Is Recession Preparing a New Breed of Survivalist? [Survival Today - an On going Thread #2]

May 05th,2008

[DelaWhere]

Sold! Bargain-hunters buying groceries at auction

by michael rubinkam

Out of toilet paper? Need to pick up a few things for dinner? Take a number and start bidding.

Many bargain hunters these days are trading supermarket aisles for the auction circuit in search of deep discounts on everything from cereal to spare ribs. Past the sell-by date? Bidders are happy to ignore that detail if they’re getting a good deal.

As consumers seek relief from the recession and spiraling food prices, grocery auctions are gaining in popularity as an easy way to cut costs. The sales operate like regular auctions, but with bidders vying for dry goods and frozen foods instead of antiques and collectibles. Some auctioneers even accept food stamps.

When Kirk Williams held his first grocery auction in rural Pennsylvania last month, nearly 300 people showed up. Astonished by the turnout, he’s scheduling auctions at locations throughout northeastern Pennsylvania.

“Right now, people don’t have a lot of spare pocket change,” said Williams, 50, operator of near Bloomsburg, Pa. “They’re looking to save money.”

Rich Harris, 28, who was recently laid off from his welding job, showed up at Williams’ auction in Dallas earlier this month looking for meat for his freezer and snacks for his kids. With his wife pregnant with their third child, “I’m basically trying to expand my dollar right now,” he said. “The deals, they seem to be fairly good.”

Grocery sales make sense for auctioneers, too. Sales of baseball cards, estate jewelry and other auction staples have “fallen off a cliff,” Williams said. He hopes to average about $12,000 in sales per auction, which would net him a profit of about $1,000.

The popularity of the auctions _ which sell leftover or damaged goods from supermarkets, distribution centers and restaurant suppliers _ comes at a time when people are stretching their grocery budgets by using more coupons, buying inferior cuts of meat, and choosing store brands over national brands.

The economic downturn, paired with the worst food inflation in nearly 20 years (grocery prices spiked in 2008 before easing in January and February), has caused a “seismic shift” in consumer behavior, said Brian Todd, president of The Food Institute, an industry information service.

“Food is one area where they can save,” he said.

The increased interest has fueled growth in the auctions, which can be found in at least nine states from Oklahoma to New York.

Banana Box Wholesale Grocery, a Kutztown, Pa.-based food brokerage that supplies salvage grocery stores around the nation, has seen a marked increase in calls from auctioneers getting into the food business, said manager Greg Martin.

At in St. Mary, Ohio _ where attendance has swelled in recent months _ some regulars have told him they now do most of their shopping at the auction and only go to the store for milk and lunch meat. He estimates his customers can knock 50 percent off their grocery bills.

Cherish Francik, 42, who works for the Social Security Administration, said she wouldn’t have been caught dead at a grocery auction or even a discount food store a few months ago. But the tough economy has turned her into a tightwad.

Now she brags to her co-workers about her frugality.

“Most of my life, I’ve been a brand-name shopper. It was a quick change for me, a real quick change,” said Francik, whose haul from the Williams auction included trail mix, honey-barbecue chicken nuggets and a spiral-cut ham. “I guess it’s sort of a thrill now to find something that tastes good and is the right price.”

Inside the auction hall in Dallas, a small town north of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Williams uses a singsong, rapid-fire delivery to sell everything from frozen broccoli (six boxes for $2) to pork ribs ($20 for a 14-pound hunk) to candy bars (10 Baby Ruths for $2). Especially popular are the frozen foods _ pies, bratwursts, chicken breasts, popcorn shrimp, whole hams, french fries.

Displaying an 11-ounce bag of cheese curls that retails for $1.99, the veteran auctioneer chants: “Dollar and a quarter, dollar and a half. Dollar and a quarter, buck and a half. Buck and a half, buck seventy-five.”

His colleague, Roger Naugle, stops the bidding at $1.50.

