I guess I'm lucky, DH loves to go grocery shopping and does most of it. Yesterday I went out to pick up some milk, bread, etc.

I was thrown through a loop when I saw the Store Brand that I'm used to paying $0.79 a loaf for, was priced $2.67. The "good bread" was almost $4 a loaf. Holy Cow, when did that happen???

I mean what is the excuse? This is made locally, so there should be no increase for shipping. I just don't get it.

__________________
Mary

I have to go to the grocery store now...and let me tell you, I'm scared. I'm afraid to look at the price of the bananas. It seems like these days I only get the essentials..."nothing good or fun" as my kids say. Treats will have to wait...I need milk and bread! Maybe that's a good thing...perhaps my diet will improve. Maybe I don't need all that "junk" after all? ~Lisa

Nothing's truly local anymore. Even if it was actually baked locally, the flour came from somewhere, as did the yeast, the sugar, the salt, the packaging, even the twist ties, etc., and the cost of shipping all those is going up and up and up.

It's shocking, isn't it? This ties in to that other thread about people being unhappy. I mean, your bread tripled in price! No wonder people are feeling desperate.

OUCH! I hate going to the grocery store, every week it costs more and more for the same things.

__________________
Nicole

The price of wheat etc has gone up. Flour grains the plastic bag they put it in. It has all gone up.

We buy the $4 a loaf bread. Used to be $3 about six months ago.

I heard a commercial on the radio for the Food Bank which is having a hard time now not only because food has gone up but because of the economy lots of people are going there who never had to before.

She said margarine went up 30% in ONE MONTH-April to May and she metioned that rice went up 15 cents a lb in ONE NIGHT.

How much more can we take?

I hope my veggie garden starts growing. I am considering doubling it right now it's just 5x5x5x5 and building a greenhouse around it so we can have it all year.

I don't know what else to do. What can we do? We don't control the prices and we have no power other than saying we will or won't buy something.

__________________
Faith + Love = Happy

Bread prices are crazy. My mom told me the other day that she went into the Dollar Tree and they had bread in there. I said it was probably stale, but she said the manager told her that they get it fresh every day. I brought raisin bread, and wheat bread there. Nature's Own too, so that's a good brand. That's where I'll be shopping for bread now.

__________________
Proud Single Mother to 18 year old Twins Ashley/Davey, 14 year old Shawna, 5 year old Emma, and my Boo Bear, "Angel Hope" (1996-1997) RIP Boo.

Lisa if you're thinking about giving up junk, breads other than whole grain varieties are actually a real good place to start! White bread is really awful nutritionally.

It sounds hard to go without bread and pasta and the like, but it isn't once you get into the swing of it. I did it for a few years, fell off the wagon , and just started back into it a few weeks ago.

cj/

__________________
I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

I was at a grocery store this morning, and noticed the bananas were .79 a pound!

This makes me glad we have thrift bakeries around here! I can't always get to one but when I can, I stock up! The "good" bread is only .69/loaf. Dh kept asking why my grocery bill is increasing so I took him with me one night. He was pretty shocked to see the price of produce, milk, eggs, bread and meat! He sure don't ask me that question anymore.

__________________
Amy mommy to Ash,Zach&Alexis


MyCoupons Is #1 for Holiday Shopping

The Orowheat bread I buy in the store is over $4 a loaf but I get it down the road at the outlet store for 3/$5 and often get a loaf free because I get so many. I just freeze them. I used to buy bagette bread but now I make my own. It's not as hard as I thought since I bought the Artisan bread in 5 min. a day book

__________________
Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

Dollar Tree has Sarah Lee 100% Whole Wheat for $1.00 a loaf and it's not stale.

I stretch a cube of butter (yes, butter, not margarine) by softening it and then beating with a handheld mixer while adding 3/4 cup canola oil. Then I put in containers and it hardens to spreadable when cold.

Bananas don't seem that outrageously expensive to me even though they have gone up in price -- they are still the cheapest fruit, in our area anyway. Plus, nutrition-wise they are better than a vitamin pill!

Even with the higher cost of food/gas, our monthly expenses have *only* gone up by about $200 and that was with a four day vacation thrown in. I think that it shows that our cutting back in different areas is paying off.

I'm so thankful that we don't have to live on a shoestring. I sure feel for people that do have to!

Wow! Who would have thought that Dollar Tree has bread? I have never been to one, but maybe once years ago. I will have to go in and check it out! Thanks for the tip!

I agree with sexysmurf, going to the outlet bakeries is awsome. A lot of them have closed in our area, but I think there is still one in Janesville, WI and when I am there I will have to check it out.

