On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 20:28:47 +0000 (UTC),
(Steve Pope) wrote:

> I hate Nader but
>I'm disgusted enough I might actually vote for him this time.

If you do, then you are expecting a result. What might that be? I
am very curious.

"Sheldon" > ha scritto nel messaggio

When you buy produce in Europe, especially
Italy, it's all organic, they fertilize with raw sewage... FACT!

You are certifiably insane. FACT!

"enigma" > wrote

> "Nancy Young" > wrote

> i like those 3 romaine heart bags too. if i don't get to
> eating them (rare, now that the kid asks for salads for his
> mid-morning snack at school), i feed them to the tortoises.
> romaine, arugula & endive are their standard winter fare.

They last a lot longer than other lettuce, in my experience, and
I'm not sure why. But if I had tortoises, they wouldn't last
long at all.

> did you know there's a red iceberg now? very tasty & pretty in
> a salad.

It was in your state that a waitress was all flustered about
serving my salad, she was upset about the bad looking lettuce.
The red stuff. Made me laugh. But it wasn't iceberg, no, I
didn't know it came in red. I'll keep an eye out for it.

>> The carrots, I really don't like those 'baby' carrots, I
>> surely don't care to use them in a tossed salad. I mean,
>> if nothing else I'd cut them up, so what purpose having
>> them processed like that first.

>> Bananas continue to be remarkably cheap, in my opinion.
>> Usually about 69 cents per pound, and 2 or 3 dollars buys
>> a bunch that lasts me a week. While I'm not crazy about
>> them, either, eating one is very good for my digestion and
>> for my foot cramps. What is not to like.
>
> 69? i think they're usually 49/pound here, unless you get the
> tiny ones or the red ones.

That would be a deep sale, here, as far as I notice. 60 cents
seems to be the norm.

nancy

On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:08:45 -0500, The Cook >
wrote:


>>Went up to the market and the woman in front of me was buying a bag of
>>pre-chopped iceberg lettuce, a large bag of baby carrots and a small bunch
>>of bananas. Her tab was $10.49. I was shocked to see the total. I think
>>it may be time we rioted in the streets.
>>
>>Paul
>>
>
>
>What would the bill have been if she had bought a head of lettuce and
>an equal amount of full sized carrots? Around here it would have been
>about $5.00. It seems that the high prices reflect her choices.

And at some of the markets here in the Los Angeles area, it would have
been much less. I am thinking of the Jon's supermarket chain. I
probably could have gotten that for under $3, maybe for under $2.

Christine

On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 13:03:53 GMT, "Paul M. Cook" >
wrote:


>
>No way. We grow lettuce here and it is still 1.50 a head. How does fuel
>price work ino the equation when it is trucked, what? 10 miles?
>
It depends on where you shop, Paul. I am here in the greater Los
Angeles area now, and I can find lettuce for way under a dollar in
many markets. Even at the farmers market, although sometimes you will
pay more there.

>
>Not 8 bucks. A pound of carrots is 3.00. We grow carrots in Bakersfield -
>the carrot capital of the world. The cost of shipping 80,000 pounds of
>carrots has gone up $200.00 yet the cost of that 80,000 pounds of carrots
>has tripled. So it has little to do with fuel costs.

Again, depends on where you shop. I can find carrots for much, much
less than a dollar ..sometimes 2 pounds for $1. And that is here in
the greater Los Angeles area. And it is not just one store.

Christine

On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 13:22:30 GMT, "Paul M. Cook" >
wrote:


>Not in SoCal. Those are average prices. I shop in 4 stores. Lettuce was
>1.99 a pound in December but then it was winter. Back in 03 I remember it
>was 35 cents a pound in summer.
>
>It all evens out, as they say. We'll have more in common soon enough.
>
>Paul
Not so, Paul.

Maybe if you are shopping in the higher end stores, such as Bristol
Farms or Gelsons. But if you shop at stores like Jons, or even
Sprouts, you will find it much less expensive.

I know this, cause I am here right now...in the Los Angeles area. I
read the ads...and I shop a variety of stores to find good prices. And
I also shop the farmers markets.

Christine

In article <uSpMj.7493$6w3.6417@trnddc07>,
"Paul M. Cook" > wrote:

> Knowing how to shop - reminds me of the guy I knew who actually drove to
> Santa Barbara for a sale on diet Coke. 99 cents a 12 pack. So he got 6
> cases of the stuff. It only cost him 35 dollars in gas to save 12 dollars
> on soft drink.

I had a boyfriend for a while whose mum was like that. She'd have him
drive her to this supermarket to get these items, then halfway across
town to that other supermarket to get those other items because they
were cheaper there, and etc etc. I asked her if she was factoring in
the cost in petrol and time, and got a funny look in reply.

