Hyperinflation and a single egg

When I was a young child I hated scrambled eggs, just despised them. My mom would cook them and I would have to finish my plate.
If there was any left I had to stay, or sometimes if I refused my mom would beat me. For those not old enough, yes we used to get the beat down for things like that.

When my mother was dying she told me stories of how many times she faced starvation. She said that as a child they would dream of eggs, just one egg. When she grew up and married my dad there was plenty of food, but she still could not get over the value of an egg. She was old, and said that it was almost impossible for her to consume more than one at a sitting because of the intrinsic perceived worth to her. When I heard these stories my childhood trauma vanished, as I now as an adult understood the why…

Historically eggs in the US have been a VERY cheap staple. I think maybe too cheap. We’ve mass produced eggs like no other country on earth.
Those poor chickens. I’m not trying to be Debbie Downer, I’m not trying to create a low vibe. I know we are headed into hard times. I love the people on ATS and know most are above the curb. Please prepare, not just goods wise, but mentally.

I’ve read so much on Venezuela, they had crazy hyperinflation that they are just now coming out of. I don’t think the US will be exactly the same, but I do think we will face some of the same struggles. Ours might not be so much production driven, but more logistical issue and the costs associated with that. Also fertilizer is skyrocketing, that will affect feed for a lot of animals!

Here is a little bit on Venezuela.

Marilyn Alma, a mother of three, had to give up custody of her eldest child because she can no longer feed him. One week, a dozen eggs cost Alba three days of wages; the next week, the cost doubles. Eggs, the cheapest source of protein, are now a distant dream for the vast majority of people. Ms. Alma, who had once been a staunch government supporter, told me, “Maduro betrayed this country.”

www.nytimes.com...

Good post. Stock up on non-perishable foods, and if possible get yourself some land and some chickens and what not to be atleast somewhat self reliant. Off the grid living is probably the best bet at this point.

As for inflation, I wonder if investing in crypto could counteract that to some extent. Obviously if one country in particular has hyperinflation, using crypto would help, but what if the whole world experiences inflation?
In theory it should still work, as the price is calculated by the remaining supply.

a reply to: MrCrabs3000

As for inflation, I wonder if investing in crypto could counteract that to some extent

From what i've read it had helped some Venezuelans.

The article I read also talked about something most of us would NEVER think about.
A guy could not get money out of his bank because he lost his card, and they weren't printing anymore.
Those are the kinds of things you don't realize until you are going through it.

a reply to: MrCrabs3000

But crypto only works if there is electricity to power the computers, and computer-based/related devices that access the funds.

If a country's electrical grid is taken down, or even if it's access to electronic commerce is interdicted, crypto becomes less than worthless, right?

a reply to: Mantiss2021

If a country's electrical grid is taken down, or even if it's access to electronic commerce is interdicted, crypto becomes less than worthless, right?

Yes, and this was a major problem in Venezuela.
The reality of it was that the poor, and lower middle class really got the beating.

I've had some hens for years now- they produce just enough for hubby and I, with the overflow being frozen to use in baking or for scrambling.
I'm down to two hens, and with the skyrocketing price of feed (when it's available) I won't be replacing them.

I've been dehydrating food since the 1980's, but never wanted to go through the hassle of doing eggs since they can keep for 6+ months unrefrigerated, if stored properly.

It's kind of late for people to stock up now with availability being the minor issue- the prices on everything makes it hard for a lot of people to afford anything extra.

I recently read an article that said the 'pandemic' created another 8 million people living at or below the poverty level; that's 1 in every 7 citizens! (That didn't include the millions of 'undocumented' people or legal immigrants entering our country for the past two years.) The way prices are rising daily, I'm sure the number of people living below poverty level will rise too.

a reply to: JAGStorm

The three things that I can think of for getting a person through hunger would be quail, potatoes and venzuelas dictators choice of raising rabbits.All 3 take very little time from a person's day to raise and grow.1 rabbit can produce a couple hundred pounds of food per year.

Eggs are still cheap enough. And considering all you can do with eggs, it's always good to have a few dozen on hand. Two eggs and a slice of toast is a decent meal for most people. Currently a dozen eggs is about $2. A loaf of bread is @2.75

32 cents for two eggs and 15 cents for a slice of toast. So a decent breakfast is around 50 cents. Throw in a slice of spam occasionally and you have a superb breakfast.

a reply to: StoutBroux

Your post of "and toss in some spam" slayed!!! Living large with whaaaaa???!!
We grew up with Spam. Hawaiian Spam, Italian pasta night with Spam, Ruben sandwiches with Spam, Spamburger Helper, You name it my Mom converted Spam into a culinary trip around the world. I had no clue we were, in fact "livin 'the life".
Mom was also famously popular with all the kids cause...guess?
She'd get Dad out of the house for us all so we could watch Monty Python. When they came out with the Spam Song aside from losing her $#!% she doubled down on MORE creative Spam recipes. I still blame Monty Python for the Jello Salad Spam debacle.

Scrambled egg were never my first choice. In fact scrambled meant you slept too late to get to choose how you wanted your eggs. Yet prepared as an omelet without anything added was just fine by me. As a kid it was different from scrambled somehow. Scrambled also meant another thing, there might be brains mixed in there too. No kid wants scrambled eggs and brains.

And as many times as I have been pecked at gathering eggs, and it wasn’t a daily thing as we didn’t have chickens, but friends and cousins did. You would think I would hate eggs, but no. Not a discouragement at all.

I did see baby chicks advertised by Rural King on the TV for $2 each. Which seems to be way more than I remember pricing them a few years ago. I think people are going to be in for some big surprises sooner rather than later.

a reply to: Ahabstar

If you can get good laying chick breeds for $2 each, BUY THEM. I pay upwards of 3-4 per chick. But I will state I'm partial to Rhode Island Reds. Prolific brown egg layers, friendly, clean and also decent eating if necessary.

Many of my neighbors have chickens. We trade asparagus and weed for eggs. Barter is a blessing in rural and semirural areas. Most of the residents have at least an acre and large gardens are the norm.

a reply to: olaru12

I live in a small farming community and bartering is a way of life around these parts as well. I could get goats and the like for free if I wanted because we're tight with many of our bartering friends. We don't even really bother to barter much. We just ask each other if someone wants what we've got that we don't need or want. It's pretty cool. I have given away chickens, geese, eggs etc. But the best part is, even though we rarely see each other, if someone is in need, we will help each out in a heart beat. And THAT'S how community should be.

I had an almost dire issue here a couple months ago in a blizzard. I made one phone call and all was well. That's security!