Cereal for $7 a box? Why Cheerios could be rich kids' food
Filed under: Food
My family struggled financially growing up, and I remember the rare occasion of breakfasting on toaster pastries (when there was a great sale) and mourning how they were rich kids' food. The next day, it was back to Cheerios or pancakes with imitation maple syrup. But this week, news that wheat prices are rising fast could mean that Cheerios and Wheaties and Raisin Bran could show steep increases in price; as much as $7 a box, and higher. They could soon be rich kids' food, too.You'll recognize the conversation from oil, whose per-barrel cost is pushing $90. Wheat has topped $10 a bushel due to dry weather in Argentina bringing concerns about a global shortage; it's already doubled this year and seems to be climbing a steep price curve. Economists are actually saying breakfast cereal could get so much as twice as expensive as it is today -- and don't think that eating Corn Flakes will save you. With many farmers producing corn and soybeans for biofuels, those crops are getting pricey, too.
My answer to rising food prices is always something like, Buy generic! Shop at Trader Joe's! But the prices are rising in concert throughout the grocery outlets, from wholesale club stores to brand name to seriously off-label. My advice? Start thinking oatmeal for breakfast, and buy local; while you may not save much in sticker price you'll save in fossil fuels for transport and you'll be helping protect our future.
Here are a few places you'll see price increases in your supermarket:
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 12)
12-18-2007 @ 10:27AM
AV said...
for the past 4 weeks I've averaged paying $1.25/box of Cheerios by combining sales with coupons
Reply
12-18-2007 @ 10:37PM
john said...
You drove me out of framing with cheap wheat prices. Besides, there are different varities of wheat. Soft winter white wheat is grown in Michigan and New York. Red wheat is grown in the plains. So you, monkeys, are all ignorant of the real deal. Your favorite President, F. Roosevelt, kept food prices cheap at the expense of farmers. Kennedy continued the tradition. The big push is to use grain for fuel. Ignorance is bliss. Your government schools have robbed you of your heritage. Eat $7 a box stuff that has less than 50 cents worth of wheat. Don't bother to write me, cause you are the one with the problem. I can live in the woods!
12-18-2007 @ 10:33AM
jim van loo said...
come on america wake up. they are doing the same as the oil companies, they tell us they are going to do it and bang, there it is. now you pay for it
Reply
12-18-2007 @ 11:05AM
deb said...
Does anyone realize how much rising oil prices affect everything, including the price of food? Many farmers couldn't even afford to reseed their fields this year after drought, then flooding destroyed their crops. Ever been NEAR a farm? Back beaking work 6 1/2 days a week, sunup till sundown. Not to mention thankless work. Farmers account for less than 5% of the total price of food. Please try to focus your displeasure with people who are guilty of rising food prices. Blame the greedy oil companies all over the world. Don't blame honest hard working Americans.
12-18-2007 @ 4:30PM
twocenthound said...
I agree with you 100% Jim. We aren't as "stupid" as the "powers that be" think we are. It worked for the oil companies. We are now getting the same ole s*#! with paper products, cleaning agents and detergents for our home, as well as food and dairy. If it is a "have to" for every day life we are going to get hosed.
12-18-2007 @ 5:06PM
Ric said...
5When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart[a] of wheat for a day's wages,[b] and three quarts of barley for a day's wages,[c] and do not damage the oil and the wine!"
Rev 6:5
Anyone who studies Bible prophecy probably turned to this scripture today. Basically, this verses says in the end generation it will cost a days wages to feed your family
12-26-2007 @ 3:53PM
bob simmons said...
well it looks like we are getting up the back side again with out a reach around lol, there is are gov, working for us again well who do you vote for none of the above,well maybe we have to do what the animals do eat one another like they do in the wild or maybe we have to get a gun an hunt in the woods or the next thing you will see people stealing thing from one another to live on so come on pres, an gov, get a grip,who should i vote for once again nobody maybe if anybody would be mirs clinton that seems like the right choice for me
12-26-2007 @ 7:37PM
Tari Parker said...
I can afford to pay $7.00 a box for ceral if I choose to but I am not a freaking idiot so I would never do that. The government get's richer while we all get poorer. I don't care what happens with the price of wheat hell I will eat something else before I throw away money. I have money because I am ia savy business woman. Never in my lifetime will I fall prey to that crap. Milk in my local market is now $3.05 a 1/2 gallon for the store brand so I don't even buy that anymore.
12-18-2007 @ 10:39AM
Linda said...
There are so many ways to have a healthy, filling and economical breakfast - and well any meal - Oatmeal/apple muffins Oatmeal/banana muffins nuts added if kids will eat with a glass of milk makes for a fast easy healthy breakfast.
Oatmeal can be made into dinner patties as well !
Breakfast burrito's made with rice/cheese/scrambled eggs/ pizza whoo hooo and if you have any left over that the kids really like... that works too... There is Scrambled eggs with cheese sauce served over rice or potatoes. Breakfast is a wonderful meal to prepare - If we put the stick to your ribs food in our bodies/childrens bodies in the morning, they will be less likely to be picky eaters thru out the day!
Reply
12-18-2007 @ 3:02PM
John S said...
I grew up during the rationing in WW II. One of our meals cosisted of toast covered with gravy made from corn starch and a little sugar.
12-18-2007 @ 10:40AM
ihaterachealray said...
If people would stop eating so much beef, then less grain would be needed to feed all that livestock and the price would be cheaper and there would be less world hunger. Not to mention less methane from all that cattle to contribute to global warming
Reply
12-18-2007 @ 11:04AM
suzid4 said...
Uh, yeah your solution seems feesable?