There are so many ways to be frugal and save, and you gals are awesome with your ideas!

__________________
Never grow a wishbone, daughter, where your backbone ought to be!

I can still get Walmart brand whole wheat bread for $1.47/loaf. I bought bananas at Walmart today and they were .54/lb. We live in a small city and I'm excited we'll be getting a Dollar Tree soon. LOL Otherwise I have to drive at least 20 minutes to get to one...and with the price of gas, it isn't worth it. I don't even know where there's an outlet bakery.

peapie

I have tried freezing bread (and hamburger/hot dog buns) several times and it gets so soggy when I defrost it that it's just awful.

Is there a trick to freezing?

Kelly, I have never had any problems with freezing. I just throw the packages in my freezer and then take them out and they thaw..just as good as newly bought.

I have never had mine turn out soggy. Weird! I wonder (as well I am sure you are!) what could cause that?

__________________
Never grow a wishbone, daughter, where your backbone ought to be!

We also regularly freeze bread and have never had this problem. Mostly Pepperidge Farm breads, cuz that's the bread outlet that we have. Hamburg and hotdog buns too. (I don't eat it, but we still go through a lot with two teenage boys!)

cj/

__________________
I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

No trick. They just like saving money more than they dislike soggy break

i make my own bread, been doing that for 2-3 years, now i realy can't eat store bread.
the bakery whole wheat or multi grain is $4+, and we cant afford that, we eat lots of bread.
i make my own (bread machine mostly)and i realy like it, it 2c white and 1c wheat, i add 3/4 wheat bran ($.69/lb at the poppies gourmet market), 1/4 csunflower seed, 2 T caraway seed. also you can add 1/4 c ground flaxseed.
when you get used to it, it is very easy to do, like loading a washing machine
sometimes we crave french bread, so i make (again the bread machine makes) dough all white and bake it in french bread pan i got from amazon( i love amazon.com),
i make sesame bread sticks also. after you get a hold of it, you will experiment and have fun with making bread.
my granny always made her bread still does, when i was little she looked after me while my mom was at work, and when she baked bread (2 inch thick flat round ethnic bread) she made a small one for me. and i got to play with dough. of course there were no bread machines back then. now she is almost 80 years old and still makes her own bread, but she has a dough machine.
my great granny (her mom) was famous in her town for delecious bread. she had a wood stove room, which was a room few yards away from the house in the backyard, there was a deep "stove" built from mud and cured with something (don't know what) , and it burned wood. there was a "bench" also made of mud for the bakers to sit while their bread is baking. many women from that town used to come there(specific day of the week) and bake their bread and chat.

when i make bread i think of all these people and that makes me happy.
sorry for the blabbering.

__________________
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe."
Albert Einstein

I have never had any problem freezing bread or rolls, and they never come out soggy. Maybe its the type of bread you are buying? I only buy wheat and have never had any problem....the only thing I recommend is make sure you have a flat surface in the freezer when freezing otherwise your bread sometimes gets smashed and deformed.

__________________
Chicago Bears!!!!
We are the Bears Shufflin' Crew
Shufflin' on down, doin' it for you.
We're so bad we know we're good.
Blowin' your mind like we knew we would.
You know we're just struttin' for fun
Struttin' our stuff for everyone.
We're not here to start no trouble.
We're just here to do the Super Bowl Shuffle.

about how much does a bread maker cost? that's not such a bad idea. i love homemade fresh baked bread and if it's cheaper to make it myself, then hey why not. how much do you think you are paying for each loaf by baking yourself?

__________________
Shauna

I used to have the soggy bread problem as well, and someone told me to take the bag of bread and close the top of it in a cabinet or the microwave so it hangs as it thaws. I don't know how well it works, because I dislike the way bread tastes after it has been frozen. I think I read that tip on here or the LGC board many moons ago.

When I freeze bread, I do it in my chest freezer and not the side by side refrigerator in the kitchen because it has a auto defrost (as most all do). I always allow the bread to thaw at room temperature on the counter and it only takes 2 hrs at the most.

I think you've hit the nail on the head. Frost-free freezers thaw every few hours to keep the frost from forming. Makes ice cream have ice crystals too, yuck. I'd keep bread a non-frost-free freezer and see if that helps?

We love our Sunbeam Breadmaker -- almost too much, yum:
Walmart.com: Sunbeam Programmable Breadmaker, 5891 : Appliances

1.5 loaf size looks the most like a loaf of bread... 2 pound loaf size is extremely tall and I can't figure out how to cut it without a slice being about 8 inches tall! We got for $35 but the price has gone up?

