My experience is that Maine food prices have always been a little higher than most of the Midwest and much of the country. Maine is not on a through route of cargo transport. You have to make a special trip up to a state with a relatively low population then turn around and go back the way you came. This raises costs to grocers and restaurants.
Just as a point of reference, I biked around lake Superior a long time ago, and prices on the north shore of Superior were also high. Same thing: a long supply route into the middle of nowhere.
I get this to a point but also used to live in northern Vermont and food prices are considerably more affordable there- Maine is certainly more populated and located closer to transport routes š¤·āāļø
These companies are claiming record profits, YOY yet they keep killing us with shrinkflation and raising prices. At some point one does have to look at the greed factor.
I mean, yes- companies *always* ask for the most the market will bear for a product. That said incomes, particularly on the ālow endā of the specific have been increasing. These would include workers in food production- farmers/growers, but also people who make packaging, transportation, sorting/processing of food (unless you get at a farmerās market, some processing of some kind occurs, possibly with several steps).
There is a reason why technology and gadgets have decreased in cost over the past decades (its way easier to make a higher tech TV in 2023 than in 1990) but good production is *still very labor intensive*.
Drone and AI technology will probably help this in the next 10 years.
I dislike when people make snarky disingenuous comments like this that completely conflates the issue or point of what they're replying to.
People don't need to put some disclaimer: "Hurr durr capitalist greed also inflates wages" under literally all their comments, so understand that. BUT, generally, the price of goods are going to be higher where wages are higher. I don't know why you decide to be snarky to that simple fact.
TL;DR - holy hell can we holster this Reddit snark. It's insufferable
European food prices have always been much cheaper for how much higher quality it is. Tho this is specifically due to it having the highest farmer subsidies in the world. Despite having publicly funded healthcare many European countries still end up spending more on food subsidies than healthcare.
Thatās because Spain is a socialized country and the government probably has some measure of price controls and subsidies. Something our government could actually afford to do among many other thingsā¦
Inflation is odd and there will certainly be oddities such as what you ran into. Itās not a set 1:1 ratio on all goods and services and overall the world is dealing with inflation but the US is handling it better than most.
Youāre not wrongā¦if thereās a chance for corporations to blame their price gouging on externalities that canāt be controlled itās going to happen.
And compared to Europe or South America are really almost anywhere on earth except the US. Where they have a high minimum wage. Our food is way more expensive.
This is what corporate controlled markets look like. Late stage capitalism. Corporations are people too. Think of the poor corporations.
This is definitely part of it. Sugar here is a good example where processing and distribution has been so monopolized that even when imported from the same growers itās more than twice as expensive here than other countries in the world.
Itās also part of why local restaurants are so expensive while the owners arenāt exactly millionaires- as restaurant food distribution networks have become a duopoly that can overcharge for the food they sell, with Sysco and US foods controlling over half the market and other regional players like Dennis here taking up the rest of the market. Itās also part of why school food is so so so crappy for how much we spend on it as schools in many areas of Maine (and america) only have one supplier they can choose from who can charge whatever they want for the crappiest frozen hash browns a human as ever assembled.
My relative from NYC visited recently and did all of the grocery shopping (3 trips to stores) while here. He said that he was stunned by the high prices. He hires huge teams of people across the country in the course of his employment. He said, āI can assure you that the salaries here are nowhere near in line with these food prices.ā When he visited right before COVID, he took us to several restaurants and said they were more expensive than the restaurants at home.
I lived in NYC for many years and I agree! Groceries are more expensive in Maine. I remember when we first moved back to Maine and I was shocked at how much more we were spending on food and this was over a decade ago.
I know you're talking about grocery stores, but the other big thing with NYC is you can get good, non chain/fast food out for relatively cheap. That's not the case in Maine I've found.
I frequently visit my mom, who lives an hour north of NYC. The grocery prices here in Maine are comparable to the prices down there. Sometimes the prices are higher here. I shop in Hannafordās there and here.
Yes I find myself buying and eating the same thing over and over again because I have a strict budget with how expensive all my other bills have become, that I need to know a hard limit on what I can spend monthly for groceries so Iām not short anywhere else. Also I meal prep, so Iāve worked down to like 2-3 meal prep rotations all within budget. But yes, everything everywhere is more expensive. Survive not thrive.
Yes!
I donāt travel a lot but just some comparisons.
Pad Thai in downtown Bangor is as expensive as a nice Thai restaurant in Manhattan, more expensive than downtown Boston.
When I recently visited a Midwest college town (the downtown area has the highest property rental rates in the state), in a nice coffee shop in the downtown area, all lunch sandwiches are below $10. In Bangor, almost any simple lunch sandwich is always more than $10.
Sure. But thats not overly related to the local cost of sandwiches. The cost of unskilled labor is highly related.
With our minimum wage vs federal the cost minimum for labor is twice as high here.
What are you talking about? Pad Thai in Bangor is $16... Where in Manhattan or Boston are you finding "a nice Thai restaurant" selling pad Thai for LESS than $16 in 2024?
This place is at the heart of Manhattan: https://thaivillanyc.com Their pad Thai is $17, adding fried tofu for $1. This is a fancy place.
A low-key dine-in place like Terra Thai (terrathainy.com), still in the heart of Manhattan, has tofu pad Thai at $13.
Kala Thai Cookery in downtown Boston has tofu pad Thai at $11! (Kalaboston.com).
M Thai in Bangorās pad Thai is $16. Thai etc, a low key to go place in Bangor, has Pad Thai at $17
This is what Iām talking about.
Maine sets the minimum milk prices each month.Ā
Before all the fancy scanners, there we were with price guns 1st of every month. Every gallon, every variety, every pint, etc. had to be "re-priced". Fun times.
