The other day I went to the store to get a few things and I found myself paying extra close attention the the prices. As I actually begin realizing what some of the prices are I began to ask myself how do people manage to maintain and survive when the price of one of the most basic things everyone needs, food, is so high. Not to mention how do you stay healthy and eat healthy when those are the foods that cost the most money. There is so much talk out there about staying healthy, exercising, and doing what is needed to take care of our bodies but it can be hard to do.
Back to the grocery prices. One of the prices that caught my attention were the packs of lunch meat. We usually buy this large pack of thinly sliced lunch meat in our house, and I remember back in the day when it used to be $2.99 and now the price is $4.69. Capri Suns; which my son takes in his lunches and all the kids drink at home during snacks, is now anywhere from $1.25-$2.25, depending on where you buy them. Milk is another item whose prices has risen. I remember when it was around $2.99, and now it's anywhere from $3.69-$4.00 (again depending on where you shop). And let's not even talk about fresh fruits and vegetables. Our kids love to eat apple slices and bananas and I love giving it to them but the apples in particular cost so much by the pound now. Bananas are OK price wise, but apples is what all of them really love. And my husband and I like to eat salads; which is one of the few veggies the kids will also eat, but look at the price of lettuce.
Now I understand that the cost of living does rise, and the cost of making things does rise, but if prices continue to rise then people will buy less groceries. If people buy fewer groceries then supermarkets will begin to loose money. If they begin to loose money then they will buy less product and potentially have to lay off workers or cut back on hours. This gives people less money to spend. If people have less money to spend then they stop shopping for pleasure and don't go out as often as they might like. If that happens then all other industries will start to loose money and eventually may have to lay people off. And the cycle continues.
Where does it all end? When will we be able to go into a grocery store again and buy the foods we not only need, but maybe even a few of the things that we want as well. When will we all be able to walk into a grocery store and buy as many fresh products and healthy foods that we desire so we can not only eat better to have better quality of life, but have better tasting food too. The next time you are in the grocery store take a closer look at prices and I encourage you to think about that and then think about what you can do to help others who may be experiencing some kind of food dilemma. You may not be able to buy what you want, but if you can buy what you need then you are in a good place. No matter how bad you think you have it, with respect to food or other matters, there is always someone who has it worst. Think of it like this, having some food is better than having no food at all. And that is a fact!!
