Can you just go with the flow regarding grocery prices and scarcity?

I am. I am simply cutting back on everything. There are many alternatives to eggs.
I do feel for business and families starting out as they do not have that flexibility.

We go without and thats fine. When steak was high, we ate more fish and chicken. As far as Eastercand eggs, we certainly can go without as they are mostly devilled or in baked goods.

Are you asking if we are coping or if we are being spoiled babies?

I’m flexible with fruit. I always bought what was on sale and I don’t need anything specific. I go with the flow. As for meat, I don’t eat a lot of beef and I definitely don’t buy a lot of beef, so I can live with just having it in the occasional restaurant meal.

Eggs, I don’t eat a lot of but I do like to have them on hand for cooking or baking, which I don’t do a lot of but they are necessary. I know there are substitutes. Luckily, I can get eggs at Costco (about 9 dollars for two dozen at this time, mid March), and I can get them from a local lady who has chickens and she charges 6 dollars a dozen.

Things I need, I tend to stock up on, like coffee, so I can ride out any price hikes usually.

@canidmajor Just asking if it is a big deal to you. I have a few friends who seem very stressed out when a shelf is empty or a particular item is very expensive. Even before Covid19 supply problems, they almost seemed in a panic to run out of some items. We aren’t talking heart medicine.

Yes, @JLeslie, you made it clear by your use of the word “spoiled”, and I commend your flexibility.

If shelves are empty here because migrant workers are afraid to show up to pick for fear of deportation, and things rot in fields, on vines or on trees, then, yes, of course it upsets me, but not because I am “spoiled”.

If things are unavailable because of tariffs, wait…no tariffs, wait…tariffs, and so on, yes, I am upset, but not because I am “spoiled”.

And on a basic, no blame level, if eggs are too expensive and small local businesses (diners, bakeries, little farms) suffer a loss of revenue because of it, then yes, I am upset, but not because I am “spoiled”.

Lots of people plan ahead very carefully around budgets and energy levels and family preferences, and their lives may be dismayingly disrupted by this turmoil.

If a store doesn’t have something or it’s too expensive for my taste, I do without.

We could switch to duck eggs…

24 Organic Fresh Duck Eggs For Eating Keto Baking Free Range pasture-raised $350.00 on ebay. WHAT??! Must be some awfully special ducks

@canidmajor The friends I am talking about have over a million in the bank, they just can’t stand the idea of running out of anything or freak out if they can’t get the brand of cream cheese they want for a week. You took it way farther than my intention. I do think Americans are “spoiled” with having supermarkets full practically 24/7 and an extremely wide breadth of choice on the shelves compared to many other countries, that is all I meant by that statement. People who are poor, even in America, have to make difficult choices about food all of the time, and don’t have access much of the time to the choice a typical middle class or wealthy family has.

So I was right with my first post.

Making choices that you want to make doesn’t make you spoiled.

@canidmajor Maybe you prefer the word privileged. The privilege of being accustomed to having plenty of choice on supermarket shelves.

Maybe we use the word spoiled differently.

@smudges It’s not a matter of choice. Unless you are calling your reaction a choice? Like I said to @canidmajor don’t get so hung up on the word spoiled. Do you get very bothered when you can’t get your American cheese for a week or not?

@JLeslie No, I was agreeing with you but it didn’t come out right. LOL As I said above, if something is too expensive or they’re out, I do without and it’s not a big deal. My comment was directed toward @canidmajor – buying things that I want doesn’t make me spoiled.

Add-on: Throwing a hissy fit if I can’t get what I want is what would make me spoiled, and that’s what @JLeslie was saying.

@smudges Sorry for the misunderstanding, thanks for clarifying. @canidmajor wanted to turn it into a big political thing, which was not my intention with the Q.

Eggs where I live have crept up slowly. At Christmas, we were around $3.89 a dozen for basic grocery store brand eggs. Now we’re at $4.79. My chicken owning colleague isn’t in the same offic e any more, but she was charging $4.00 for a dozen for her eggs. We have a deal that if she’s ever coming to my office, she needs to bring me a dozen eggs!

If certain items become really expensive then I’ll consider them luxury items. Buy them either when they go on sale or if there is a special event that needs them.