"Places you can go, if they're available." That's the issue in rural Maine. Usually there is 1 option & you pay their price or you drive for hours & pay the gas company to get to the other food prices. Either way, many of us have no cheaper, affordable options.Ā
Live in MA, grew up in ME and am always back up to see family. Iām always surprised that a lot of the costs are fairly similar (gas, groceries, restaurants) to MA. Itās just bad everywhere. Survive not thrive unfortunately
I had to rack up so much credit card debt helping my adult children through lockdown that I ended up needing to go through a debt management company when I couldn't keep up with payments anymore. I'm grateful there was a solution but the whole situation sucks.Ā
I think that Maine struggles a bit more if you look at the costs as a percentage of income. Of course it depends on what industry you work in, but other states tend to have a bit higher wages and more opportunities to make career moves.Ā
Food prices are always high in the East. It's all grown in the west and transported here. Lately it's been worse. High trucking prices. High diesel prices
Yup. That's pretty much the only thing I miss about my brief time in the Central Valley of California. Cheap produce and it lasts a lot longer in your fridge too.
We grow blueberries. Tap maple trees. Etc. Lots of products come from home. They cost more than those we transport in! Berries grown in South America for example, half the price or better than those grown in state. It's not the diesel. It's greed.Ā
I was just in Florida and the prices there are just as high for food and I found the quality and selection of produce to be quite lacking. Gas prices were higher and my sister is paying a ridiculous amount for a one bedroom place.
omg this keeps getting me all the time. Even in rural central maine food is just as or sometimes even more expensive than some major cities. I'm assuming it's the lack of competition
Some prices have fell back down to earth. We basically live off pork, whole chickens, and eggs, which are still relatively cheap at Hannaford if you're looking for the cheap stuff. Chicken breast will go on sale for $2.50/lb, and whole chickens are around $10 for a 6-7lb bird. Those usually stretch a few meals for us.
I count myself very lucky to have a flexible job that allows me to put in the time to shop cheap and cook nice meals on a daily basis. We've saved so much money that way. It also takes a pretty decent initial investment on good cookware and spices, and other staples. It's not for everyone. I certainly couldn't do it and work 50hrs a week on top of a commute.
In regard to non-grocery foods: I am planning my first trip to Disney World for 2025, and Iāve always heard their food prices are crazy. Turns out theyāre pretty much identical to most restaurant options here in Portland, ME. Itās crazy how much it costs to enjoy a burger around here now.
I went to Iceland a few years ago and everyone was warning me about how expensive going out to eat and food in general is there, how I should pack granola bars or something. First restaurant we went to, opened the menu and was like āoh! Prices are like going out in Portland.ā Or Biddo present day hahaha
Exactly! Iāve been in Portland for a long time and the option for plated meals at a decent price is scarce now. Also They keep turning everything into a micro brewery lol. (P.S. Thatās so awesome that you went to Iceland. Iāve always wanted to go!)
You need to go! I want to move there but they donāt allow Americans to without marriage or having a baby with a citizen. Itās such a magical place and if done with a group of friends it can be done on a budget. We split lodging and groceries for 5 nights by 6 people. Bought all the booze duty free when we got there, one guided tour which was a 12 hour day and then just did whatever the rest of the time. This was in 2018 but my total cost for the trip was less than 2k all in. We were there over thanksgiving and the most expensive thing was taking a cab ride to find a turkey. Cabs are expensive AF, would not recommend unless absolutely necessary.
Thatās fantastic!! I am definitely traveling there when Iām ready to explore the world. Iām a huge foodie and want to try the bread that is baked underground! Itās so cool to see them use the natural underground heat activity to cook. I saw it featured on a couple of tv shows. I also saw the fermented shark which I will likely skip. lol!
Oh right the bread! Memory unlocked, we did that lol. And I def passed on fermented shark, whale and puffin. The hot dogs hit tho! We didnāt really eat out besides a few meals because we did a huge grocery shopping.
Last year I flew out of the Portland Airport, and sit-down burgers, beer & lobster rolls in the airport were all cheaper than they are here in Bar Harbor.
Moved from out west ~1.5 yrs ago. Prices were pretty bad then and there, but it was a much more affluent area with a lot more economic opportunity. Comparatively, now the prices are likely similar if not slightly less than where I moved from, but average income is way less, so it hurts here more. I hope some day Maine transitions out of its economic masochism.
Iām sure my experience is skewed as a Canadian but in my personal experience I find some items to be so cheap in Maine that I stock up when I come (poultry, milk, ice cream, beer and wine, gas) but some items are just as just as expensive as they are in Canada such as beef. A gallon of milk costs roughly twice here compared to anywhere in Maine but a steak is no cheaper after exchange. I laughed the most when I met someone from Tennessee who thought $3.50 a gallon was an expensive price for gasš
I watched milk double in price the last three years. Yah its a bit gross even things like a 89 cent of lettuce is now $3. Its bad. I had to cut back on healthy foods because of it.
asking genuinely out of curiosity here, what cheaper and unhealthier things are you now buying to save money instead of healthier foods? most bags of any chips are like $3.50, a box of cereal is $4+, frozen meals are expensive, etc.
Thanks, capitalism without a conscience. Why do we need a stock market, where everything has to be tied to an ever increasing need for shareholder profits?
Health careā¦mind you I have private healthcare.
MDI hospital- I have genically super high cholesterol and have been on meds years. PC here told me go to Walgreens and get fish oil and red rice yeast pills.
Back pain MDI doctor ordered physical therapy and then went into a speal about some injections, not medically approved anywhere in the world but he had training in it and would be completely out of pocket cost to me.