“Who wants the cheese curls?” Williams says. “Down there, No. 17 wants two. No. 7 wants one. No. 33 takes two. Guys, who else? These are so good. Anybody else on the cheese curls? Anybody, anybody, anybody else? All fresh and in date.”

As workers fan out with armloads of bags, Williams tees up the next item. And on it goes, for hours. Customers head to their cars balancing precariously overloaded boxes of food.

Some of the goodies have wound up here because they’re out-of-date. But the auctioneers stress that they’re still OK to eat. The Food and Drug Administration does not generally prohibit the sale of food past its sell-by or use-by date _ manufacturers’ terms that help guide the rotation of shelf stock or indicate the period of best flavor or quality.

“There is not one thing in this sale today that Kirk or myself will sell you, that we would not, do not, will not, or have not taken home to our own families!” Naugle tells the crowd.

Linda Dennis, a group home manager from Wilkes-Barre, said she wasn’t fazed by the Feb. 9 sell-by date on a bag of frozen pizza bites.

“The quality and taste may go down, but that doesn’t mean you can’t eat it,” she said.

The same kinds of goods sold at grocery auctions also find their way to salvage stores, flee markets, closeout sales and food banks, though Williams said he avoids merchandise that is severely damaged or well past expiration.

Like any auction, grocery auctions aren’t automatically a bargain. Savvy bidders should know what things cost at the supermarket to make sure they’re truly saving money. The excitement sometimes leads bidders to overpay.

“Every once in a while, a customer bids it, and you’re going, ‘I’m pretty sure that’s cheaper in the store,’” said Schleeter, the Ohio auctioneer.

For the most part, though, the auctions pair food that needs a home with consumers who want to save a buck.

Marvin Mason, who runs grocery auctions in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, said the percentage of shoppers who use credit cards and food stamps instead of cash has increased, indicating more people are showing up out of necessity.

“We’ve had more people who are needy, who have to watch their money,” he said.

http://dailyme.com/story/2009032400004152/

[DelaWhere]

Across America, a Bumper Crop of Food Gardens

March 26, 2009
AFP

Washington - More than a third of Americans - including First Lady Michelle Obama - are working the hoe at home, keen to grow their own tasty tomatoes, cucumbers and beans.

According to the National Gardening Association, home vegetable gardens are sprouting across the United States with 37% of homes tending a patch - up sharply from 19% a year ago.

"I want to make sure that our family, as well as the staff and all the people who come to the White House and eat our food, get access to really fresh vegetables and fruits," the First Lady said last week as she broke ground on the White House lawn.

But there are several factors playing into the boom. It comes at the crossroads of environmental awareness, increasingly frequent food safety scares and recession's economic bite.

"The number one reason is better tasting food (58%), number two is to save money on food bills (54%) and (third) is to grow better quality food and knowing it's safe (51%)," said Bruce Butterfield, a researcher at the NGA.

He conducted a study on America's would-be backyard farmers, who mean big business for makers of trowels and seed suppliers. Some 43 million homes will be tending a vegetable garden in 2009, up from 36 million in 2008.

And one in five backyard food gardeners - including Michelle Obama herself - will be a first-timer in 2009, according to the Harris poll of 2,500 people.

The move to plant the First Garden came following a public campaign in which more than 100,000 people asked the first couple to plant a garden on a plot somewhere in the 6.5 hectares of White House grounds, according to Kitchen Gardeners International, a group which aims to inspire and teach people to grow their own food.

For Michelle Obama, the garden also creates family togetherness of a sort.

She joked at a ground breaking event last week that "everybody in the family will have to pull weeds - whether they like it or not."

The garden is the first full-scale planting on the White House lawn in more than 60 years when then First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt planted a Victory Garden during World War II.

In 2008, facing sharply higher food prices, Americans started digging in larger numbers and tending vegetable plots; 10% of families ultimately coaxed crops from seeds and weeds.

One million Americans already bring their green thumbs to community gardens and demand is huge: another five million would like to do so.

And while about 8O% of American homes have access to a garden or yard, for $20 they can rent a miniplot in an organic community garden run by the National Park Service.

