July 29, 2017

Did They Think We Wouldn't Notice?

Quick! Without looking, how many ounces in a can of tuna fish? (Answer at the end of the post.)

And how about these?




And still the same price! LOL. Of course the "gourmet" is going to cost more per ounce, although I don't notice that much difference in flavor.

Here's the answer to the tuna can question.


That's kinda hard to see, so here's a close-up.


And here's a "vintage" can.


I realize this isn't "new" news, but I often wonder how far they're willing to shrink things before folks simply stop buying. Or maybe they think we don't notice. Or maybe they think we're all rolling in dough and willing to pay whatever they want.

I do have bottom line prices for things I buy (or maybe it's top line) and if the price is above that, I don't get it. I've noticed in the grocery stores that the lowest priced choice of similar products is often where the shelf is empty. I've also noticed that stores carry less variety than they used to. And the last time I was in Walmart (not my favorite place to shop) I realized that they'd shortened the aisles of shelves; I assume because they have less on them. Yet the News always reports that our economy is doing well. If that's really true, then I can't help but wonder, "well" for whom?

They give a lot of reasons for rising prices, we've all heard them, but the real problem in the white elephant in the room, the thing no one will acknowledge and for which legislation would be impossible, i.e. the insatiable appetite for greater and greater profits. When top executives require top salaries, there are investors to pay dividends to, and "success" is measured by so-called economic growth, then prices, fees, and taxes can only go up while wages, jobs, product sizes, and quality go down. What is unfathomable, is that those playing this game seem to think that it can go on forever, that an economy can have eternal growth, eternal life.

The other day I was researching the Obamacare penalty, to find out what we'd have to pay this year. It will be the same as last year, but it will be "adjusted for inflation." You know that adjustment won't be in favor of the little people, those of us who can no longer afford health care and yet must still struggle to pay this penalty. (We didn't give up air conditioning to save the earth!)

Guaranteeing profits for the health insurance business was a huge mistake; it only fed the white elephant. Yet politicians are too busy playing a childish game of King-of-the-Hill to notice what's really going on. Or to care. Both parties are guilty, but it keeps the American people distracted and divided, so that most folks likely don't even realize there is a white elephant, and politicians can continue playing their game and collecting tax dollars to play it. Marx got it wrong, religion isn't the opiate of the masses, politics is.

I usually try to be encouraging in my blog posts, but the truth is that I have no hope for this country. We insist upon a glutinous, wasteful lifestyle, and while many recognize this, we think the answer is simply opining about it on talk shows or pointing the finger. Yet how many are willing to do whatever it takes to extract themselves from it?

For those who've been paying attention, this is not new news either. So I'll just leave it at that and move on to my more typical homestead posting next time. Just maybe, by being encouraging I can motivate readers to make lifestyle changes that will serve as lifeboats on a sinking ship.

56 comments:

Michelle said...

It would be a mistake to place our hope in ANYthing in this world – country, government . . . even our own resourcefulness, as important as it is to exercise it. "Occupy until I come." I appreciate your usual encouraging posts and your "reality bites" posts, too. Have a great weekend!

Melodye said...

My biggest pet peeve is the 4 pound bag of sugar!!!!! Who's not going to buy sugar? The profit at any cost mentality contributes to capitalism run amok. We're facing the end of our country as we knew it.

Leigh said...

Michelle, you are absolutely correct about where we place our hope. Unfortunately, too many people have their faith in their investments and 401Ks. If the system tanks, those will too.

Thank you for your encouragement! It blesses my soul. :)

Melodye, I hear you! But I would say that the profit at any cost mentality contributes to keeping those in power, in power. That's true of capitalism, socialism, communism, i.e. any system that's based on the manufacturing / consumer model. None of them offer true equality. They sound good in theory, but in reality the folks at the top always get the most. The real problem (in terms of "isms") is industrialism, because it has created an economy that forces people to become and remain dependent on it. If folks have no where else to buy food than at the grocery store, then they are trapped. The only model to set people free is agrarianism. A land-based economy is the only one that enables people to be truly free by providing for themselves. If we all had access to land (without exorbitant prices and mortgages), then we could be free to prosper as individuals, as a nation, as a world.