I have had this happen as well. I "think" what happens is too much condensation gets in the bag that the bread is in. When you freeze it, ice crystals form, and then when it thaws out, the ice crystals melt, and VOILA......soggy bread. Be sure your bread does not have a lot of condensation when you buy it. I'm sure they bag it still warm at the plant, that's why you can wind up with condensation. Also, when I freeze mine, I take out half the loaf and tie the bag back up, and then place the whole thing into a ziploc bag. No freezer burn, less chance for "sog", too, I found. Hamburger and hotdog rolls fit right into the ziploc bag (get the bigger ones, I think I use gallon size). Also, be sure to save a few bags from loaves you have eaten, so you can split your new loaves. If not, just double up on the ziploc bags.

Good Luck!!

__________________
Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

I don't know how much a bread maker costs, I got mine as a gift, but, if you have a Kitchen Aid mixer, you can get a dough hook for it (probably came with one, even) and "knead" the dough that way, or just do it the old fashioned way, by hand. It's not hard at all, and gives your arms quite the work out.

I LOVE fresh baked bread. I am still trying to find a recipe for one that makes a soft crust.....

__________________
Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

I use to have that problem with my old freezer. Tying the bread tight in a plastic grocery bag when freezing it seemed to help a little. It mainly happened with white bread (which I don't buy anymore, except for buns). If you ate it as soon as it thawed out, it would be soggy. And, if you thawed it and waited for it to dry, all the moisture had went to the bottom of the loaf and made that part dry/hard. So, what I did was take it out of the freezer the night before I planned on using it, and stand it up on it's back end to thaw. That way the moisture went to just the last piece of bread (and made it dry/hard) and the rest of the loaf was fine.

My Dollar Tree has Nature's Own whole wheat bread, too. If you can get it before it's gone. They only get bread like once a week and some people go in and buy up every loaf. It sells for around $2.70 at my W-M. W-M brand whole wheat is $1.57 here, and they have Arnold whole wheat - double fiber for $1.86. If I have to (no ad match, coupon or sale) I just splurge the .29 and get the Arnold bread. I think it tastes better, too.

Bananas were .44/lb last night here at W-M. My IGA has them for .35/lb on Wednesdays. Guess I'm lucky.

.

__________________
No outfit is complete without cat hairs!

~~~MsMiser

Either I take too long to make my posts, or I must have not noticed page 2. LOL

.

__________________
No outfit is complete without cat hairs!

~~~MsMiser

I used to go to a bakery store. An employee there told me to freeze the bread in a brown paper bag to prevent it getting icy.

Not all Dollar tree stores have the same items. I haven't seen any bread here. One of our stores has frozen foods and the other doesn't.

Our Dollar Tree has frozen foods and bread. Last time it was Aunt Millies hot dog and hamburger buns.

__________________
I've never lied to you. I've always told you some version the of truth.

I do two things to help with bread - the first is buy at Costco - they have the "healthy" bread for cheaper there. Most bread has HFCS - which we have eliminated. I also go to a bread outlet bakery where bread is $1.50 a loaf for Oroweat - All Natural. They also do the frequent buyer program. I have not had to buy bread in a regular store for awhile!

I also freeze my bread. It comes out fine. I do the same with tortillas. HTH!

my first one "nutritionist" was from target wihout box clearanced for $14.xx
used it for many years, needed new pan for it and didn't find any. i got the second one" toastmaster" from kmart clearanced for $25.00, i like it.
there are some higher priced ones like "zijouroushi (sp?)" they have good reviews.

ok now how much a loaf of bread costs?
i make 1.5lb loaves, i just checked the 5 lb flour bag, it has 18+ cups in it. i use 3.5 cups.(that is 5 loaves, ($2.49 bag of white braed flour/ 5) $.50
i use 1 c whole wheat, 2.5 c white bread flour, make sure you use bread flour NOT all purpose.

the 3ct strip of yeast makes 6 loaves . ($2.19/6=$.37)

the recipe calls for dry milk 2 Tsp, but since it is so high now i use evaporated milk or just reg. milk
now i realy don't measuer everything, after it starts mixing, i check it and add more flour or more water (by the tabelspoon) untill i get the desired dough consistancy.

here is my recipe if anyone is interested


put in bread machine in this order

1 1/8 C water
2 T dry milk, i use evaporated milk and deduct water
1 T sugar
1t salt
1T canola oil
2.5 c white bread flour
1 c whole wheat flour
make a little hole in the flour and put 1 t yeast
program: french bread, size 1.5 lb, med crust

after it starts mixing check how everything is coming together, so you can adjust the recipe, the dough should form a ball and shouldn't be too sticky. you can add more water or milk if it is too hard. if it is too soft add more flour, add any thing by the tabelspoon.


