This might seem like second nature to a bunch of you. But then as I was thinking about it, it might not be something a lot of you even think about. So I wanted to quickly make sure you knew this little tip to help you save money at the grocery store.
What’s the Tip??
Watch the News or Read the Headline Stories on MSN.com, Yahoo.com or something similar.
Sounds kinda weird, right? Well hopefully after I explain why, you will get why this is such an important tip to know and to help you save!
How many of you know about the most recent Banana issue?
Yesterday, I noticed a story about Bananas. I guess this really dangerous fungus has finally spread and reached the plantations in Australia and places like Dole are basically freaking out.
So what happens when California has a drought and crops don’t grow? Or what happens when there is a flood and wipes out a bunch of items right before harvest? Or what about this Banana situation when plantations in Australia are infected with this fungus?
Prices will go up due to demand!
If there is less of an item available, what do grocers do? They raise prices. And if something is harder to get your hands on, people will typically pay more to get it.
Can you imagine what happens when Bananas are completely wiped out or almost extinct? That is what forecasters are saying will happen in 5-10 years! CRAZY!
But for now, because of what is happening in Australia, you will probably start to see Banana prices go up in the next few months–once we have started to deplete our other Banana suppliers. So start looking when you head to the grocery store. It should be very interesting to watch!
So now you might understand why I tell you to watch the headline stories in the news about these types of things. Diseases and natural disasters can really change prices on all types of food. So if you can be watching, you will know when to stock up on a certain item before prices start to go up or right as they start. Other moms who aren’t paying attention or don’t know this little tip, won’t have a head start and might not even notice how much more they are paying for that item.
A great example of this would be the Peanut Butter shortage in 2011. A really hot summer basically wiped out the crop and what happened to Peanut Butter prices? They went up at least 30%-40%! But because we were watching, myself and a ton of Freebies2Deals readers were able to start stocking up on Peanut Butter right as the announcement was made on the news– BEFORE the prices were raised. I literally purchased two cases of Peanut Butter to last me through the year.
Ok, so hopefully you guys don’t think I’m crazy and this little tip helps you guys save money at the grocery without those coupons, without price matching and without the hassle. :)
Heidi
The price of eggs also went up due to chickens getting avian flu. The trouble is eggs and bananas don’t store very well for long periods of time. Good advice for peanut butter, etc.
natalie
You can freeze the bananas for making smothies.
Leigh
She took the comments right out of my mouth. We too stocked up on peanut butter but, if we bought a lot of bananas, they’d just end up in the trash. Yes, we could make banana nut bread but, I don’t want to heat up the house in the Summer time. And, we also don’t make smoothies.
Still, it’s a very good tip!!
Taryn
Yes, now that the bird flu has hit the USA chicken prices are going to start to go up. It is predicted they are going to have to kill millions of chickens. The manager at the grocery store said eventually he may not even be able to get chicken for awhile.
Rochelle
You can freeze eggs too! Just crack each egg and freeze in an ice cube tray. Then empty and store in a freezer bag.
Heidi
Rochelle- Have you tried this? Do you thaw the eggs in a bowl before using them? Do you only use the eggs in baked goods (i.e. mixed in with other things) or have you tried frying a previously frozen egg?
Heidi
I read some information on freezing eggs here:
https://www.incredibleegg.org/egg-facts/eggcyclopedia/f/freezing-eggs
Fascinating! I’m going to try freezing eggs. Thanks!
Carlina
My mom dries bananas in slices and stores them in her chilled basement and they last a long time. They make an easy and healthy snack and a great way to store them for later enjoyment.