I just got back from the grocery store. $1.99 for a box of Kraft Mac and Cheese

[Horse with no Name]

I cup of mac noodles and 3 tbsp of some funky powder that has a quasi-cheese flavor.

My granddaughter loves it...I left with a bag of elbows and some cheese.

But really? Almost $2 bux for THAT? Sheesh.

[MineralMan]

1. Your daughter will complain.

That's very high. It's about a buck at my supermarket, on sale. When it's on sale, I buy several. Lasts almost forever.

[andrewdrinker]

15. Kraft Mac & Cheese? That's fancy!

We can only afford Hobo Beans.

[GKirk]

31. Don't ya hate it when

the high faluting, houtie toutie types come here and brag aobut the gourmet food they eat?
(this might have been funnier if I knew how to spell high faluting and/or houtie toutie)

:D

[Turbineguy]

59. It is the educated elite.

Always bragging about what we ate while we studied.

BTW comparing my income then and now and applying the difference to the Mac&Cheese price means a box should cost about 10 bucks now.

In those days we considered an education an investment instead of a cost.

[PeaceNikki]

93. How many hobo nickels do hobo beans cost in your neck?

Welcome to DU, also, too! ;)

[janet118]

75. Yeah, you're right about her daughter complaining.

I made some mac & cheese from scratch for my friend . . .and offered some to one of the kids visiting her. The kid asked, "Is that homemade?" I proudly said, "Yes." She said, "Then, I don't want any."

[Luciferous]

78. Yep, my kids refuse to eat homemade mac and cheese and prefer the Kraft, but

I rarely let them eat Kraft mac and cheese because it's junk.

[gateley]

2. Okay, Used to be a 25 cents when I discovered it in my broke, late teens.

You could get the milk, butter (margarine!) AND the box for under a dollar, probably.

LOVE that stuff -- still! I don't even want to know what's in it. Haven't had it in eons, but now you've got me salivating...

PS -- I didn't even like the "Deluxe" version, so don't know how the real stuff will go over. :7. Nothing cheerier than day-glo orange powder!

[Scurrilous]

53. I lived on that stuff in college.

29 cents a box at the Majik Market convenience store.

:thumbsup:

[brooklynite]

3. So you're complaining about....

...a boxed food product that gives you a serving for about 50c a person that's available when you're too lazy (or don't have the time) to make it yourself?

[gateley]

6. Perhaps you're missing the point, but it WAS a great opportunity to be kind of condescending.

:eyes:

[brooklynite]

9. Condescending? Never.

Snippy, maybe.

[gateley]

17. Haha!

Boy, am I guilty of that! So you're absolved -- go and snip in peace and good health! :hi:

[Horse with no Name]

26. Uh..let me be "snippy" now

obviously your reading skills are lacking... because the ONLY reason I buy it is because my granddaughter likes it. It is not because I am lazy, or don't make enough time for my family.

So...what used to be a 3 boxes for a $1 not too long ago is now $2 for ONE and you don't see a problem with that?? You don't think the friendly folks at Kraft are just trying to get as much fucking money as they can for a nickels worth of product?

[Sherman A1]

30. Hit the nail on the head

as one who works in the Grocery Biz and has for the last 37 years.

You got it and I would add that some of the earlier response were a bit uncharitable.

[GKirk]

36. No one is forcing you

to buy the Kraft brand mac & cheese, not even your granddaughter.
see message #27 below for some good advice

[EFerrari]

51. When was the last time you counted change to buy dinner for your family?

:)

[ieoeja]

88. "too lazy (or don't have the time time)"? In what way is the box easier or faster than homemade?

Boil water.
Add one-third cup of elbow macaroni.
Stir occasionally for seven minutes while continuing boil.
Dump excess water.
Add one slice of American cheese.
Stir.


Same effort. Same time. Less cost.

I will never understand how Kraft Macaroni & Cheese came to be. I can understand having eaten it your whole life and wanting it thereafter. But people had to start eating it in the first place ignoring the fact that it was no easier, no faster and more expensive!

[Turbineguy]

4. 19 cents in 1969

I was a starving student then.

A dinner time staple then. As was iced tea without sugar.

[Critters2]

19. A quarter when I was a starving student in '80. Also stocked up on Banquet potpies

for about the same price.

[Horse with no Name]

45. I can't even eat a potpie these days without wanting to throw up,lol

We ate lots of ramen, lots of mac and cheese, lots of pot pies. Cheap and filling.