In Washington, which has a long growing season and warm, humid climate, there are about 20 community gardens across the city and waiting lists of up to two years.

Photo: Holly White gardens on her 10 by 37 foot third floor patio of her condominium building in Detroit Friday, May 2, 2008. The renewed interest in urban gardening is reminiscent of the 1970s, when the U.S. economy was rattled by similar economic pressures as today: inflation, high oil prices and an economic downturn. (AP)

Meanwhile garden sharing has taken off. At "Sharing Backyards DC", the website helps link up homeowners with no interest in gardening and green-thumbed neighbors ready to turn the plot into something productive.

Nathan Seaberry, a 55-year-old who gardens at the Blair community garden in Washington, plants potatoes, cabbage and broccoli. "It's better for my health and my wallet, prices of food have gone so high," says the father of seven.

Tough economic times have played a key role in getting people gardening in the cases of 34% of backyard plotters, the study also found.

It also showed that people spend an average $70 on their plots, spend about five hours a week tending them and that the yields are usually worth $530 a year.

"It gives me a sense of security to have the garden," said Leigh Crenshaw, a gardener in her late twenties at the Mamie Lee community garden here. "I'm sure I'll figure out a way to survive, whether or not I have a job. But this garden and my community will keep me strong."

Health scares also have played into the passion for the plow.

"These ongoing food safety issues like the peanut butter and the spinach contaminated with E.coli have become even more a matter of concern for people," said Robert LaGassi, executive director of the Garden Writers Association.

Seed sales are up 20-30% in early spring 2009 above 2008's 20% gain as Americans find comfort during challenging times by spending more time at home, said the NGA's Butterfield.

In these trying economic times, he said, "I think people now feel the need to go back to basics." - AFP

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=22&art_id=nw20090326071315506C237865

http://www.millennium-ark.net/NEWS/09_Food_Water/090326.bumper.crop.of.gardens.html

[DelaWhere]

The financial crisis causes chaos and confusion in Europe.

March 25, 2009
The Trumpet

On Monday, Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany announced before parliament his “irreversible” decision to resign. Then, on Tuesday, the government of the Czech Republic narrowly lost a no-confidence vote—meaning the ruling coalition is on its way out. The economy played a major role in the fall of both these governments.

Gyurcsany first revealed his intentions of stepping down on Saturday, saying that he was ready to make way for a new government to lead the country out of the financial crisis. Hungary is in a bad situation—the Wall Street Journal reports that “Any incoming prime minister will inherit an acute economic crisis, a dissatisfied electorate, and mounting pressure from markets to implement painful spending cuts and economic changes within the next year.”

Hungary’s economy is expected to contract by 5 percent this year. It is already relying on a credit line of $25.1 billion from the International Monetary Fund, and Fitch Ratings agency is poised to further downgrade the government’s credit rating.

The causes of the Czech government’s collapse are less clear cut. The government has ruled with only the slimmest of majorities since its election in June 2006—controlling 100 out of the 200 seats in parliament. It was voted out of office by 101 votes to 96, with three lawmakers being absent.

Center-right Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek’s government had been criticized for its stance on America’s ballistic missile defense plan. The no-confidence vote took place amid a media scandal where the prime minister was accused of putting pressure on a TV reporter to squash a report on an MP’s alleged subsidy fraud. Yet, as American think tank Stratfor reports, “Ultimately, it was Prague’s handling of the economic crisis that brought Topolanek and his government down” (March 24).

The Czech Republic had not been hit as badly by the financial crisis as many other Central European nations, with Czech banks being relatively unaffected. But Prague is being affected by the economic woes of the eurozone. Its economy depends heavily on the export of manufactured goods to eurozone countries. As a result of Europe’s troubles, Prague’s year-on-year industrial output fell 23.3 percent in January, the fourth consecutive monthly decrease.

Topolanek’s fall is complicated by the fact that the Czech Republic currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union. Analysts believe that Topolanek will be allowed to continue in his post of prime minister until July 1, when the EU presidency is handed over to Sweden.

