Food producers announce price increases

"...Prices of staples including milk, beef, coffee, cocoa and sugar have risen sharply in recent months. And food makers and retailers including McDonald's Corp., Kellogg Co. and Kroger Co. have begun to signal that they'll try to make consumers shoulder more of the higher costs for ingredients.

For food executives, how quickly to pass along higher costs presents difficult choices. Missteps could be costly when the economy...."

Per the Wall Street Journal

There is a window to stock up now on staples before these preplanned price increases take effect, unless of course one believes the money can be invested elsewhere for a higher return than the price increases will be, right now it appears to be anywhere from 3% for companies and 4 dollars on 1 pd of premium beef.

Thank you helicopter Ben, now armed with information, I'd expect a buy of staples as not even pasta and rice will escape this round of price inflation and Coffee seen as a daily staple inside the US will certainly see even more of a price increase as the dollar's decline will make importing Coffee even more expensive as well as piggy back price increase by coffee producers that they will blame on the declining dollar.

Federal Reserve Announces:we have to steal more value from your savings

We've all been to the movies to see an Action Film, the Hero is some supposedly highly trained merchant of death out to save the world, the villian is of course clearly delineated, suspicious laugh, psychotic small army of men willing to spend their lives etc.

That of course is Reel Life, in Real Life, they are much more difficult to spot but occasionally they do mark themselves, to whit:

Federal Reserve Open Market Committee:

"...The Committee will continue to monitor the economic outlook and financial developments and is prepared to provide additional accommodation if needed to support the economic recovery and to return inflation, over time, to levels consistent with its mandate..."

In their view, the way to fix things is to make the money you have in your pocket, bank account, piggy bank, what have you, worth much less in order to stimulate the Economy.

Basically they are planning to rob the value of your money through the silent tax of inflating the currency, now would be a great time to use a Modern Version of the Alpha Strategy to purchase items that are needed, but will be more expensive in the future as the Robber is not using a firearm, but a digital creation of US Dollars to make everyone in the United States all the more poor.

This is in addition to the news that now 1 in 7 Americans are in poverty, the highest level ever recorded, there are an additional millions barely above the poverty line via Unemployment Insurance Payments that should have expired some time ago.

However as a philosophical issue, income should never mean poverty or no poverty as it is safe to say whomever bothers to read this blog is smart enough to structure their life to have as Wealthy a lifestyle as Common Sense may provide.

From raising a garden to self improvement to recapturing that health of youth, "we" know the score no matter the promises from a politician of Nuevo Utopia, it is up to ourselves to create our own lives and it would be helpful if they stepped out of the way and allowed that to happen.

Lower Fixed Costs by any means necessary.

1 in 5 US Families could not purchase food in 2009

Well, here at the Last Cause we tend to look eskew on anti Hunger groups in the US as the dichotmy, Obeisity and Hunger is simply to large to reconcile.

However, this story caught the eyes:

"..Nationwide polling found 18.2 percent of households reported "food hardship" -- lacking money to buy enough food -- in 2009, according to the group. That is higher than the government's "food insecurity" rating of 14.6 percent of households, or 49 million people, for 2008.

Households with children had a "food hardship" rate of 24.1 percent for 2009 compared with 14.9 percent among households without children. Twenty states had rates of 20 percent or higher. Seven Southern states led the list..."

Food insecurity? They made that up, or the respondents did not understand the question, or perhaps did not know how to prepare simple foods, after all Children's palates have been subtly changed via massive amounts of Sugar in nearly every food product aimed at the pre 12 yr old market.

A decent larder/pantry/storage would see people through the hard times, yet it would not include the Sugary foods, but would not be bland and tasteless either.

2010 Food Crisis

Crisis, never really cared for the term or idea, a Crisis is lack of life boats while the Titanic was sinking, a Crisis is running out of water in the middle of the Sahara.

That said, there is a confluence of events concerning the upcoming Food Market around the globe, mainly Argentina is suffering a drought and their Grain harvest will be far below what the world markets expected, add in a unusually cold winter in the US and an increasing hungry China and  perhaps Writer Decarbonel is onto something:

Food Crisis of 2010

"...The same USDA that is predicting record harvests is also declaring disaster areas across half the Midwest because of catastrophic crop losses! To eliminate any doubt that this might be an innocent mistake, the USDA is even predicting record soybean harvests in the same states (Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Alabama) where it has declared virtually all counties to have experienced 30 percent production losses. It isn’t rocket scientist to realize something is horribly wrong.