Mama Pea said...

I have no simple answers as to why it happened, but our society is made up of people who feel "entitled" and aren't willing to do what needs to be done to turn things around before we crash and burn. Few want to sacrifice in any way; i.e., refuse to purchase (and do without) those falsely disguised, over-priced items or expend sweat and energy in growing their own food or forego having that new SUV. Those at the top don't give a rip for the little guy. Unfortunately, they are so entrenched in their greed for power and money that they hold no concern for humanity.

An excellent post, Leigh. You are able to articulate so well perhaps posts like this will cause others to think. Of course, the unfortunate fact is that readers of yours already know of what you're speaking and feel the same way. Thanks for writing about this.

Nan said...

Hi Leigh, I was wondering if you've ever heard of a healthshare.It's not insurance but people sharing there medical costs.The monthly share is affordable and you don't have the obomacare penalty,plus you can have access to health-care if need be.We switched 2 years ago and it's great.Here's a link if you want to check it out.
https://www.libertyhealthshare.org

Cozy Thyme Cottage said...

I have noticed this for quite some time now. Our hope is in the Lord. Nancy

Dani said...

RMan is a chocaholic, and he, too, has noticed that the price of his favrouite chocolate bar(s) has gone up, whilst the weight of the bar has reduced...

Leigh said...

Mama Pea, I agree with your assessment of things. It's a little sad to think of what will happen to those folks when the whole thing falls apart. Folks think they can bring change by either vote or revolt, but nothing really changes. History has taught us that.

Nan, thanks for the link. It looks like a good program but the Obamacare penalty is still more affordable for us, especially with Dan heading into another pay decrease next month.

Nancy, I so agree. Without the Lord I would feel completely hopeless. As it is, I know that this is not my home and that there is a city not made by hands that awaits us. It just can't come soon enough for me.

Leigh said...

Dani, I was still writing my comments reply while you were leaving yours. Messing with chocolate is absolutely sinful! ;) Sure wish there was a way we could grow our own.

Florida Farm Girl said...

My latest disgust moment was when I bought toilet paper a few weeks back. The center cardboard roll was probably close to a half inch larger in diameter than before. Again, didn't they think anybody would notice? I made sure to look for the standard sized roll the other day when I bought it. Irks me to no end when they do that. Trying to avoid products that have been downsized is near impossible. Have you taken a look at graham crackers lately? Sheesh.

Ed said...

We cook a lot from old recipes and that is where I notice the downsizing most often. They call for a 6 oz can of tuna leaving me to figure out whether I want to use a can and a half, double the recipe or just have extra ingredients.

I'm a bit more optimistic about our future I guess. There are several times in the past when our country lived relatively high on the hog followed by dark periods that caused profound change. The roaring twenties followed by the Great Depression come to mind. The problem is that we haven't had a generational depression to make major change. The last depression only lasted a few years and wasn't long enough to cause enough pain that it will be remembered in the future. I grew up during the farm crisis that lasted most of the 80's so it was a generational change for me but for the most part, those outside of the farm didn't experience the pain first hand and thus didn't change.

Meanie said...

Oh my, you have brought up many interesting issues through your post!
Yes, as the person who grocery shops for the family, I have noticed the marketing ploys over the years to squeak out extra profit. Publicly owned companies must answer to quarterly reports on profitability (for stock holders & to earn bonuses), short term thinking going on here.
Leigh you mentioned, "If we all had access to land (without exorbitant prices and mortgages), then we could be free to prosper as individuals, as a nation, as a world." I would like to add TAXES AND REGULATIONS to that equation!
And, if I may, add INFLATION is the true culprit of what we are experiencing here, our currency is simply not worth what it was sixty years ago...five years ago!
My husband lost his job in 2015- Cobra was $1000 a month, so, we decided to go without insurance and take the Obamacare penalty because it was "cheaper"! Medical care and insurance-- maybe someone with more "experience" can chime in-- Did our parents have to worry about medical insurance? Didn't you just pay the doctor or hospital directly? I am sensing a rant coming on!;-) :-)
We are just living to live life here...feeling pinched economically and liberty-wise and more and more each year.
Interesting times we are living in!
Thanks for the post Leigh--

Kathy said...

