pocketmint

Frugal foodie: agony at the farmers’ market

I had a sort of mini-vacation last week; didn’t go anywhere, but took off work to hang with a visiting friend. I had every intention of posting during the break, but … I was too busy playing. And eating. Stacy and I are both unapologetic foodies, which means we spent much of our time bouncing between restaurants, markets, and kitchens …

I’ve been trying to hit the farmers’ markets as much as possible this summer, but I’m finding those visits increasingly stressful. I am hugely in favor of both buying local and supporting small farms, but that desire is at war with my equally strong tendency toward frugality.

Today I was talking with a friend who lives in the DC metro area; he extolled the cheapness of farmers’ market produce, which he reckons as being about on par pricewise with the budget grocery chains like Safeway, but with consistently superior quality. I was envious to say the least. In the Seattle area, even Whole Foods is often cheaper than the farmers’ markets. This week, a pint container of organic multicolored cherry tomatoes is $4.50 at various farmer stalls, but only $2.99 at Whole Foods.

Last Thursday I tried a different market from my usual, in hopes that maybe it was a neighborhood thing, but no — still expensive. I did walk away with some cheap zucchini (three large for $2!), but otherwise the prices were astronomical. Peaches were $4/pound; I bought four small ones. They were much more flavorful than the ones I got at Fred Meyer for .79/pound, but at a dollar for about six bites, they were no bargain.

Tom reports that in Maryland, eggs at the farmers’ market go for $3.25 or $3.50 per dozen. Last week I saw eggs at the market listed at $5 and $6 per dozen. At the regular grocery they run around $2.50, and by watching for sales I can cut that considerably — this weekend I got two dozen for $2.69 in a buy-one-get-one-free deal. Costco regularly carries two dozen for under $3.

I have no idea why market produce is so expensive here. Perhaps it’s another manifestation of our (relatively) robust local economy, and farmers are merely charging what the market will bear. Perhaps Seattleites have such a green-and-local focus that the demand outstrips the supply — certainly the markets have been mobbed every day I’ve been since June.

Meanwhile, my internal battle rages on. Lately I’ve been compromising by buying certain ‘treat’ foods where flavor quality is most important — the sweet peaches, Rainier cherries, assorted berries — from the farmers’ markets, and getting the bulk of our staples from grocery sales and Costco. But I sure do wish I could satisfy both mandates at the same time instead of having to choose.

(Photos by Sasha Kopf and Chas Redmond.)

Inflation or unemployment: pick one

The last time the economy took a sharp downturn it hit me hard. With dot-coms failing right and left, suddenly there was a huge glut of Internet-industry workers. Employment levels took four or five years to fully rebound, during which I got by on intermittent income and credit-card debt.

This time, though Jak and I both work in Internet-related jobs, they both appear stable for the long term — and if one of us needed to find a new job, the market for our skillsets still seems pretty decent. We are making enough money relative to our expenses that we can afford the occasional decadent splurge and still continue to accumulate substantial savings. We aren’t needing to sell our house anytime soon, so even if prices flatten for a bit, it shouldn’t impact us much.

I am noticing the sharp uptick in food and gas prices but am generally able to absorb them. Still gunshy after the Dot-Bust years, I’ve been feeling lucky that this time we seem to be well-placed to ride out the fall. But a recent article in Forbes suggests that my experience is exactly typical for Seattle, which has the highest inflation rate in the country:

While Seattle’s housing market has shown signs of strain, it’s still a far more stable market than most cities in the country. But the simplest reason for inflation is the health of the local economy. When metro area unemployment sits at a rock bottom 3.7%, it’s an employee’s market for wages, because talent is tough to come by. Higher costs for labor on the manufacturing or service side, and more cash in the hands of the consumer, means prices can float higher without much resistance.

So wait — prices are climbing faster here in Seattle because … we can afford them? What a Catch-22. If we couldn’t afford the price increases, things would be cheaper … but a lot more people would be out of work. Like in Detroit, where “unemployment is over 8%, the highest of any big city in the country, and yet inflation rests at the lowest level of cities we measured.” You just can’t win.

Anyway, I’d much rather be here than in Dallas, which ties our 5.82% inflation rate. According to Forbes, it’s not a robust economy but heavy energy use that’s driving up prices there. “There just isn’t much you can do if you live in Dallas and want to conserve energy. Driving is a way of life and … the city is so spread out that residents are traveling long distances. Add in the summer heat and humidity, and Dallas citizens are pumping the air conditioning non-stop.”

Hey, Seattle — bring on the light rail and the clouds!

(Photo by The Lebers.)