My daughter is lactose-intolerant-(so no milk, cheese and she's allergic to eggs) so this doesn't affect me much but it effects my sister and friend and everyone else that uses milk and has kids. I'm raising my own chickens for eggs, and growing my own garden for food...its a shame that things are getting so desperate right now...its like a low grade panic because of global warming and the natural disasters that are coming from it which effects grains, oil, etc. and the high prices of gas, which effects what gets shipped, and how much things cost. Its crazy. It's scary. Its already hard to make it now, I'm already going without and trying to stretch every dime but it just seems to be getting worst...and all I can think of is that people are starting to try control their circumstances by becoming self-sufficient and trying to deal with things on their own like converting their cars to run on oil, or raising backyard chickens in the city/suburbs like we are, gardening, and walking or driving less. I went out today and saw that there was hardly anyone on the road, a major road but it was nearly empty during a rush hour period...no one was out to shop, even walmart on a saturday is relatively quiet which means that the smaller businesses are suffering even worst. I am trying to stay positive but when I hear news like this, it saddens me that our nation is struggling so much right now....poor or middle class...everyone's suffering.

Milk has been over $4 here for awhile now. The kind I buy is $5.15 a gallon.

The roads are as busy as ever too with people shopping. I am noticing more people holding the sale pages and using coupons though.

 

Fortunately we don't need milk all that often so I bought powdered milk and don't mind the taste at all. We buy more cheese and freeze that and butter. I've noticed fewer people on the roads but what really caught my attention is people really studying the shelves and comparing prices.

I think we pay a bout $4 or more for a gallon down here and it's been like that for a while.

As far as shoppers go, perhaps it's because we have an area that is experiencing a lot of big growth, but I actually think I see a increase in shoppers and people on the road. That may change though, as things get worse. We'll see.

You know, sometimes I fee just as frustrated. I feel like I budget well, save money where I can, cook instead of eat out, hang dry, etc. but yet we aren't saving as much as you would think due to the quickly rising gas and food prices. But you konw what keeps me searching for new ways to save, be more frugal and live more simply? I see families (such as the Duggars) who are able to make it with all those kids (and debt free at that) so I know there are ways to improve. Know what I mean? But that's where this board and all of you wonderful people come in! I get more and more ideas every day from this board on ways to save and live more simply. My biggest opsticle, though, is not having the time to implement all of the new things I've learned.

I know I say this all the time, but that's why I like this board. People in the "real world" do a lot more complaining than taking action and changing their lifestyles. People on this board do vent (we all need to do that, it's healthy!) BUT we also are taking action. That's not only encouraging and keeps me going in the right direction, but it's a wonderful source of information that I'm just unable to find from my other friends and family.

God bless,

Julie

I love my milk goats!

I am reinvesting some sales money into 2 new milkers this month. I need to try to get one doe to kid in December when we start drying the other girls up before their kidding dates, so I can have milk all year. Otherwise, that is the only time of year we buy milk: regular and SoySilk for my cow-milk allergic son.

Right now we get 2 gallons a day from the goats. At freshening, I have 2 that give 2 gallons by themselves.

Milk just hit the $4 mark in my area. If I can ever afford to buy a house before age 60, I am seriously considering raising mini cows for milk. I drink a lot of it and use it in recipes, so that's one thing I do struggle to cut down on.

I have two more years before I can raise goats...I have to move back to Tennessee and living where I do in Michigan, in suburbia, all I can do is garden and raise backyard chickens. But, I am planning on buying my goats milk from a lady that lives in the same city but her area is considered rural. It's gonna cost $7 for a half gallon but I tasted it and talked to her and I'd rather support her than the corporate suppliers.

 We have cut down substantially on milk.  But I still feel very lucky here, we have transportation, health care, a home, and I just sorted clothes last week for a garage sale- we have so many clothes, we can sell some!  I am on-line, at home, with access to tons of information.  We'll go to the library and pool this week.  I'll go to work, and dh will go to work.  I think America continues to be a land of comfortable living, although the gap between the rich and poor continues to widen, most poor people have TVs, transportation, health care, and leisure time.  

A gallon of milk here is almost $8, making it a luxury item that I only feed to my son in his cereal.  I have a few gallons in the deep freeze that I bought half off a few weeks ago, and my son is at his fathers till August so I won't have to buy any soon, but if I see a sale I'm stocking up.   Everything is expensive here since its shipped via freighter from the mainland.  I'm glad its just me right now to feed, I can subsist of very little by myself.

frugal_alaskan:

A gallon of milk here is almost $8

 

Ok... the phrase... "Holy Cow" really comes to mind now.

 

Happy now that I'm lactose intolerant and just have to suffer with the price of cheese and yogurts.