Leigh, by "being the change you want to see" you ARE encouraging others to make changes. No change goes without ripple effects. Keep up the good work. Think positively. Put out good energy and good will come back to you. None of us have control over others, only ourselves. :-)

deb harvey said...

miracle whip, in a few years from 89 cents for 32 oz. to 3.99 for 30oz.
dried beans from 30 to 50 cents per pound now up to 1$+ per pound
i doubt the farmers are getting rich from the increases.
if every crook died overnight there would be hundreds more fighting to take their places.
it is a sin sick world and we are a sin sick nation receiving its just desserts from God.
if you throw off the Hand of Protection you will be unprotected.
when i read about homesteaders' efforts i think how easily and speedily the jackbooted thugs will steal everything.
i know a lady whose grandfather got his family through josef stalin's false famine in ukraine.
he saw the writing on the wall and cached secret troves of foods.
his children came here as soon as they could.
now their grandchildren may be looking the new stalins in the face.
with technology it will be hard to hide caches of any kind.
only God can help us.
daughter says that a fall of the usa may end up being good in the long run, bring people to their senses.
myself, i see the prophecies are possible to be fulfilled in our day with such things as the mark of the beast. people are at the point of accepting to be microchipped as a pet is tagged.
the prophets described perfectly the effects of nuclear bombing ,although they did not know what they were seeing. but we do know and the ability for prophecy to be fulfilled is here now.
i do warn you there will be earthquakes which will eclipse any we have seen in our lifetimes. keep your ears open to God about these things.

since the beast's mark will govern buying and selling there is no sense clinging to a 401k or other financial device.
keep praying.

Mrs Shoes said...

This sounds petty in light of the actual seriousness of the topic, but we bought chocolate bars as treats for ourselves the other day. The reese's pb cups were now 3 in a package and the packaging was enormous - sadly, we were not surprised (but very disappointed) to shake out 3 cups the size of a 50 cent coin when we remember they used to be nearly 3 times bigger.

Leigh said...

Sue, oh no, not the toilet paper too! Maybe it's time to start making those "family cloths" folks talk about. It is annoying, in the extreme.

Ed, I certainly hope your optimism wins out over my pessimism. I remember my grandmother telling me that her father-in-law lost everything during the great depression. She said he never got over it. I remember in school they told us it could never happen again, but who could have predicted the changes in the way we live? We are rapidly moving toward a digital economy and more people are urbanized than ever before. Pretty scary to think the whole thing--from economics to agriculture--is in the hands of so few people.

Meanie, good point. More than one person has lost their land to exorbitant taxes. I'm guessing inflation is more a symptom of the industrialized economic system and that if we had a land-based economy that might not be as great a problem. Of course, greed is always a problem and it doesn't take much of it to undermine a good system.

Kathy, thank you! Very true that none of us truly has control over anything but our actions and attitudes. Doing what we're doing and writing about it is something I can put some positive energy into, and feel good about it.

Deborah, I so agree with you, and confess that sometimes I think our efforts are in vain because we have no guarantees of anything. I've seen how easy it is to take land away from someone. The government simply declares it condemned and you have to take what they offer or else get thrown off your land with nothing. And when I look at the prophesied biblical plagues in the future, I realize that it will only be by the grace of God that anyone will have anything, including their lives.

Mrs. Shoes, well, it just hits us left and right and is ongoing on top of that. Those are the kind of disappointments I'm talking about, the kind that cause me to stop buying. So many things just don't seem worth the price anymore.

jewlz said...

Leigh, I'm sorry to see you're having a period of doubts & dispirited-ness. I have a wee bit of hope that more people will come to see that the real two parties in our political system are corporate owned shills who legislate for their special interests' benefit, and ??? I can only hope there is another side.
What you say about prices going up and quantity going down, and our basic insecure positions in this society are true, of course. But that is nothing new, we've always been at the mercy of the taxman and legislators etc... Our only real security lies outside of any man made system, and you've long known that. O well. dark thoughts are necessary to create light, I suppose.
j

Rain said...

