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The piece of pie that sells food in maine is getting smaller, years ago we didnt have wal-mart selling groceries (incidently, walmart is the largest seller of groceries in the country almost doubling the second place kroger)
whole foods, trader joes, rite aids, and walgreens, family dollar, all sell some groceries (werent here 20 yrs ago)
hannaford and shaws dominated the state for many years as the grocery store goliaths, but they too are feeling the competition-hannaford is reacting, and being agressive, trying to saturate any area for more business, and also agressive on the independent (supply) side-the tradewinds in blue hill, milbridge, a fairly new one in columbia falls, and very recently, the farmers union in milo will be an independent hannaford
Food costs go in cycles, however the cost of grain, transportation, insurances, taxes, everything is factored in along the supply chain-sometimes it appears food in maine is expensive- transportation costs are figured into cost of product and maine is usually the furthest point north
two weeks ago many stores had boneless chicken breasts on sale for 1.49lb thats incredibly cheap, the cost of chicken is low, so many stores will pass this on-ironically, you can often find better deals at the smaller grocery stores (they have price flexibilty, corporate stores do not) I see more and more folks buy in bulk (when on sale) and fill the freezer- and why not?
I see more folks buying more whole primals, at the lowest cost, cutting it themselves (like a bnls pork loin, rib-eye, etc) and vacuum seal with a foodsaver and freeze)
I like rib-eye steak if i go to one of the goliaths (supermarkets) they are usually 9.99lb-but I can also buy the whole rib-eye (at 5.99 or lower) cut it myself (or they will wrap for free) it's a no brainer
dont count out the specialty markets, a butcher shop just opened in presque Isle and it's doing well, another one recently opened in westbrook and thats doing well, and i know of 3 more to open across the state, with low overhead, these places can offer very low prices, with top quality. Some will offer
the maine-grown beef, but they will also offer great bargains.
Recently, i bought a grinder off the internet (for 150.00) it's a little powerhouse, over 2 hp, and im grinding my own burger, and making my own sausage (in the casings) and i took that low ball price of chicken and ground it and made chicken sausage(very lean, but also tasty)
you can be frugal - a neccessity in a tough economy
this spring, I will be growing more veggies than in years past, we have breadmakers and make our own bread, we load up on specials
and it's getting tougher and tougher to justify going out to eat, except on special occassions, I like to cook, and treat myself at home-more money for oil
I don't think it is really the end of the cheap food era. The problem is that so many people these days want everything already prepared, and hardly anyone cooks anymore. My husband and I eat really well, and our food bill isn't too outrageous in my opinion. I cook from scratch, and we eat a varied diet. What we don't eat is things like poptarts, toaster strudel, frozen waffles, frozen french bread pizza, etc etc etc. I roast chicken, grill steaks, make soups and stews. We have salads, grilled/roasted/steamed veggies, homemade bread, rolls, and biscuits. We eat fresh fruit, and sometimes a cobbler, cake, or quick bread. I make homemade chili, instead of opening a can. If we want mac and cheese, I make it with real ingredients rather than a pouch of powdered cheese and some cheap macaroni.
The problem is everyone wants everything to be fast and easy, and that is what costs so much. I think it is also one of the reasons behind the weight issues everyone is suffering from these days. We are surrounded by advertising for fast food, prepared junk, and sugar-filled cereals. Not many families actually cook these days.
I don't think it is really the end of the cheap food era. The problem is that so many people these days want everything already prepared, and hardly anyone cooks anymore. My husband and I eat really well, and our food bill isn't too outrageous in my opinion. I cook from scratch, and we eat a varied diet. What we don't eat is things like poptarts, toaster strudel, frozen waffles, frozen french bread pizza, etc etc etc. I roast chicken, grill steaks, make soups and stews. We have salads, grilled/roasted/steamed veggies, homemade bread, rolls, and biscuits. We eat fresh fruit, and sometimes a cobbler, cake, or quick bread. I make homemade chili, instead of opening a can. If we want mac and cheese, I make it with real ingredients rather than a pouch of powdered cheese and some cheap macaroni.