USDA motivated by fear of higher food prices

The USDA is terrorized by the implications of higher food prices for the US economy, most likely because it knows the immediate consequence of sharply higher food will be the collapse of the US Treasury market and the dollar, as desperate governments and central banks dump their foreign reserves to appreciate their currencies and lower the cost of food imports. Fictitious USDA estimates should be seen as proof of the dire threat posed by higher food prices, as the USDA would not have turned its production estimates into a grotesque mockery of reality if it didn't believe the alternative to be apocalyptic....."

Decarbonnel also makes a great point here:

"..With one out of eight Americans on food stamps, foreign central banks are subsidizing US food consumption by funding the US government with their treasury purchases. Once the food crisis begins next year, they will be faced with the choice:

1) Continue subsidizing US food consumptions as triple digit food inflation ravages their economy and their people starve.
2) Dump their treasury holdings onto the market to rapidly appreciate their currencies, lowering the cost of food imports and preventing widespread domestic starvation...."

Hmm, I've been around a bit and have seen such predictions before, however 18% of adult workers in the US are on foodstamps including 1.1 million in Tennessee alone, so basically foreign banks are indeed paying, via buying Treasury instrument, to feed the masses in the US.

I have little doubt that the USDA is lying via statistics concerning Harvests in counties that have suffered 30% losses or greater in one crop, however the possibility also exists that additional crops were planted or different crops were planted which would magnify losses in any one crop.

Be that as it may, things are fuzzy, if one steps back and looks at the big picture, food prices are bound to rise in  2010 even more than they have since the Alpha Strategy was published, the only thing that can be said with this information is:

1. The Alpha Strategy is more valid than in the past

2. Something is cooking in the world food markets, though futures prices have not reflected that reality as of yet.

3. With Monetization by the Federal Reserve, including but not limited to purchasing Treasuries not sold at auction, and perhaps engaging in Stock Manipulation coupled with the possibility that there will be a Food Shortage means it is a good time to purchase those food items that will store the longest as well as being the most likely to rise in cost during 2010. 

Things like Canned Tuna for example, have risen 30% in prices since 2009, Rice would also be a safe bet (if one likes Rice),  I also think Coffee and Chocolate will have surprising rises in prices.

The thing about coffee is, it is the #2 Commodity traded in the world in terms of cash volume, as the dollar weakens the prices will rise..

Dollar begins free fall

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/dollar_loses_reserve_status_to_yen_hFyfwvpBW1YYLykSJwTTEL;jsessionid=65E301CF47ED50D15170F8D6530791C5

"After printing up trillions of new dollars and new bonds to stimulate the US economy, the Federal Reserve chief is now boxed into a corner battling two separate monsters that could devour the economy -- ravenous inflation on one hand, and a perilous recession on the other.

"He's in a crisis worse than the meltdown ever was," said Peter Schiff, president of Euro Pacific Capital. "I fear that he could be the Fed chairman who brought down the whole thing."

Well, who couldn't see this one coming? 

I see there are two trends emerging, A) Denial, the DC spendthrifts simply act as if this is not a fact of life for their budgeting purposes, they will not stop spending, they will not stop issuing debt and they will continue to print money with no inherent value. 

B) The statistics for inflation will be skewed and unreliable, quite simply they will lie about the effect that inflation will have on everyday life in America.

What this means in real world terms, if one stockpiles is imported goods are going to go upwards in price, everything from plastic storage bowls to Levi's will cost more and soon, perhaps as soon as this Spring, maybe sooner.

It also means that internally produced commodities such as Sugar and Grains will rise in price as the producers can now make more money selling internationally than domestically. 

I'd recommend inventory what items you purchase the most that are produced internationally and make a decision on what you would invest in and use the most and make a decision to purchase, or do without or substitute...because they are only going to rise in price as the dollar slides in purchasing power.

Greenshoots?

It is now official Senior Citizens will not see a Cost of Living increase for the next 2 years as the Treasury has determined that inflation will not be an issue.

An idea of course that is spurious at best, Utility Companies are raising rates, Grocery Store prices have also increased, but those are not "core inflation" measurements, which means Granny is outtaluck with a shrinking in purchasing power .Gov payout making do is again a reality.