[Fuddnik]

80. They've shrunk a can of tuna gradually from 7.5oz to 5.0oz now.

And when I was picking up a few things at the store the other day, sitting amongst the other 5oz cans of tuna was Starkist. 4.5oz.

I used to be able to make 3 sandwiches worth of tuna salad out of a can. Now just slightly more than one.

[Turbineguy]

83. Maybe that's to compensate

for the mercury content.

[WinkyDink]

5. Next time use a coupon.

[littlewolf]

8. YES ... wife saves between 40- 50 percent using coupons nt

[WinkyDink]

97. I'm up to about 30%. The other day I paid $5 for $20 worth. (I'll stop now.) :-)

[geardaddy]

7. The price has really gone up.

I remember in college when you could get five for a buck. Of course, that was the yellow and black generic kind.

[OhioChick]

10. What isn't going up? n/t

[JVS]

48. Generic pop is edging down.

I've noticed 12 pack of cans of store brand going for $1.89 where they used to be $1.99. But you can't live on pop.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

11. My kids who are in their 20s still love that garbage. I would only buy it if it's on sale

or if they really crave it, substitute the store brand.

I make the real thing and I wind up eating most of it.

[Skidmore]

12. My weekly jug of juice was $.28 more expensive today

than it was last Wednesday. Yogurt was about 10 cents more and the cup was smaller.

I never buy that Kraft stuff. A large bag of macaroni and a chunk of cheese will make more than one meal.

[closeupready]

13. Food inflation has been very high.

I love M&C and have a few boxes in the cupboard for some future time when I may want to just chill out on food from my childhood, but I wouldn't pay $1.99 for it. I haven't bought any recently, but you might want to join Costco - they sell stuff like that in bulk for big savings.

[truebrit71]

24. I love Costco...I have saved a bundle by shopping there instead of my usual store..

...get twice as much for half the price...well worth the membership fee..

[Horse with no Name]

32. Yeah but it takes a tank of gas to get there and back

which is over $40 now. I can't justify it.:(

[truebrit71]

38. Their gas is cheaper too...

..at least $0.10 -$0.15 per gallon cheaper..

[closeupready]

33. Me, too - very pro-employee, too. I'm going to upgrade to executive, since

I buy most all of my groceries there these days.

[Monique1]

64. Sorry to say

if you are watching the prices at Costco they have increased also.

[Snoutport]

72. costco= no sales to smaller local businesses.

sigh...everything that can actually save the consumer money (costco, walmart) end up cutting our own throats by not buying local. can't win for losing!

[anneboleyn]

29. I have noticed that our food prices have gone WAY up.

There are some things that have jumped by high amounts (like my husband's favorite chips -- they went up from 3.49 a bag to 4.49 a bag overnight!) -- I was shocked at how high the prices are now. Honestly, it's just the two of us, and we often get take-out, and we still have a high grocery bill. I have no idea how families make it these days.

[closeupready]

34. To some extent, try cutting out processed foods, and cook from scratch.

I have recently started making my own tortilla chips - really, really easy, and just as good as the pre-processed kind.

[Horse with no Name]

44. That is what I am finding

I have stocked my pantry. It was much cheaper to buy macaroni and a hunk of cheese. What I would have paid to feed my family...I paid half for scratch ingredients and will have twice as much.

It is a win/win and I LOVE homemade tortilla chips! With a little cinnamon and sugar...

[Ratty]

39. They think we won't notice what with the smaller portions and all

Saw amazing prices on tuna at the local dollar store. Then noticed the dinky little cans it came in.

[closeupready]

55. Yes, those smaller tuna cans LOOK almost the same, but

they really serve just about one person, as opposed to earlier years, when they would make two or three servings.

[Snoutport]

73. I bought a can of tuna last week, that barely made one sandwich!!

and it cost $1.89. sigh....

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

14. You should write a letter to Kraft

and ask them to use cheaper slave/foreign/imimgrant labor so your Mac & Cheese can stay at the same price it used to be at before workers were fairly compensated.

I love when people complain about inflation and low worker wages. :eyes:
Hint: There's a correlation between Product Cost and Labor Rate. Not to mention FDA safety standards.

[closeupready]

16. It's not a direct correlation, and things like fuel costs and supply

also impact price.

[Horse with no Name]

18. Well to be honest

If my $2 for a box was providing good union jobs--I'd pay $5 for that. But, as it is, they aren't so hell yes I am complaining when ALL that $2 is doing is helping to give some CEO an even bigger bonus. It is, at MOST, .05 worth of product.

