UNITED STATES─Recent reports have surfaced that the cost of food has been on the rise and I know I’m not the only person who has seen it. Yes, price gouging has taken place at many grocers, who should be ashamed of their actions. I mean come on, we’re in a pandemic people, and people are charging crazy rates for beef, chicken, veggies, fruits, and other pantry staples. I just visited the farmer’s market and spent like $60, but I had to keep asking myself what in the world did I purchase, because it didn’t look like I bought anything.
Heck, when you’re spending $13 for a small bag of Bing cherries, and pure cherry juice for $9, it can quickly add up. Look, don’t question my purchases, because when it comes to cherries people I will absolutely splurge and it’s not just because it’s healthy, but they’re items I absolutely adore and that will never change America. With that said, food has risen in price, is it because the pandemic and they know everyone has been rushing to the grocery store to stock pile on food? I would love to believe that is not the case, but when it is so obvious what does one expect the reasoning to be.
I mean bananas have fluctuated so much in price, I can’t remember if the typical price is $0.49 a pound or $0.69 a pound and it seems to fluctuate from week to week. The same with grape and cherry tomatoes, where one week I was able to purchase the item for $2.00 and then the following week, the price jumped up to $4.00 for a small pint. Corn has also been on the rise whereas I could normally get 8 ears of fresh corn for about $2.00, now I can only get 3 ears of corn for $2.00. Yeah, that is a crazy price, but there is nothing like the taste of fresh corn America.
In addition, the biggest spike in prices that I’m seeing is the cost of meat. Meat has always been expensive in my eyes, but when a pound of ground beef is more than $6.00 that is concerning. Not to mention paying $4-$5 for a single chicken breast. The notion of purchasing meat in bulk I wouldn’t say is a thing of the past; it just means people are being extra cautious about the extent of what they might spend. I mean I recall going to the supermarket and on average spending around $100 on a typical trip to the supermarket, but now it has jumped up to $150 to $200 each time I go.
Yes, I’m spending way more money on food right now in the midst of this pandemic than I ever expected to. I can’t even believe I’m about to say this: it is cheaper to eat fast food or dine out than it is to go to the grocery store. That might be the direct result that we were forced to cook meals daily for weeks and as soon as the opportunity to dine out became an option, we started to take advantage of it, and I’ll be honest a lot of the restaurants and eateries were not only offering exceptional rates, but delivering the biggest bang for the customers buck to keep them coming back. It is like realizing when you don’t have something or when you cannot do something, you start to appreciate it a ton more.
It just seems like food is the one thing that will always be on the rise and its simply because it is the thing we all need in order to survive. You will always purchase food regardless of the cost of the item. While you might be able to get a few things cheaper, but at the same time, there are those situations where no matter what you do, you cannot skimp around the item. It might be crucial item to have to complete that dish that you’re planning for the family.
I will admit the best way to save money when it comes to food is to ONLY spend it on the items you need and to not overbuy just because the item is on sale. It might be on sale, but that does not mean you can cook all of it at once.
Written By Zoe Mitchell
