Price increases and shortages

[Rhodie Ranch]

Which is why this past Sunday, at an electronic hoarders' estate sale run by a company, I went straight to the back yard. I found two unopened bags of Sweet Lime and two unopened bags of Lawn Fertilizer. $2 a piece. Its exactly what I go to estate sales for.

oh, plus two cans of Campbells chunky soup from 2012, that will become dog food for 25 cents each and two plastic jugs of Grape Cranberry juice (not expired) that will be diluted for hubs lunch drinks. $1 each

What did hubs buy? An 8 track player. rolls eyes.....

 

[baymule]

Stock up on all you can, it’s gonna be a long rough ride. Grow and put up all you can.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

I need to re-learn how to make bread. I sold off my electric breadmaker years ago. I need to do it the old fashioned way. I have all the ingred well stocked now. When the cheap loaf of no name bread is $2......

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Stock up on all you can, it’s gonna be a long rough ride. Grow and put up all you can.

I wish I shared your optimism about out ABILITY to weather out any prospective problems. On top of the fundamental problems of keeping oneself going, there is the problem of the fact that, for every person whose plan is to take care of themselves, there must be ten or twenty whose plan is to simply steal from everyone else. One on one, I suppose one can defend oneself, but when they organize and show up as a horde, you better have a horde of your own.

And that's assuming that those in power don't see the chaos as an excellent opportunity to dispense with all of this "democracy" nonsense and get this country turned into the feudal slave state they always wanted in the first place. One BIG problem with all of the shelters the government and those in power have is that, when and if the **** hits the fan, when it is over, most of the people who STARTED it will still be around, with pretty much just as much power and now less constraints on it. In the advent of nuclear war or such, we will be picking up the pieces with the same people who started the war still calling the shots, and probably more interested in continuing to retaliate than put thing back together here. We could be looking at a nuclear war followed by a near perpetual international ground war, as the powers that be focus on annihilating what is left of their opponents no matter what, and thereby destroying ANY chance of rebuilding.

And I'm no longer sure the common citizenry has the MEANS to oppose them if they do. I don't care HOW many guns and how much ammo you have stockpiled, if the government rolls up with two dozen tanks equipped with heat seeking missiles and rocket launchers, you're outgunned. And there is PLENTY of the military who loyalty lies far more with the elite than with the common folk. As George Carlin said "Rights aren't rights if someone can take them away from you."
Fading into the bush probably won't help either since 1. By now those in power have PLENTY of ways of finding you if they want to, no matter WHAT you do to try and stop it and 2. There may not BE much wild left, since at the first sign of trouble, a lot of people will take the ammo and gas they have (knowing gas doesn't stay good forever) shoot every damn animal they can find, haul it all back, and store it in a generator run cold storage warehouse before it gets a chance to run away. We'd probably be looking at a near total large game extinction.

 

[bobm]

Farmerjan and Seedcorn are spot on ... after spending 5 months in hospitals and assisted living, today my wife drove me to Home Depot to buy some plants ( I can't drive anymore and I can slowly get around in a walker or crutches ). At the nursery dept. there, we met a fellow elderly ( retired) avid master gardener working as the lead sales person said that she can't survive the price increases on all of her living and gardening expense so had to go back to work after 7 prior years of retirement. She said that she was shocked at all of the 2x. 3x, 4x + plant , fertilizer, pest contol items, etc . Needless to say... we left with an empty cart.Wake up and smell the roses.

 

[heirloomgal]

The Prime Minister made a public statement in the last year, acknowledging the widespread housing crisis, rising inflation, general cost of living increases beyond what most can easily afford anymore. He understands our dilemma. And because he is such a compassionate fellow, and he would not like to see people live with such challenges he will offer a new opportunity for Canadians. For the first time ever in our country's history, he will offer a free euthanasia program to those interested, at no cost to the individual. It's not yet approved but all that 'typical bureaucratic red tape', he says, should not slow this down. We want it available to Canadians 'as soon as possible'. Wow, thank you sir!

