I have decided to run a new monthly feature, and it's going to be called "Shopping with Sidewalker". And I'm going to need your help as you will see later. Right now there is a battle raging in academia about whether we are entering a deflationary death spiral or are we on the threshold of hyperinflation? The deflationists cite the falling price of cars and housing, of which I may buy one every five years and maybe one a decade respectively! (I buy groceries once or sometimes twice a week, as I'm sure you do to.) The Inflationistas cite the money printing initiatives of the Federal Reserve to stabilize our economy. One thing is for sure these academics sitting in their ivory tower crunching numbers must never go grocery shopping, because us common folk know that is the true inflation litmus test. I have decided to put together a monthly shopping list of twenty everyday products and together we can watch my total spent for any signs of deflation/inflation. Now all I have to do is build that list. Below is my provisional list, and this is where I need your help. Is it suitably balanced, can you suggest any changes to be made to it? All input is welcome as always. Leave any suggestions in the comments section at the bottom of the post.
1. Half Gallon of store brand 2% Milk
2. 1lb Land O' Lakes unsalted butter
3. 1 dozen Eggland's Best large grade 'A' eggs
4. 10z Kraft Cracker Barrel Sharp Cheddar
5. 1 Can of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup
6. 2 Liter bottle of Coca-Cola
7. 5lb Perdue Oven Stuffer whole roaster chicken
8. 12 pack of Charmin Ultra Strong toilet paper
9. 1 loaf of Wonder Bread Classic White
10. 2.5 Gallons of Poland Spring drinking water
11. 6.4oz. Starkist Chunk Light Tuna in water
12. 1lb of 80% lean mince meat
13. 5.6oz. Aquafresh toothpaste
14. 4 pack Bounty White kitchen paper towels
I have left six slots open for suggestions from you. I know I need some fresh produce I'm just trying to figure out what to go with, and maybe some pasta or rice too. The final list will be revealed on Friday as I will be doing this "shop" on the 15th of every month, or the weekday closest to the 15th.
-Luke Sidewalker
-Current balance $16.22
10 comments:
Oh, I think a must have (at least in my house, lol!) is coffee!
Other suggestions:
laundry soap
cooking oil
orange juice
dry cereal
packaged cookies (hey, we have to have treats once in a while!)
Things you might not need, but are good indicators of the economy:
baby formula
pet food
Not to be held to any promises you could make the list broader in scope. Example:
1. milk
2. bread
3. eggs
4. meat (incl. chicken and fish)
5. veggies
6. fruit
7. pasta
8. butter/oleo
9. soups
10. cheese
11. toilet paper
12. paper towels
13. soda pop
14. snacks
15. water
and on to the monthly purchases
16. cooking oil
17. spices
18. health and beauty (toothpaste deodorant soap etc)
19. feminine items
20. coffee
Economic students call this a "price index", something that I must admit has recently fallen off the face of the earth (or at least, I have not heard about it in the news lately).
For me, my "basket" includes cat food which has soared to new levels; my cats are becoming as expensive as children.
I'm trying to think of some others...
shampoo
tissues
ice cream
apples
potatoes
spaghetti sauce
peanut butter
crackers
Thanks all for the input. I swung by the supermarket today for some inspiration. With your suggestions in mind I'm close to finalizing my list, but your ideas are still welcome. I'm going to eliminate one of my paper products, and review my dairy selections.
-Luke Sidewalker
Hi! What about vegetables? Fresh produce is relatively inexpensive - and you have to include some type of fruit too for your list I think. Nice blog! Enjoyed reading!
I thought of suggesting veggies or fruits, too, but their price varies a lot according to seasonal issues. Asparagus is plentiful and cheaper in the spring, hard to find and more expensive in the winter.
As for the produce I would suggest maybe grape tomatoes and/or bagged salad as they are easier to track and stay consistent.
Also, coffee and sugar. I was watching the news where they were saying the price of sugar was going up as manufacturers were complaining that they cannot import it.
Sugar. I forgot sugar! good point Yoly. I'm also going to work coffee in. I'm going to drop the Bounty because I have the toilet paper in there, and I'm going to reassess my dairy products.
Thanks all,
-Luke Sidewalker
Glad I could help. Can't wait to see the list that you'll come up with.
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