I do believe that Seniors will be able to handle such a situation better than today's youth because at least they have heard the stories of the Great Depression, though they were rarely told that the .Gov and FDR actually prolonged the Depression.

Either way, the Alpha Strategy is nothing new for the Seniors I've met, for example a 81 yr old Florida lady who stockpiled grains and breakfast cereals as well as having a Orange and Grapefruit Orchard. 

Christmas time meant homemade Orange Marmalade, which is quite good actually.

To me, the recommendations for Alpha Strategy warehousing are non commodity items, anything that is imported will naturally rise in price as the dollar (and our purchasing power) continues to erode, imported items such as Quality cookware such as knives and cooking gear will rise in price by next spring, as will auto parts which on new cars will see increases in prices if one has dealer servicing, and parts will rise in price even on that classic Toyota 4 Runner.

Ammunition is a neutral buy at the moment simply because production will exceed demand and prices will naturally fall with the caveat being .Gov action to increase the prices via onerous regulations in places such as California.

The Federal Reserve begins Monetization

Monetization...or "Stabilization" is when the Federal Government issues debt, that a different branch of the Federal Govt purchases, in this case, the Federal Reserve which prints the "dollar" is purchasing from the Dept of Treasury, which issues Debt instruments.

So?

Basically the Fed is printing money and handing it over to the Federal Govt, that causes inflationary pressures, which in turn causes prices to rise across the board, everything from Ramen to Gasoline will rise in price.

The best hedges against the coming price inflation, besides marketable skills, are items that must be purchased either now, or 3 years from now, Motor Oil, Oil Filters, Toilet Paper, Food Items, key clothing items as well such as socks or briefs.

And keep in mind, the Porkulus monies, some 600 billion "dollars" remains largely unspent, add that to the 200 Billion in failed Treasury Debt that did not sell at auction, that produced 200 billion more that will be pumped into the US Economy, as well as the decline in the value of the Dollar v the ChiCom's Yuan, making even imported goods more expensive, and the Citizen is facing an inflationary spiral.

And the more the Obama Administration spends, the worse the cycle will grow, and they plan on spending Trillions more on non revenue producing projects, make work projects if one will.

Inflation is slowly appearing out in the Real World

Alas, it's been a month since I posted simply because there is so much turmoil at the moment that patterns had yet to form, until now:

Gasoline has risen from 1.97 to 2.13

Motor Oil has suddenly spike upwards, premium brands are now 3.20 a quart, even the store brand at Advance Auto has jumped to 2.69 from 1.59 even during the height of the oil crunch last year.

Spaghetti Sauce has jumped from 1.00 or so to 1.25, even plain old boxed pasta has increased from .88 cents to 1.37 a box of rotini.

Ammunition is still scarce, with astronomical prices being asked for a single box of ammunition, 47.50 for a single box of aummunition.

The M1 supply has risen 10% already,  with more to come, meaning inflation will really kick in this year, meaning what you purchase now will be a better investment then most of the traditional intangiables investments that served so well from 1982-1999.

We've had an unusually wet spring so far, the home garden is doing well, and hopefully, home gardening will continue to grow in popularity as it will provide an offset to the inevitable increase in the price of gasoline and other food stuffs, in this case those in warmer weather climates will have an advantage over those in the northern parts of the US, or for that matter, the globe. If you have the climate and the space, there is little reason not to grow a garden this year, and grow that which will be expensive at the local grocery store, Red Peppers for example, are a good crop, Corn on the other hand, is not as 3/1.00 vs 1.89 per pepper makes quite clear.

The Propeht of Doom Syndrome v Enlightened Self Interest

No doubt about it, these are troubled times Spiritually, Ethically and Financially, from Bank Collapses to Nationalization to Inflation to increasing structural costs, and of course anyone who is even partially serious about a Religious Faith is the subject of scorn.

Times like these a Jeremiah or a Nietzsche arises to pronounce this era is the most trying ever and destruction is certain to come. It's human nature to seek out what we feel is the "truth" for the times, in good times, Anthony Robbins or Chris Warren, in bad times Gerald Celente or Peter Schiff.

The Prophet of Doom is set upon a pedastal and either praised or mocked depending on what one's views are, the Sunny Optimist is either called out of touch or bringer of hope, depending one what one wishes to hear. 