Another issue at stake is America’s ballistic missile defense installation. The Czech government was already facing major difficulties in trying to get parliament to ratify treaties relating to the missile shield. Deutsche Presse-Agentur reports that “Analysts agreed that Topolanek’s demise may deliver a final blow to the Czech-U.S. missile defense radar treaties.”

Topolanek’s demise may also throw the whole EU into a constitutional crisis. Prague is yet to ratify the Lisbon Treaty, also known as Europe’s constitution.

The power to form a new government now rests with EU skeptic Czech President Vaclav Klaus. The president can either appoint a man of his choice as the next prime minister or call for early elections. Any prime minister he appoints must receive parliamentary approval within 30 days. If three successive prime ministers fail to form a government, early elections must be held.

This means there will probably be a long delay before Prague has a functioning government again. In the meantime, Klaus’s position in the country is strengthened.

Klaus is staunchly anti-EU. He is adamantly opposed to the Lisbon Treaty, which means it could be a while before Prague signs the treaty if it signs it at all. “If I cease to be in control of the situation,” warned Topolanek, “the Lisbon Treaty will not pass.”

Europe is still waiting for Ireland to ratify the treaty. Topolanek’s fall presents yet another stumbling block.

The financial crash has caused international repercussions by bringing down the governments of these two countries. And the turmoil is not over. Hungary will have to make large and unpopular cuts in spending in order to stay afloat. So will many other European countries. This will make populations even more dissatisfied with the mainstream political parties.

The financial crisis is causing political chaos and dissatisfaction. Watch for this trend to continue, setting the stage for a man to take advantage of the anger—pledging to bring order to the chaos, and rising to power in Europe.

http://www.millennium-ark.net/NEWS/09_Economy/090326.2.EU.gov.collapse.html

[CottonBall]

Speaking of fresh ground flour.....

I wanted to post a review of a whole wheat bread recipe. I am SO happy with the results - both loaves are now gone and I only made them the day before yesterday!

I believe this recipe was posted here, by granny of couse! But I cannot find the post to link to, so I’ll include the recipe here. It’s a long one, but a lot of it is an explanation of the process.

RECIPE:
The key to really great 100% whole wheat bread is to extract the best flavors from the whole wheat and temper the harsh tones that sometimes accompany whole wheat flour. Good whole wheat bread has an almost nutty taste without a bitter aftertaste. A long fermentation gives the yeast a chance to produce its own flavors and convert the starch to sugar. By refrigerating the dough overnight, you can make excellent 100% whole wheat bread.

This is one of our favorite bread recipes. Yeasts perform differently at low temperatures. In this recipe, the dough is mixed the day before and refrigerated. The acids and enzymes produced by the yeast at lower temperatures temper the harshness of the whole wheat and develop wonderfully complex bread flavors. It’s no more work than other recipes; you just mix the dough the day before.

Bakers note: This bread should be very light and fluffy, not dense. The secret of making it so is to make sure that the dough rises fully both in the first rise and in the pans. The dough will fill two 5 x 9-inch loaf pans and should be very soft and puffy before baking. If you let it over-rise, you may see a blister or two in the dough. Poke the blisters with the point of a knife and hurry the bread into the hot oven.

Ingredients 5 to 6 cups fine-ground whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons wheat gluten (optional)
1 teaspoon dough conditioner
1 seven gram packet of instant yeast (or two teaspoons) 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons water
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons melted and slightly cooled butter

Directions
1. Place about three cups of the flour in the bowl of your stand-type mixer. Add the yeast. Carefully measure 2 cups room temperature (80 degrees) water. The water should feel cool to the touch. Mix the water with the flour with a dough hook for 30 seconds or until the yeast is dissolved and the ingredients begin to combine.

2. Add the salt, sugar, and butter and continue mixing. Add most of the remaining flour, the wheat gluten, and dough conditioner and continue mixing at a medium speed for at least four minutes adding more flour as needed to reach a soft dough consistency. (It is important that the dough be mixed for at least four minutes to develop the gluten.) The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but will be soft, not firm, to the touch.