[yawnmaster]

25. curious...how do you calculate the $0.05 worth of product? eom

[yawnmaster]

20. Every generation will remember the old days. I remember when a dollar was worth a dollar!

Except to my parents when my dollar was worth a dollar, that dollar was worth two dollars to them.
Inflation will always exist and we'll always wax nostalgic for the good old prices.

btw, you paid top price for the product, and that happens if you just want a box, but if you just want some in the house, wait for a coupon or a sale and you'll get it for closer to a dollar or a dollar and a quarter.

[TheKentuckian]

92. Wages used to go up too but now many of us actually make less than we did a few years back.

If you include inflation then the numbers will make you shotgun a liter of Bourbon just to stay even.

Hell yeah, people wax nostalgic for old prices when they have to make due on the same or less money.

You might want to explain to the Chamber of Commerce about how labor costs increase like you lectured us who are just trying to get by.

[Taverner]

21. Food will rise in price astronomically this summer

"Instability in the Mideast" will be the excuse. Gas will go up, and of course food producers will raise their prices because of the gas. Of course none of these will go down in price.

Your job (if you are lucky enough to have one) will not pay more. In fact, don't be surprised if you will have to train your replacements - a group of "interns" who are your age and have your level of experience, but will work for free.

[ecstatic]

22. do home made

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chucks-Favorite-Mac-and-Cheese/Detail.aspx?prop31=3

[leftstreet]

28. Oh HELLZ no! Cottage cheese in Mac&Cheese?! That seems unChristian

:D

Shouldn't an approved recipe contain that processed yellow block stuff?

[A Simple Game]

95. Oh HELLZ no! Not that processed yellow block stuff!

Sharp cheese, the sharpest you can find and afford.

[Ratty]

41. Sorry, without the magic orange powder it just isn't the same

Tried to pull that homemade crap once myself and boy did I hear about it!

[Arugula Latte]

42. I make it with the classic roux (flour & butter) + milk ... When it's thick melt in the cheddar

Gooood ... :9

[Dappleganger]

87. Look up Patti LaBelle's mac and cheese recipe...

that is most similar to mine. It's not for dieters but die-hard mac-n-cheese fans.

[RebelOne]

23. My local Kroger store here in North Georgia

usually has the mac and cheese for $1. The deluxe is usually $1.99 or less. Where do you live that it is so expensive?

[Zywiec]

40. Just checked here in Maryland and it's also $1 a box

When I see people spending 100% more for something others are buying cheaper, I just shake my head.

:shrug:

[Ian David]

27. What you do is buy ONE box of Kraft Mac and Cheese, and a whole case of the Generic.

Then, every time your daughter wants Mac and Cheese, you just take the Kraft box and leave it on the counter, next to the stove, while you cook the generic.

Make sure nobody sees the generic box, and nobody throws away the Kraft box.

They'll never know.

[closeupready]

37. Very good! LOL

Truthfully, many of these products are, in fact, identical except for the packaging.

[Contrary1]

84. I did the same thing years ago with cereal...

Not even the hubby caught on.

[eShirl]

35. how much is the generic/store brand?

[kenny blankenship]

43. Thank the Fed

The Fed's QE2 Misadventure Will Cost U.S. Households $4.6 Trillion

The Fed's Quantitative Easing Part 2 has destroyed $4.6 trillion in household wealth, all to boost the stock portfolios of the top 10%.

The Federal Reserve's stated goals in launching QE2 were to trigger a "wealth effect" and boost inflation. The net result of their program is a massive destruction of household wealth. The basic idea is that goosing "risk assets," i.e. stocks, then consumers will feel wealthier and thus motivated to open their wallets and spend, spend, spend. This spending won't be based on any increase in income (household income fell in 2009 despite the massive run-up in stocks) but on the illusion of greater wealth created by a temporarily rising stock market.

(Median household income fell 0.7% to $49,777 in 2009, down 4.2% since 2007, when the recession started.)

The Fed must be aware that the top fifth of households collects 50.3% of all pre-tax income and the bottom two-fifths receive 12%, so the 'wealth effect" is in essence another "trickle down" scheme in which the top earners buy more handbags manufactured in China and the bottom 80% of Americans are supposed to benefit by being hired to stock the shelves with Elite goods.

As I often report, only the top 10% of households own enough equities to feel wealthier; so the Fed's central faith is doubly a "trickle down" theory: only the top 10% can possibly experience a wealth effect.

But the destruction of purchasing power as the Fed destroys the dollar is felt by all households--especially the bottom 80%. The Boiling Frog: Effects of QE2 On The Bottom 80% of the U.S. Population.