Miche

--
Electricians do it in three phases

On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 15:25:05 -0400, Goomba38 >
wrote:

>val189 wrote:
>
>> I hear shoppers beefing about food prices, but they still seem to
>> have money for liters of soda and junk snacks.
>>
>No kidding! The local paper here just did an article about food prices
>and featured a photo and mention of a woman who went out of her way to a
>particular store for the cheaper price of..... JUICE BOXES!!
><swoons in shock!>
>I wanted to shout at her that buying frozen concentrate and mixing it
>with her own tap water would have been a hellafa lot cheaper!!

They put the juice boxes in lunches and provide them for birthday
parties.

--
See return address to reply by email
remove the smile first

In article >,
enigma > wrote:

> "Paul M. Cook" > wrote in
> news:%FhMj.7448$6w3.5925@trnddc07:
>
> > Went up to the market and the woman in front of me was
> > buying a bag of pre-chopped iceberg lettuce, a large bag of
> > baby carrots and a small bunch of bananas. Her tab was
> > $10.49. I was shocked to see the total. I think it may be
> > time we rioted in the streets.
>
> huh? if she wasn't too busy/lazy to cut carrots & lettuce she
> could have saved herself about $8.

She may have had arthritis or some other medical condition that made it
hard to hold a knife or cut things.

Several years ago I know someone who had OOS (previously known as RSI)
to the point where she couldn't put enough pressure on a knife to cut
vegetables. She relied a lot on her flatmate, and also on precut veg
from the supermarket.

Not everybody who buys precut veg has that problem, but they do have
their uses.

Miche

--
Electricians do it in three phases

On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 20:51:58 GMT, "Paul M. Cook" >
wrote:

>
>"Edwin Pawlowski" > wrote in message
t...
>>
>> "Paul M. Cook" > wrote in message
>>> It dos not count for lettuce going from 35 cents a pound to 1.50.
>>
>>
>> The reason lettuce went from 35¢ to 1.50 is that 30 years have passed by.
>> I can't remember when it was that cheap. At times, weather can drive it
>> up considerably, then it drops that fast again. I think it is about 1.20
>> now and has been in that range for some time.
>
>More like 5 years. We grow the stuff 10 miles from here.
>
>Paul
>

Here is this week's ad from Jons, for the produce stuff.

http://www.jonsmarketplace.com/v2_p4.aspx

Christine

On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 20:41:41 +0000 (UTC), enigma >
wrote:

>"Nancy Young" > wrote in
:
>
>> I buy those bags of romaine hearts, I know they run to
>> $3-4, maybe a little more, but they make 3 nice salads,
>> lettuce-wise, and I don't wind up throwing out half the
>> head. Iceberg lettuce has very little waste and buying it
>> cut up is a concept lost on me.
>
> i like those 3 romaine heart bags too. if i don't get to
>eating them (rare, now that the kid asks for salads for his
>mid-morning snack at school), i feed them to the tortoises.
>romaine, arugula & endive are their standard winter fare.

If you live near a Trader Joes, you can find a bag of those for under
$2.

Christine

"Nancy Young" > wrote in
:

> It was in your state that a waitress was all flustered
> about serving my salad, she was upset about the bad looking
> lettuce. The red stuff. Made me laugh. But it wasn't
> iceberg, no, I didn't know it came in red. I'll keep an
> eye out for it.

Kitchen Garden Seeds has the seeds for it. it should grow as
a nice border plant in a flower garden (or a pot) if you don't
have a veggie garden.
LOL at the waitress, but some of the red lettuces *do* look a
bit "off". red & green make brown...
lee
--
Last night while sitting in my chair
I pinged a host that wasn't there
It wasn't there again today
The host resolved to NSA.

"kilikini" > wrote in message
...
> The Ranger wrote:
>> kilikini > wrote in message
>> ...
>> [snip]
>>> Look at the price of potatoes! [..]
>>
>> Conveniently, that was also on the shopping list last night so
>> I did.
>>
>> "Baking" potatoes were $0.79/lb (Russets, 90 count)
>> White & Red $1.29 / lb
>> Purple $0.99 / lb.
>> Yukon $1.49 / lb.
>>
>> Yams and sweet potatoes were less but since I didn't buy any I
>> don't have the prices handy.
>>
>> The Ranger
>
> Wow, ours are over $1.00 a pound for loose russet 'taters, and as far up
> as $4.99 for a 5 pound bag of yukon or russets!!!???!!!!!
>
> kili


At our local Sobey's I got 15 lbs. of Prince Edward Island russets for
3.47. Large bakers that I will cook one to share with hubby.....Sharon on
Ontario Canada
>

"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 13:22:30 GMT, "Paul M. Cook" >
> wrote:
>
>
>>Not in SoCal. Those are average prices. I shop in 4 stores. Lettuce was
>>1.99 a pound in December but then it was winter. Back in 03 I remember it
>>was 35 cents a pound in summer.
>>
>>It all evens out, as they say. We'll have more in common soon enough.
>>
>>Paul
> Not so, Paul.
>

I see, so you're dispelling the myth of food inflation. There's always one.

