HelpfulGardener.com

For decades I have drunk nothing but Folgers coffee. Before me, my parents drank nothing but Folgers. It's like a family thing, I guess. Then Maxwell House came out with its new can. It has a handle; I kid you not. When I saw that can, I instantly came up with several gardening uses, including scooping compost tea, storing and dispensing amendments, and picking tomatoes and peppers.

I now have over a half-dozen of these cans and another two to empty. They got me. Now I check the price on Maxwell House before I even glance at Folgers.

I baked a box cake a few weeks ago. I haven't baked one of these in years, but at the price asked ($1), it was cheaper to make a box cake than a regular one. When I pulled it out of the oven, I was horrified. It rose to half the height, maybe a tad more, of the old ones. At first I thought I had done something wrong, but, really, how do you ruin a box cake?

They had to have cut back on the ingredients. My great price was in fact regular price. I just got less cake.

Dog food. The sizes used to be 40 lb, 20 lb, 10 lb, and 4 lb. (I'm guessing at the last one, based upon what I've seen in the store. I've never had a dog small enough to justify a small-bag purchase.) Now, prices are higher, and the sizes are 36-38 lb, 16-18 lb, 8 lb, and whatever. (I forgot to look.)

They're good, these marketing people. I don't even feel cheated. I'm getting a great gardening can. I'm saving bookoos bucks on cack mix. My back praises the decision to lighten those dog food bags.

It makes one think, though. How big a sucker am I?

Yup, it's a recession thing. They are trying to avoid raising prices (or at least the price you pay) or avoid raising them any more than they have to, because they know people don't have a lot of money to spend and they don't want to lose a lot of customers going to cheaper brands. So they keep the sticker price the same and reduce the size. Have you noticed that (at least some of the) tuna cans which have been 6 oz forever, are now 5 oz?

https://www.mouseprint.org/2008/08/11/holy-mackerel-starkist-downsizes-tuna/

Sometimes they keep the container/ box size the same and just put less in it (probably what happened with the cake mix), so that the customer won't notice that they are buying less.

Prices per ounce are of course steadily rising.... I'm not sure if all of that is even figured into the Consumer Price Index, measuring inflation. I think they go by the cost of an average grocery cart of food (which they have defined what goes into it), so probably just counts the price of the can of tuna, not the price per ounce.

So we have to be smarter shoppers, watch those prices per ounce -- and grow more of our food! I put in a new 5 x 10' veggie bed this fall, should help increase the food I grow. That makes 150 sq feet of veggie beds + random veggies stuck in flower beds + a lot of herbs, etc (which are a financial savings, since I use them for making my own Christmas presents). It's teeny compared to those of you with acreage, but I think it is really important that those of us with city lots grow food too. I am thinking next year I will get myself one or two community garden plots at my church to go with my own. Then I might be able to make a significant contribution to feeding us!

Stella, do check the large Folgers can (33 oz). It's not a real; handle, but grips in the can. I use those for all sorts of things around house and garden.

Speaking of coffee and sizes. A can or bag was 1#, now 12 oz. Hmmm.

Susan, I loved the old Folgers can. In fact, I think I have a dozen or so downstairs. However, they just can't compete with a genuine handle. I suspect I am the perfect dupe for advertisers

Susan made an interesting point. I'm not certain whether it was deliberate or not. When did the 3 lb. can become 33 ozs? I'll bet it was when they put in the handle

>>I bought a pricey bottle of olive oil because I loved the bottle's shape.

heh, at least you got some oil (g) - all I got for a bunch-o-bucks was the bottle&stopper!