And a year later, the dope on QE2 is still that is a failure.

[hifiguy]

46. I ate a lot of the stuff while in a tiny dorm room in law school

because the kitchen was two (connected) dorms away. I could make it in one of those hot pots that looked like a percolator. Haven't been able to look at it since. Ugh.

Something about that "cheese" powder freaked me out on some low level and it still does. These days it's frozen from Trader Joe's or the sorta luxe house-brand version from a local grocery store :9 for those times I get the mac'n'cheese cravings.

[gateley]

56. Central Market (I would assume Whole Foods has it, too) carries a 'gourmet'

brand with 4 different varieties each offering a different mild, smooth cheese. Frozen. Haven't tried it yet but sure looks delicious! There's an upscale restaurant here that serves their upscale version of mac 'n cheese, and it is absolutely swoon-producing.

[hifiguy]

57. The Lund's/Byerly's chain here in the Twin Cities

- the one I mentioned in my OP - is terrific. Cheese sauce - yes a REAL cheese sauce - is so gooey and delicious that I would be tempted to drink it as a beverage now and then like a shake.

[gateley]

63. Haha! Boy, I can identify! Next time I shop at Central I'll get the brand name

and PM you! :hi:

[Prism]

47. Your store is ripping you off

In both Chicago and San Fran, Kraft Mac and Cheese runs anywhere from 75 cents to about $1.19. These are recent prices (I just nabbed 75c a box at Safeway last week).

I'd wonder about where I'm shopping if it's going for $2 a pop. Those are 7-11 prices.

[RebelOne]

52. Agreed. That is a convenience store price.

Anyone in a hurry is willing to pay $1.99 for a box of mac and cheese. I cannot see a major grocery chain charging that much.

[Ikonoklast]

49. You're supposed to sprinkle the powder on your toes.

It's really athlete's foot fungus powder, it just kinda resembles cheese in taste.

[dionysus]

50. our store brand mac n cheese is about .50

[Nickigrace]

54. It was only 88 cents at my store

but my kids like the homestyle stuff that was on sale last week $3 for 5 and I had $1.50 in coupons. Much better according to them

[Monique1]

58. What is happening here?

People here are getting ruder and ruder. The person just made a comment re the price of the damn stuff - she gave us the reason for buying. I've read many times here others complaining of the cost of foods, meats and veggies too and and did not get insulted. Maybe DU needs some lessons in communication skills. There is something drastically wrong here. I do communicate on a board with tea party and I tell you what, this place appears to have many tea party people in almost all areas.

I know what you will say - if you don't like it here leave, don't let the door etc, you know the rest. If you keep saying this - donations might come less and less and DU is going to be hurting unless those tea people are going to pay to be here.

[Nickigrace]

81. I wasn't being rude

I just happened to go to the store today and noticed it was .88 and so I decided to comment? I'm as annoyed and scared by all the price inceases as everyone else. I'm new here and I didn't know that was consider tea bag behavior.

[no_hypocrisy]

60. See if your granddaughter will like a store brand/generic version of

mac-and-cheese. Or try this copycat recipe. Maybe it's more affordable (and has less sodium).

http://recipehelpers.com/secret-copycat-recipes/22009-krafts-deluxe-original-macaroni-cheese-dinner.html

[Rex]

61. Was 79cents here last year.

Have to see what mac&cheese is going for when I go to the store next time.

[spinbaby]

62. Look for an Amish or Mennonite bulk store

If you have one near you, they usually sell the orange powder cheap.

[csziggy]

74. Kraft sells that orange powder in little shaker containers

They call it "Macaroni & Cheese Cheese Topping." It's great on popcorn, even if it does dye your fingers orange. It is mostly whey, though it does have some cheese culture in slightly lesser quantity than the Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 food dyes. You can find it in stores next to the Kraft pseudo Parmesan cheese.

[Iggo]

65. 8 times what it used to cost when I was a starving artist?

Aw, hells no.

[unblock]

66. i'm an elitist now, having switched to nature's promise organic mac & cheese

costs a bit more, but tastes almost like real food.

[zorahopkins]

67. Inflation

Those of us of a certain age remember well the days of inflation.

The FIRST shock was as you described it {$1.99 for a box of Mac and Cheese, e.g.).

But wait -- more is coming.....wait until you go to the store the next time, and find that the price is $2.15.

Next it will be $2.25, then $2.39, then $2.55.

Then you will notice that for $2.60, you are getting less product -- the box will be smaller.

Inflation isn't pretty.