The problem is everyone wants everything to be fast and easy, and that is what costs so much. I think it is also one of the reasons behind the weight issues everyone is suffering from these days. We are surrounded by advertising for fast food, prepared junk, and sugar-filled cereals. Not many families actually cook these days.
Hear, hear!
That's a big part of the problem. As well, your solution is the way to go.
'Trouble is, lots of folks, despite their fancy, gourmet kitchens, don't really know how to cook from scratch all that much any more.
I don't think it is really the end of the cheap food era. The problem is that so many people these days want everything already prepared, and hardly anyone cooks anymore. My husband and I eat really well, and our food bill isn't too outrageous in my opinion. I cook from scratch, and we eat a varied diet. What we don't eat is things like poptarts, toaster strudel, frozen waffles, frozen french bread pizza, etc etc etc. I roast chicken, grill steaks, make soups and stews. We have salads, grilled/roasted/steamed veggies, homemade bread, rolls, and biscuits. We eat fresh fruit, and sometimes a cobbler, cake, or quick bread. I make homemade chili, instead of opening a can. If we want mac and cheese, I make it with real ingredients rather than a pouch of powdered cheese and some cheap macaroni.
The problem is everyone wants everything to be fast and easy, and that is what costs so much. I think it is also one of the reasons behind the weight issues everyone is suffering from these days. We are surrounded by advertising for fast food, prepared junk, and sugar-filled cereals. Not many families actually cook these days.
yes!! very good point!
there is more cooking instructions/recipes/scratch baking, resources that at any time before (millions of recipes online) you would think more and more folks would cook at home and not eat out, or buy less processed foods-make it themselves
when i was growing up, it seems every friends grandmother i knew, was a great cook, and even many mothers, maybe with most woman working today, the time is not there>???? (along with kids in sports, and cleaning the house-of course the husband should kick in and help)
That's a big part of the problem. As well, your solution is the way to go.
'Trouble is, lots of folks, despite their fancy, gourmet kitchens, don't really know how to cook from scratch all that much any more.
Very true. People my age all cook...I'm 52. People my kid's age don't cook anything. My daughter picked up some cooking from us but my 20 y/o son can't boil water. It's funny as I did most of the cooking for us when the kids were growing up. I like to cook and it comes easy to me. I've even taught my wife to cook over the years! (she is better at baking than me).
Now the kids call me and ask me for recipies. I never used recipies for most of the things I cooked regularly because my mother, father and cooks I knew when I worked in restaurants taught me. I had to sit down and figure out how I did stuff. My son wanted to know how I made pizza dough. I told him to watch me and take notes. He did and they were four pages long!! Why I don't know. I'm waiting to see if he can make the dough sometime!
That's a big part of the problem. As well, your solution is the way to go.
'Trouble is, lots of folks, despite their fancy, gourmet kitchens, don't really know how to cook from scratch all that much any more.
I was working p/t stocking shelves in a grocery last year [I took over a few contracts from one of our sons]. During that period of time the store did a 'reset' [corporate crews came in, emptied all shelves, re-aligned the floor lay-out, and changed things to fit a revised corporate plan].
I asked one of the crew leaders about the changes. The frozen sections with pre-cooked meals grew in square footage. She said that the buying habits of the nation are changing. Everyone wants a complete meal in a box, take out a frozen box, stick it in a microwave, and wait for the ding.
This chain of groceries has 285 locations, she said that this store was the next to last store to receive this reset. They had already worked out the store lay-outs for the next reset, her crew had one more of these resets to go; before going through all of these stores again to perform the next reset.
She told me that in the next reset 60% of floor space will be frozen foods.
Produce, dry goods, canned foods, meat will all lose floor space; to allow frozen to grow.
This is all done to try and match up with the changing buying habits of customers.
This store was among the last, because according to their market research this store has a higher then average percentage of retirees. Only retirees know how to 'cook'.
Very true. People my age all cook...I'm 52. People my kid's age don't cook anything. My daughter picked up some cooking from us but my 20 y/o son can't boil water. It's funny as I did most of the cooking for us when the kids were growing up. I like to cook and it comes easy to me. I've even taught my wife to cook over the years! (she is better at baking than me).