Vons
Stater Brothers
Albertsons
Ralphs

That's where I shop and there just isn't anything else. So what are you
saying?

> Maybe if you are shopping in the higher end stores, such as Bristol
> Farms or Gelsons. But if you shop at stores like Jons, or even
> Sprouts, you will find it much less expensive.

Sprouts is very expensive, yes, but I don't buy produce from them or much
else. Very disappointed in that store.

> I know this, cause I am here right now...in the Los Angeles area. I
> read the ads...and I shop a variety of stores to find good prices. And
> I also shop the farmers markets.

I live here, I work here and I have since 1970. And you'll be hard pressed
to find a local that agrees with you. Never heard of a Jons, Bristol Farms
or Gelsons ever. I don't shop at farmer's markets because I spend more in
gas getting to them and home than I save in food cost. I could drive to
Chino, a 20 mile round trip to save a few pennies on carrots and celery and
if I buy in bulk half spoils before I can eat all of it. Hardly a savings.
Plus they are only open during morning hours and on weekends before noon and
this is not a time I have available for shopping. I am at most stores after
9:00pm. And I sure as hell ain't moving to Torrance because it is closer to
LAs farmers markets. I suppose I could get a round trip Metrolink ticket
for 14 bucks and get off near Spring street and I could buy tons of cheap
food but then I'd have a lot of explaining as to why I am lugging 50 pounds
of cabbage on a commuter train.

I never said you can't get bargains, I get butter at TJs for 2.69 a pound
and it is over 5 bucks at most stores. But I can't spend my life, and few
can, driving all over creation to find the best deals on loss leaders. Most
people don't have your free time.

Paul

"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:08:45 -0500, The Cook >
> wrote:
>
>
>>>Went up to the market and the woman in front of me was buying a bag of
>>>pre-chopped iceberg lettuce, a large bag of baby carrots and a small
>>>bunch
>>>of bananas. Her tab was $10.49. I was shocked to see the total. I
>>>think
>>>it may be time we rioted in the streets.
>>>
>>>Paul
>>>
>>
>>
>>What would the bill have been if she had bought a head of lettuce and
>>an equal amount of full sized carrots? Around here it would have been
>>about $5.00. It seems that the high prices reflect her choices.
>
> And at some of the markets here in the Los Angeles area, it would have
> been much less. I am thinking of the Jon's supermarket chain. I
> probably could have gotten that for under $3, maybe for under $2.


By any chance, Senora Tourista, do you mean Vons?

Paul

sf <.> wrote in
:

> On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 15:25:05 -0400, Goomba38
> > wrote:
>
>>val189 wrote:
>>
>>> I hear shoppers beefing about food prices, but they
>>> still seem to
>>> have money for liters of soda and junk snacks.
>>>
>>No kidding! The local paper here just did an article about
>>food prices and featured a photo and mention of a woman who
>>went out of her way to a particular store for the cheaper
>>price of..... JUICE BOXES!! <swoons in shock!>
>>I wanted to shout at her that buying frozen concentrate and
>>mixing it with her own tap water would have been a hellafa
>>lot cheaper!!
>
> They put the juice boxes in lunches and provide them for
> birthday parties.

my son has a thermos for taking milk or juice to school. he
has another one for hot leftovers & he also has access to a
microwave for heating items (he's 7). he has dishes with lids
for taking salads, & other lidded dishes that have a section
for dips, so he can take hummus & pita bread, or veggies &
sour cream.
he doesn't like sandwiches (must have got that from me...),
but otherwise he's not too picky. he'd be thrilled if the
school had a hot plate so he could make queasadillas...
lee
--
Last night while sitting in my chair
I pinged a host that wasn't there
It wasn't there again today
The host resolved to NSA.

"Miche" > wrote in message
...
> In article <uSpMj.7493$6w3.6417@trnddc07>,
> "Paul M. Cook" > wrote:
>
>> Knowing how to shop - reminds me of the guy I knew who actually drove to
>> Santa Barbara for a sale on diet Coke. 99 cents a 12 pack. So he got 6
>> cases of the stuff. It only cost him 35 dollars in gas to save 12
>> dollars
>> on soft drink.
>
> I had a boyfriend for a while whose mum was like that. She'd have him
> drive her to this supermarket to get these items, then halfway across
> town to that other supermarket to get those other items because they
> were cheaper there, and etc etc. I asked her if she was factoring in
> the cost in petrol and time, and got a funny look in reply.


It's basic book keeping fraud. You report savings in one budget and do not
reflect the cost in another.

Paul

On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:17:49 GMT, "Paul M. Cook" >
wrote:


>
>I see, so you're dispelling the myth of food inflation. There's always one.
>
>Vons
>Stater Brothers
>Albertsons
>Ralphs
>
>That's where I shop and there just isn't anything else. So what are you
>saying?
>

There is a lot more, if you look around.

>Sprouts is very expensive, yes, but I don't buy produce from them or much
>else. Very disappointed in that store.