12-18-2007 @ 11:20AM
bigjake said...
eat less beef, less world hunger? are you serious?
world hunger is from political bureaucrats, there is enough food to feed everyone if managed properly. and methane gas helping global warming? there is no global warming, or is that what is going on now over most of america? millions with no power because of ice storms.wake up!!!!
12-18-2007 @ 3:12PM
Kris said...
Eat less beef and away goes world hunger and high prices.......I get it, its the "butterful flaps its wings in central park and theres a tsunami in Asia" theory. PETA's the answer to global economics! Brilliant! Now lets all hold hands and sing "We are the World"
12-18-2007 @ 11:01AM
suzid4 said...
Ya know Linda your right there are other things to eat. However, why should we change our lifestyle. We already pay so many damn taxes that we should'nt have to pay for anything else. Everytime we turn around someone is there with there hands out. I'm sick to death of it. Might as well stand on a corner somewhere and bend over. Make it a little easier to get srewed....
Reply
12-18-2007 @ 7:00PM
Dave Mc G. said...
Well your right about the changing of the lifestyle in a way!!!!
First are living within your means of what you bring home from your paycheck or are you one of the other millions that owe dearly on credit card debt!!! See there is a difference! On your lifestyle if it's one that you really can't afford!!! Just trying to make appoint! That's all!!
And as far as costs!!! today!!! People have to quit spending and buying hefty new trend stuff from clothes to technology crap with huge overly priced prices!!! It would be a cold day in hell I would everl pay Thousands of dollars for a HDTV or 600 fun a wii game set, or I pods and all the other junk there selling at hefty prices!!! They wouldn't be hefty prices if people would quit wanting everything under the sun to blow there hard earned money on!!!
Millions of people just don't get it!!! We the customers can make or break ANY, YES ANY business!!! Without us, there is no business!!! We all can control prices!!! we all can control what product is good which are bad!!! But the whole world has turned into a materialist world, and once that road to riches started building for business owners and corporations, Well Now everyone can see what it has caused!!!
Bankers and realitors destroyed the American dream of owning a home for most average people! By letting housing prices skyrocket faster then any time in history!!! Now my grandsons will probably never get to ever own there own home!!! Yet no one done anything to stop that huge price hikes!!!
Then the Gas prices took off like a torepido on steroids, but Opec did warn that if drivers didn't cut back on gas useage the prices were going to skyrocket! Did drivers listen??? NOOOOOOOO, there using more gas today then 4 years ago! So you can see as the gas prices keep climbing, the drivers just keep driving!!! In the 70's they forced everyone to tiny small cars!!! Now there just emptying out everyones pocket books and yet no one does nothing about it! And everyone still drives Suv's, big trunks and still have all there bad driving habits, wasting lots of gas!!! So what is the Answer, Stop buying so much gas! start carpooling, take buses, move closer to work!!! anything to Get Opec in the wallet, instead of all of US!!!
It's plain and simple, when any business or company gets onto the price hiking train, the customers can get them off it real fast!!! DON"T BUY THERE PRODUCTS OR SERVICES! It is quite simple!!! We the people can take back the power! We just have to want it bad enough!!! Businesses, corporations do not own us!!!! we must all stand up and tell them, enough is enough!! You want to over price everything and rob us blind, we don't want your products and services anymore, and you all will go out of business for charging us an arm and a leg for everything!!! Don't buy, will stop it all!
I don't think people actually know how close we are to be heading a for the deepest depression that ever hit American!!! It's coming, something has to be done and soon!!! Please people wake up before we all suffer dearly. If we don't get the gas prices in control, it's just a matter of time all the others businesses, corporations will be jumping aboard the gravy cash train along side with OPEC!!! We need to stop it fast!!!before to many other businesses and corporations jump aboard the fast cash gravy train!!!
12-18-2007 @ 11:03AM
lee carter said...
we pay the farmer not to grow crop's, and we want to grow corn for fuel [ instead of oil ] the price of corn goes up the price of fuel stay's the same and you get less milage on this corn crap so it cost more to use your car-----and don't give me global warming crap one fuel is no different than the other----
Reply
12-18-2007 @ 11:08AM
suzid4 said...
You got it..Lee Carter.. It's a bunch of crap. Everyone has an excuse or a so called reason to charge more. Bulls**t. They do because we need it and if we're gonna get it we have to pay their price.
12-18-2007 @ 11:04AM
DIANNA said...
HERE WE GO AGAIN EVERYONE WANTS TO JACK UP THE PRICES! BUT WHERE IS THE COST OF LIVING RAISE. WHEN DOES THAT COME!!!! YOU RAISE THE COSTS OF EVERYTHING. NO WONDER WHY PEOPLE ARE LOSING THEIR ASS. WHY NOT TRY TO HELP EVERYONE OUT. MINIMUM WAGE IS A JOKE!!!!! CME LET'S BE FOR REAL EVERYONE NEEDS A HOME, FOOD, TRANSPORTATION, AND CLOTHES FOR THEIR CHILDREN. NO ONE CAN HARDLY KEEP UP WITH THAT. WELL MR. PRESIDENT AND OTHER PEOPLE IN HIGHER PLACES, WHERE'S THE COST OF LIVING RAISE FOR THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T SIT AT HOME LIVING OFF WELFARE. AND SUCKING THE STATE DRY FOR THE PEOPLE WHO REALLY NEED IT.
Reply
12-18-2007 @ 11:15AM
suzid4 said...
Amen, they're making it so hard to make a living that people can't even get welfare anymore because it's been sucked dry.. I feel sorry for the ones who really need it and can't get it because people who don't need it are taking advantage of it. Not to mention the foreigners who are here and haven't paid in anything to use it.. But that's a whole other subject I best not even get started on!!!!!!!