As a Preparedness Aware Individual, it is wise to maintain a balance between both, to be Optimistic about one's preparations but a Prophet of Doom subscriber is not a mutually exclusive philosophy, in fact, it is simple Enlightened Self Interest to grasp the fact that times are never as bad as they seem, nor as prosperous as they seem.

A year's worth of supplies should cost about a month's pay depending on family size and Cadillac tastes, and using the Alpha Strategy, one is insured either way, it is a safe bet that inflation will be a fact of life, so prebuying items that will cost more later makes sense in the case of job loss, or hyper inflation or simple piece of mind. So one has effectively hedged against both a crash or even a return to normalcy.

I enjoy Gerald Celente's work, I also like Rick Warren's outlook, I don't plan on moving to the hinterlands (yet) nor do I plan on putting on a happy face...

Spring is here, time to plant a garden.

The mini warehouse is located in an urban environment where tilling the soil would be frowned upon.

No problem, instead of a subsistence garden as would be the case in Europe, I've decided to use the limited space to grow herbs to supplement the variety of food during the year.

These work well:

Basil
Oregano
Field Onions

The only realistic food items that there is space to grow is jalapeno peppers and maybe a heavy yielding variety of tomato, both items are quite expensive at the store, as are the herbs when they are fresh, so this makes financial sense.

And it should be pointed out that culinary matters count as well, a few fresh basil leaves can light up a otherwise bland pan of scrambled eggs, and that also adds to the comfort factor, Fresh Oregano is wonderful when added to the typical can of spaghetti sauce which has little flavor of it's own.

So if one has the time, look into a small herb garden, it pays both in the wallet and in the comfort factor.

Over a month with no posts..dressed up for the New Year.

It's been a month, but no time lost per se, Deflation is beginning to emerge into the US Economy, and that is one tough thing to deal with effectively.

For the Alpha Strategist, this is a prime time to load up on long term storage items, prices will not be lower then they are now, add in a staggering 7.2% unemployment rate, and things are beginning to become "interesting".

It would make sense to acquire supplies for the larder now, as when unemployment hits, not only will one be broke, one will also be unable to purchase personal health items, or food supplies, or motor oil, or any of the things that make life move forward.

This downturn happening in the Winter only makes matters worse, but if one shows forsight, like the Ant in the parable, and gathered in the Fall, or gathers now, especially if one is employed in a Tourist or Travel business, one will be able to ride out a rough patch.

5 best and 5 worst deals at Costco

For using a stockpiling strategy to defeat the corrosive tax of inflation, Warehouse Clubs are hard to beat...in theory, if one watches prices places such as Sams, BJ's and Costco sometimes have great bulk deals, other times, not so much.

So helpfully, MSN money has provided a small portion of insight into the best and worst deals at Costco and presumably the other Warehouse Clubs as well:

The Best, Meat, Electronics, Dairy and Eggs*, Alcohol, Prescription Drugs.

The worst, Designer Clothing, Frozen Foods, Products purchased in Bulk and wasted via shrinkage, Paper Goods and Gasoline.

Now far be it from this humble AS to disagree with the mighty MSN Money, but they are off base, people who stockpile in anticipation of hard times learn the skills needed to make buying Bulk and Frozen foods productive and not deductive.

Bulk Foods are broken down into smaller air tight containers, Frozen Foods are broken up into smaller units and used more quickly, in my area Eggs are actually a dollar more expensive at the local Sam's then they are at the local discount shopping retailer and key storage items like Spaghetti Sauce are also more of a value at the local discounter.

Gasoline is difficult to purchase at the local Sam's as they have a strange pay now, drive over to pumps with the receipt to fill up the tank, with local Gas and Kiosk retailer EnMark doing business in the area, such a inconveinence is not worth the effort and EnMark also has Water and Air to top off your vehicle with.

So as per usual with such articles, knowing local conditions is the key to winning the retailing game, look at prices and inconveince and decide at what point saving money in small amounts is not worth the effort or trouble, and choose accordingly.

It's Catching on in San Francisco...

