Some things are worth repeating...

I imagine by now that many if not all of my readers have heard about the peanut butter companies raising their prices in a major way--soon, if they haven't already. I wrote about and posted this article over on my other blog on Monday, and it gives details on when some of the prices are going up with some of the major peanut butter companies. Looks like there is some time left before some companies raise prices, but not much, so you may want to stock up on peanut butter, if it is one of your preferred preparation items. Since time is of the essence in this case, I hope you will pardon the repetition...

And since I am repeating myself, you may want to check out my post here that includes links to a great site that I don't think I have ever mentioned on this blog....

And, speaking of repetition, I can't say thanks too many times for coming back to read... :) Hope all is well with everyone!

Paying attention at the cash register...

Can pay off if you actually are paying attention at the cash register, or really cost you if you aren't. Take today for example--I picked up a package (1.25 lb.) of ground turkey (would have picked up a 3 lb. package, but more on that later) and made my way to the cash register with other purchases. I thought the price on the package was $2.98.

Imagine my surprise, when, as the last product scanned, the turkey rang up at $4.58.

So I asked about it. The poor cashier, who had just put the closed sign on her register, asked me if I wanted her to check it. I did. So off she went. And she was gone quite awhile. When she returned, she said that the turkey at a different fat content level was the one at $2.98, but since there was no sign posted for the package I wanted to purchase, they decided that they would let me have it at the price of the other type. Quite the savings, if the $4.58 was the price it will be when they do find the sign...

I had planned to pick up a 3 lb. package, since I usually brown it and freeze it, and since we had been using our frozen meat, I had not noticed until now that there were no 3 lb. packages available. And no space marked for 3 lb. packages, making me wonder how long this had been going on, and if there were any plans to bring back the more economical package sizes. The turkey available was a different brand. So, I asked someone pulling a stocking shelf out from the back what the deal was--were we ever to see the 3 lb. packages again at this shopping location? The long and short of it was that he didn't know.

And hence, I don't know either. I do have one back up location for buying the 3 lb. packages, so I certainly hope it is stil available, and at a better price than $4.58 for 1.25 lbs...what are prices like where you are at?

And on the first note, makes me wonder how many times I have been overcharged without realizing it--through my own fault (misreading or misattributing signs) or otherwise...

Price check

Just wanted to mention a couple of prices that I have seen go up recently:

--The candy in the cashier lane.
Sometimes when my children go shopping with me, I will let them choose a treat from the shelves next to the checkout stand. Alas, I found out this week that the price on such treats has gone up nearly 50% when you consider the treats that are usually the ones being considered-- $.50 or less. Now, for the same treat, the price is $.74. Still under a dollar, but 50% is a big jump...

--The 12-pack Ramen noodle package

For quite some time, the price on this product has held steady at $1.68. Then, recently I saw that these boxes are now priced at $1.98. Granted, you might be able to find it at a lower cost, but I'm just talking about comparisons in the same store where I remember the previous price--prices are going up, up, and up... Still, not a high-priced item, but more is more...


Any price increases that have particularly caught your eye lately?

A tale of two coupons...

Well, more accurately, two types of coupons, but I thought that way the title sounded better....

First, there is the tale of the cheese. Readers may remember that I have had sticker shock about buying cheese for a while now anyway, but I had found a grocery store that put out coupons for cheese in the Sunday paper every couple of weeks that I was pretty happy with: 2 lbs cheddar cheese, 2/$7.00, limit 2. I would go and take advantage of this deal when it came up, and it seemed to be pretty consistent.

Then, not too long ago, there weren't any coupons for what seemed like quite awhile. I would look for the cheese coupon, but alas and alack, it didn't seem to appear. Then one day it was back, but it was different: 2 lbs cheddar cheese, 2/$7.00, limit one. Ok. Sad, but similar.

Fast forward to yesterday: 2 lbs cheddar cheese, $3.99, limit one. $.49 increase per package, and you can only get one, now. The prices are going up everywhere, and while cheese may not be on everyone's list, I hope that everyone is getting some food into storage while the prices are even as low as they are now (read: not very low, and rising....)

