Rationing Food!!??
 

There was a segment on GMA this morning about rationing food! It was on my local morning news, too. Seems that rice and other dry staples are being rationed in some areas. I believe Sams Club is limiting the amount of some items that one person can buy.

http://nysun.com/news/food-rationing...adbasket-world

It's getting frightening - I've noticed higher prices at the grocery store. The price of fuel to transport produce and other items is getting out of control (it's $4.19 a gallon here in Georgia). The extra cost is certainly getting passed on to the consumer (as I expect it would).

What's everyone doing indivisually about this? Has this affected the way you shop and the amount of outings you take? It has for me...and I only expect it to get worse because I've taken a 40% cut in pay (with going on LTD).

It's sorta scary.....

It's a lot scary, Kelly. It's a lot scary for a lot of reasons. Yes, I have begun rethinking a lot of my ideas about what I might do this summer, where I might go, and how often.

I'm especially sensitive to it because my car is my one, true escape from feeling like I have MS and just sitting in it in my driveway doesn't quite cut it. Last night, local news said that we should expect over $4 by Memorial day (coincidence?).

My personal opinion is that the American refineries are slowing production to force the government's hand in paying for their updates that they've been deliberately ignoring for decades.

Food rationing is the sign of many things to come.

Historically, many significant Empires (Roman, Inca) have fallen because of this. The food rationing is actually a response to two natural pressures and one artificial one. (1) Increased planetary heat changing crop cycles; 2) Migration of rural communitiees into central cities resulting in an increase in food consumption which pressures the Carrying Capacity (K) of the supplies, and; 3) Artificial price increases caused by market speculators.

The only thing that I think we, the members of less impacted countries, can do is to donate funds to reliable charities like UNICEF.

We are seeing a pattern that has been repeated far too oftenduring human history.

-Vic

We may need a Clinton back in the white house......At least the Economy was booming.

We are falling apart..:hissyfit: I want my Maypo..:D

I know what you mean.....when I'm driving it's the only time I feel "normal" (whatever that is!). It's an escape for me, too. :(

Hi Kelly !!!!
I so agree - I just heard about rationing yesterday too - and I was shocked to hear it. I'm certainly not in a panic but, like you said, it is a little frightening.

It is horrible what is happening to people in other areas of the world who can no longer afford food at all - it is a serious crisis. I was taken a little aback by hearing that we too are now rationing but I am hopeful that this means we are trying to divert some of this to the nations and people who are starving (including people here in the US - there are hungry people here too).

What I am hearing is that the US is now giving less to our own food banks as well as internationally due to increased cost. I am very concerned about our future (and have been for some time).

I am wanting to go on a cruise and have some fun this year, partly because I fear I may not have an opportunity in the near future - for various reasons - my health, my ability to afford, and the crisis world wide that I think we are beginning to see due to oil prices and the consequences that it brings with it. EVERYTHING is going to cost more due to shipping cost. I wish I had a place for a vegetable garden (like my grandparents always did).

My grandparents were self sustaining in terms of eating - they had cows, chickens and pigs and planted huge gardens and canned their food for winter. They saw hard times that we have never experienced so they knew how to survive (that whole generation). We will be LOST - most of us don't have the means or the skills and now families are scattered all over the world.

You really touched a nerve with me because this is actually something I have been fearing for a long time. I have read a fair amount about prophecies not only biblical but also the Aztecs, Myans, Nostradamus - many, many different ancient prophecies that all point to very difficult times in these years that we are now in and a major event in 2012. I will do a different thread about that - don't want to hijack. :(

Side note - - I have not been posting much lately but reading some - I am so sorry that you had to take LTD but so happy that you were treated so well.

And also what Victor said - this is a pattern in history !!!

You can completely take prophecies out the picture and just look back historically and see what this points too. I so hope and pray that this can somehow be turned around - but global warming is a factor and that is another can of worms.