3. Once the dough is mixed, place it in a large greased bowl, turning once to coat both sides, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight or for up to three days.

4. On the day that you would like to bake your bread, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it warm to room temperature—about three hours. The dough should rise to nearly double in size.

5. Once the dough has risen, form the loaves. Coat your hands with flour and gently form a loaf by pulling the dough around itself to create a slightly stretched skin. You may need to coat your hands several times if the dough is sticky. If necessary, pinch the seams together on the bottom of the loaf. Lay the loaf gently in a well-greased loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap. Repeat with the second loaf. Let double again in size, about 11/2 hours.

6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Once the dough has doubled (the loaf should be very puffy), place the two loaves on a shelf in the top half of the oven, well-spaced so that air can circulate between the loaves. Bake for thirty minutes or until done. The interior of the loaves should register at least 185 degrees when an insta-read thermometer is inserted through the bottom crust. Remove the bread from the pans and cool on wire racks. Let it cool completely before cutting.

REVIEW:
yummmmmm. It’s the lightest whole wheat bread I’ve made yet. The tops were nice and cruncy and the inside was light and fluffy (amazing for 100% whole wheat!) - with a mild wheat taste. Even my son, who much prefers white bread, ate it and loved it. I made toast out of it the next day, and the lightly crispy edges with the still soft center was heavenly! I don’t think I need to practice with whole wheat recipes any longer (other than for other types of bread items, like rolls) - this is the ONE for bread for me.

BTW, the 2 loaves mentioned are probably tiny ones. I’d use small loaf pans or put all the bread dough into one larger pan - might have a little left over. I’m going to experiment to get the right amounts of ingredients to make 2 full loaves. That’s my only negative comment!

[CottonBall]

After hearing of Michelle Obama’s planting a garden, my son pointed out that if they would go out and buy their vegetables, they would stimulate the economy more. (Since that’s what they expect of us).

I was a little worried about him becoming a lib - you know how the youth are these days. Plus Winston Churchill’s assessment (probably accurate) of age and political leanings. But, I think my son is headed in the right direction...

[CottonBall]

Be safe!

Are you creating a JDoutrider’s Gulch in Montana?

[CottonBall]

read that Japan and other countries were already doing that. Its one way to combat deflation, no? The danger is that its very explosive as economy can turn on a dime and go into inflation then hyper-inflation after the money supply is inflated too much or too fast, right?

That's the general agreement I'm hearing. And I don't this is administration is savvy enough to know when to pull back the money supply to avoid huge inflation.

So its all good until about 2030 unless our foreign born President spends more than another 10 trillion or he drives down the nation’s gdp by significant percentages. We could grow our way out of this mess they Hayek way. But the principle of compound interest and “vote yourself some benefits” makes that less likely each day, no?

I didn't think we had that long - that's good news. I'm hoping 2010 will see a turnaround in Congress - but.....I don't trust the Republicans in the Senate to rule as conservatives. With the choices we've had lately, we're damned either way.

Thanks for the thought-provoking post, steveO.

[CottonBall]

I didn’t realize you were so knowledgable about economic matters, GG. Is there anything you don’t know? ;)

[Wneighbor]

In our family we slice the onion, put it on the foot and then put a sock on over the onion and foot. Takes the fever down even in infants. Definitely have seen this work.<<<

Interesting, that such a simple thing works so well, one would be absorbing the juices/chemical through the skin.<<<

LOL, or is it mind over matter, as in “Get down fever and make it quick, for I don’t want to wear a new onion tomorrow”.<<<<

I don’t know anything official about the science of this but I do know there are some sulphur compounds in onions. And we have a lot of drugs that are sulphur based. So, I’ve always wondered if that onion is God’s sulphur medicine. I just know I’ve seen it work on a child’s fever a few times. Odd but true.