Ah, and then there is the other type of coupon alluded to in the title: the Walgreens coupon. I must admit to a certain type of glee when I would peruse the Walgreens ad on Sundays, and they would have a particularly good deal, limit (insert number here), followed by the words, except in ID or NM. (Idaho or New Mexico) Imagine how I felt yesterday when (yes, it started yesterday, because I still have last week's ad to rub it in...) I saw this change: great deal, (insert number here), followed by the words, except in NM. Yes, the days of gleefully going through their coupons and thinking I can get more than the stated limit if I so desire are gone, gone, gone. And that is sad to me...and perhaps a little irritating, as I don't know why it changed....

Well, before I get any negative comments (please be kind), I realize that it doesn't seem fair that Idaho got the exemption in the first place, but here's how I look at it--take advantage of the great deals you can find, whatever they are. As I read other blogs, I hear about stores that we don't have in our area where they are doing a promotion that I would love to be able to take advantage of, or prices that are much better than what I can find around here. Every place has its advantages--here, in an emergency in the dead of winter we wouldn't have to worry about power outage of the freezer because we could put things in a cooler in the garage, but say, down in Florida, I would think that they could use more firewood as a cooking fuel rather than to survive below zero temperatures, for example--so it's different everywhere. One of the things that isn't different is that everyone's gotta eat...

Yeah, sad for me, but also another indicator that prices are going up, coupon or no coupon....

A matter of supply....

Just a quick link to this article on food prices going up. Um, yeah, not good news, and another reason to get some food into the pantry before the prices go up even more--wheat, sugar, and rice prices are mentioned specifically. The article also talks about supply and demand of nations, weather and crop issues, etc., so thought you might want to take a look....

More incentive to stock up...

...in a major way, if people at this website (for the National Inflation Association) are correct. Most recently, I received information in an e-mail that appears to have been taken from this article on predicted food prices, and the news isn't good. Please read it. Among other things, it talks about how much they expect food prices to go up, one example being that the price will be "$23.05 for a 24 oz loaf of wheat bread". Apparently, they also think that it is not only food prices that will go up--also predicted in said article is that "a plain white men's cotton t-shirt at Wal-Mart will cost $55.57". They think that we will see these kind of prices soon--from what they say, in 2011. Yeah, next year-- and it's already November.

I hope that prices won't go up like that, but what if they do? I don't know about you, but I still have a lot of preparation to do. Please do what you can to get the things you need into storage, if you are in the position to do so. If it's not prices like these, it may be something else, and it can't hurt to have some extra supplies on hand...

The Price of Produce

My husband called me today and said that there was a gentleman selling Texas grapefruit on the side of the road. (Long-term readers may recall that we live in Idaho.) Our conversation (s)--there were at least two-- went something like this:

Me: Really? Does he have a license plate from Texas?
Him: I don't know. I can't see it from here.
Me: How much does it cost?
Him: I don't know--he's selling it by the box, though. What would be a good price?
Me: I don't know. I really just don't know. I probably wouldn't be willing to pay more than, oh, say, $15.00. But I really don't know. Remember the e-mail from Florida where it said that the price of tomatoes was $3.00/lb, and peppers were the same? So...I really don't know. Maybe $20 for the box? Maybe I should call someone who would know. (Long-term readers may surmise that in all likelihood that would be my best source, aka Mom. Those long-term readers would be correct.)

Yeah, so I basically wasn't that much help. And then, I couldn't reach my best source. My husband was on his own. And it turns out that he didn't really need my help anyway... Our third conversation went something like this:

Him: Well, I bought a box. 40 lbs. for $25.
Me: That's not too bad. Less than $1.00/lb, and oranges I know are like $0.99/lb right now, so that's really good. (One calculation later on a calculator indicated that it was between $0.62 and $0.63 /lb for the grapefruit) So did he have a Texas license plate?
Him: No, somewhere in Idaho.
Me: So did you ask him how he got ahold of Texas grapefruit?
Him: No.
Me: (Disappointed) Ahhhh...... I would have asked....
Him: He did open one up for me, and they were really juicy...