Sprouts has been very reasonable for me. I can consistently find
decent produce in those stores, for much less than you have been
quoting.

Here is their ad for this week:
http://www.sprouts.com/flyer/view_fl...an+Ave.+%23205

I notice that they have leaf lettuce there for $0.69 each. Much
cheaper than the prices you have been quoting.

>
>> I know this, cause I am here right now...in the Los Angeles area. I
>> read the ads...and I shop a variety of stores to find good prices. And
>> I also shop the farmers markets.

>
>I never said you can't get bargains, I get butter at TJs for 2.69 a pound
>and it is over 5 bucks at most stores. But I can't spend my life, and few
>can, driving all over creation to find the best deals on loss leaders. Most
>people don't have your free time.
>
>Paul
>

I don't have a lot of free time.
But if you do look around,you can find bargains, wherever you are.

Christine

On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:18:41 GMT, "Paul M. Cook" >
wrote:


>By any chance, Senora Tourista, do you mean Vons?
>
>Paul
>

No, I meant Jons.

http://www.jonsmarketplace.com/

Christine

"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 20:51:58 GMT, "Paul M. Cook" >
> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Edwin Pawlowski" > wrote in message
et...
>>>
>>> "Paul M. Cook" > wrote in message
>>>> It dos not count for lettuce going from 35 cents a pound to 1.50.
>>>
>>>
>>> The reason lettuce went from 35¢ to 1.50 is that 30 years have passed
>>> by.
>>> I can't remember when it was that cheap. At times, weather can drive it
>>> up considerably, then it drops that fast again. I think it is about
>>> 1.20
>>> now and has been in that range for some time.
>>
>>More like 5 years. We grow the stuff 10 miles from here.
>>
>>Paul
>>
>
> Here is this week's ad from Jons, for the produce stuff.
>
> http://www.jonsmarketplace.com/v2_p4.aspx
>
> Christine

You cannot compare a stores loss leader's with another stores daily retail
pricing. My expensive Von's recently had a huge sale on mushrooms, beat
everybody's price. So? They are back to being a king's ransom again. And
I have better things to do with the 3 hours it would take me to drive to
that store, shop and drive home. I could not buy enough produce at that
store to make the gas money worth the expense. Van Nuys is a 100 mile round
trip for me. That's 4 gallons of gas in my reasonably fuel efficient Jag.
I ain't paying 16 bucks in gas to save 6 bucks in groceries. If they had a
store like that here, I'd go every day.

You want an eye opener, do this: get on the 91 freeway and drive to anyplace
in Orange county or Take the 57 up to my neck of the woods and then pop into
a few of the local markets.

Paul

On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:19:12 +0000 (UTC), enigma >
wrote:

> my son has a thermos for taking milk or juice to school. he
>has another one for hot leftovers & he also has access to a
>microwave for heating items (he's 7). he has dishes with lids
>for taking salads, & other lidded dishes that have a section
>for dips, so he can take hummus & pita bread, or veggies &
>sour cream.
> he doesn't like sandwiches (must have got that from me...),
>but otherwise he's not too picky. he'd be thrilled if the
>school had a hot plate so he could make queasadillas...
>lee


good on you Lee. Most moms and kids aren't like that. My own kids
didn't like anything I packed for lunch and didn't like school lunches
either, so I ended up making lunch for them when they got home.

--
See return address to reply by email
remove the smile first

On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:17:49 GMT, "Paul M. Cook" >
wrote:

>I see, so you're dispelling the myth of food inflation. There's always one.
>
>Vons
>Stater Brothers
>Albertsons
>Ralphs
>
>That's where I shop and there just isn't anything else. So what are you
>saying?
>
Where do you live?

There are Henry's too. I shopped there yesterday, and got some great
deals.
http://www.henrysmarkets.com/app/henrys/index.php

Christine

"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 13:03:53 GMT, "Paul M. Cook" >
> wrote:
>
>
>>
>>No way. We grow lettuce here and it is still 1.50 a head. How does fuel
>>price work ino the equation when it is trucked, what? 10 miles?
>>
> It depends on where you shop, Paul. I am here in the greater Los
> Angeles area now, and I can find lettuce for way under a dollar in
> many markets. Even at the farmers market, although sometimes you will
> pay more there.
>
>>
>>Not 8 bucks. A pound of carrots is 3.00. We grow carrots in
>>Bakersfield -
>>the carrot capital of the world. The cost of shipping 80,000 pounds of
>>carrots has gone up $200.00 yet the cost of that 80,000 pounds of carrots
>>has tripled. So it has little to do with fuel costs.
>
> Again, depends on where you shop. I can find carrots for much, much
> less than a dollar ..sometimes 2 pounds for $1. And that is here in
> the greater Los Angeles area. And it is not just one store.