San Francisco is a prosperous town, with the HQ's of several major corporations there, and a vibrant community type feel to it, this story comes as a surprise:



" The goodies in the pint jars and the carboys come from the Joseph Daniel Wilson Memorial Garden, which the Worleys founded across the street. The fresh produce is a huge final delivery from a Community Supported Agriculture farm in Orange County, which they used all summer. Packed in sand and stored at 55 degrees, the potatoes should keep at least until the New Year. The squash could still be palatable on Groundhog Day, and the onions should survive till spring. Cynthia Worley, who counsels and teaches adults for the New York City Department of Education, and Haja Worley, a neighborhood organizer and radio engineer, will let their basement-deprived friends store vegetables, too"

Middle America apparently does not like the smell of what is coming down the river and at least some folks are taking steps to prepare, though it should be noted, a Community Garden is at best a supplement, scores of people trying to make do off of a couple of acres food plot is not tennable.

What surprises me is the attitude to what once was thought simple prudence on the part of "Joe and Jane Average" in America:

Root cellars have long been the province of Midwestern grandmothers, back-to-the-landers and committed survivalists. But given the nation's budding romance with locally produced food, they also appeal to the backyard gardener, who may have a fruit tree that drops a bigger bounty every year while the refrigerator remains the same size

So the article sort of casts stones at self sufficiency, yet goes on to offer advice:

People who squirrel away vegetables tend to be resourceful, and they do not limit themselves to the subterranean. Anna Barnes, who runs a small media company and coordinates the Prairieland Community Supported Agriculture in Champaign, Ill., says squash hung in a pair of knotted pantyhose stay unspoiled longer than others.


This is a typical American reaction in my view, disparage, "only nutcases or grannies do that" to offering advice on how to do what they just disparaged.

The real problem is, if one is laid off or out of work, and has a family, grown food will not be enough, 365 days x 3 meals a day, and you will run out of pantyhoused squash before you run out of dinner to prepare.

Hard times....good times?

Ahh, Mr. Obama won the election, the Fed could care less as the pump trillions of dollars out of nothing but thin air, and the bailout was a massive bait and switch...

Gas is down to 2.30 or so a gallon and it looks like hard times will sweep across the US and the Globe over the next few years...Nice...thank you Wizards of Smart!

Anywho, being the optimistic American that I am, I have to wonder if such a contraction will bring families closer together and perhaps still some of the foolish bickering that goes on during fat times, there is nothing like being the lifeboat to silence the squabbles. Such a renewed comittment to core values can only be a good thing.

To me, this is also to hone some skills and perhaps learn new ones, as our new found sincerety begins to take root, perhaps people will relearn some of the habits that made America successful in the first place, things like Frugality, Thrift, Work, Family, these are the things that make America livable.

As for the Alpha Strategy, a vignette:

A close friend, who is also a Strategist, lost his sole source of income, his rent is fairly cheap, and includes utilities and internet access, his larder is quite deep, and slowly he has been drawing down on his supplies to keep himself afloat during these times.

If he had purchased Stocks, or even Metals instead of stockpiling goods, he would face selling expensively purchased assets at a discount due to market downturns.

This worked well for him, and he also does not have to bother with tax paperwork, or the upcoming boom in Global Inflation that is on the horizon, buy now, store here, pay less down the road...works everytime it is tried..

Fire! Death! Murder! Well...not exactly

The Wizards of Wall and Broad have finally cooked their own gooses, to many years of high risk, medium profits and bad loans...they got burned, AIG, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers and a cavalcade of others, all no longer exist..

Hundreds of Billions in value....gone.

The Death of those Noble Houses of finances were no surprise, the effects will be felt for decades, centuries...eons...err...no it will not, the weak fail, that is one of the laws that cannot be legislated against, like gravity and God's Laws of personal behaviour, sure you can violate them, for a time, but the end result is...bowing to the inevitable (eww...grim...).

Murder! Which is what will happen to the average Go-Go 2000's family, their budgets are about to murdered in the contraction that will take place, we could see some minor deflation of commodities as losses in the US scare money out of the market and deflate prices.

Of course, as that money flees jobs go along with it, meaning if you have stocked the larder in your affordable dwelling and kept your bills low, the Alpha Strategy will pay dividends in the event of job loss/lowered income.

I see the Gurus on TV proclaming this a short term adjustment, they are quite wealthy enough to make that statement, but don't buy it for a second, this event will take time to be swallowed up in the rhythms of life, the easy credit Big Screen TV gas guzzling SUV life is about to face some attitude adjustments.

