Holiday Baking Stock up Now!

Holiday baking is just around the corner and this is the time of year I start to stock pile butter like a squirrel stores nuts for the winter! The prices are starting to creep up so whenever I see butter under $3.00 a lb., it's going in my cart and then right into the freezer when I get home! Same thing for cocoa, chocolate chips, sugar and flour. Last year I recall seeing butter for almost $7.00 a pound around Thanksgiving! Crazy expensive IMO. Happy baking! BB

BerryBaby
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BerryBaby
BerryBaby September 18, 2016
Yes, major grocery chains are starting to see butter prices rise. I have found good deals at Grocery Outlet $2.99 for a one pound brick (chef's cut is how it is labeled). Meat has gotten to be ridiculously high but this is how I justify buying an $18.00 steak. If we went out to dinner that same steak without any sides would be close to double. So it makes $18.00 seem reasonable. I had read somewhere months ago the prices are rising due to people not purchasing or eating red meat like they use to, supply and demand. The demand goes down, the prices go up. Plus their costs for raising cattle and processing have increased. I have found the mark down bin, first thing in the morning when Safeway opens, to be fabulous. The dates are still within reason and most items are marked at least 30% less.
 
Smaug
Smaug September 18, 2016
Tried the markdown bin a few times- got a few good deals before a couple of open-and-tosses; had to give it up. There's usually one or another brand of butter on sale- the premium brands get down to around $4, sort of acceptable. Thing with the beef prices: 10 the price rise was quite sudden and large, though they're still creeping up and 2)pork, which should have similar cost and demand factors, hasn't budged. Restaurants seem to be the one business with unlimited gross margin - most of which I suppose the landlords end up with. If you start justifying grocery prices by what's charged in restaurants, you could pay anything. The industry seems to have noticed this; grand innovations like coffee systems that allow you to pay restaurant prices to drink coffee at home are proliferating.
 
Smaug
Smaug September 17, 2016
Seems to me the price of butter (in NorCal anyway) suddenly shot up several months ago- suddenly a$4 (off sale) item was a $7 item. I never heard any sort of explanation- I know why California egg prices suddenly went through the roof, but the butter was a surprise. I usually do major baking shopping around Thanksgiving, seems like that's when the best sales are, but I'm mostly stuck shopping at Safeway. Also about the only time you can count on broths and stocks being on sale. Now if someone could tell me why beef prices have quadrupled the last few years...
 
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