An exception to the rule does not disprove the rule. You must have a lot of
free time and a company gas card is all I can say. Shopping for some is a
hobby, for the rest of us it is an inconvenience and not exactly ripe with
options. If you had 2 short days to run your house before hitting the road
for your 2 hour commute to work on Monday, as most people here do, you'd not
be so inclined to drive all over SoCal looking for specials on tangerines.

Paul

On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:26:43 GMT, "Paul M. Cook" >
wrote:


>You want an eye opener, do this: get on the 91 freeway and drive to anyplace
>in Orange county or Take the 57 up to my neck of the woods and then pop into
>a few of the local markets.
>
>Paul
>

I have before. There are still bargains up there. 99 Ranch for
one...have you checked out their stores?

Sorry, Paul. I tend to shop all over, and I do get to see what prices
are available in other areas of this big metro area. If you want to
limit yourself to those stores, go ahead. But there are more out
there, that are worth checking out, even not that far from you.

Christine

"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:18:41 GMT, "Paul M. Cook" >
> wrote:
>
>
>>By any chance, Senora Tourista, do you mean Vons?
>>
>>Paul
>>
>
> No, I meant Jons.
>
> http://www.jonsmarketplace.com/
>
> Christine

First I ever heard of them. But then I don't make it to the San Fernando
Valley that often. Kind of a schlep for tomatoes.

Paul

"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:17:49 GMT, "Paul M. Cook" >
> wrote:
>
>
>>
>>I see, so you're dispelling the myth of food inflation. There's always
>>one.
>>
>>Vons
>>Stater Brothers
>>Albertsons
>>Ralphs
>>
>>That's where I shop and there just isn't anything else. So what are you
>>saying?
>>
>
> There is a lot more, if you look around.

Oh I see. Gee, why haven't I ever done that? I guess they are all just
hiding out someplace.

>
>>Sprouts is very expensive, yes, but I don't buy produce from them or much
>>else. Very disappointed in that store.
>
> Sprouts has been very reasonable for me. I can consistently find
> decent produce in those stores, for much less than you have been
> quoting.

Like I said, you must have an awful lot of free time and free gas.

> Here is their ad for this week:
> http://www.sprouts.com/flyer/view_fl...an+Ave.+%23205
>
> I notice that they have leaf lettuce there for $0.69 each. Much
> cheaper than the prices you have been quoting.

You are quoting "sale" items. Sale items. My stores have sales too. I am
sure one right now is having one on something cheaper than the closest one I
go to.

>>
>>> I know this, cause I am here right now...in the Los Angeles area. I
>>> read the ads...and I shop a variety of stores to find good prices. And
>>> I also shop the farmers markets.
>
>>
>>I never said you can't get bargains, I get butter at TJs for 2.69 a pound
>>and it is over 5 bucks at most stores. But I can't spend my life, and few
>>can, driving all over creation to find the best deals on loss leaders.
>>Most
>>people don't have your free time.
>>
>>Paul
>>
>
> I don't have a lot of free time.
> But if you do look around,you can find bargains, wherever you are.

Most people do not have that luxury. But you'd know all about that seeing
as how you're here for a vist on the ticket of some company you work for.

Paul

"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:17:49 GMT, "Paul M. Cook" >
> wrote:
>
>>I see, so you're dispelling the myth of food inflation. There's always
>>one.
>>
>>Vons
>>Stater Brothers
>>Albertsons
>>Ralphs
>>
>>That's where I shop and there just isn't anything else. So what are you
>>saying?
>>
> Where do you live?
>
> There are Henry's too. I shopped there yesterday, and got some great
> deals.
> http://www.henrysmarkets.com/app/henrys/index.php

OK, so I drive 9.2 miles to get there, spend 30 minutes shopping, then I
drive another 18 miles to TJs, shop there, then I drive the 10 miles to my
Vons, shop there, then I drive the 6 miles to the Ralphs, then back 12 miles
to Stater Brothers. Total time spent, 6-8 hours, gas used, 5-6 gallons city
driving. 20 bucks in gas easy.

And all just to catch the sale items to "save" a few bucks? Yeah, sure.

Keep posting weekend sale prices. We are talking food prices overall.

Paul

"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:26:43 GMT, "Paul M. Cook" >
> wrote:
>
>
>>You want an eye opener, do this: get on the 91 freeway and drive to
>>anyplace
>>in Orange county or Take the 57 up to my neck of the woods and then pop
>>into
>>a few of the local markets.
>>
>>Paul
>>
>
> I have before. There are still bargains up there. 99 Ranch for
> one...have you checked out their stores?
>
> Sorry, Paul. I tend to shop all over, and I do get to see what prices
> are available in other areas of this big metro area. If you want to
> limit yourself to those stores, go ahead. But there are more out
> there, that are worth checking out, even not that far from you.

I'll send a copy of this to the WTO that is saying worldwide food prices are
climbing at a 300% rate and threaten the stability of the world economy.