[eleny]

68. "I left with a bag of elbows and some cheese"

So it turns out that you made your own - did she like it?

[Horse with no Name]

101. LOL No. She was upset that I withheld the Kraft

BUT I enjoyed it...:)

[Ratty]

69. Recently discovered our local dollar store and now I'm hooked

Not every dollar store is worth going into. Most around here are nothing but crap party supplies and the like. But I did find one a couple of months ago that is quite simply amazing. You can get very good produce there for a quarter of what it costs at any supermarket. Red bell peppers normally cost over a dollar - sometimes more than two dollars depending on the supply and season - but I have been finding them for 50 cents a piece at this store. GOOD bell peppers too, not mushy or old or anything. A head of iceberg lettuce was $1.45 at the supermarket and I got the same exact sizes at 2 for a dollar at the dollar store. Onions are cheaper but I've found those a bit dodgy there. They sell a bag of six but so far I've always found one of them in every bag to be a bit soft and moldy. They sell canned pinto beans for under a dollar - a brand I've never heard of and definitely mushier than what I normally buy. But I've gotten used to them and they're not so bad. Oranges, apples, avocados, romaine lettuce, big bags of very very green bananas that ripen up nicely on top of the fridge.

I make jokes with my friend when I go in about what the opposite of "organic" must be. So we say we're going to pick up apples dripping with alar and tasty pesticide-laden lettuce. You have to keep a sense of humor about things in this economy.

I'm not interested in 99% of what they sell there most of the time - sorry, didn't check out the price of mac & cheese - but I go weekly now for as much of my produce as I can find. But if I need stationery or spices or paper products or pasta sauce in a jar I know where to go now.

I guess the point is for most of my life I never questioned prices that much and pretty much accepted what I found in the supermarket. Either I could afford it or not. Now that I'm scrimping more the supermarket is the *last* place I go when I can't find something anywhere else.

[Snoutport]

70. 4 cents for mac, 3 cents for cheese, 7 cents for the box, 65 cents for the store

21 cents for shipping and costs to Kraft, $1.00 for the CEO so he can afford a private island to get away from the people who buy Kraft mac and cheese.

[Codeine]

71. My tiny little grocery store sells it for far, far less.

We have never been anywhere near $2. And our store brand is much less than that and the quality is just as good.

[RegieRocker]

76. Try the free carrots Obama is tossing out.

[HopeHoops]

77. Fuck that noise. I get a no-name brand 3/$1.00.

[exelwood]

79. Mmmmm, Kraft mac 'n cheese...

...throw a can of tuna in there and that's some good eatin'! :D

[JI7]

82. what Grocery store did you buy it from ?

[AsahinaKimi]

85. Even Ramen has gone up in price

College kids lived off it.. I have to go to Chinatown now to get it at a decent price.

[Dappleganger]

86. Our kids used to prefer Kraft until they tasted Annie's...

and now that's the only kind they'll use if they are making it themselves. If you're going to use boxed it really does taste better (maybe try a taste test)?

However, this Momma doesn't make her babies no boxed mac and cheese. Mine is done the real way just like my Momma did. ;)

[ieoeja]

89. Homemade: just as fast and easy. But costs less.

Boil water.
Add one-third cup of elbow macaroni.
Stir occasionally for seven minutes while continuing boil.
(Optional) Add three drops of yellow food coloring.
Dump excess water.
Add one slice of American cheese.
Stir.


Unless you're going somewhere for an extended time without refrigeration (for the cheese), I don't see any point in Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. It has always been more expensive while providing no savings in either time or effort.

[closeupready]

90. Box of M&C is $2.19 at Duane Reade.

And that's about as high as you are going to see in the local marketplace.

[sarcasmo]

91. Hyper inflation has arrived.

[pokerfan]

94. Wheee!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimbabwean_dollar#Money_supply_.282006.E2.80.932008.29">

[Liberal_in_LA]

96. Waste of money - for a few dollars more - by the macaroni and cheese separate

make it yourself

[ddeclue]

98. but... but... it's real cheese...

:bounce:

[nc4bo]

99. Try getting some Velveeta - you can doctor it to stretch it even more

keep tasting along the way until you get the taste you like.

~Or~ get 1/2 real cheddar and mix with 1/2 velveeta ~or~ get the regular cheddar and make your own, it's easy.

Velveeta and canned milk has a pretty long shelf life too.

[Raine]

100. Sometimes the market will have them on sale for 10 for $10.00

a dollar a piece.

[Canuckistanian]

102. Is that the Dijon Mac and Cheese?

I remember when they were about 50c a box.