I liked the way our economy was when Clinton was in office too, but at that time - didn't realize how much I should have appreciated it !!!

well my part thus far is being less wastefull. i no longer just toss out leftovers for one thing and make a list now of what i need from town before i start my car.

we have planted a garden and if all goes well we will have some fresh veggies to eat all year long.........that is if i can recall how mom did it.

home entertainment works for me and i think porch sitting is just plain good for the soul :D i grew up living the simple life .......when eating out was a rare occaision and a hamburger from dairy queen was treat!

recently we took my inlaws out to eat and as usual they will order one entree to divide between them and water to drink. their response when told to order anything they want....it is our treat....is they did and now they can enjoy each and every bite knowing they didn't break the bank or the pocketbook :wink:

i truley believe if we lived as frugile as the folks in the 50's did it would be a giant step in the right direction.

I also want to add that in spite of my planning to go on a cruise (which I almost feel guilty about) I am doing what "I" can to try and live green and be a good steward to the earth in these difficult times.

1) I take my canvas bags to the stores - (forget sometimes but getting better)
2) I drive a fuel economy car
3) I replaced all my bulbs with flourescents - BUT - found out about mercury and I have removed a few and will probably remove all flourescents - (mercury scares me !!!)
4) Make fewer trips to the store (really doing well with this one)
5) Was considering getting a bicycle to ride to store for quick trips but too much leg stiffness..
6) Turned my hot water heater down
7) Try to keep lights off

I need to uplug everything when not in use i.e.. TVs, toaster and stuff - but I am not being good on this one yet... I'm trying to learn and do better...

Snoods

Peachy - I so agree.
I was raised like you and we were so frugal. I have always been much more frugal than many probably because we couldn't afford all those extra things (my husband and I).

But we NEED to get back to those values of our parents and our grandparents. I admire you for having a garden - I don't have room - I live in a condo but maybe I can find just a tiny space for a plant or two !

Snoods

I agree that prophecies are as good as the day they're offered. It doesn't matter who is in office, the cycles have their own momentum. It is even argued that the ultimate results of a presidency are not actually realized by the nation as a whole until 11 years after the then-sitting president leaves office.

Partisan jargon and battles aside, here's a cool piece of work that explains part of the wave rather neatly:
http://www.jstor.org/pss/2960490

Sam's Club is rationing the sales of things like rice.

However, to try to calm all of you down, the bags of rice that they're rationing are EIGHTY POUND BAGS! The people who buy those big bags are the ones who own restaurants and are not usually just regular people.

It's supply and demand, and if someone buys more rice than they usually do, because they want to stock up because they're afraid of the price rising even more, then people who come in after them wont be able to buy their normal amount of rice, and Sam's Club might not be able to keep up with the demand because everyone wants to hoard 80 pound bags of rice because they're scared of the price going up 50 cents.

From the reading I've done about rationing, being done the way that Sam's Club is doing it, actually causes people to panic and creates a run on the grocery stores. It's possible that WalMart (the owner of Sam's Club) wants to cause a panic so that people will get scared that there's going to be a shortage of food. They'll panic and come into the store and spend the money that WalMart wants them to be spending in THEIR stores...all because of a story about Sam's Club rationing the eighty pound bags of rice.

So, you might end up paying a bit more for any extra rice when you go to a restaurant, but I dont think it's a cause for panic. They only rationing people based on their previous purchase history. So, it's not like they're saying one bag per person...they're probably rationing it by percentages of how much rice they normally buy.

Now, if they start rationing the sale of Hershey's chocolate candy, or soda pop, then you'll see me panic. Especially if they ration chocolate.

I don't eat a lot of rice - but rice isn't the only commodity being rationed. I think it's just a tidbit of things to come.....

What I have started doing is stocking up on non perishable things that are on sale or BOGO. Things like crackers, popcorn and frozen foods that don't have to be used immediately. This way I don't have to make as many trips to the market. We don't eat out anymore - at all. Well, my son does but that's when he goes out with his girlfriend and they pay for that themselves. He's become more frugal, though.