Paul

Miche > wrote in
:

>> huh? if she wasn't too busy/lazy to cut carrots & lettuce
>> she
>> could have saved herself about $8.
>
> She may have had arthritis or some other medical condition
> that made it hard to hold a knife or cut things.

notice that 'lazy' is listed second? yes, precut/sliced
veggies are helpful to many people... and then there is the
lazy factor, too. not a judgement, just a fact. after all i
buy sliced pepperoni at the deli instead of slicing it myself.
lee
--
Last night while sitting in my chair
I pinged a host that wasn't there
It wasn't there again today
The host resolved to NSA.

"Nancy Young" > wrote in message
. ..
>
> "enigma" > wrote
>
>> "Paul M. Cook" > wrote
>
>>> Went up to the market and the woman in front of me was
>>> buying a bag of pre-chopped iceberg lettuce, a large bag of
>>> baby carrots and a small bunch of bananas. Her tab was
>>> $10.49. I was shocked to see the total. I think it may be
>>> time we rioted in the streets.
>>
>> huh? if she wasn't too busy/lazy to cut carrots & lettuce she
>> could have saved herself about $8.
>
> I buy those bags of romaine hearts, I know they run to $3-4, maybe
> a little more, but they make 3 nice salads, lettuce-wise, and I don't
> wind up throwing out half the head. Iceberg lettuce has very little
> waste and buying it cut up is a concept lost on me.
>
> I am not one of those who think iceberg is flavorless, but that's
> another thread.
>
> The carrots, I really don't like those 'baby' carrots, I surely
> don't care to use them in a tossed salad. I mean, if nothing
> else I'd cut them up, so what purpose having them processed
> like that first.
>
> Bananas continue to be remarkably cheap, in my opinion.
> Usually about 69 cents per pound, and 2 or 3 dollars buys
> a bunch that lasts me a week. While I'm not crazy about them,
> either, eating one is very good for my digestion and for my foot
> cramps. What is not to like.
>
> nancy

Here the romane hearts are sold two for 1.47, up from 1.27 last fall. I
get 3 lbs. of carrots for 99 cents most of the time, but last week they were
1.29...still cheap.
Sharon

On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 08:45:42 -0500, Becca >
fired up random neurons and synapses to opine:

>You make a good point about buying the mix of greens to make a salad, so
>I buy the premixed organic salad from Sam's Club.
>
>http://www.ebfarm.com/Products/Salad/index.aspx

Ever since the e coli contamination a couple of years ago in Dole
salad mixes, I've sworn off packaged salad greens. According to
snopes.com, even rinsing the greens at home wouldn't work if you got a
bad batch b/c the e coli has worked its way *into* the leaves "rather
than sitting upon them."

http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/salad.asp

And this is Epicurious' take on it:

http://www.epicurious.com/articlesgu...alad-gree.html

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd
--
"If the soup had been as hot as the claret, if the claret had been as
old as the bird, and if the bird's breasts had been as full as the
waitress's, it would have been a very good dinner."

-- Duncan Hines

To reply, replace "meatloaf" with "cox"

"Paul M. Cook" wrote:

> Went up to the market and the woman in front of me was buying a bag of
> pre-chopped iceberg lettuce, a large bag of baby carrots and a small bunch
> of bananas. Her tab was $10.49. I was shocked to see the total. I think
> it may be time we rioted in the streets.

That may be a little extreme, but I have noticed that my grocery bill seems to
be climbing dramatically.

"Dave Smith" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Paul M. Cook" wrote:
>
>> Went up to the market and the woman in front of me was buying a bag of
>> pre-chopped iceberg lettuce, a large bag of baby carrots and a small
>> bunch
>> of bananas. Her tab was $10.49. I was shocked to see the total. I
>> think
>> it may be time we rioted in the streets.
>
> That may be a little extreme, but I have noticed that my grocery bill
> seems to
> be climbing dramatically.

My sister shops just for herself and is hardly a big eater. We were
discussing this recently and she says she now spends 200 bucks a week and
she lives near Sacramento which is surrounded by farms. I am actually now
buying prepared foods for the first time ever because they tend to be on
sale often and they shove coupons for the stuff in my mailbox. I have
bought fresh almost my whole adult life as I hate prepared foods. I bought
a whole box of frozen fried chicken for less than I could have made it
fresh. It sucked, but it was cheap.

Paul

On 2008-04-13, Paul M. Cook > wrote:

> My sister shops just for herself and is hardly a big eater. We were
> discussing this recently and she says she now spends 200 bucks a week.....

She's damn sure eating SOMETHING!! That's $800 month! Two of us spend $200
month and I'm starting to gain weight.

nb

On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 23:09:35 GMT, notbob > wrote:

>On 2008-04-13, Paul M. Cook > wrote:
>
>> My sister shops just for herself and is hardly a big eater. We were
>> discussing this recently and she says she now spends 200 bucks a week.....
>
>She's damn sure eating SOMETHING!! That's $800 month! Two of us spend $200
>month and I'm starting to gain weight.
>
>nb

I regularly spend much less than that for the whole month!! Her
weekly food budget is more than my monthly one!! And no, I don't make
up for it in gas expenditures...I regularly spend about $30/week on
gas. I just make sure to plot out my driving routes...LOL.