Now the kids call me and ask me for recipies. I never used recipies for most of the things I cooked regularly because my mother, father and cooks I knew when I worked in restaurants taught me. I had to sit down and figure out how I did stuff. My son wanted to know how I made pizza dough. I told him to watch me and take notes. He did and they were four pages long!! Why I don't know. I'm waiting to see if he can make the dough sometime!
I work with a young lady (25 or thereabouts) who has no concept of how to cook anything without a microwave. I'm talking none. She was simply aghast when my boss and I were discussing the need to cook on a woodstove back in the late 70s when the power went out for a week (I'm talking jaw-drop aghast).
A lot of the mentality (IMHO) of people who seem to feel the need to purchase prepackaged junky so-called "quick meals" can be laid down to marketing. I mean really, how much longer does it take to chop up some chicken, throw some bread crumbs and spices into a zip loc bag, and make your own Shake and Bake (without a half a pound of unidentifiable chemicals in it to boot)? Really. It's not that difficult.
Also, many of those prepackaged 'box-o-meals' are little more than shake and bake, noodles, and a can of condensed soup mix in a fancy box. Meh, call me a cynic, but I'm more into details than perhaps I should be.
That said, unfortunately, many families are now two working parent families and realistically speaking, there isn't a whole lot of time left in a day (or weekend if the kids are involved in a lot of outside pursuits) to plan dinners I suppose. Maybe I sound like an old curmudgeon, but geesh kiddos, what's the hurry?
As far as the end of 'cheap' food, judging by the "incredible shrinking product" shenanigans I've been watching with increased frequency in the last 20 years or so, I'd say food hasn't been all that 'cheap' for quite some time now.
Gardens and farmer's markets are the best thing in the world to me. They just don't have a whole lot of marketing behind them - yet. I think the momentum is gaining there thankfully.
I work with a young lady (25 or thereabouts) who has no concept of how to cook anything without a microwave. I'm talking none. She was simply aghast when my boss and I were discussing the need to cook on a woodstove back in the late 70s when the power went out for a week (I'm talking jaw-drop aghast).
A lot of the mentality (IMHO) of people who seem to feel the need to purchase prepackaged junky so-called "quick meals" can be laid down to marketing. I mean really, how much longer does it take to chop up some chicken, throw some bread crumbs and spices into a zip loc bag, and make your own Shake and Bake (without a half a pound of unidentifiable chemicals in it to boot)? Really. It's not that difficult.
Also, many of those prepackaged 'box-o-meals' are little more than shake and bake, noodles, and a can of condensed soup mix in a fancy box. Meh, call me a cynic, but I'm more into details than perhaps I should be.
That said, unfortunately, many families are now two working parent families and realistically speaking, there isn't a whole lot of time left in a day (or weekend if the kids are involved in a lot of outside pursuits) to plan dinners I suppose. Maybe I sound like an old curmudgeon, but geesh kiddos, what's the hurry?
As far as the end of 'cheap' food, judging by the "incredible shrinking product" shenanigans I've been watching with increased frequency in the last 20 years or so, I'd say food hasn't been all that 'cheap' for quite some time now.
Gardens and farmer's markets are the best thing in the world to me. They just don't have a whole lot of marketing behind them - yet. I think the momentum is gaining there thankfully.
I'm a guy, and I love to cook, especially barbequing (over coals; gas BBQs are for Philistines).
But the only thing I hate about cooking, is cleaning up the mess it makes, and that puts me off cooking. Could be the same for those microwavers.
I work with a young lady (25 or thereabouts) who has no concept of how to cook anything without a microwave. I'm talking none. She was simply aghast when my boss and I were discussing the need to cook on a woodstove back in the late 70s when the power went out for a week (I'm talking jaw-drop aghast).
I cooked over coals in my BBQ when the power went out for almost a week down here in the '85 hurricane.
And over the alcohol stove on my boat.
I never did cook over a wood burning cook stove--although I had access to one for a while.
Maybe when I have a house in Maine I'll have a wood burning cook stove to try out.
But still seems to me barbecuing would be a lot easier.
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(she is better at baking than me).