[DelaWhere]

>>>After hearing of Michelle Obama’s planting a garden, my son pointed out that if they would go out and buy their vegetables, they would stimulate the economy more. (Since that’s what they expect of us).<<<

Oh my golly, didn’t think of that...

Those poor Mexican farmers will be losing all those veggie sales...

Israeli Arugula sales will plummet...

We must not plant a garden!

Oil companies will suffer... (since food travels an avg. of 1,800 miles to our table)

But wait...

We could save all that money and then...

Buy a Chinese big screen TV...

LOL - We are DOOMED!

[DelaWhere]

>>>Is there anything you don’t know?<<<

Lots... But I’m workin on it... ;^)

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

That needs to be a new thread here.

[upcountry miss]

In an earlier post, I mentioned receiving my seed order from Fedco and the newsletter they include with each order. They have increased their business this year incredibly. I have bought seeds from them for over ten years. Most of their seeds are half the price of Burpee’s or Parks. The larger sizes offer huge savings. As your article stated, the catalog is a joy to read, filled with tidbits of wisdom. It is all black and white though, published on newspaper quality paper, no glossy beautiful pictures. I have my strawberry plants ordered. 50 plants were half the price of 25 from Parks.

[DelaWhere]

>>>I have my strawberry plants ordered. 50 plants were half the price of 25 from Parks. <<<

I was going to get more strawberry plants - I will be checking them out - Oooops Too late!

Was greeted by the message:

We are no longer accepting orders this season.

[Wneighbor]

Sending prayers you way as I just read you post of Wednesday. Still, more prayers sound in order.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Prayers for your safe journey, JD. I’m in awe of what you are doing.

[Eagle50AE]

>>> Here’s to the average American waking up in time! <<<

Every Family needs to sit down and watch “The Pianist” and ponder if ....if ...

watch how easily it was maneuvered. it's frightening..

and this is just a D**n Movie...

[DelaWhere]

March 26, 2009
Bachmann bill would ban global currency
@ 1:31 pm by Eric Zimmermann

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has introduced legislation that would "bar the dollar from being replace by any foreign currency." A statement from Bachmann's website:

“Yesterday, during a Financial Services Committee hearing, I asked Secretary Geithner if he would denounce efforts to move towards a global currency and he answered unequivocally that he would," said Bachmann. "And President Obama gave the nation the same assurances. But just a day later, Secretary Geithner has left the option on the table. I want to know which it is. The American people deserve to know."

On Monday, Geithner and Bernanke both rejected the idea of a global currency in Congressional testimony. But in remarks to the Council on Foreign Relations yesterday, Geithner indicated he was open to the idea.
------------------------------------
Go Michelle!!! Hope it will pass...

http://briefingroom.thehill.com/2009/03/26/bachmann-bill-would-ban-global-currency/

[DelaWhere]

>>>Every Family needs to sit down and watch “The Pianist” <<<

Hmmm haven’t seen it... will have to check it out.

Thanks for the tip.

[DelaWhere]

Well, so much for those scientific geniuses who KNOW how to control ‘Global Warming’. (Does it really exist?)-

Hungry Crustaceans Eat Climate Change Experiment
Posted by samzenpus on Thursday March 26, @02:17PM
from the circle-of-life dept.
thumbnail
Earlier this month, an expedition fertilized 300 square kilometers of the Atlantic Ocean with six metric tons of dissolved iron. This triggered a bloom of phytoplankton, which doubled their biomass within two weeks by taking in carbon dioxide from the seawater. The dead phytoplankton were then expected to sink to the ocean bed, dragging carbon along with them. Instead they experiment turned into an example of how the food chain works as the bloom was eaten by a swarm of hungry copepods. The huge swarm of copepods were in turn eaten by larger crustaceans called amphipods, which are often eaten by squid and whales. “I think we are seeing the last gasps of ocean iron fertilization as a carbon storage strategy,” says Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution at Stanford University. While the experiment failed to show ocean fertilization as a viable carbon storage strategy, it has pushed the old “My dog ate my homework” excuse to an unprecedented level.

http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/03/26/1622243