Did I mention that I love as in looooovvvve grapefruit? Somewhere up there by curry in terms of favorite flavors. So I am happy that we now have some in the house...and at a good price. It's best to grow your own produce if you can, but Idaho isn't really suited in terms of climate to grow that much grapefruit. Love the deals we can get on potatoes regularly here, though...

So here is my question to anyone who is willing to answer: How are the produce prices where you live? We know people in Florida, hence the e-mail information cited above. It must have been on my other blog that I mentioned not too long ago that peppers (as in green and other assorted varieties) were on sale for $1.50 each. My children are not big fans of green and other varieties of peppers, so I don't pay that much attention to the prices because they are not a frequent purchase, but to me that seemed really high.

Due to the wonder that is caller id, my mother called me back and we talked about the logistics of having Texas grapefruit in Idaho. Came to the conclusion that growers in Texas most likely sent a truck up and local people sell it at a bigger profit for them and a nicer price for us....got to love the free market...

As an aside, I had a sample taste at one of the grocery chainstores not too long ago of what was called a "Cara Cara " orange. They were also $0.99/lb. I got some because to me they tasted like a cross between orange and grapefruit, (did I mention that I love grapefruit? ) and they were delicious. I even went back for more because one of my children liked them particularly. Haven't seen them since, but they are one of the reasons that I could remember the price of oranges today, and I would highly recommend them if you can find them near you...

So I would appreciate any input on produce costs in different areas. And if you are still here after this somewhat rambling post, thanks for reading! :)

Got oatmeal?

If not, or if you need more, you might want to head over to an Albertson's near you. I don't usually give out the names of where I shop, but hey, a good deal deserves a little advertising...

In Wednesday's flyer (which says prices are effective Wed., Jan 27 thru Tues., Feb. 2, 2010) in the newspaper, there are these deals mentioned (I would always suggest that you call your local store to make sure the deals apply in your area.):

--When you buy 5 (42 oz) packages of Quaker Oatmeal, they are only $1.40 each. There is also syrup available, but this time I was all about the oatmeal.

--When you buy the instant oatmeal (in those yummy flavored packets) in the 10.69-15.1 oz select varieties, you can get them for $1 each when you buy 5. I didn't get any this time, but it was tempting...

--Quaker Chewy Granola Bars or Dipps (7.9-8.7 oz.) are also $1 each when you buy 5. I'm thinking 72 hour kits... These were apparently very popular, because I had to get a raincheck.

--There are also some cereals (14-16 0z., select varieties) that fall under the $1 each when you buy 5. (Oatmeal Squares are among them, but also Cap'n Crunch, or Life.)

You will need an Albertsons Preferred Card if you don't already have one, but it might be worth it to get one for these deals.

So I went last night and checked it out. And I bought some oatmeal--old-fashioned, which cooks in about 5 minutes, and some instant, which cooks in about 1 minute, I think. Wasn't exactly wild about the instant, 1 minute type until I thought, well, that would take a lot less energy in an emergency situation....

And the 42 oz-ers are the big packages. I don't use oatmeal all that much, but I did see a recipe for oatmeal bread over at the Harried Homemaker that I want to try. In the same post is a link to the Krazy Kitchen, which is highlighting oatmeal this month. Hence, many links to many recipes. So I will need to head over there to see what will work for my family. After all, I have a lot more of the main ingredient now.... :)

A couple of experiences....

Got back from Utah, where we spent Thanksgiving, and we were able to gather a few more items for storage--dehydrated corn, toilet paper, clothes from the cousins for my children, who are growing, growing, growing. All good things. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday.

