Prepping Skills and Fluctuations in the Price of Food
Kevin Felts 02.09.18
Regardless of where a person lives, social status, income, the price of food affects everyone. However, the cost of food disproportionately affects the lower middle class and the poor. Families who are barely able to pay their basic bills face an uphill battle when the price of food goes up.
Certain food groups have a corner on the market, such as eggs. If the price of beef goes up, eat more chicken. When the price of chicken goes up, eat more pork. The same cannot be said about eggs. Eggs are a cornerstone to many recipes and breakfast items.
When one of these cornerstone food items goes up in price, a great number of people will feel the effect. However, there are groups of people who are not affected by price increases on certain items. These are the people who grow their own.
From NEPR: You’ll Be Shelling Out More Money For Eggs In 2018.
Egg prices during the first three months of 2018 are likely to be more than 35 percent higher than they were during the same period of 2017, USDA’s Economic Research Service says.
The increase, from about 80 cents for a dozen grade A large eggs at the start of 2017 to predictions of $1.06 to $1.12 for a dozen, is due to several months of increased sales.
For those of us who have chickens, the price of eggs can do whatever it wants and we will not be affected.
Prepping means more than just prepping for a disaster. We should also use prepping to distance ourselves from fluctuations in the market. The more of your own food you produce, the less you are affected by prices at the grocery store.
Have a back yard? Plant some fig trees and make your own jelly.
Are you able to have a couple of laying hens? Then get a couple, or three, or four.
Do you have flower beds in the back yard? Use them to plant beans, peppers, or potatoes.
The goal is to be a little less dependent on the grocery store. Doing so reduces the impact of price fluctuations.