A bit of adivce though, if one is a Alpha Strategist, do not simply turn your back on Opportunity and gaze at your Alpha Savings Account, yes, it is nice security, now is the chance to go bargain shopping with that cash that is horded via bulk savings.

For myself, I can see some solid opportunities really solid ones, now that the preplanned Alpha Strategy is in effect, the next step is to look at one's own strategy for the next three years out in the face of Market that is cash strapped but value enhanced.

In 2002, I saw some historic lows, I still kick myself today for not dropping at least some money on companies that will not only pay a dividend, but also will appreciate.

Alpha's have won this round, it's the next round that should be looked forward to, don't fight the last war.

Consumer prices rise quickly

From the AP:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer prices shot up in July at twice the expected rate, pushed higher by surging energy and food costs. The latest surge left inflation running at the fastest pace in 17 years.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that consumer prices rose by 0.8 percent last month, twice the 0.4 percent gain that economists had been expecting.

It marked the third straight month of oversized inflation increases following jumps of 0.6 percent in May and 1.1 percent in June. And it leaves inflation rising by 5.6 percent over the past year, the biggest 12-month gain since January 1991.

Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy costs, rose 0.3 percent in July, slightly higher than the 0.2 percent increase that economists had expected. For the past 12 months, core inflation has risen by 2.5 percent, the highest 12-month change since February.

The inflation surge presents a major problem for the Federal Reserve: Will inflation force it to start raising interest rates even as the economy struggles to avoid a recession?

Some economists said they believed this could be the last truly horrible inflation report, noting that energy prices have been falling since hitting a peak last month. Others worried that the July report could be a signal that inflation is not going to moderate as quickly as had been expected because the surge in energy prices is now starting to spread to other sectors of the economy.

So basically "core" inflation has risen, and the statistics do not track the costs of Alpha Strategy key items, food and fuel and the products made from oil, with a JIT inventory system, some makers of those products may only suffer a small rise in costs, manufacturers typically sign futures contracts for their raw materials, however once those contracts run out, the producers will have no choice but to raise prices on everything from Oatmeal to Toothpaste.

For myself, I hit on a mini gold mine of savings at a Industrial Paper Supplier, 200 rolls of generic Toilet paper for 40 bucks, a similar amount of a name brand toilet paper would cost 150 dollars plus taxes of 11 dollars, or about 25% of the cost for the 200 rolls.

It's small ball somewhat, but it reaffirms the saver mindset, and 200 rolls of TP will last almost two years at my home.

Die Hard II and an oil change...

Summer, man it is warm out, it was also a good day to change the oil in the ol' Honda, and good lesson was learned about actually "using" your stockpiled goods.


Sam's Club had 5 qt bottles of motor oil for the low price of 9 bucks or so, motor oil is a great item to stockpile as the price will go only upward for quite sometime even with the recent oil price reductions, it takes time for the quarts of oil to deflate in price as the old expensive quarts are moved through the system.

On to the oil change, my Honda takes five quarts, it is an old car and I like to use oil treatments such as Slick 50, I'm sure there is some website somewhere that would reply "Slick 50 is garbage, a scam", well perhaps, I drive old cars and have yet to lose an engine that I've used Slick 50 in.

Well, 5 qts (+) in the oil pan, a 5 qt large bottle of oil, and 1 quart of Slick 50...I'm one quart of oil over the 5 I need....to try and eyeball the large bottle of Castrol and "guess" when a quart is left is a bad idea, to sloppy.

Then Die Hard II arrived for inspiration, pour the quart of slick 50 in first, then pour 1 quart of oil out of the 5 quart jug and voila! 4 qts of oil with one to spare...just like Die Hard II...

Point being, Alpha Strategists buy in bulk to save money on packaging costs, handling larger amounts then what are called for in an application is one more minor skill one must learn to make it work.

Hunting and fishing to save on costs?

On the face of it, Hunting or Fishing for some steroid free protein would seem to be a money saver for the average Alpha Strategist.

I would say hold up for a moment, let's look at costs:

"Sportsman's License" (Allows for both Hunting and Fishing and Trapping)

40.00

Firearm to hunt with

Moison Nagant 100.00
Box of ammunition 5 dollars per 20 4 boxes needed for proficiency 20.00

Now unless one lives in a semi rural region, or near Hunting Land, we will have to drive to shoot our deer (or elk or bear) say 50 mile round trip at 20 mpg 3 gallons used so we are at 12.00 for gas.

