RED ALERT: Food Inflation's Coming - Time To Buy What You Need Now

This week I noticed a dramatic difference in a local chain store not offering the sales they usually offer.  This Kroger store usually marks up items so high in San Francisco that a "sale" is still above the item's true value.  For instance, a gallon of ice tea at $4.50 is most always on sale at half value at $2.25.  When I went to buy my favorite tea I refused to pay nearly $5.00 for it. Later that day I learned that ole staple Hershey's is increasing their prices by a whopping 10%.  Then came another story that Wal-Mart is said to be sounding an alarm inflation is coming.  See Wal-Mart Says "Serious" Inflation Is Coming. The Economic Collapse Blog.

"Wal-Mart CEO Bill Simon said that rising inflation in the United States is "going to be serious" and that Wal-Mart is "seeing cost increases starting to come through at a pretty rapid rate."  For many years Wal-Mart has been famous for their "low prices", so for the head of Wal-Mart to publicly warn that much higher prices are coming is more than a little alarming."  Article Link

Thus far, companies have successfully been camouflaging inflation by selling food in tinier packages for the same price.

Trying to keep customers from feeling cheated, some companies are introducing new containers that, they say, have terrific advantages — and just happen to contain less product. A Stealth Downsizing, As Shoppers Pay More For Less Food, NYTimes.com

I've gradually been accumulating emergency supplies and storing food ever since the collapse of 2008.  I've also been selling stuff I don't use or need on Amazon and Craigslist to convert to cash to pay for things like Aerogardens to grow my own herbs and veggies indoors all year round. I've also used the FoodSaver vacuum sealer products for long term food storage and bought necessary staple foods in bulk from www.BulkFoods.com.

Learning how to bake one's own bread comes in handy in inflationary times since a loaf is already around $4.00.  YouTube has several helpful videos on how to make your own bread for cheap.  I recently bought yeast in bulk that's the most expensive part of bread making.  Some recipes don't even require any eggs.  Here's one blogger's comment from The Simple Dollar:

Over the last year, I’ve gradually moved more and more towards making my own food at home. There are several reasons for this: it tastes better, it reduces preservative intake, it’s more nutritious, and it’s often substantially cheaper than what you find in the store. It does take time, but once you get used to it, most food preparation doesn’t take much more time than going to the store, buying it, taking it home, popping it out of the package, and following the directions. - Homemade Bread: Cheap, Delicious, Healthy, and Easier Than You Think - The Simple Dollar

 I highly recommend people buy in bulk such as at Costco, make their own staple foods and grow produce in their gardens or indoor Aerogardens.  I also recommend selling all unnecessary items on Craigslist or Amazon for cash to convert to emergency supply purchases.  I use www.Nitro-Pak.com for such emergency items, including dehydrated long term food storage items.  Another good source of long-term storage foods is www.eFoodsDirect.com. 

I feel as if we're right on the tipping point of a huge change in food prices.  The time to get cheap supplies while you can is now.  For more tips on how to save in the long term, visit The Simple Dollar.com.