You know Leigh, I have little hope myself and I think we have more possibility of hope here in Canada (just my opinion). When we moved to this little village we saw how badly things could be. There is no law enforcement here. People get away with everything and if you call the cops, it takes a good 30 minutes for them to arrive. The law-breakers know this.

Also, you know I've been b*tching about the quality of things and prices for a while now...it's really unbelievable to see things decline so quickly. I remember when bricks of cheese were 750g and DELICIOUS. A Cheddar tasted like a Cheddar. Now they sell them 450g for double the price and they taste like plastic. This encouraged me to start the cheese making to be honest. And I've also found that there is no point complaining. Sure, returns are easy as pie now, companies with "hassle-free" refunds and returns...that doesn't make up for the sh*tty quality of everything that is for sale now. I know how you feel, it's disturbing.

You also know that in a few years, Alex and I will basically become as reclusive as we can and move into the full self-sufficient lifestyle...well, as much as we are capable, always learning and moving ahead. Home protection will be on that agenda as well. The world is moving towards something where I just don't belong and I'm happy to move further away from it all.

Rain said...

...I won't even go into the health care/medical fiasco here.

Judy said...

Here's how I'm beating the TP issue. I only use it for BMs. I use old wash cloths/family wipes for urinating. Most women go through a lot of TP drying themselves. After using the cloths I hang them on the side of my dirty clothes hamper to dry so there is no mistaking them for a fresh one. So instead of a roll a day it's a roll a week or there about. A positive side note: I actually feel cleaner after using an old wash cloth as opposed to TP.

Leigh said...

Rain, we've really noticed a decline in food quality and taste too. We used to eat at Subway if we happened to be away from home for lunch, because it offered healthier fast food for a decent price. The last time we ate there, we were both surprised at how disappointingly tasteless it was. You are doing well to be learning some useful skills before you and Alex get your own place. They will serve you well.

Some folks here want to go to a single-payer health care system, but I have email acquaintances in both Canada and England who say health care under such a system is a disaster in terms of quality and availability. But - folks with a political agenda rarely look at facts, they just push to get the other side's goat. Sad, isn't it?

Judy, that's a great idea! Sounds like a very doable transition.

Sunnybrook Farm said...

They are selling 380 cup cans of walmart coffee here, they look huge compared to the tiny name brand ones but of course they probably have coffee flavored sawdust in them, I will see what happens.

M.K. said...

I agree, and not just about the food sizes ... grr! I also see the insurance companies as the white elephant, or perhaps as the ravenous wolf, that consumes and consumes, and gives nothing back to the people. How I wish we could take out all the "middle men," esp. those companies. Healthcare costs are killing us. I wish the nation would live a simpler life, but those politicians in DC all have their heads in a whirlwind spin of power and re-election. They're not thinking about us.

Leigh said...

Sunnybrook, I don't actually buy Folgers anymore. Those are just containers I use for feed scoops and storage. What I have started doing, is mixing Maxwell House (cheaper than Folgers) with Aldi coffee. Aldi's by itself isn't quite as good, but mixed it makes an excellent stretcher. I'll be curious as to what you think of the Walmart brand!

M.K. I agree about insurance companies. They raise the cost of health care tremendously because they have salaries to pay, overhead costs, and of course profits to gain. And of course doctors have to pay extra staff just to handle insurance claims, so their costs are higher. My daughter's doctor refuses to accept insurance and his office visits are very reasonable. His reason is because he doesn't want the insurance companies to dictate medical care, which they do. He says he's the one with the education, training, and medical license, not the insurance adjuster. Yet they determine what doctors are allowed to do (or not do). I have to respect him a lot for that.

wyomingheart said...