when it beeps i add( these are optional)
3/4 c wheat bran, 1/4 sinflower seeds shelled (these taste really good in bread), 1T caraway seed, and sometimes ground flaxseed about 1/4 c

HTH

__________________
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe."
Albert Einstein

This is an interesting thread, I freeze bread all the time and I have the opposite problem, it dries out after awhile...it's ok if I use it in a week or so, but if I forget about it for a few weeks it might be dried out..maybe depends on the freezer! I also live at a high altitude/dry climate and have no idea if that matters.
And now I'm craving homemade bread and just might get motivated enough to use my kitchenaid bread hooks one of these days, lol..

hmmm...I've never gotten soggy bread I detest soggy bread. I do keep ours in our upright deep freeze and it doesn't get opened often. Maybe that helps?

__________________
Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

I love my kitchenaid mixer for bread. That's really all I use it for. I have a bread machine but can't fine a recipe that anyone in my family likes that *bakes* in the bread machine (it mixes just fine for other bread). I have a pricey machine too...and it's in a closet LOL. All you need is the kitchenaid, a good recipe and a baking stone (a pizza peel is great too if you have one).I thought I could NEVER make homemade bread until I bought the artison bread in 5 min book. It's been a lifesaver (and money saver) for fresh bagette and boule breads in my house

__________________
Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

I haven't bought any for a while, but if you belong to Sam's, it sells bricks of yeast and huge bags of bread flour, both really cheap. The yeast stays good for a long time (I refrigerate it after opening). I usually put the flour into ziplock bags, freeze it for a while to make sure no bugs are in there and then store it wherever I have room. I date the flour on the bag, because there was a time when I didn't realize flour will go bad. I learned!

I read on one of the boards recently, to put a paper towel in the bread wrapper before you freeze it. That person said the bread came out great every time. I wondered when I read the hint why because I can't remember soggy bread. HTH

__________________
Lyn Clarke

Thanks for the tip...I'll have to start checking out some other types of bread. We usually buy Sunbeam, but with these prices I'm open to changes...especially something more healthy. Thanks again! ~Lisa

If you have an Aldi near you, they still sell bread for reasonable prices, as well as milk, eggs, cheese, etc. I was in there the other day and I think bread was 1.19, eggs were just over 1.00 and the milk was 2.59 a gallon I think. Much cheaper than any other store in our area.

wow thanks Naty99! I just might have to try your recipe. mmmm I am really craving some bread now.

__________________
Shauna

I don't know if anyone watched Good Morning America this morning but they said by the year 2100 that gas will be $9.15 a gallon and milk will be $12.99 a gallon. Thank gosh I won't be around for that! But then I got thinking...what is minimum wage gonna be -$15/hour???

Oh, you know what? Years ago (like 18) I used to buy Sunbeam white bread.
I remember it being soggy after taking it out of the freezer.

I think it might just be Sunbeam!

__________________
Never grow a wishbone, daughter, where your backbone ought to be!

At the prices you quoted, inflation wise, MW would have to be $24 an hour in order for things to be the same as they are now.

__________________
Never grow a wishbone, daughter, where your backbone ought to be!

As far as bread goes we eat it very slowly and keep it in the freezer. We just toast as we need it or make a sandwich and let it thaw in the lunchbag. I have not had problems with soggy bread. I keep the bag sealed tightly to prevent air and moisture from entering.

__________________
Faith + Love = Happy

The posters that suggested the bread machines are on to something...you can even find scads of them at garage sales, as they were a "fad" appliance a few years ago.
Also, Truble suggested getting yeast and flour at Sam's in the big pack (I think the yeast is in 1 lb bricks,) if you freeze in a tupperware container, it will keep for a long long time..I have used it 6 months later, (frozen) with success.I have also found the yeast in 1 lb packages for under $3 t restaurant supply stores (Last time I bought at Sams, I think it was two bricks you had to buy)...also you can split the opened bag of yeast with someone else who is baking their own bread.
you can also make your own pizza and stromboli dough, even dinner rolls and hamburger buns...just put the setting on "dough". I have been making mine by hand, but I used to make the bread dough in the machine, bring it out for a final rise (or prepare braids or whatever for a bread like challah) and bake in the oven. saves time for busy people, and you can sneak nutritious things into your "white " bread...top with an egg wash and some sesame seeds or poppy seeds
I plan to try my hand at sourdough, I am pulling out my crock to begin the starter today