Gasoline, groceries and the household budget: Where to cut?
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EUGENE, Ore.-- The balance between purchasing a gallon of milk and a gallon of gas is causing local families to take shopping to some new extremes.
Local families tell KVAL News that they are driving to supermarkets across town and even changing their diets to save money for a tank of gas.
"We do a lot more chicken instead of steak," said Carol Mayhugh, Junction City resident. "I make a lot of homemade soups and casseroles, and yeah, its changed a lot."
Mike Summers, Eugene residents, said he now travels across town to get to a grocery store that sells food for less.
"Obviously shopping here at Grocery Outlet you know looking for the best prices. They beat a lot of the stores around here. I look for the sales and go there," Summer said.
The rising price of food is just another item pinching the wallets of many families. Factors such as government subsidies, extreme drought and an increase in international and local demand are just a few things taking the blame for the spike in food prices.
With gas prices also rising, something in the family's budget has to give.
"Gas isn't really all that flexible cause you need to go to work, and you need to spend gas at some point," said Dawn Marie Woodward, Food for Lane County spokeswoman.
Woodward says Food for Lane County always sees a spike in requests for food when gas prices go up, and rising food prices aren't helping.
"Our supply is staying about the same meaning we've got as much coming in as we do going out. Our supply hasn't changed," she said said.
Woodward said families see gas as a flexible part of their budget, but in reality, without gas for the morning commute, there would be no budget at all. That leaves food as the only thing to cut back on.
Cut back....are you kidding me??
I'm going to borrow money from China and try to spend my way out of this mess... ;/
Winco has not raised prices very much... A two person household can get by on $300 a month in food.. and eat well.. Buying meat from the local butcher helps keep the meat costs down.Picking and putting up food from the many various local farms also helps to keep the food costs down over the winter.Most fruits and veggies can be frozen for winter use.Cooking at home,and from scratch, has always been the cheapest way to go..
The only way things will ever be brought back into control again is to get all incumbant politicians out of office and limit the new ones to the same benefits, health care and salaries as the private sector gets. Their corruption, Democrats and Republicans has become so much a part of their lives they can not change. So we the people have to make sure that they do change by electing people with honor, and limiting their salaries and benefits.
ethanol is causing food and gas to go up.good job government now about obamcare,how are you going to manage that when you have done so well with being bought by the ethanol people,the pharmaceutical companies and everyone else wanting to make a buck off our blood
I'm going to start using coupons. Never have before, but I've got to make that grocery budget stretch.