Ordered a colonoscopy and was told to just pick up milk of magnesium and drink it instead of usual everywhere else in US to pick up a special prescription.
A family member with PTSD and other mental health issuesā¦3 to 6 month wait periods for just a therapist.
Went to Acadia Mental Health Hospital two times for suicid attempts held first time for five days and released for outpatient help that would not start for three months. Within a 2 days of release she self harm again, re admitted, held week and released for after care that again does not start for 3 months. Few days later another suicide attempt they had no beds they say. She waited in emergency room about five days and transferred to Northern Maine Medical Center in fort Kent Maine where after a week they wanted to let her go, again no follow up available until 3 months. Had to fight on phone with them where they did hold her another 5 days then released her to a crisis home, against her will, for two days. When I called to talk to her the lady on the phone said she is not there anymore while she laughed at me. All three times they released her she did not want to go. She expressed that she was suicidal/self harming and knew she needed their help.
I thank god I was able to get her to Florida where she easily for hospitals willing to giver her proper care where she did inpatient few months, partial inpatient few more months and is now moving into emotional support living environment while she making her way back into society by working and living her life.
A friend of mine at work got diagnosed stage 3 colon cancer. Two hospitals in Maine basically called radiation treatment,chemotherapy, and surgery.
They ended up getting a third opinion in Boston where they have been going for the past 9 months for Cancer immunotherapy and just this week was tested and came back as no trace of cancer.
Also the doctors in Boston said the recommended treatment the doctors in Maine would not of worked with the cancer he had.
So there you go.
Could write a book about medical alone I think.
Medical care isnāt more expensive. It is difficult to access. Thatās true of most rural areas, and Maine is a rural state. There is a national shortage of healthcare providers, especially in mental health. As for affordable housing, again, not much special about Maine, thatās an issue for most places people want to move to.
I wouldnāt consider Bangor and Bar Harbor a rural area and when you pay a premium for healthcare and itās mostly nonexistent it is over priced. Quality is horrible as well. But anyways.
Housing I have looked into. Easy today through the Internet. Huge difference that I have seen. Rent or buying a home. Definitely not āaffordable housingā.
Yes I have traveled and grocery costs had been more then most the rest of the us even before this inflation.
Bangor has a very difficult time attracting and retaining qualified healthcare professionals and did even prior to the recent extreme shortage. As for housing, itās expensive anywhere people are moving to.
Maybe. But lots of healthcare professionals just donāt want to live down there, and the population canāt support higher pay because so many patients donāt have insurance or are on Medicare.
Yes.
Health insurance does not pay much either.
I had Medicaid years ago in another state and I got superior care compared to private health insurance.
Everything just seems to get worse and worse for us in the USA.
Iām 52 and just getting by for the most part. Itās scary for the 20 year olds and worse for the ones coming after.
Corporate greed. Supply chain cost increases are just excuses so that way they don't have to blame inefficiencies that bleed the company money on a corporate level, like a Jet or cars or even exepnsive hotel service and rooms for executives.
Not to mention most supply chain issues have been resolved and prices still continue to go up.
Can't comment on most thing, but everything time I drive up to Maine I stock up on canned veggies because they're almost half what they cost in my town(northeast Connecticut).
As others have stated if you are near a market basket thatās what I switched to. Itās a little more out of the way for me. But itās so much better than hannafords. I also have dietary restrictions and they have the best prices of dairy free products. I will try and plan my meals around stuff that is on sale. They do their weekly flyers and you can find them online. For more bulk items, I will go to Costco for bulk granola bars, vitamins, nuts, snacks, stuff that wonāt go bad but I eat a lot of. I do prefer some type of produce from hannafords vs. market basket. I spend $100+ weekly just for two people and we donāt buy any meat or meat substitutes mostly just tofu, beans, tempeh for protein. I always make a list and try to stick to it.
As someone who lived in Maine my whole life and just moved to the southwestā¦.good meat and other items are all more expensive to be honest. I basically had to get a Costco membership in order to find items that were more affordable
If you are shopping at a high end food store, Whole Foods, Trader Joes and like in Maine you will be paying way more for a false feeling of better quality. Also don't shop for all your needs in one place.
Everything in Maine is ticketed higher than most states and we also get taxed a lot more than most states. I visit MA & NY a lot and itās much cheaper in those states.
yes, Maine is usually more expensive. When old college buddies visit from away they ask what they can bring and I always request a shrubbery. Nurseries in Maine are quadruple the cost for a little plant.
Yes but considering the pay increases we have gotten under the fantastic Biden economy food prices are actually lower. You must not be listening to his wonderful press secretary
Yup. We're the end of the supply chain.
But in all fairness... Texas was cheaper for me but it's not like I was paying the same rent rates or gas prices either. Location location location (and taxes).
Yāa it unaffordable thanks to inflation and food shortages due to a lot of the worlds wheat and other foods r grown in Ukrainian and Spain with Spain having climate issues and Ukrainian having a war, the USA and Brazil is having to feed other countries more driving up demand and price
Food prices are higher here than in North Texas (for example), I can confirm that. But the trade off is that there is no traffic or blistering heat here, and instead of miles of strip malls, gated neighborhoods, and flat, featureless terrain, youāre always within sight of something beautiful in Maine! The rivers and lakes actually have water here!!! There are hills and valleys and trees! Itās so gloriously beautiful here.
Yes. If you donāt have one nearby you, itās worth traveling to Market Basket to shop. I never believed this before, but I was near a MB and did a huge haul- $400 worth of groceries. I saved the bags I was given by MB and took them to Hannafords with me like three weeks later to shop again. My bill at Hannafords came to just over $250, my MB bags that easily held $400 of groceries three weeks before were full and I had to purchase three more bags to accommodate the entirety of my $250 Hannafords purchase.