You are right Leigh about everything. I have no doubt that if our great congress were left to search for healthcare in the same realm that we are forced into, things would definitely be resolved in a flash! I would like to think that someone will figure that out before its too late, but I must tell you that my hope is fading. I appreciate you and the life you share with all of us. As I prepare for the worst and pray for the best I will still be ever mindful and watching intently.
Thanks for what you do.

Michelle said...

Leigh, I have a doctor cousin who practices the same way – no insurance!

Jason and Michelle said...

The politicians look out for whomever lines their pocket books. They don't look out for the American people. Obama care is a joke. Yes, let's punish those who are already working. People believe whatever the media says, they do t do any research. I have a friend that's doing the health share.mhealth insurance for him and his family would have been $1800 month, the coverage was horrible,nthere was a $10,000 deductible.
As for food, I have noticed throug the years the amounts have gotten smaller, the price as slowly increased. The quality isn't what it used to be.

Unknown said...

This post sounds like one of the many conversations that I have with my husband. It usually ends with me saying, tongue in cheek, "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain." We of course pay attention and are aware of what is going on. If we don't like or trust something we often "opt out". Some of the ways we have done this are by growing as much of our own food as possible and buying meat from a local farmer. Making our own skin care products and using natural medicines many of which we grow or forage for. We do not have cable TV or smart phones. My husband left a $80.000 a year job two years ago and we live on his Coast Guard retirement, some savings that we had and whatever we scrape together from farming and soap making. We bought our property 6 years ago but have not built a house on it because we were not willing to mortgage it. We live in a manufactured home not far from our property and this home will be paid off in a few years. We are fortunate that my husbands coast guard retirement provides medical insurance only because it is now a government mandate not necessarily because we use it.
Like you, we have no hope that things will get better. I think the most important message in your post is this line "Yet how many are willing to do whatever it takes to extract themselves from it?" We can not control the corruption in government or the greed of corporations but yes there are ways we can extract ourselves from that. I call what we do living a "simple life" but a simple life is not necessarily an easy life.

Sam I Am...... said...

Thank you for speaking out! I noticed years ago when sugar went from 5 lbs. to 4 lbs but the price remained the same. I also noticed it when using my old recipes that would call for certain ounce cans of items. I am a 'progressive' now as I have gotten too disgusted with the greed of both parties and the lack of concern for their 'constituents'...they all pander to the corporations who they get masses of money from and thus have destroyed what was once a democracy. Why they think they will not suffer along with the rest of us when our environment and economy can no longer sustain life is beyond me! Getting the word out is important....knowledge is power and we can only stick our heads in the sand for so long. Thank you, Leigh! You go girl!

deb harvey said...

ruth ciani,
do you have any recommendation for books about herbals? or any other books you have found to be at all be useful?
thanks.
deborah harvey
hymenopterid@gmail.com

Leigh said...

Wyomingheart, thank you! And welcome. I think preparing for the worst and praying for the best is the wisest thing we can do. No matter what the future holds, I'm so thankful to have our homestead to put my hand and heart to. It gives me something constructive and purposeful in the Now. The future has enough worries of its own and doesn't need me investing more worry into it.

Michelle, I think that's excellent! And I think more and more doctors are going to go in the same direction.

Jason and Michelle, unfortunately the sales pitch to promote Obamacare was nothing like the reality. "Affordability" is defined as the employee only, not his or her spouse and dependents. I thought that was a pretty cheap trick. If we bought insurance we'd have about $700 dollars left per month with which to pay our mortgage, pay bills, buy food, fuel, clothing, and meet other needs; not to mention paying the deductible! When it gets to that, what other option to people have?

Ruth good for you! Thank you for taking the time to leave such an interesting comment. I wish we could extract ourselves even more, but the system is tenacious in its grip on folks.

Sam, you point out something that baffles us too - don't they think it will affect them too? Of course, congress has it's own health care and it's own set of rules, so unfortunately, they don't live in the same world we do. But they also have a "bubble mentality" as Dan and I call it, thinking they are invincible. But no nation or kingdom has lasted forever. They all fall eventually.

Pricket said...