With myself being my only source of support/income this has me worried for numerous reasons. :sad-dollar: Not panicking....just being justifiably concerned.

Hey Cindy - I was unable to access the article but I have heard discussions and repots about the cycles so I do have some idea of what you are talking about. :)

As for prophecies - I actually do put a "fair" amount of faith in those things - I certainly wouldn't go stand on a hillside and wait for doomsday or commit suicide to catch a comet :confused: but I probably put more credibility in prophecies than many people. Just me... :crazy:

Erin - I'm not panicking in any way - but I do find it a bit frightening. What you are saying is logical - I just have very serious concerns about the whole situation.

Also - the chocolate rationing would be worriesome for me too !! :eek:

Snoods...

The December 21st, 2012 prophecy?

I dont believe it. I am thinking of having a party that day anyways. You know, a Bon Voyage party...just in case, and just for fun.

I think I've seen that date mentioned in writings and documentary tv shows that are telling about "predictions" for the end of the world. Most of the shows mention the Bible Code, the Mayans, the book of Revalations, Edgar Cayce, Nostradamus, and probably a few others in saying that December 21st 2012 is going to be the day that the world (or just Man) ends.

Depending on which one you read, it predicts that the Apocalypse starts that day, or a large asteroid will hit the planet, or there will be a plague or a nuclear war or something happening that day that will end all human life.

Ever hear of the Millerites and The Great Disappointment?

A Baptist minister, William Miller, predicted that Jesus would come back in 1843 and the world would end. Well, the year passed and nothing happened. So, Miller went back and did more math or consulted his tea leaves or whatever it was that he was using for his "prediction", and declared, "opps! My bad...I meant 1844, not 1843." Then he realized in late 1844 that it wasnt happening, and confessed that he'd made an error.

People predict this stuff all the time, and it doesnt come true. I dont think we'll have any idea of when the world is going to end until about a few seconds before it actually does. I wouldnt worry about the world ending a few weeks before Christmas in 2012. (I'll be disappointed if it ends before Christmas that year. I love getting presents on Christmas)

but, if the Mayans and all the other "psychics" are right, we've got a little less than four years to live it up. Please pass me the chocolate and Mug Root Beer...oh, and dont forget the Strawberry Twizzlers.

I did not intend for this thread to be a religious argument.......please - can we stick to the original topic. :)

I wasnt making it a religious argument. Just using the Millerites as an example of what happens when people believe the end-of-the-world prophecies (a lot of prophecies are usually rooted in religion)

By the way, I really dont make religious statments. I'm an atheist.

Can we please just stick to the original subject of the thread. Thanks. :)

and to get back on topic. I was just watching FoxNews about the rice shortage.

There is no shortage of rice in the United States. I think that both Costco and Walmart/Sam's Club were both extremely irresponsible in starting people to panic about the rice rationing. I'm listening to some guy from Costco saying that there's no shortage, but that people started to buy up rice to the point where they were running out every day. (they get new shipments the very next day)

So, Costco started limiting people on rice sales, and Walmart decided to do the exact same thing, and then the news channels picked up on it, reported it, and that's what's actually causing the big run on rice now.

People panic for no reason. So now, there are people who dont normally buy 80 pound bags of rice going out and stocking up on it. It's a false sense of demand versus supply.

Rice is on sale at my local chain, but that's Uncle Ben's Perverted Rice, I think some buyers are afraid of it.

In their weekly ads for my region, there are no limits on anything but sale coffee and that's normal (limit 2 per purchase).

But, when coffee is at a good price, I will make many purchases and stow it away. It'll be my fault if there's a run on coffee that starts in MI.:o:eek:

i just found this article. notice the wording at the top...the red lettering.