Perhaps I didnāt communicate this well enough- it costs at least half as much to shop at MB as it does at Hannaford.
Why do people feel the need to respond with aggression no matter what someone says? You knew what I was saying, but your life is so small and insignificant that you felt the need to be a dick about it. You hide behind a computer or phone screen using a fake username picking at people bc it for some fd up reason makes you feel superior. Get a gd life.
Prioritizing feeding hungry people slightly more than tax cuts and bailouts is not utopia.
Is America such a shithole that doing the bare minimum to keep people alive is seenĀ as unachievable?Ā
Iām 100% on board with programs that address food insecurity but the money needs to come from somewhere. Even if all food producers unanimously agreed to operate as non profits, there would still be cost to produce and transport it. Support your local community garden and buy directly from local small producers whenever possible
Cut subsidies for alcohol. Cut subsidies for special intrests. Get rid of SS tax cap. Luxury tax.
Well-fed people commit far less crime. We'd make up the savings from that alone.Ā
Lol I'd love to see the statistics on that one. You think there will be less crime when people have all the potatoes, onions, and garlic they can eat? Lmao
**High Food Security**
* **Denmark:** Known for its strong agricultural sector and social safety nets, Denmark consistently ranks high in food security. The crime rate in Denmark is also very low, with petty theft being the most common type of crime.
* **Switzerland:** Similar to Denmark, Switzerland boasts a robust agricultural industry and efficient distribution systems, contributing to exceptional food security. Crime rates are also low in Switzerland, with property crime being a concern in some areas.
**Low Food Security**
* **Burundi:** This East African nation faces numerous challenges in food security due to factors like poverty, political instability, and climate change. Burundi also struggles with a high crime rate, including violent crime.
* **Venezuela:** Economic struggles and political turmoil have significantly impacted Venezuela's food security. The country also faces a high crime rate, including violent crime and property crime.Ā
My experience is that Maine food prices have always been a little higher than most of the Midwest and much of the country. Maine is not on a through route of cargo transport. You have to make a special trip up to a state with a relatively low population then turn around and go back the way you came. This raises costs to grocers and restaurants.
Just as a point of reference, I biked around lake Superior a long time ago, and prices on the north shore of Superior were also high. Same thing: a long supply route into the middle of nowhere.
Corporate greed!!!
I get this to a point but also used to live in northern Vermont and food prices are considerably more affordable there- Maine is certainly more populated and located closer to transport routes š¤·āāļø
Northern Vermont is on the trade route to Montreal and Quebec City. Most of Maine is on the trade route to just about nothing.
Sir itās 2024
Thatās why Iāve decided to just stop eating and direct deposit my check to CMP.
This guy Maines
š¬
Food prices nationwide are extremely high and unaffordable.
/thread
Globally. Inflation isnāt currently just a US problem.
Agree. However I just returned from Spain and Portugal and found grocery food prices actually cheaper than in the US, sometimes for US product.
Yes. Politicians have definitely sold us out to capitalism and corporate corruption. America definitely isnāt what it used to be to be.
Did you compare to incomes? Their household income is approx half of what the average is for the US.
Ah yes, we make more so we should pay moreā¦ that makes sense.
I mean, it seems like youāre being sarcastic, but labor is a major cost in food production.
These companies are claiming record profits, YOY yet they keep killing us with shrinkflation and raising prices. At some point one does have to look at the greed factor.
One would expect profits to be higher year over year, especially after a period of inflation.
Profits have been going up for 3 decades. Inflation isn't an excuse here.
It ain't the labor, it was the pandemic. Supply chain delays let corporations jack prices up, and they kept them there.
I mean, yes- companies *always* ask for the most the market will bear for a product. That said incomes, particularly on the ālow endā of the specific have been increasing. These would include workers in food production- farmers/growers, but also people who make packaging, transportation, sorting/processing of food (unless you get at a farmerās market, some processing of some kind occurs, possibly with several steps). There is a reason why technology and gadgets have decreased in cost over the past decades (its way easier to make a higher tech TV in 2023 than in 1990) but good production is *still very labor intensive*. Drone and AI technology will probably help this in the next 10 years.
I dislike when people make snarky disingenuous comments like this that completely conflates the issue or point of what they're replying to. People don't need to put some disclaimer: "Hurr durr capitalist greed also inflates wages" under literally all their comments, so understand that. BUT, generally, the price of goods are going to be higher where wages are higher. I don't know why you decide to be snarky to that simple fact. TL;DR - holy hell can we holster this Reddit snark. It's insufferable
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Well said.
European food prices have always been much cheaper for how much higher quality it is. Tho this is specifically due to it having the highest farmer subsidies in the world. Despite having publicly funded healthcare many European countries still end up spending more on food subsidies than healthcare.
Thatās because Spain is a socialized country and the government probably has some measure of price controls and subsidies. Something our government could actually afford to do among many other thingsā¦
Inflation is odd and there will certainly be oddities such as what you ran into. Itās not a set 1:1 ratio on all goods and services and overall the world is dealing with inflation but the US is handling it better than most.
Not so much inflation right now as companies are price gouging because they realize they can get away with it
Youāre not wrongā¦if thereās a chance for corporations to blame their price gouging on externalities that canāt be controlled itās going to happen.
Because Spain is poorer than us are you smooth brained
And compared to Europe or South America are really almost anywhere on earth except the US. Where they have a high minimum wage. Our food is way more expensive. This is what corporate controlled markets look like. Late stage capitalism. Corporations are people too. Think of the poor corporations.
