Stocking up on food?

[crosses]

It seems that everyone is predicting that the high cost of gas is going to be passed along to us in higher food prices over the next months. Do you think it is a good idea to stock up on foods even if they aren't currently at rock bottom prices?

[Max'sMommy]

Yes, but we stock up on lots of things anyhow and have for several years, especially with coupons / sales that make items free or almost free.

[frugalfarmwife]

Yes, stock up what you can as the fuel cost will effect the cost of everything. With the food the reason is not only shipping to market but also on the farm, the reason?

Plowing the fields uses fuel,
planting uses fuel
spraying uses fuel
harvesting uses fuel
grinding feed uses fuel (most farmers and dairy farmers have grinder/mixers that attach to the PTO unit on the tractor)
shipping to auction/slaughter uses fuel
shipping to market uses fuel

The same for produce for the
plowing
planting
spraying
harvesting
transporting.

Trust me, we're really feeling the price crunch here on our farm even without paying the highway tax for our tractor fuel. We're thankful that we have a freezer full of meat and a garden full of veggies, I feel for those that have to budget for all of these items in the future.

kj

[pennywise]

Personally, I stock up based on price. Price is my determining factor. I can walk to the store or ride a bicycle if I have to. The object is not to overpay, and cut the gas usage anyway possible. Employers need to start considering the gasoline and making ways for employees to work from home if possible. Hook ups on computers in some positions may enable a worker to stay home one day while still working. Employers - say you?

[PrincessPerky]

WE are working on figuring out how to go to the store less, less trips means more inventevness on our part in not having the 'right' thing, and less gas on getting there.

But it isn't that easy to go from weekly trips to biweekly actually we have to get milk weekly but we shop two different stores and with the price of gas it is cheaper to get the milk at the more expensive store if we are not going to the other. So we are going to try to go to just one a week. (Aldis and BJs)

Come to think of it it wasn't that easy to go from whenever we were low on milk to weekly, but we worked out the kinks.

[pennywise]

Have you considered buying 2 gallons of milk at a time to save the trips.

[Gailete]

I just had a DUH moment! I buy my milk in 1/2 gallons because the gallons are too heavy for me to pick up. I never get more than 2 at a time even though I pick up the jugs with the furtherest expiration. I should be picking up 4 to save trips to the store. Milk and bread runs tend to end up being milk, bread, chips and candy bar runs! and the price of gas!

[PrincessPerky]

Err if that two gallons was to me, I buy 3 at a time, I might be able to squeeze 4 in but not more. 3 a week is what we limit the kids too. Appriciate the thought though .

[moester]

Milk freezes beautifully and keeps very cold as it defrosts in the fridge. Can take a couple of days. This helps keep the fridge cold as well.

[nickie33]

the stores in my town pays you to shop ,spend $50.00 get 10 cents off a gallon of gas or $100.00 get 20 cents off a gallon spend $150.00 get 50 cents off. most store here have there own gas stations so alot of them have gas wars, one of the stores have milk on sale for 99cents a gallon with the purches of 4 boxes of kelloggs cereal at 99 cents a box and with coupon $1.00 off 2 boxes you can get 1 gallon of milk and 4 boxes of cereal for $3.00 now thats worth stocking up on so i willnt need to worry about cereal for a least a month

[shelbylovesmelby]

I only stock up on non-parishable items when I find them for a major deal or have extra $ to do so (in wich case if I don't buy it when we do have $, we'll be S.O.L. when we don't). I may get a freezer soon so I can stock up on parishables

[Tightwad Kitty]

Originally Posted by moester

Milk freezes beautifully and keeps very cold as it defrosts in the fridge. Can take a couple of days. This helps keep the fridge cold as well.

On storing milk question, Do you have 'UHT' long life milk that you get from the grocery shelf? It's great to have in the pantry so you don't need run to the store just for milk.

[nickie33]

the only shelf milk i know of is powder milk and its ok to keep around for some recipes, but not for drinking (yuck)

[Tightwad Kitty]

Originally Posted by nickie33

the only shelf milk i know of is powder milk and its ok to keep around for some recipes, but not for drinking (yuck)

I use Skim Powder Milk to put on my cereal and for drinking too! It's the trick of making it ahead by 12 hours and having chilled that helps.

As for 'UHT' long life milk that you get from the grocery shelf. We have sections & shelves of it here at a cheaper price than fresh milk too! It's can last out of the refrigerator for months and only needs to be chilled when open and in use. It's tastes the same as fresh milk, and you can get in soy milk, rice milk etc as well. So it may be in the health food section or someone needs to import the technology process to make over there.

[Fern]

Rice and soy milk also keep (unopened) on an open shelf. No refrigeration reuqired.

Or buy a number of half gallons of regular milk and store in freeze.