Rice-land shortage
Silverio J. Berenguer
MANILA, Philippines - Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap was closer to the truth than he realized when he said, “There is no rice shortage in the country.” I agree with him. We do not have a rice shortage in the Philippines. What we have is a rice-land shortage.


full article:
http://www.asianjournal.com/?c=193&a=27118

another good one:

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/s...-shortage.html

that article from earth times hit home.

i am very frugal and try my darndest not to waste food. heck..not like there is a whole lot around here to waste right now...

but i can remember ording chinese take out and getting cartons of steamed rice. i would use some of it the next week, but most times threw out a box or 2.

so how much rice could we save is we asked for 1/2 or less?

is rice so important to us compared to the countries where it is their MAIN is not ONLY food that we HAVE to even buy it right now?

how many people could we feed if we all didn't buy any for 6 months?

I haven't ordered take out in quite a while but I remember getting the containers of white steamed rice. I always tried to use it later in the week in some fashion but more times than not ended up throwing it out.

I've become very frugal, too, and probably would not throw it (or anything) out now.

I went out for Chinese food the other night with my parents.

My mom bought soup, my dad got fried rice, and I got asparagus beef.

When the order was brought to the table, they gave me a little tiny bowl of rice. My mom wanted to put some in her soup (something she's done for years) and my dad wanted to mix white rice with his steamed rice.

We went thru that teeny tiny bowl, and asked for more. You'd have thought that we were asking for all the cash in the cash register when we asked for some more. But, she still cheerfully brought us out another bowl...which we finished off. (and yes, my dad ate the entire plate of his fried rice mixed with the steamed)

There is no rice shortage. I think it's the stores causing a panic so that more people will come in and spend money on things that they wouldnt normally buy...so that the stores can make more money.

Similar thing happened in the late 1970's with gasoline. I was really young then, but I still remember the lines of people at the gas stations. Went to put air in my bike tires one morning, and was shocked by the lines...and freaked out by the guy who went postal on some other guy who cut in front of him in the line...right next to the air pump that I was using to put air in my bike tires. (I think I was 7 or 8yrs old)

All those wasted hours waiting in line for gas, when there really wasnt a problem, other than the one being created by people who thought that we were running out of gasoline. I still remember people being freaked out that a gallon of gas was *gasp* 77 cents!!!

"I" for one, know that I should be more frugal and I have improved throughout the years. I do try to recycle my rice when I bring home one of the huge boxes of rice - I will fix leftovers with another meal the next day - whereas I used to throw out.

I am ashamed to say that I have let many a fresh fruit and veggie go bad in the fridge :Sob: but in the last couple of years I have been a little better in this area. I don't know why I have a problem with fresh produce going bad - I think I forget about it and then find it a month later looking rather sickly.

Ifwe ever have a shortage on Diet Nestea White Berry Honey - I will be hoarding - sorry to say.... I LOVE THAT STUFF !!! :winky:

And I think it would be a wonderful gesture if our country would at least cut back on rice (as Curious said) since it is not our main stay like it is in other countries.

Thank you for the links too...

We used to have compost heaps at the last two houses we lived in.

The house I grew up in, my dad had built a huge box out of pine and some other wood. It was about 5 feet tall, and about the size of a large backyard sandbox.

He put all sorts of compost materials in it. Leftovers from food, grass clippings, anything that would break down into compost. He'd "stir" it up to get the stuff mixed.

Every few years he'd open up the compost bin and empty it onto the lower part of our backyard where he had his garden. Once, he didnt open it for about 5 years, but had kept adding to it. A few years before we moved, he opened it up, and he said that it had the best and blackest pile of dirt ever.

He spread it around the garden, and the planted. We were nearly over run by the cucumbers and tomatoes that tried to take over the yard. He ended up telling the neighbors to just come get whatever they wanted out of the garden. I think the neighbors on either side of us didnt have to go to the grocery store for tomatoes or cucumbers for several weeks. My dad made spaghetti with a small army of his tomatoes and it was pretty good.