 

[ducks4you]

I need to re-learn how to make bread. I sold off my electric breadmaker years ago. I need to do it the old fashioned way. I have all the ingred well stocked now. When the cheap loaf of no name bread is $2......

Basic white bread recipe (from my MIL)
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup water
1 cup milk
2 packages yeast OR 2 tablespoons from the jar (I recommend buying it by the jar and refridgerating after opening)
3-5 teaspoons sugar
5-6 cups all purpose (or bread) flour
salt

DIrections:
1) Heat up the water, milk and butter and SUGAR in a microwave safe bowl
I like to use my microwave to warm them up, like for a minute. When you can touch it with your knuckle and not get burned,
2) Add the yeast
3) Let the yeast feed on the sugar for maybe 30 minutes, then
4) Add the flour
Mix the flour in, one cup at a time, with a big spoon. Total flour depends upon humidity. If it's very dry, use 6 cups. If it's very humid, use less.
5) Take both hands and knead it together into a ball on your counter.
**Some people like to work and work and work the dough. I LIKE to do this. The more you work the dough, the denser the bread will become.
6) Grease the bowl with softened butter (or baking spray, if you prefer) and make a ball of dough, put in the bowl
7) Cover with a towel until it doubles.
This will be at Least one hour. I like to let it rise EITHER in a cold oven, or in my microwave.
8) Put the risen dough back on the counter and punch it down,
9) Take a knife and divide it up according to your breadpans.
You can use glass, metal, or combinations. This recipe makes 2 meat loaf pan sized loaves OR 1 meatloaf pan +2 holiday sized small loaf pans
10) Grease your pans
11) Work the dough to fit your pans
12) Let rise in a cold oven until they have doubled
then
13) Turn oven on at 350
14) Set the timer for 25 minutes (if you are using small loaf pans and take just Those out of the oven)
or
35 minutes for meatloaf sized pans
15) Use oven gloves to remove and turn upside down all pans onto plate(s)
Do this ASAP bc the loaf will have humidity from the baking pan and you want that to dry out for about 30 minutes. You loaves can be a little bit mushy if you let them cool IN the pans.
I have been a bread maker for 35 years now.
There are SOOOOO many great bread recipes out there!
Here is one to look at, too.

https://www.browneyedbaker.com/white-bread-recipe/

 

[ducks4you]

I also suggest that you buy 25 pounds of flour. You can store the flour in quart and 1/2 gallon Ball jars. I have purchased 50 pounds of flour, 6 months apart and I have it stored in several kinds of storage containers. I used canning self adhesive labels on the jars to label the flour and expiration dates.
NOBODY buys the 25 pound bags, but the smaller ones are expensive and disappear.
Just some FYI.

 

[ducks4you]

We are Blessed to have purchased a whole cow. I had purchased a 14.5 cu ft freezer in 2020, though I had to wait 5 months for delivery. Before we picked "Big Boy" up we purchased an additional 7 cu ft freezer, which, added to the other two 7 cu ft freezers gave us plenty of freezer space between 2 households, 35 cu ft.
MY POINT?
In trying to help friends who are also interested in buy their Own "Big Boy", trying to find a big freezer is hard, BUT, the 5, 7, and 10 cu ft freezers aren't hard to find, and I keep seeing them on sale.
Each 7 cu ft freezer is about 100 pounds, and manageable by 2 people.
Last summer Middle DD and I moved my original one off of the front porch. I cleaned it outside and by myself I managed to get it back on the porch and into it's spot again, without throwing out my back.
ALTHOUGH I prefer to pressure can instead of freezing, it's good to know this.
Also,
'https://www.almanac.com/inflation-cooking-10-basic-rules-and-10-recipes

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

Went to a company run estate sale this morning. Only five miles away.
I scored 8 boxes of DeCicco 7 grain pasta for 50 cents each. Expires (not really tho) later this year.
18 cans of veggies, mostly garbanzos and black beans, 25 cents each. None even very old.

Some flower food, some potting soil and some other amendments for 50 cents each.