I could never spend that much money in the Sacramento area! I know
that area well..as I lived there for several years. Well, I suppose
one could,if they shopped at Whole Foods for the most part.
Yes, there are farms all around, and wonderful farmers markets in that
town. And it is possible to eat well, for much less, and not much
driving around.

Again,it does pay to be a careful shopper. And it DOES pay to shop
the sales, and not pay full price for everything. And it again DOES
pay to go outside the regular supermarkets and shop the more ethnic
markets. That is where the real savings are.

But I guess many folks prefer to not go outside what they know.....and
that often means they only know the usual supermarkets and their high
prices.

And even if one shops exclusively at the regular supermarkets,it pays
to pull up the ads and see what is available at what markets. It
doesn't mean one has to drive all over town to get bargains. If one
regularly goes to several supermarkets, turn that into a circular
trip, along with all the other errands, and get the sale items at the
various markets. If well thought out, it cost no more gas than one
usually expends. Not much more time, either.

Christine

"notbob" > wrote in message
...
> On 2008-04-13, Paul M. Cook > wrote:
>
>> My sister shops just for herself and is hardly a big eater. We were
>> discussing this recently and she says she now spends 200 bucks a
>> week.....
>
> She's damn sure eating SOMETHING!! That's $800 month! Two of us spend
> $200
> month and I'm starting to gain weight.
>

It just shows the disparity. I bought a head of califlower on Friday, it
was 4 bucks. And I ate the whole thing. I believe the average family of
four spends almost 1K a month and that is nationwide. Here is a little
secret, when they discuss consumer spending and inflationary figures the
omit fuel and food.

Paul

On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 23:25:02 GMT, "Paul M. Cook" >
wrote:

>It just shows the disparity. I bought a head of califlower on Friday, it
>was 4 bucks. And I ate the whole thing. I believe the average family of
>four spends almost 1K a month and that is nationwide. Here is a little
>secret, when they discuss consumer spending and inflationary figures the
>omit fuel and food.
>
>Paul
>

I bought a head of cauliflower for $1.25 this week. That was at
Sprouts, I believe. It was on the way home from work, so I didn't
make a special trip for it.

Even at the farmers markets this week,they were about $2/head.

Christine

"Sheldon" > wrote in message
...
"kilikini" wrote:
> Sheldon wrote:
> > Sereney-pie wrote:
>
> >> Hell, it's hard to find even cheap ground beef at less than $5 a
> >> pound
>
> > I ain't gonna say it.
>
> I knew you were going to go there. �LOL.

I get premium ground beef, fresh ground that minute right before my
very eyes, all I want at $1.99/lb.

The *only* reason food prices are getting "idiculous" is because
people have become "idiculously" lazy... they can't even tear
themselves away from their mental masturbation long enough to tear up
a head of lettuce, you expect them to grind their own meat.

They can't buy a meat grinder but they sure can find hundreds of
dollars to buy fancy schmancy top of the line food processors, which
are mostly for show... they eat mostly at fast food joints.. what the
frig is a Happy Meal? Last time I ate fast food has to be more than
thirty years ago... a burger was 19 cents, so was Der Wienrschnitzel
19 cents... and they charged extra for mustard packets (2 cents each),
which I thought was a riot, I'll never forget. It was way back then
and I still think Der Wienerschnitzel is what Californian's think is
their premier restaurant... a lotta Texans have TIAD too. LOL
http://www.wienerschnitzel.com/locations.php


Goog lord man, there you go talking the truth again. Wazza-matter-witt-youz.
Don't you know people aren't interested in saving money, they just want to
bitch and moan.

Here's another brain surgeon from Los Angeles.

regards,

Dimitri


http://www.dailynews.com/ci_8884352

Lawmaker urges 25-cent fee for plastic grocery bags
By Troy Anderson, Staff Writer

Article Last Updated: 04/10/2008 10:13:52 PM PDT


California would have the nation's toughest plastic-bag law - requiring all
large grocery stores and pharmacies to charge customers 25cents per bag -
under a bill sponsored and endorsed Thursday by Los Angeles County
government.

AB 2829, authored by Assemblyman Mike Davis, D-Los Angeles, would mark the
most aggressive action by any state to curb the use of plastic bags and
limit their impact on the ocean, wildlife and environment.

"This statewide fee would be the toughest statewide policy we've seen to
date," said Kirsten James, water quality director at Heal the Bay.
"We've seen a lot of momentum on plastic bags. Communities are starting to
realize it is a big problem. Economically, cities are spending millions of
dollars to clean up litter such as plastic bags."

The bill would amend a state law, AB 2449, that currently forbids cities and
counties from imposing fees for carryout bags.

The money raised by the fee would be used by local governments for litter
prevention and reduction efforts.