The dirt also helped the grape vine that was growing on the wall and fence above the garden. We had a LOT of good grapes (the purple kind) that year. My dad made wine (by making grape juice in a Tupperware pitcher and leaving it in the fridge with a "do not drink" sign on it)

I dont think that compost bin is still there. I've been able to drive by and havent been able to see the compost bin thru the fence in the backyard when I've been on the street that's behind our old street.

We're not allowed to have a composter in the neighborhood we're in now. We did at our 2nd house tho. My dad and the neighbor put their compost bins right next to each other, so that when they opened them up, they could both drag the new dirt down to the garden they shared in the public park behind our houses.

That garden was pretty much a dump when we moved to that house. Full of glass, and rocks that the previous owner of our house had dumped in it. We got the city to come and clean it out for us, and my dad and the neighbor shared it. I called that garden the Buffalo Wallow (Buffalo used to "wallow" or roll around in the dirt making big dips in the dirt hundreds of years ago) there was a HUGE River Birch tree growing in the middle of it. I think my dad and the neighbor fed half the neighborhood with all the stuff they grew back there for a few summers.


I do not have a green thumb, and when I have attempted to grow a plant, it's died a gruesome and horrible death. So, I dont try to torture any plants by attempting to grow them.

I hear ya Kelly. Today as my first day on LTD :(. Don't get me wrong guys, I'm extremely grateful for it. But. Always a 'but'. I've lost 40 percent of my salary too. Tim has not been to work for over a month and we are staring bankruptcy in the face on top of everything else going on with me :(. I am petrified by the state of our economy too. I already unplug the toaster when nobody is using it, stumble around the house with just night lights on etc. And ya know when I say stumble I mean it :). I'm really having a hard time teaching my sons how to be less wasteful. I am fortunate to live very close to many stores so I don't have to waste a lot of gas. If only we had ca$h to spend at them :).

Oh Joelle.......:sorry:

:hug: Joelle :hug: I'm so sorry ya'll are having such a hard time. I can tell you, though, I'm not far behind you. I'm watching every penny that comes in and hanging onto it as long as I can before I have to let it go. Bankruptcy is a real possibility for me, too, as I will not be able to keep up with everything with a 40% cut in my income. :(

I'm trying to be less wasteful and I'm doing a pretty good job with that. I've been researching Angel Food Ministries and plan on ordering a $30 box from them for next month. It's a great bargain - anyone can participate as there are no income requirements. There is a website you can go to and see where the closest participating chuch is in your area. Take a look at the menu - it will tell you what's in the box that month - I certainly could not buy all that for $30 and it's things that we eat anyway.

www.angelfoodministries.com is the site address. SandyC first posted about this last year and I think it's a wonderful program. It will help my food budget stretch even farther.

As far as gasoline goes, I just don't go anywhere unless it's absolutely necessary (or someone else is driving!!:D) and I combine errends. It helps me save money and it also helps the environment by not having my car out polluting the air.

I had wanted to participate in the Meals on Wheels program here in our county by volunteering to deliver meals one day a week but I've not heard back from them after leaving a couple of messages AND it would mean using gas that right now I cannot afford to part with.

You're right - the way our economy is right now is scary. Not just because of the food rationing but because the general state of it is so poor.

Wouldn't it be nice to go back to when we were kids - not a care in the world - Mom and Dad took care of everything and we didn't have to worry about how we were going to pay for the utility bills, put food on the table and gas in the car.....

I too have been watching the prices go up and shuddering. I have
a family of 6 with two teenage boys. And them boys can eat!!!!!
and so can their friends!!!!!!!!!!!!!:eek: I shop specials and use coupons
but still pay a hefty chunk about 2 X week. And the gas...... $80 to
fill up my tank once a week. I also have a 18ds who is struggling
to keep gas in the tank. He has been out of work with an injury
since Oct. so its very tough on him.:(

My son will be having a graduation party in about six weeks and I
cant imagine what I will be paying for the food for that.:eek:

I think its gonna be a summer spent at home around the pool. Im
very thankful we have such a nice place to be at in our own back
yard.:)

Good luck with this everyone. Chin (or chins in my case) up.

