Cause for Pseudo Fabulousness...The Economy Part Deux

Can someone please explain to me why last night, I paid $1.30 for a cup and a half of rice?

A CUP and a HALF of RICE.

I know because I measured it. Poured it into my 2 cup Pyrex and watched as it went slightly over the "1 1/2 cup" mark.

Now, when I first moved to Pittsburgh that same bag of generic long grain rice was $.89. Then, if I wanted a pound, it was about $4. My mother used to buy 25 pound bags in New York City for $13. $11 on sale. Now they're $15.54.



But I paid $1.30 for a cup and a half of rice.

I ended up paying $17.92 for my total bill. My groceries included 2 cafe steamers that go in such great tandem with my Weight Watchers plan (sale 3 for $10, although I'm sure I bought them for $2.14 last week), 4 strawberry Yoplait yogurts (9 for $6), my staple Minute Maid fruit punch, a pack of pinto beans, 2 Kit Kats (it was for my friend so don't judge me), 1 diet coke, and the infamous pack of rice. $17.92!

And such is the reason that obesity is running rampant in this country. At this rate, it is becoming increasingly cheaper to buy fast food off somebody's dollar menu then buy healthy foods. I could have purchased a greasy double cheeseburger, over-salted fries and a (diet) coke, plus tax, and it would have still been cheaper than a healthy choice meal on sale.

Oh, how I would have loved to indulge myself in some salmon and gnocchi (my new fave Italian side), but fillets are about $6 each. I can't remember the last time I had a good steak, even though it's probably better for my WW that I haven't indulged in a while. I'd love to have fruits all over my house to snack on, but the price of an apple is about $.69/apple, a measly $.40 less than a box of fatty spaghetti that would probably last me far longer and keep me full longer than an apple. It's just really too expensive to eat the 5 servings of fruits and veggies that dietitians suggest.

Now, it is great that fuel has gone down. It's a full dollar cheaper in Pittsburgh than it was this summer. And that's great for people who pay for Gas heat in their apartments (which I don't) or have gas-guzzling cars (I don't have one). But for we people who are trying to make ends meet and whose lives don't directly revolve around fuel prices, we need a price cut too.

You didn't pay that much to get it to the supermarket. Fuel prices are down. So, you paid a little more for seeds and the like, but, at some point, if you're producing it in abundance, it becomes cheaper (think Costco).

So, rice farmers, you're probably not paying that much to produce rice. And certainly not enough to charge me $1.30 for a cup and a half of rice.