I am retired and lucky enough due to planning, saving and frugal living to be able to pretty much purchase any food, clothing or home items I might like. I have put away for a rainy day funds and goods till there is no place left to put stuff. This year I planted about 25% of my vegetable garden space and began harvesting to see what I might get if gardening became a must do. While it was a lot of work to do the food preservation, I put away enough to do me well for 6 or 7 months on just garden produce. I got tired of harvesting and preserving so let at least half of the produce stay in the field. I am now worn out from pears and field peas and have not even begun the harvest of my chestnuts which last year was in the hundreds of pounds of shelled nuts.In a life changing situation I see I can produce sufficient food to support a couple of families, I will simply need more hands to harvest and preserve. In the process of building replacement coop and rabbit hutches. I feel very bad things are rapidly approaching for this country.

m said...

What was taught to him was taught by appointed professors who had made the greatest money for hospitals, drug companies and kickback receiving insurers

m said...

Fascism is what you describe

m said...

Obviously they have not been trying for years to sell you million dollar surguries one like the one exactly that killed your mother, and have told you that you could die any minuite, 10 years back ignoring the least invasive likely possibly able to be very cheap in comparisson methods....the best doctors..!

m said...

Thank you for serving yourself on me....unrestrained

Leigh said...

Pricket, congratulations on such a productive garden! But you're right, growing one's own food is a lot of work! Even though our last couple of years have been hard on gardening, I've still been simplifying. We've cut back on our garden space by about half and I don't try to grow as much variety. I stay motivated by the rising cost of food plus seeing what they're doing to it.

Mike, I'm not exactly sure what you're trying to say.

Ashley A said...

Leigh I often find myself wishing I could come follow you around and learn from your wisdom, never more than after this post. Thank you for what you do.

Susan said...

I suppose it's not surprising how many people do NOT read labels or keep track of shrinking/more expensive products. A pound of coffee is a distant memory...

Leigh said...

Ashley, that's very flattering but I doubt I'm so wise in real life! So many lessons have been learned through experimentation, trial, and error. They take a long time to learn, too, because so many of them are seasonal. Oftentimes I have to wait a whole year for the next try at something I'm trying to figure out!

Susan, you know, I can't even remember when coffee was a pound. I think that's because I was one who used to not pay attention. Now I noticed that sometimes things aren't even priced in the store. Folks buy them anyway, but I need to know what they want me to pay before I'll buy it!

Unknown said...

Deborah Harvey, Our bookshelf is filled with reference books of all sorts. The first herb book I ever bought is The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook by James A Duke and is still the first book I turn to for quick reference to find out what herbs may help specific ailments but there is so much to learn about herbs. I usually cross reference anything I read there with other books or websites. For information about wild crafting I turn to this website http://www.herbcraft.org/index.htm I have printed much of the information Jim McDonald has written on specific herbs and am awaiting the books he is writing. I also hope to attend some of his classes in the near future. Hope this helps.
Leigh,
We too wish we could do more and are taking small steps in that direction. But in many areas we are bound by government rules and regs. So as my favorite verse says "We walk by faith and not by site." 2 Corintians 5:7 Blessings to all.

Nancy In Boise said...

I noticed this at Costco last week. They used to have nice, big pre-roasted chickens. Same price now, but about 1/3 (or more) less the size. Really small, won't buy again.

Nancy In Boise said...

I think this is where you need to not be a "sheeple" and think outside the box. We planted 3 fruit trees and I have a great harvest coming on this year. I'll be canning and freezing veggies too. We have 3 hens for eggs. While we live on a city lot we do what we can. We barter, trade, get creative. Most of my nice clothes for work are thrifted. I buy chocolate with the difference :) I also have 2 five gallon buckets of freeze dried fruits and veggies stashed, as well as a pantry. We have salvaged wood set aside for misc. building projects we scavenged from family, headed for the trash! All kinds of free things are out there as well. We were just offered a free family portrait from my hubby's friend after he fixed a home problem for him. It pays to think ahead and be observant. What kind of opportunities can you notice??? Nancy

Nancy In Boise said...

Putting a link back on my blog :) Nancy

Goatldi said...