But Keith Christman, senior director of packaging for Progressive Bag
Affiliates of the American Chemistry Council, said state lawmakers should
wait to see how the current state law - which calls for plastic-bag
recycling - works out before passing another bill.

"I don't think the public will pay 25 cents a bag," Christman said. "Grocery
stores will start handing out paper bags. They will go back to paper bags.
Paper bags require 40 (percent to) 70 percent more energy, double
greenhouse-gas emissions, increase waste by 80 percent and dramatically
increase water use."

The Assembly Natural Resource Committee will vote Monday on the bill.

The bill comes as environmental groups have argued that plastic bags
endanger wildlife, pollute waterways, exacerbate neighborhood blight and
generate thousands of tons of unnecessary waste.

In January, the Board of Supervisors voted to require large grocery stores
and retail stores in unincorporated areas to significantly reduce the use of
plastic bags or face a ban in 2013.

But after the supervisors approved the plan, some board members expressed
concern about how many businesses in unincorporated areas would actually be
affected and directed officials to draft a list.

County officials plan to present the list to the supervisors in June.

"The distribution of plastic bags has created a hidden cost on residents,"
Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke said. "They not only pay for plastic bags in the
price of their commodities, but their tax dollars fund litter-prevention
and -abatement efforts.

"It's our poorest communities that are most negatively impacted by the high
amount of plastic-bag blight."
Each year, Californians use more than 19 billion plastic bags, including 6
billion in Los Angeles County.

Taxpayers spend more than $25 million to collect and dispose of them. While
the bags are recyclable, less than 5percent are actually recycled. Most end
up in landfills, clogging waterways or blowing in the streets.

State legislation passed last year requires retailers to sell reusable totes
at store entrances to encourage people to reduce the use of both plastic and
paper bags.

213-974-8985

"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 23:09:35 GMT, notbob > wrote:
>
>>On 2008-04-13, Paul M. Cook > wrote:
>>
>>> My sister shops just for herself and is hardly a big eater. We were
>>> discussing this recently and she says she now spends 200 bucks a
>>> week.....
>>
>>She's damn sure eating SOMETHING!! That's $800 month! Two of us spend
>>$200
>>month and I'm starting to gain weight.
>>
>>nb
>
> I regularly spend much less than that for the whole month!! Her
> weekly food budget is more than my monthly one!! And no, I don't make
> up for it in gas expenditures...I regularly spend about $30/week on
> gas. I just make sure to plot out my driving routes...LOL.
>

30 a week on gas? That's what, 8 gallons? Holy cow, most people spend that
in 1 day in SoCal. Doesn't leave a lot left over in the budget for many
people either.

> I could never spend that much money in the Sacramento area! I know
> that area well..as I lived there for several years. Well, I suppose
> one could,if they shopped at Whole Foods for the most part.
> Yes, there are farms all around, and wonderful farmers markets in that
> town. And it is possible to eat well, for much less, and not much
> driving around.

Again, good on you Christine. But bear in mind California gets hit the
hardest the quickest by cost increases. And the rest of the country always
catches up.

> Again,it does pay to be a careful shopper. And it DOES pay to shop
> the sales, and not pay full price for everything. And it again DOES
> pay to go outside the regular supermarkets and shop the more ethnic
> markets. That is where the real savings are.

Also pays to just quit eating. I take it you don't work much?

>
> But I guess many folks prefer to not go outside what they know.....and
> that often means they only know the usual supermarkets and their high
> prices.

For many of us that is all we have. In case you haven't noticed we're
pretty spread out down here.

> And even if one shops exclusively at the regular supermarkets,it pays
> to pull up the ads and see what is available at what markets. It
> doesn't mean one has to drive all over town to get bargains. If one
> regularly goes to several supermarkets, turn that into a circular
> trip, along with all the other errands, and get the sale items at the
> various markets. If well thought out, it cost no more gas than one
> usually expends. Not much more time, either.

What has been lost in your diatribe about the nobility of being a good
shopper is that food prices are going through the roof. I would imagine
that in a short while that will effect the sales prices you listed. Fewer,
farther in between, and less of a bargain.

This is not a discussion about your personal virtues, the issue is that food
prices are creating a huge burden on people.

Paul

"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 23:25:02 GMT, "Paul M. Cook" >
> wrote:
>
>>It just shows the disparity. I bought a head of califlower on Friday, it
>>was 4 bucks. And I ate the whole thing. I believe the average family of
>>four spends almost 1K a month and that is nationwide. Here is a little
>>secret, when they discuss consumer spending and inflationary figures the
>>omit fuel and food.
>>
>>Paul
>>
>
> I bought a head of cauliflower for $1.25 this week. That was at
> Sprouts, I believe. It was on the way home from work, so I didn't
> make a special trip for it.
>
> Even at the farmers markets this week,they were about $2/head.

1.99 a pound here. Last year they were 2.50 a pound during the growing
season no less.

Paul