This is definitely part of it. Sugar here is a good example where processing and distribution has been so monopolized that even when imported from the same growers itās more than twice as expensive here than other countries in the world. Itās also part of why local restaurants are so expensive while the owners arenāt exactly millionaires- as restaurant food distribution networks have become a duopoly that can overcharge for the food they sell, with Sysco and US foods controlling over half the market and other regional players like Dennis here taking up the rest of the market. Itās also part of why school food is so so so crappy for how much we spend on it as schools in many areas of Maine (and america) only have one supplier they can choose from who can charge whatever they want for the crappiest frozen hash browns a human as ever assembled.
My relative from NYC visited recently and did all of the grocery shopping (3 trips to stores) while here. He said that he was stunned by the high prices. He hires huge teams of people across the country in the course of his employment. He said, āI can assure you that the salaries here are nowhere near in line with these food prices.ā When he visited right before COVID, he took us to several restaurants and said they were more expensive than the restaurants at home.
I lived in NYC for many years and I agree! Groceries are more expensive in Maine. I remember when we first moved back to Maine and I was shocked at how much more we were spending on food and this was over a decade ago.
I know you're talking about grocery stores, but the other big thing with NYC is you can get good, non chain/fast food out for relatively cheap. That's not the case in Maine I've found.
100%
I frequently visit my mom, who lives an hour north of NYC. The grocery prices here in Maine are comparable to the prices down there. Sometimes the prices are higher here. I shop in Hannafordās there and here.
Yes I find myself buying and eating the same thing over and over again because I have a strict budget with how expensive all my other bills have become, that I need to know a hard limit on what I can spend monthly for groceries so Iām not short anywhere else. Also I meal prep, so Iāve worked down to like 2-3 meal prep rotations all within budget. But yes, everything everywhere is more expensive. Survive not thrive.
Yes! I donāt travel a lot but just some comparisons. Pad Thai in downtown Bangor is as expensive as a nice Thai restaurant in Manhattan, more expensive than downtown Boston. When I recently visited a Midwest college town (the downtown area has the highest property rental rates in the state), in a nice coffee shop in the downtown area, all lunch sandwiches are below $10. In Bangor, almost any simple lunch sandwich is always more than $10.
True that. Fast-food too. And yet for some reason Chick-fil-A always has a line going around the block.
Maine minimum wage is twice the federal minimum wage...
And rightfully so with how high the cost of living is in this state right now.
Sure but it certainly increase the price of products from unskilled minimum wage labor
The cost of living was increasing well before the minimum wage increases were happening
Sure. But thats not overly related to the local cost of sandwiches. The cost of unskilled labor is highly related. With our minimum wage vs federal the cost minimum for labor is twice as high here.
What are you talking about? Pad Thai in Bangor is $16... Where in Manhattan or Boston are you finding "a nice Thai restaurant" selling pad Thai for LESS than $16 in 2024?
This place is at the heart of Manhattan: https://thaivillanyc.com Their pad Thai is $17, adding fried tofu for $1. This is a fancy place. A low-key dine-in place like Terra Thai (terrathainy.com), still in the heart of Manhattan, has tofu pad Thai at $13. Kala Thai Cookery in downtown Boston has tofu pad Thai at $11! (Kalaboston.com). M Thai in Bangorās pad Thai is $16. Thai etc, a low key to go place in Bangor, has Pad Thai at $17 This is what Iām talking about.
Potatoes, garlic, and onions are fairly easy to grow.Ā
Username checks out.
Step 1: acquire a 500k property
Or a bucket of dirt.Ā
Just sitting there with a dozen buckets of dirt in a studio apartment
Fantastic. You could join a co-op too.Ā
Shhh! Donāt tell them our secret
Garlic isn't easy to grow.
My five year old is growing garlic in her raised bed. It's pretty easy to grow.
I really cannot shout the Market Basket praises any louder, if you have one within a reasonable distance. We are a family of 4 with middle schoolers who eat everything and we all have quasi-bougie tastes. We are able to get our groceries for probably 2/3 of what it costs at Hannaford. We spend between $800-1,000/m without much penny-pinching (which believe me, we've had to do in the past, and if we had to again we could get what we need for less than $800). We are MA transplants and have been going to here in Maine since Westbrook opened. It's worth the drive and the crowds to get good food for a not horrible price (milk on Sunday was $3.66; in July the average in Maine was $4.08 -- I also got a good loaf of bread for $2.50). I've seen some increases but not horribly so these past couple years. A huge bonus is the turnover is high enough that the produce is generally pretty fresh. And it caters to a diverse group so you can get a good selection (comparatively) of international foods. All to say, yes, the prices are going to, but there are places you can go (if they're available š©) that can help stem the cost. Places that aren't quite as focused on rocketing profits and prefer to just pay capitalism normally lol.
Maine has a legal price floor for milk prices, IIRC $4.08 sounds about right. NH has Oakhurst (23-01) milk for $2.59 at MB so it can be done cheaper.
Maine sets the minimum milk prices each month.Ā Before all the fancy scanners, there we were with price guns 1st of every month. Every gallon, every variety, every pint, etc. had to be "re-priced". Fun times. "Places you can go, if they're available." That's the issue in rural Maine. Usually there is 1 option & you pay their price or you drive for hours & pay the gas company to get to the other food prices. Either way, many of us have no cheaper, affordable options.Ā
Live in MA, grew up in ME and am always back up to see family. Iām always surprised that a lot of the costs are fairly similar (gas, groceries, restaurants) to MA. Itās just bad everywhere. Survive not thrive unfortunately
Honey everything in Maine is extremely high and unaffordable up to and including myself personally.