Of the two experiences I referred to in the title, one happened before Thanksgiving, and one happened after:

--Within the last little while, our car has had difficulty starting. Although it was fine once we were actually able to get it to start, it was a worry that almost every time the driver sat down, there would need to be multiple attempts to get it to catch. One day I was unable to get it to start at all, and we were no longer able to deny that professional intervention was needed for whatever the problem was.

My husband was able to get it started, and took it in to be repaired. The car works great now. Thing is, right before Thanksgiving, we got a receipt in the mail from the business that my husband took it to. Not so unusual, I guess, although my husband had already received paperwork when he paid for the repair. The unusual part was found at the bottom of the receipt, where a personal note, handwritten, (which I don't have in front of me, but I think this is close to, if not verbatim) was included:

"Thank you for your business in these hard times."

I had never seen anything like this, but I thought a lot about this. The place where my husband took the car to be repaired is not the "usual" place that someone might think to take it--he took it to a car dealership where they sell cars, but also have an automotive repair shop. What with the economy the way it is, it seems difficult to imagine that people are lining up in droves to buy new vehicles, and perhaps there is even less this year at this time because of certain programs that were in place earlier. Whatever the case, it just reminded me of how hard it is almost everywhere right now. My husband pointed out that when you need a vehicle repair, you don't really have much choice about repair if you need the vehicle--I said yes, but you do have a choice as to where to get the repairs done....

The other experience happened Saturday, when I ran into the local national chainstore to pick up a few things. It was very quiet, something that came up when I went to check out. I said that I expected it to be busier, and the cashier replied that she did too. Then I said that maybe it was just that people were still out of town for the holiday, and she said that that would be a good reason. And then she said something along the lines of, " I hope it's not that no one has money to buy anything."

This stuck with me because it seems like a cashier would have a pretty good idea of how business was going, and if the amount of shopping being done was something to worry about. If you haven't started any food storage, or need to add to your food storage, please do so as you are able. Little by little it all adds up, and chances are that more choices with lower prices are available today than will be tomorrow, since prices just seem to go up and up. Just something to think about (and hopefully do) with the economy the way it is.....

Got rice?

If not, you might want to read this article, which talks about the price of rice going up, up, up. The weather is a factor, and the news already isn't looking good if you like to eat rice--so this may be motivation to get a little (more) in storage if you are able...

On the bright side, if you have an Albertson's near you, you may want to take advantage of the deal they have on potatoes currently--10 lb. bag for $.88, limit 2 bags, and you have to have an Albertson's card. I would call if you haven't seen the ad to see if your particular Albertson's is participating in this deal--20 lbs of potatoes for less than $2.00 may make the extra effort worth your while. Haven't gotten mine yet, so hoping they're still available when I get there. If not, I have relatively recently learned about the wonder of at least asking for a raincheck.... :)

Hope everything is going well with everyone. Not too much to report here that's new--just hope everyone is getting what they can into storage. Little by little, everything counts. And don't forget the rice....

Fair is fair...

Long-time readers of my blog may recall when I wrote this post on how companies were shrinking amounts of food in their packaging but keeping the price the same. Just found this article where at least some companies are increasing the amounts of food but keeping the price the same. Gotta love more instead of less...

Even though I don't know many (if any) people who consider Doritos survival food, being able to stretch your "normal" food budget may also lead to stretching the amount you are able to spend on your food storage. I wrote about less for your money, so writing about more for your money only seems fair--and as they say, fair is fair.... :)

A #10 can of the humor, please....

Food storage stuff first, humor next----priorities, priorities... :)

So, in that light, first, thought I would share this article that I just found on the internet about things you should watch out for when shopping for food. Some things, like the smaller portions for the same price have been mentioned before, but you can never be too careful when you are trying to get the most bang for your buck...

You may have noticed that my current poll is about where people obtain their emergency supplies. One of those places may be the supermarket, which is the subject of the article linked above, but there are other places as well, some of which are in the poll choices. Wherever we get our food storage/other emergency supplies, I hope that all of us are working on it, even a little bit at a time...

Just thought I'd leave a couple of sayings I found amusing today--when you're planning for emergencies, you might as well take your sense of humor along, right?

