Got Higher Prices?

I generally make one weekly shopping trip to the member discount warehouse I lovingly refer to as "Costlo" (costs low?).  I get my 10 pounds of organic carrots, a pound or two of organic spinach, a pound of lettuce, and maybe some bananas.  I might pick up something seasonally available, especially if it is organic.  I might occasionally make an impulse purchase or get something useful if it is on sale.

This week I noticed that the price of my bag of carrots increased 5 percent.  It is still a good deal, but I know the price went up either earlier this year or late last year.  I cannot say that all goods have increased across the board, but certainly, some of them have.  I believe my bag of coffee beans went up 10 percent over the past year.  I quit coffee so this is no longer an issue for me.  I no longer follow the price of coffee.  Seems the price of bread has gone up over the past few years and the quality has gone down.  I quit buying bread.  I quit chips -- potato, corn, pita.  But, I still eat vegetables.

Seems the price of cabbage has gone up.  Luckily I don't eat much cabbage.  I could give up carrots,  or . . . I can cut food costs by fasting.  If I fast one day every 10 days, it should cut my food costs 10 percent.  I wonder what that would do for me?  I have read that Patricia Bragg fasts one day a week, as did Paul Bragg.  That would cut food costs by 14 percent.  *Note: This is not medical advice, nor is it intended as such.  *Please do not try this without consulting your health care professional first.  I am just considering what others say they have done for health purposes and pointing to the economic impact of such behavior.  Apparently, the Braggs believe that their protocol has been (Paul is deceased) / is (Patricia is still alive as of this writing) healthy for them. 

I like food.  I have lost 30 pounds this year and my food bill is not lower than it was a year ago.  Interestingly, several folks have noticed that raw food consisting of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds, costs more than other food, such as canned food or foods processed in some ways.  Granted, some processed foods are expensive such as gourmet frozen foods, deli prepared foods, and even processed raw food, i.e, food processed or "cooked" at low temperatures such as "raw" crackers.  (The exact temperature at which a food is still "raw" varies per source.  Some say as low as 104 degrees; some say higher.  The consensus seems to be that the temperature should be below the temperature that kills enzymes.  This begs the question: Do all food enzymes die at the same temperature?)

Back to fasting, let's see . . . How long would I have to fast, one day a week, to afford a new pair of running shoes?
Still wearing the same old shoes,
Southwest Desert Blogger
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