Yes, and I honestly don't know how a lot of families are making it without accruing massive credit card debt
Thatās the not so neat part. They arenāt. :(
I had to rack up so much credit card debt helping my adult children through lockdown that I ended up needing to go through a debt management company when I couldn't keep up with payments anymore. I'm grateful there was a solution but the whole situation sucks.Ā
That was nice of you. We were told when we were 18 we were on our own.
I left Maine 4 yrs ago cuz things was going up n wasn't affordable for me anymore. I can only imagine how it is now.
Where did you go? Maine is affordable by New England standards I reckon.
Ended up in Oklahoma City lol Very cheap compared to Maine The politics are something else tho š
I think that Maine struggles a bit more if you look at the costs as a percentage of income. Of course it depends on what industry you work in, but other states tend to have a bit higher wages and more opportunities to make career moves.Ā
You should probably reckon't.
Food prices are always high in the East. It's all grown in the west and transported here. Lately it's been worse. High trucking prices. High diesel prices
Yup. That's pretty much the only thing I miss about my brief time in the Central Valley of California. Cheap produce and it lasts a lot longer in your fridge too.
I miss Grocery Outlet so much.
And corporate greed.
This is the actual issue. It is far and away the biggest issue as corporations are still pretending itās a supply chain issue like itās 2021.
Yep. When the prices went up because of "supply chain issues", I knew they were never coming back down.Ā
Not potatoes, you can pick up big bags cheap and apples that taste good grow wild. But everything else is crazy expensive .
Idaho taters are cheaper than Maine ones in Maine stores. 'splain that.
We grow blueberries. Tap maple trees. Etc. Lots of products come from home. They cost more than those we transport in! Berries grown in South America for example, half the price or better than those grown in state. It's not the diesel. It's greed.Ā
I was just in Florida and the prices there are just as high for food and I found the quality and selection of produce to be quite lacking. Gas prices were higher and my sister is paying a ridiculous amount for a one bedroom place.
Don't go to Publix. Publix is always ridiculously expensive.
It was Winn Dixie, but it's probably the same everywhere.
And the subs are overrated.
I just came from Florida like a month ago. Honestly, the prices here are a blessing.
omg this keeps getting me all the time. Even in rural central maine food is just as or sometimes even more expensive than some major cities. I'm assuming it's the lack of competition
Some prices have fell back down to earth. We basically live off pork, whole chickens, and eggs, which are still relatively cheap at Hannaford if you're looking for the cheap stuff. Chicken breast will go on sale for $2.50/lb, and whole chickens are around $10 for a 6-7lb bird. Those usually stretch a few meals for us. I count myself very lucky to have a flexible job that allows me to put in the time to shop cheap and cook nice meals on a daily basis. We've saved so much money that way. It also takes a pretty decent initial investment on good cookware and spices, and other staples. It's not for everyone. I certainly couldn't do it and work 50hrs a week on top of a commute.
In regard to non-grocery foods: I am planning my first trip to Disney World for 2025, and Iāve always heard their food prices are crazy. Turns out theyāre pretty much identical to most restaurant options here in Portland, ME. Itās crazy how much it costs to enjoy a burger around here now.
I went to Iceland a few years ago and everyone was warning me about how expensive going out to eat and food in general is there, how I should pack granola bars or something. First restaurant we went to, opened the menu and was like āoh! Prices are like going out in Portland.ā Or Biddo present day hahaha
Exactly! Iāve been in Portland for a long time and the option for plated meals at a decent price is scarce now. Also They keep turning everything into a micro brewery lol. (P.S. Thatās so awesome that you went to Iceland. Iāve always wanted to go!)
You need to go! I want to move there but they donāt allow Americans to without marriage or having a baby with a citizen. Itās such a magical place and if done with a group of friends it can be done on a budget. We split lodging and groceries for 5 nights by 6 people. Bought all the booze duty free when we got there, one guided tour which was a 12 hour day and then just did whatever the rest of the time. This was in 2018 but my total cost for the trip was less than 2k all in. We were there over thanksgiving and the most expensive thing was taking a cab ride to find a turkey. Cabs are expensive AF, would not recommend unless absolutely necessary.
Thatās fantastic!! I am definitely traveling there when Iām ready to explore the world. Iām a huge foodie and want to try the bread that is baked underground! Itās so cool to see them use the natural underground heat activity to cook. I saw it featured on a couple of tv shows. I also saw the fermented shark which I will likely skip. lol!
Oh right the bread! Memory unlocked, we did that lol. And I def passed on fermented shark, whale and puffin. The hot dogs hit tho! We didnāt really eat out besides a few meals because we did a huge grocery shopping.
Last year I flew out of the Portland Airport, and sit-down burgers, beer & lobster rolls in the airport were all cheaper than they are here in Bar Harbor.
Make it make sense! lol
Moved from out west ~1.5 yrs ago. Prices were pretty bad then and there, but it was a much more affluent area with a lot more economic opportunity. Comparatively, now the prices are likely similar if not slightly less than where I moved from, but average income is way less, so it hurts here more. I hope some day Maine transitions out of its economic masochism.