"A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing."--Emo Phillips

"I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one heck of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult." -E.B. White

"Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death." - Harold Wilson

"Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons." - Woody Allen

Have a good Saturday!

Of polls and answers

I asked my husband if he thought the current poll (found to your right) sounded like a weird question, the question being: Do you think that the media reports accurately on food availability and food prices in the U.S.? The reason that I came up with this question is quite sobering, and the answer that I have is probably even weirder than the question. (Either that, or I think too much. :)

The reason this question came to mind is because it seems like there has been at least one article on "need" almost every day in the paper since we returned from our Thanksgiving trip. This may have stuck out to me because we had more than one paper to look at when we came home, so we didn't have a day in between to forget that the headlines dealt with similar themes. Granted, there are projects every year where people try to help the less fortunate with holiday meals, etc. It just seems like there are so many needs this year. To give you an example, and this is from memory, so subject to some error: greater need by some horrendous percentage for the food bank, children asking Santa for basic necessities, like shelter and warm clothing, people in need due to unfortunate personal circumstances, at least one company making layoffs in the early part of next year, but announcing it now so that people don't go out and spend money now that they won't be able to pay off later--and the list could be longer. My answer to the poll question? I guess I should have put an "other" choice, because here is what I think, according to the choices given:

--I figure that the food prices and availablity are probably as accurate as they can make them, but even as it is, the news is bad enough. I truly hope that people have at least some food storage in their homes, because just getting some more food in my own home to keep the rotation going is getting more and more expensive. Scary expensive.

--I also figure that there might be some motivation to not report accurately on the true situation if it is worse than it is, because what good would it do to have people panic? If there is a true food shortage, combined with high prices (like corn in the tug-of-war between use for food and use for fuel) people making a run on the available food will only make the situation worse.

--I also figure that there would be motivation to make things sound worse than they are, because it sells more papers/attracts more readers, etc. It seems like bad news (unfortunately)garners more attention than good news, so could it be possible that they leave out good angles and concentrate on the bad when it comes to the food situation?

--I also figure that it simply isn't possible to be totally accurate about the food situation, even if the intentions to do so are there. There is always the weather, and there is always the fact that something is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it, if the product in question is, in fact, for sale. There are the financial situations of the farmers (by the way, I have great respect for, and my hat is off to farmers, who do so much for other people, and who have a really tough job) and the possibility of natural disasters, or other things that could affect crops.

So, I'm not much help, am I? :) I don't know about the media coverage, but I do know one thing: it will never hurt to have food storage, and the sooner you get some (or more) the better your situation will be. I am sincerely interested in what you think about the media coverage, because I simply don't know. I just know that the news that I see about food availability and prices is generally sad/not good and the need that is being portrayed is downright scary. Get some food storage if you are able. Share if you are able. And if you are one of the people in need, I hope that things get better for you soon.

Speaking of food prices, one of my former polls was asked and answered like this:

In the last few months, I have noticed an increase in price for the food I normally buy:

In the meat department 45%
In the canned food section 50%
In the dairy section 40%
When shopping for staple foods (beans, rice, wheat, etc.) 50%
In the baking supplies section (oil, flour, spices, etc.) 77%
In the frozen food section 31%
In the fresh produce section 40%
Other 13%

Ah, the ever-elusive "other"..... :)

As always, thanks to those who participate in my polls. The questions usually just come from things I have been noticing/thinking about, and I appreciate your input. I hope that everyone's food storage is increasing--we're working on ours little by little, and fortunately, every little bit counts....

Yeah, Sticky's Not Usually a Good Thing....

Sticky fingers. Sticky floors. But "sticky" prices? They apparently aren't as easy to clean up.

I saw this article today, which points out the good news about the price of oil going down, but mainly talks about the bad news--the food prices won't be coming down as quickly, if they come down at all. According to the article, "You can blame "sticky" prices. That's what analysts call it when companies slap higher prices on products and keep them there even though the rationale for the price hikes - such as soaring oil prices - is gone."

