May 07 2008, 12:06 am

but how much can one really save a few dollars here and there. fruits and veg have gone up so has all the milk products. what should I tell my kids no food till the prices go down. at the end of the day u will have to shell out more money for the same amount of food as before. and my paycheck has not gone up....

creativemommyto3

Wed, May 07 2008, 12:12 am

Tamiri wrote:

I don't think it will effect israelis that much since we already know how to be real frugal.

mandksima

Wed, May 07 2008, 12:16 am

Tamiri, I agree with you that it will have a bigger impact in israel, where already people are going hungry or eating food that is cheap but not healthy. I just came back from the store and realized sliced bread went up again (did that happen right after Pesach, I didn't notice last week) and flour too. Fruits and vegs are always going up and down but at least watermelon is getting cheaper and it is my favorite. I can't see myself totally eating only the cheap stuff (rice, some pasta?) as I am pregnant and don't want my nutritional intake to go down. I sometimes buy myself some yogurts and stuff that I won't share because it is too pricey. My kids are still young and don't eat a lot but I couldn't imagine feeding a family with teenagers- the grocery bills must be crazy! I try to use up all leftovers and vegs going bad, etc. and I think I do a good job but it is a lot of work making everything from scratch and not always cheaper.

I see a lot of Israelis in the big chains just buying a ton of convience foods like normal, it doesn't look like they're thinking about the money. Maybe they're seperating their bill into more monthly payments but that will only make it worse. Is it the Americans that aren't used to this and are getting nervous now of how their lives will be different now? The Israelis are used to hard times and adjust with it better perhaps???

Tamiri

Wed, May 07 2008, 12:26 am

raizy wrote:

Well, I told my little one no home made apple juice cause apples are too expensive.
I bought just one melon for Shabat at nearly 10 nis/kg instead of buying two of them.
I cut out some of the yellow cheese.
I cut out bagels.
I want to try and keep our grocery bill at a managable level.
No juice even for Shabbat (but I did not buy it that much anyway)
I don't buy to stock up, just what we need for the week.
I shut off my large freezer yesterday since it's pretty empty from before Pesach and I won't be stocking it. This was I can save some electricity too.
I am disgusted with the store I went to yesterday - a diff than the one I usually go to. Everything was more expensive than my usual place, from just one week ago. So I have to check if my usual place went up too or it's worth it for me to keep shlepping out there for better prices.

Tamiri

Wed, May 07 2008, 12:29 am

mandksima wrote:

Tamiri, I agree with you that it will have a bigger impact in israel, where already people are going hungry or eating food that is cheap but not healthy. I just came back from the store and realized sliced bread went up again (did that happen right after Pesach, I didn't notice last week) and flour too. Fruits and vegs are always going up and down but at least watermelon is getting cheaper and it is my favorite. I can't see myself totally eating only the cheap stuff (rice, some pasta?) as I am pregnant and don't want my nutritional intake to go down. I sometimes buy myself some yogurts and stuff that I won't share because it is too pricey. My kids are still young and don't eat a lot but I couldn't imagine feeding a family with teenagers- the grocery bills must be crazy! I try to use up all leftovers and vegs going bad, etc. and I think I do a good job but it is a lot of work making everything from scratch and not always cheaper.

We spend a little under 4000 shekels/month on food. I have 2 teens home plus 2 others and 2 parents but no one is a huge eater.
Israelis don't really look at prices, it's just their way. They don't budget and don't know prices. They are used to overdraft. I don't know what will be now that overdraft is sort of out.

I see a lot of Israelis in the big chains just buying a ton of convience foods like normal, it doesn't look like they're thinking about the money. Maybe they're seperating their bill into more monthly payments but that will only make it worse. Is it the Americans that aren't used to this and are getting nervous now of how their lives will be different now? The Israelis are used to hard times and adjust with it better perhaps???

creativemommyto3

Wed, May 07 2008, 2:47 am

Tamiri wrote:

raizy wrote:

What about the concentrated juice? I plan on doing some baking next week but I think that even with the prices going higher the israelis will manage better than the americans b/c the israelis are used to being tight.

