Money Matters

Seems that we’ve gotten ourselves into a bit of a rough spot these days when it comes to the nation’s purse strings.

Unless you’ve been under a rock for the last week or so, chances are you’re wondering how much cash you can stow in the mattress, and whether or not you should fill the extra room with dried beans and apples.

My goodness.

I am not an economist, surely, and so I will not profess to any complex understanding of the national and world economy.  I will, however, admit to a not-so-small amount of resentment that my responsibly earned and saved money will no doubt be used to bail out irresponsible corporations and multi-millionaire CEOs.

Maybe they need to touch actual money more often.

You know…cash?  Moola?  Greenbacks?  Ten-spots?

The money, which they never actually had, was also never actual money.  It was bits and bytes on a computer screen.  It was binary code soaring through miles of buried cable.  They traded keystrokes and plasma waves fueled by caffeine and hubris.

That’s why it was possible, I think, for those men and women to bet my 401K on the housing market and for them to lose so very badly.

I will make a bet of my own.

I’ll bet that those CEOs and upper and middle-management folks who believed that eventually they could beat the house don’t shop for food very often.

I’ll bet that it’s been a while since they ran back to the car to fish a crumpled dollar bill out of the cupholder so they could buy the last two peaches from the stand on the side of the road.

I’ll bet that they can’t remember the last time they counted quarters and dimes and nickels and pennies and traded a pile of change for a loaf of warm bread.

I’ll be that they don’t know how much a chicken really costs, never mind the pot.

The simple exchange of cash for food is a humble one, certainly.  It’s no high-stakes day on the futures market.  It is, though, a worldly transaction with easy-to-grasp consequences.  Hard work and pride in a product are rewarded with a small profit. People are fed.  No algorithm needed.

I guess that, like my food, I like my economics to be wholesome, recognizable and close to home.

————————-

For some time, I’ve been meaning to ask the fine readers of this blog to take part in a short survey.  I’m curious about the price of real food in other parts of the country and world.

By the way, really, I’m just curious. I’m not about to suggest that because your chicken costs less than my chicken, I must be getting a raw deal!

Copy and paste this list into the comments and replace the prices with an average price in your area for food from farmers, farm markets or grocery stores.  Don’t forget to include where you’re from.  For the other geeks who are interested, I’ll summarize the results sometime soon.

Thanks for playing!

Central New Hampshire:

• Milk (hormone-free, local dairy): $4.50/half gallon
• Milk (hormone-free, regional dairy): $4.00/gallon
• Bread (all-natural, independent bakery): $4.50/loaf
• Eggs (independent, local): $2.50/dozen
• Whole, free-range chicken:  $4.99/pound
• Organic heirloom tomatoes: $3.99/pound
• Raspberries: $3.50/pint
• CSA, per week cost: $25

Ed: Replies closed – results posted separately.

About these ads