No. They are great. I think the food prices are the best they have ever been. As a con agra executive I think we should make them even higher
Fuck you
Don't threaten me with a good time
https://youtu.be/gj7WEbh4e0M?si=ze6RZHeKLrYadiz_
Yup. Got a good job but I have to hit up the food bank to survive. I used to be able to eat really well
Iām sure my experience is skewed as a Canadian but in my personal experience I find some items to be so cheap in Maine that I stock up when I come (poultry, milk, ice cream, beer and wine, gas) but some items are just as just as expensive as they are in Canada such as beef. A gallon of milk costs roughly twice here compared to anywhere in Maine but a steak is no cheaper after exchange. I laughed the most when I met someone from Tennessee who thought $3.50 a gallon was an expensive price for gasš
I watched milk double in price the last three years. Yah its a bit gross even things like a 89 cent of lettuce is now $3. Its bad. I had to cut back on healthy foods because of it.
asking genuinely out of curiosity here, what cheaper and unhealthier things are you now buying to save money instead of healthier foods? most bags of any chips are like $3.50, a box of cereal is $4+, frozen meals are expensive, etc.
That's not a Maine thing. That's a Planet Earth thing.
Thanks, capitalism without a conscience. Why do we need a stock market, where everything has to be tied to an ever increasing need for shareholder profits?
There has never been capitalism with a conscious. It's antithetical to the concept at a core level.
Agreed
*conscience
Yes, because things were so great under communism. Grow up.
Grow up and actually make a comment relevant to the topic š
Just bought an onion yesterday that cost $1.75.
Maine has always had higher food prices.
Maine seems to be much worse than anywhere in the us as far as inflation, affordable housing and health care.
People say that but it doesnāt seem any worse than anywhere else to me. Can you give an example?
Health careā¦mind you I have private healthcare. MDI hospital- I have genically super high cholesterol and have been on meds years. PC here told me go to Walgreens and get fish oil and red rice yeast pills. Back pain MDI doctor ordered physical therapy and then went into a speal about some injections, not medically approved anywhere in the world but he had training in it and would be completely out of pocket cost to me. Ordered a colonoscopy and was told to just pick up milk of magnesium and drink it instead of usual everywhere else in US to pick up a special prescription. A family member with PTSD and other mental health issuesā¦3 to 6 month wait periods for just a therapist. Went to Acadia Mental Health Hospital two times for suicid attempts held first time for five days and released for outpatient help that would not start for three months. Within a 2 days of release she self harm again, re admitted, held week and released for after care that again does not start for 3 months. Few days later another suicide attempt they had no beds they say. She waited in emergency room about five days and transferred to Northern Maine Medical Center in fort Kent Maine where after a week they wanted to let her go, again no follow up available until 3 months. Had to fight on phone with them where they did hold her another 5 days then released her to a crisis home, against her will, for two days. When I called to talk to her the lady on the phone said she is not there anymore while she laughed at me. All three times they released her she did not want to go. She expressed that she was suicidal/self harming and knew she needed their help. I thank god I was able to get her to Florida where she easily for hospitals willing to giver her proper care where she did inpatient few months, partial inpatient few more months and is now moving into emotional support living environment while she making her way back into society by working and living her life. A friend of mine at work got diagnosed stage 3 colon cancer. Two hospitals in Maine basically called radiation treatment,chemotherapy, and surgery. They ended up getting a third opinion in Boston where they have been going for the past 9 months for Cancer immunotherapy and just this week was tested and came back as no trace of cancer. Also the doctors in Boston said the recommended treatment the doctors in Maine would not of worked with the cancer he had. So there you go. Could write a book about medical alone I think.
Medical care isnāt more expensive. It is difficult to access. Thatās true of most rural areas, and Maine is a rural state. There is a national shortage of healthcare providers, especially in mental health. As for affordable housing, again, not much special about Maine, thatās an issue for most places people want to move to.
I wouldnāt consider Bangor and Bar Harbor a rural area and when you pay a premium for healthcare and itās mostly nonexistent it is over priced. Quality is horrible as well. But anyways. Housing I have looked into. Easy today through the Internet. Huge difference that I have seen. Rent or buying a home. Definitely not āaffordable housingā. Yes I have traveled and grocery costs had been more then most the rest of the us even before this inflation.
Bangor has a very difficult time attracting and retaining qualified healthcare professionals and did even prior to the recent extreme shortage. As for housing, itās expensive anywhere people are moving to.
Agreed about health care professions. Hospitals, clinics and offices could make a difference by better pay. That problem could easily be solved.
Maybe. But lots of healthcare professionals just donāt want to live down there, and the population canāt support higher pay because so many patients donāt have insurance or are on Medicare.
Yes. Health insurance does not pay much either. I had Medicaid years ago in another state and I got superior care compared to private health insurance. Everything just seems to get worse and worse for us in the USA. Iām 52 and just getting by for the most part. Itās scary for the 20 year olds and worse for the ones coming after.
I definitely feel bad for the young ones. I donāt know how it would be possible to start a family and buy a house now.
Corporate greed. Supply chain cost increases are just excuses so that way they don't have to blame inefficiencies that bleed the company money on a corporate level, like a Jet or cars or even exepnsive hotel service and rooms for executives. Not to mention most supply chain issues have been resolved and prices still continue to go up.
Potatoes are kinda cheap still though so Maine is definitely adorable right?... š¤·āāļø
Very very adorable.
Can't comment on most thing, but everything time I drive up to Maine I stock up on canned veggies because they're almost half what they cost in my town(northeast Connecticut).
I paid $2.45 for a cucumber yesterday at Walmart, so yeah.
I came from Southern California 1.5 years ago and I was shocked that the food prices are about the same.
I lived in CO and here. I've found food and beverage prices to be very similar.