I don't have alot of time to post but....you've seen me complaining about food prices for months now....I suppose it was evident here first because all of our food comes in by barge...very expensive. Hawaii is worse.

I only buy what I need, not what I want. I shop Costco for case value. I inventory my shelves before going to the store. I seldom buy steak. Its burger and chicken here. I can walk out the door with 4 bags of food and have spent $150 or more. We don't have double coupon days and the compitition is so low here that the price wars are seldom worth buying for.

Fruit and veggies are almost as bad as meats and dairy now. Its a darn shame.

On another note, I was thinking that I can buy a kids meal at McD's everyday for less than it costs to make a meal at home. (I don't)...but this is a bad, bad sign.....

Sounds like what I'm doing this summer!

When I lost my job it cut our income by 30%. When dh's company started going down the tubes and he left to go to the railroad, he took a 40% pay cut. But before he started on the RR, we sold a ton of stuff on ebay, enough to pay for the pool. Best thing we ever did. Our yard is our vacation every year.

:)

Now that all of em are back home, the *kids* are going to help with the garden. We just fry up peppers and onions, either chicken or bratworst and make fajitas. cheap eating. Heck I could live on the tomatoes alone all summer. And dd is a vegan, so she'll eat real cheap.

:D

I can remember as a child eating turnips and cornbread almost every meal...sometimes with meat sometimes not. I also remember when I first married we ate chicken 5 out of 7 nights and we did it as a family which included my MIL, FIL, BIL, cousin, and uncle. This was a necessity not because we loved each other's company that much. lol

We farmed and raised our own beef, chicken and pork...grew our own vegetables...

Now, with my second husband we buy everything...my ex does tell me when the peas and beans are ready for picking...he doesn't have the animals any longer. I would love to be able to pick those veggies but it does more harm than good.

Here are few tips if you don't have garden space:

Plant tomatoes in huge flower pots if you eat a lot of them.
Squashes can be planted in extra large buckets or pots also.
Actually almost any vegetable can be planted in other than the soil...
Plant them in with your flowers...it works really well and the blooms make for a nice veiw...and you can harvest late evening or early morning.

Just get a lil creative and you can plant what you eat most as far as vegetables...grape vines will grow up and over most anything...fences are good for that.

My tomatoes are in a huge pot on the patio...onions, I get from my son the onion farmer...cabbage from the ex husband along with a few other food products.

We have been doing all of the "energy saving" things in our home and our electric bill is the lowest it has ever been! We have all electric with 4 people and a 2500 square foot house and our electric bill has dropped to $85. from $175-$200 a month!

For those who can't grow your own food another good idea is to try to avoid the chain stores and buy your things at your local farmers market...the food is healthier,fresher and usually cheaper!

Wow, this is going to be like when Jim and I first married. Soup, bologna, cheese and bread. Oh and Koolaide!

Looks like me and Aldi's are going to become friends again too.

Don't forget Kraft Macaroni & Cheese with sliced up hotdogs in it!! That was gormet food when I first got married! :o

Just got off the phone with Emergency Essentials -- ordered a year's worth of food supply, dehydrated. It comes in cases of #10 cans (coffee sized). Now where am I gunna put it???

I do have a few cases of canned fruits and veggies, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared.

I don't mean to be an alarmist -- I have actually been meaning to do this for quite some time now. Had to get in on their April special (trust me to procrastinate until the very last day, Lol). :rolleyes:

Also, its a good idea to have a few days' water supply on hand. And money. And choccy!

Oh, and don't forget your meds and pets.

And women things. And baby diapers if you need 'em.

Remember the run on toilet paper back in the early 70's?

I gotta get some new magazines for the outhouse. Yep, we really have one out back. We store yard tools in it. :D

THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH FOR THIS!!!! I was able to find there is a site that participates with angel food ministries just down the road from where I live.... Such a load taken off of my mind.

:hug:
Abbie