High gas prices are not the only thing that is getting out-of-control expensive these days.
Food prices are at their highest prices of all time and this one staple of nearly every kitchen in the world is now a lot more expensive than it was just a couple of weeks ago.
The price of olive oil is skyrocketing. Within a couple of weeks it has gone up $2 and even $3 a bottle. It’s so high that a small 12-ounce bottle of generic Kroger brand extra virgin olive oil is $7.99. I’ve seen it as low as $3.99 on sale and it’s standard price is usually $5.99.
Now I happen to use a LOT of olive oil. I use is instead of salad dressing (even ask for it in restaurants, which sometimes gets some funny looks) and when cooking just about everything.
This is a habit I got into when first visiting the Greek Islands. There, all the food is literally swimming in olive oil. I initially thought this was a bit excessive (and, as my friends and I quickly discovered, it takes the American system two or three days to adjust to it if you get my drift). But I walked around, I noticed a heck of a lot of elderly Greek people who seemed to be in pretty good health.
So that’s when I realized that olive oil is really good for you and can help me live longer than without it.
The skyrocketing price of olive oil has forced me to make a couple of adjustments. For starters, I’m buying smaller bottles. I still go through the same amount of it but I am hoping these high prices is a temporary situation.
My long-term plan is to buy the biggest bottles – jugs, really, almost restaurant sized – and go with volume to keep the overall per-use cost down as much as possible.
Another item that has gone up considerably in this seemingly runaway inflation time that I eat a lot of are eggs. They are $4-5 a dozen in grocery stores, cheaper in quality discount places like Trader Joe’s and Grocery Outlet (about $3). In fact, I’ve long found that dairy items in TJs are priced considerably less than they are in grocery store chains.
Meat, too, is headed upward; I just hope that doesn’t spiral out of control like the rising gas prices.
These more expensive food items not only hit consumers when shopping at grocery stores but when we go out to eat. If higher food costs are coming from the supply source, then restaurants will have no choice except to raise their prices. Appetizers, entrees and dessert could go up by $1, $2 or even $3.
Food trucks are being hit from both sides. They are mobile so the cost of gas to get to different locations is high and food costs are up, too. Some may disappear and go out of business as a result.
There’s not much to do about it for now except to suck it up and hope things get better.
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