Tamiri

Wed, May 07 2008, 2:52 am

They don't need juice. The apple juice we make at home is a special treat. We also make carrot juice - there is a place selling carrots for 1.49 nis so we can still do that.
Israelis have changed a lot in the past 20 some odd years. Food used to be very basic and plain. Now everyone around me seems to be feeding Tivol and other prepared foods. Moms work so they want convenience. The old timers will be able to give pointers on how to save.
When I was growing up, souring milk (a regular occurance) turned into leben.
My parents made granola (now, there's a thought....)
They made peanut butter for many years because you could not get it here (the natural stuff).
My mother still makes very good breads. I may try making rye bread.
Israelis eat soup a lot, even in the summer. This can be pretty cheap and very filling.
But, since so many are used to the good life, there may have to be changes made here as well.

creativemommyto3

Wed, May 07 2008, 2:58 am

Tamiri wrote:

I use some convenience foods. yesterday I fed my kids fish schnitzel which is 27 shekel a bag, but we only ate half the bag so we have another half for next week. I also bought tivol also but I will be able to use it for two meals also. I don't plan on making this my regular menu but I think it's a necessity for those that work. I want to bake next week so my dh doesn't get the yetzer hara to buy at the cafeteria.
I saw the price of rice and decided on potatoes under my shabbos chicken.
I am trying also to be tight but I still think that israelis who work will not have as hard a time like an american who is used to a lot more than this.

mimivan

Wed, May 07 2008, 3:00 am

creativemommyto3 wrote:

Tamiri wrote:

raizy wrote:

Some Israelis....My MIL will be fine...she lived here during the lean years and came from Morocco..

The younger generation may just continue to live off their overdrafts. I'm still seeing a lot of nosh, juice and convenience foods in the shopping carts here (not in ours..)

louche

Wed, May 07 2008, 7:36 am

Teacup9 wrote:

Alright. I'm planting a "victory" garden tomorrow. Who is helping me? I live in Brooklyn and have a 6ft by 6ft Dandy Lion patch in front and a narrow dirty yard next to my garage.

wish I could. our apt. gets so little sun that I can't even grow a pot of herbs on the windowsill. In your 6 by 6 I'd be growing veggies and herbs like mad.

louche

Wed, May 07 2008, 7:44 am

"Tzimtzum" is not just a Kabbalistic concept. It also means actual belt-tightening. We daven for parnassa "berevach velo betzimtzum" but it looks like it's tzimtzum time.

However, we should be grateful that the tzimtzum is presently a shortage of money and not a shortage of goods. How much worse off would we be if there was no food to be had at all? Worst comes to worst you can hold off on buying other things. You can wear seconhand clothes and pawn yoyur jewelry, but if there's no food on the grocery shelves, then what?

shayna82

Wed, May 07 2008, 10:01 am

just know when you go shopping, that the owners are not just making the prices higher to cheat everyone out of their money. THEY are also suffering from the cost of everything. truckers and gas, and all the other things involved. its a hard time now, and everyone has to sit tight and hope for the best .

in the meantime

cut out junk food
cut out the easy to make foods, which if you notice are the things that really adds to the list.

mimivan

Wed, May 07 2008, 12:22 pm

one good thing to come out of this is that I am appreciating and trying to be more machmir about the mitzvah not to waste food.

I'm also trying to avoid wasting any bread by eating toast, making breadcrumbs, croutons, French toast etc..

I'm also learning to make more things homemade and to appreciate what we have. I used to look in the fridge and say "we have nothing good to eat." I hardly say that anymore, but try to figure out what to make from what we have.

It is also helping me make menus beforehand, budgeting etc...there is a bright side to it.

Tamiri

Wed, May 07 2008, 12:32 pm

mimivan wrote:

I was thinking the same myself! For the first time that I can remember, we finished the food I prepared for last Shabbat, today - Wed! I had three wings and 2 pulkas left plus some Spanish Brown Rice. I am ashamed to say that I usually "clean sweep" the fridge on Tuesday, before I do the week's shopping and toss whatever isn't shelf stable, like mustard and ketchup (I keep a clean fridge). Not so this week. I bought a kg of chopped meat yesterday, made it into kabobs (but not before streeeeetching the meat with carrot, parsley and onion which only makes it more delicious) and served half with those left over chicken pieces to the six of us eating dinner plus the left over rice and some Quinoa I had made yesterday. The rest of the meat will be grilled tomorrow night after Yom Haatzmaut festivities. I did not throw out any food this week. At all. And I think I'll have to make that a habit. In a couple of months I will compare my food expenditures to the previous months - I keep meticulous records.