Now you also will need "Blaze Orange" gear for safeties sake, you can ditch the camo as wearing a blaze orange vest makes camouflage...pointless...a Vest will cost right about 18.00

And the final problem, a Alpha Strategist can go through all of those assets, and not reduce to possession a deer, you also have to either be lucky, or very skilled as the North American Deer is far ahead of "Joe Average" in using their senses.

So let's look at fishing, pole, tackle, license, bait and time.

If you catch your limit of Trout, and are fortunate enough to catch mostly 2 pd fish, after cleaning you will have about 5 pds of low fat, steroid free protein, Trout also sells for 6.00 a pd in my area, and those are farm raised, so 30.00 worth of Trout is a good deal in terms of assets used.

Now it should be said, if the Alpha Strategist is a skilled hunter, and already posses the gear, then it could pay off to take your tag limit (if you do not have to miss work to do so), in NC, you can bag up to 5 deer, that would fill a freezer and then some.

The real good deal from a Alpha Strategists view is small game hunting, squirrels, rabbits, pheasants, these are the land equivalent of trout, a high return for a minimum investment.

I hunt and fish, and completely enjoy it, however that is a hobby, to hunt or fish to fill a roll in the Alpha Strategy, I would have to watch costs like a hawk, perhaps combining hunting during the day, and fishing during the evening, perhaps even having to run a trot line to get a good harvest of fish as a single line and hook is just not efficient enough unless the fish are literally jumping on the bank...

I've seen fish do that at my favorite fishing spot, but like any fishermen worth his salt, I'm not saying where that spot is....

Costco to raise prices...hope you Alpha'd already

Courtesy of ABC news:

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Story?id=5445433&page=1

"...Costco has announced that it will have to raise its prices, on some items by as much as 15 percent...."

a 15% return on your investment would be a good feat in today's Stock Market, yet if you bought ahead of such a predictable event, that is exactly what you would have "earned" in savings still in your wallet.

It pays to stockpile needed items ahead of time in these inflationary times, in fact, it is the one investment with the least amount of risk..

If you are an Alpha Strategist, the time to buy is now

Con Agra and Kraft Foods will raise prices on their food products by 20% this year, meaning that jar of cheese whiz will go from 2.80 to 3.20 or so:

• A1 Steak Sauce
• Africana Romania
• Ali Coffee
• Alpen Gold chocolate (Russia)
• Arrowroot biscuits
• Athenos Mediterranean food products
• Back to Nature
• Baker's
• Balance Bar
• Better Cheddars
• Boca Burger
• Bonox
• Breakstone's
• Brooke Bond
• BullsEye Barbecue Sauce
• California Pizza Kitchen (grocery store items)
• Calumet Baking Powder
• Cameo biscuits
• Capri Sun
• Carte Noire
• Charada (Peru)
• Cheese Nips
• Cheez Whiz
• Chicken in A Biskit
• Chips Ahoy!
• Christie (Canada)
• Claussen
• Clight
• Club Social crackers
• Cool Whip
• Corn Nuts
• Coronita (Peru)
• Côte d'Or (Belgium)
• Country Time powdered drink mix
• Cracker Barrel
• Crystal Light
• Daim (Sweden)
• Dairylea (Europe)
• Delissio (Canada)
• DiGiorno
• Easy Cheese
• Eden processed cheese (Philippines)
• Estrella Potato Chips (Sweden; Finland)
• Field (Peru)
• Fig Newtons
• Filipinos (Spain; Portugal)
• Freia (Scandinavia)
• Fruit2o
• General Foods International
• Gevalia (Sweden)
• Grape-Nuts
• Grey Poupon
• Handi-Snacks
• Honey Maid
• Jack's Pizza
• Jacobs (Europe)
• Japp (Scandinavia)
• Jell-O gelatin
• Jet-Puffed Marshmallows
• Kaffee HAG
• Kenco (UK)
• Knox gelatin
• Knudsen
• Kong Haakon (Norway)
• Kool-Aid
• Kraft BBQ Sauce
• Kraft Caramels
• Kraft Macaroni and cheese
• Kraft Dinner (Canada)
• Kraft Easymac
• Kraft Mayo
• Kraft Peanut Butter
• Kraft Singles
• Kraft Sandwich Spread
• Lacta (Brazil)
• Lefèvre-Utile Biscuit Co.
• Lunchables
• Maarud Potato Chips (Norway)
• Marabou (Sweden)
• Maxwell House
• Milka (Switzerland, Germany, rest of Europe)
• Miracle Whip
• Miracoli (Germany)
• Mostro (Peru)
• Nabisco
• Nabob (Canada)
• Nilla
• Non-Stop (Scandinavia)
• Nutter Butter
• O'boy (Scandinavia; Estonia)
• Onko coffee
• Oreo
• Oscar Mayer
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Philadelphia cream cheese
• Pigrolac
• Planters
• Poiana (Romania)
• Polly-O cheese
• Post Cereals
• Premium (a Nabisco brand of saltine crackers)
• Pretzels
• P'tit Québec
• Prince Polo
• Pure Kraft Salad Dressings
• Ritz
• Royal baking powder
• Seven Seas
• Shake 'n Bake
• Simmenthal canned meat
• Snackabouts
• SnackWells
• South Beach Living
• Starbucks (grocery store items)
• Stove Top stuffing
• Suchard
• Svoge (Bulgaria)
• Taco Bell (grocery store items)
• Tang
• Tassimo T-DISCS.
• Teddy Grahams
• Terry's chocolates
• Terry's Chocolate Orange
• Toblerone (Kraft Foods Switzerland)
• Tombstone
• Triscuit
• Trakinas
• Twist
• Vegemite
• Velveeta
• Wheat Thins