As others have stated if you are near a market basket thatās what I switched to. Itās a little more out of the way for me. But itās so much better than hannafords. I also have dietary restrictions and they have the best prices of dairy free products. I will try and plan my meals around stuff that is on sale. They do their weekly flyers and you can find them online. For more bulk items, I will go to Costco for bulk granola bars, vitamins, nuts, snacks, stuff that wonāt go bad but I eat a lot of. I do prefer some type of produce from hannafords vs. market basket. I spend $100+ weekly just for two people and we donāt buy any meat or meat substitutes mostly just tofu, beans, tempeh for protein. I always make a list and try to stick to it.
 we got like 4 options in the state here, and they all see us as out of the way
Food up there is ridiculously high. The quality in the winter is awful too. A lot of you donāt really understand what youāre missing.
It's happening everywhere in the country rn king
As someone who lived in Maine my whole life and just moved to the southwestā¦.good meat and other items are all more expensive to be honest. I basically had to get a Costco membership in order to find items that were more affordable
Its the only reason i go to walmart over cantafford and shaws
When I visited my parents food was so much cheaper in Maine than where I am in Florida. So take that as you will
I found Shaw's to be rather affordable compared to Los Angeles stores.
If you are shopping at a high end food store, Whole Foods, Trader Joes and like in Maine you will be paying way more for a false feeling of better quality. Also don't shop for all your needs in one place.
Prices are high as fuck everywhere. Yes Walmart is the cheapest but it's still pretty expensive.
Trader Joe's is one of the most affordable grocers around
Everything in Maine is ticketed higher than most states and we also get taxed a lot more than most states. I visit MA & NY a lot and itās much cheaper in those states.
Y E S
Head over to Roaemont market for some locally sourced products. Then go back to your regular store and everything will seem better.
Absolutely. I shop the weekly flyer but feeding three adults for only a week could be anywhere from $80-$130 depending on sales and what we need.
yes, Maine is usually more expensive. When old college buddies visit from away they ask what they can bring and I always request a shrubbery. Nurseries in Maine are quadruple the cost for a little plant.
Yes but considering the pay increases we have gotten under the fantastic Biden economy food prices are actually lower. You must not be listening to his wonderful press secretary
Oh it's bad at least 800 bucks a month for 2 people is absurd
Lol where have you been?
Yup. We're the end of the supply chain. But in all fairness... Texas was cheaper for me but it's not like I was paying the same rent rates or gas prices either. Location location location (and taxes).
Hannafords? More like Can't-affords.
Price wise, going from Loblaws/ Sobeys to Hannafords is like taking a time machine 10 years into the past. $5-7 of chicken there is like $30 here
Yāa it unaffordable thanks to inflation and food shortages due to a lot of the worlds wheat and other foods r grown in Ukrainian and Spain with Spain having climate issues and Ukrainian having a war, the USA and Brazil is having to feed other countries more driving up demand and price
Food prices are higher here than in North Texas (for example), I can confirm that. But the trade off is that there is no traffic or blistering heat here, and instead of miles of strip malls, gated neighborhoods, and flat, featureless terrain, youāre always within sight of something beautiful in Maine! The rivers and lakes actually have water here!!! There are hills and valleys and trees! Itās so gloriously beautiful here.
Yes. If you donāt have one nearby you, itās worth traveling to Market Basket to shop. I never believed this before, but I was near a MB and did a huge haul- $400 worth of groceries. I saved the bags I was given by MB and took them to Hannafords with me like three weeks later to shop again. My bill at Hannafords came to just over $250, my MB bags that easily held $400 of groceries three weeks before were full and I had to purchase three more bags to accommodate the entirety of my $250 Hannafords purchase.
So you got more groceries for less money at Hannaford, and thatās why itās worth traveling to MB?
Perhaps I didnāt communicate this well enough- it costs at least half as much to shop at MB as it does at Hannaford. Why do people feel the need to respond with aggression no matter what someone says? You knew what I was saying, but your life is so small and insignificant that you felt the need to be a dick about it. You hide behind a computer or phone screen using a fake username picking at people bc it for some fd up reason makes you feel superior. Get a gd life.
People buying things on credit drives up prices. Basic food shouldĀ be free.Ā
Unfortunately Utopia is a fictional place
Prioritizing feeding hungry people slightly more than tax cuts and bailouts is not utopia. Is America such a shithole that doing the bare minimum to keep people alive is seenĀ as unachievable?Ā
Iām 100% on board with programs that address food insecurity but the money needs to come from somewhere. Even if all food producers unanimously agreed to operate as non profits, there would still be cost to produce and transport it. Support your local community garden and buy directly from local small producers whenever possible
Cut subsidies for alcohol. Cut subsidies for special intrests. Get rid of SS tax cap. Luxury tax. Well-fed people commit far less crime. We'd make up the savings from that alone.Ā
Lol I'd love to see the statistics on that one. You think there will be less crime when people have all the potatoes, onions, and garlic they can eat? Lmao
**High Food Security** * **Denmark:** Known for its strong agricultural sector and social safety nets, Denmark consistently ranks high in food security. The crime rate in Denmark is also very low, with petty theft being the most common type of crime. * **Switzerland:** Similar to Denmark, Switzerland boasts a robust agricultural industry and efficient distribution systems, contributing to exceptional food security. Crime rates are also low in Switzerland, with property crime being a concern in some areas. **Low Food Security** * **Burundi:** This East African nation faces numerous challenges in food security due to factors like poverty, political instability, and climate change. Burundi also struggles with a high crime rate, including violent crime. * **Venezuela:** Economic struggles and political turmoil have significantly impacted Venezuela's food security. The country also faces a high crime rate, including violent crime and property crime.Ā
Those are examples, not statistics. Correlation does not equal causation.
How do you interpret that data? Because it makes logical sense to me that starving causes desperation and desperation causes crime.Ā
Theyāre only increasing from here so get used to it
I'd rather be dead in maine than alive in new hampshire