Well you've got to stand for something or you will fall for anything. Folks are funny until it impacts them is is of little interest to them. I love it when the super rich whine about how the poor in the welfare lines are always feeling they are entitled. Look in the mirror on occasion folks do you see what I see?

Then there are the folks who say "leave state xxxx and go live in state ZZZ because it is much more user friendly." Well there are things about everywhere that aren't perfect. No where is perfect and I won't run to the state of the month to avoid the wrongs in my state. I will stay and continue to try to correct them. As Mary Engelbreit said "Wherever you go there you are."

Some very wise and interesting words from all tonight. Nice to be in good company.

Leigh said...

Ruth, thank you for the link and info! I'm always interested in expanding my homestead library. :) Your favorite verse is one that I remind myself of often. Most of what Dan and I do here is not because we are trying to save the world or save our skins, but because this is the way we believe people are meant to live.

Nancy, thanks! You make a good point about doing what we can wherever we are. Every little bit helps (and so does setting buying limits).

Goatldi, you are so right about which foot the shoe is on. My daughter used to work for Hobby Lobby, and she said the absolute worst customers were the well-to-do retirees. They were bossy, demanding, argumentative, and downright rude. Unfortunately, it's so easy to put oneself first, which is why entitlement seems to be a universal problem!

I love the Mary Engelbreit quote. :) And I hear that next year, your state is going to get to vote on leaving the U.S.!!! Can't imagine it actually happening, but it's interesting that the proposal is making it to the ballots.

Goatldi said...

Leigh

I imagine you are talking about the State of Jefferson. And that is only for true northern part.
https://www.facebook.com/StateofJeffersonParty

Leigh said...

Well, they called it "Calexit," is that the same thing? www.cnbc.com/2017/01/27/california-succession-movement-starts-gathering-petition-signatures.html) I'm not very up on California news, but it was something I ran across and struck me as interesting.

deb harvey said...

ruth ciani,
many thanks.

The Stay @ Home-Gardener said...

I've always shopped that way. I simply scan the tags for price by weight. Assuming it isn't a luxury item I want regardless or that the bottom priced item is of such horrific quality.... lol Often it shows me that I shouldn't even purchase sale can goods as the "Store Brand" (Which are pretty decent these days) is typically still cheaper by several cents per ounce.

Leigh said...

Cloud, I think it does make a difference. Manufacturers and retailers are both looking for that magic price point, but if folks won't bite, then eventually the prices eek downward. Or the product disappears from the store shelves!

LeeAnn said...

For the first time ever, I went to the free food monthly distribution. I was amazed at the "me first" "give-me" attitude of several of the people. I made a point of saying "kindness costs nothing" to some of the others waiting and a big thank you for the gift of food. Each person got a 2# bag of lentils. I wonder how many went straight into the trash? I came home and got on the internet and found several lentil recipes to try. We were given a good sized bag of field run onions (unwashed and all sizes). Yesterday I dehydrated the onions because they were starting to spoil. I realize not everyone has the equipment or knowledge to do that but surely they could figure something out rather than throwing them away. Each county has a monthly food distribution and I heard several of the people waiting talking about going to multiple counties. To me that is plain and simple greedy.

My garden this year has mostly died off due to drought so I decided to take advantage of this extra help.

m said...

Cut sugar way down. See if health improves

Leigh said...

LeeAnn, these attitudes are a sad commentary on the true state of our nation. Selfish in a natural human quality. Children must be taught to be polite, wait their turns, share fairly, and say thank you. I think that way of child-rearing is out. Indulged children become self-indulgent adults. :( The droughts been tough on so many people. And good point about having the know-how to work with those kinds of foods. Another lost art.

Mike, yup.

oldjove said...

Thank you for a fantastic post that calls out both political parties. The media has us putted against each other because few people will recognize that both sides are at fault and they are pitted against us.

Leigh said...

Beverly, it's the old "divide and conquer" strategy that has worked forever on humans. Keep people feuding along political, ethnic, and material (etc.) lines and then censor what's really going on behind the scenes. Some people are addicted to politics though and really enjoy the battle, so whatcha gonna do?