Here is the list of ConAgra products that will rise in price 20%

• Act II - Microwave Popcorn
• Alexia - Appetizers, Artisan Breads, and Potato Products
• Andy Capp's fries - flavoured corn and potato snack made to look like French fries.
• Banquet - Frozen chicken and ready-to-heat meals
• Big Mama Sausage - Snack-sized preserved sausages
• Blue Bonnet - Margarine and bread spreads
• Chef Boyardee - Ready-to-eat pasta meals
• Crunch 'n Munch - Glazed popcorn/nut mixture
• David Sunflower Seeds - Sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds
• Dennison's - Chili
• Egg Beaters - Processed egg product
• Fiddle Faddle - Glazed popcorn/nut mixture
• Fleischmann's - Bread spreads
• Gebhardt - Tex-Mex style foods
• Golden Cuisine - Ready-made food for seniors
• Gulden's - Mustard
• Healthy Choice - Ready-to-eat and prepared foods
• Hebrew National - Kosher sausages, cold cuts and condiments
• Hunt's - Canned tomato products, ketchup and barbecue sauce
• Hunt's Snack Pack Pudding - Shelf-stable pudding
• J. Hungerford Smith - Dessert ingredients for restaurants
• Jiffy Pop - Popcorn
• Kid Cuisine - Prepared foods for children
• Knott's Berry Farm - Jams and jellies
• La Choy - Chinese-style foods
• Lamb Weston Inland Valley - Consumer sales of frozen potato products
• Lightlife - Vegetarian meat product substitutes
• Luck's - Canned baked beans
• Manwich - Canned sloppy Joe mix
• Margherita - Italian-style processed meats
• Marie Callender's - Frozen meals
• Move Over Butter - Margarine
• Orville Redenbacher's - Popcorn
• PAM - Spray cooking oils
• Parkay - Bread spreads
• Patio - Tex-Mex-style frozen meals
• Pemmican - Beef and turkey jerky
• Penrose - Pickled sausages
• Peter Pan - Peanut butter
• Poppycock - Premium Glazed popcorn/nut mixture
• Ranch Style - Baked and Refried beans
• Reddi-wip - Whipped cream
• Ro*tel - Canned tomato sauce
• Rosarita - Mexican - style foods
• Screaming Yellow Zonkers - Glazed popcorn (Discontinued)
• Slim Jim - Meat snacks
• Swiss Miss -Powdered cocoa for hot chocolate and pudding
• Squeez 'N Go - Prepared pudding
• Van Camp's - Canned beans
• VH - Sauces (Available in Canada only)
• Wesson - Cooking oils
• Wolf Brand Chili - Chili

Wesson Oil would seem to be a good Alpha Buy, as would LaChoy Soy Sauce in the 1 gallon size.

Now it should be mentioned that the parallel "generic" brands of similar products actually come from one of these two companies, only in a different package, meaning even the "Cheapy" versions will rise in price.