If you read the article in its entirety, there is interesting information about how one of the only ways that prices go down is when companies compete with each other, which it would seem hasn't been happening lately. Deflation, also mentioned, apparently occurs when the economy gets worse and demand falls, so that wouldn't be a cheerful way to "unstick" the prices--I think I'll root for good old-fashioned price wars.

In terms of food storage, I'm just going to go on slow and steady and then zoom in on the occasional price break--they do happen, but sometimes if you blink you will miss them.

Hey, this post may be short and (not so) sweet, but at least it's not sticky... :)

The seeds are (mostly) down, and the prices are (going) up

Well, got most everything planted, except for the onions, because somehow that packet of seeds mysteriously disappeared. Hopefully they will mysteriously reappear, because it would be nice to have a renewable source of onions to add to my powdered variety. Of course, I could always go and buy another packet of seeds, if there are any left in the store... :)

I don't know how many people have seen this article, but apparently food prices are about to rise again. That's pretty scary to me, seeing as how I saw cereal that was on sale for about $3 more than I thought it was worth in the first place. According to the article, these increases are set to "kick in over the next few weeks," so while not specific, it still doesn't give us that much time to stock up on things at the price (however high) they are now.

I don't know where to find it now, but quite awhile ago I read a comment on a forum which I think was dealing with preparation for a pandemic. My apologies that I can't source it, but the idea was that when you are using your food storage, you should use your long-term storage items first in an emergency situation if there is a possibility of the electricity/power going out, because those items, like beans and rice, require a lot of energy to prepare. Then you save your canned items for absolute emergencies, after the power goes out, because you could eat them cold, in the dark, and still be in a pretty good situation, relatively speaking. Of course, if the power outage continues, you'll still have to make do (solar ovens, etc.) but at least you will have made it easier on yourself while you could.

I'm sure the original author said it better than I have, and I may have read some things into it, but it struck me because I would have started the other way around automatically. To my way of thinking, a lot of the long-term storage will last for 20 years, and the canned food will last considerably less time than that, so I would have gone for the stuff that would expire sooner in a heartbeat, reasoning that I should keep the stuff that lasts longer for the long haul. This idea, however, makes total sense to me, and while I will still watch the expiration dates, if I'm put into a situation where I am totally reliant on my food storage (in a pandemic, everyone would be isolated in the hopes that they wouldn't catch what was going around, hence less grocery shopping, and even possibly no one going to work, including those who work on the utilities) I will keep this idea in mind. It is obviously not my own idea, and everyone will have to make their own choices as to what to eat first when an emergency hits--but it sure is nice to have choices, even if you didn't think of them yourself. My appreciation to whoever wrote that comment. If anyone knows where it is, leave me a comment--- I like to give credit to those who deserve it.

Also, if you have the means to stock up, it would be wise to do so for variety in your storage, and also if you have picky eaters in your family who may need a little extra time to get used to the idea that more food storage is on the way for the foreseeable future. Being able to mix what people consider more "normal" food in with what may be new dishes could be extremely valuable and priceless in stressful situations. But right now, there is a price, and it's going up...stock up if you can. (No pun intended. :) (Really.)

Short but sweet

Here's another reason to stock up on the food reserves. I heard about this problem with the bees a while ago, but the article linked here talks about the continued effects of not having enough bees for food production. For me, the possibility of no food being available at all is a lot scarier than the rising food prices, which are scary enough by themselves. Lack of bees affects large crops and backyard gardens alike.
Fewer bees means less honey by association, and honey is an excellent food storage item. If you store it correctly--cool enough conditions--it can last for years. It's about 1 and 1/2 times sweeter than sugar. Hey, it can't hurt to have your food storage taste good, right? :)

Something to look out for...

This may not be news to you, but this practice of giving you smaller amounts of product for the same amount of money is happening more and more, even if it is not a new practice. If you don't notice the difference, or don't pay attention to the ratio of food-money when it comes to your food storage budget, it may make a big difference when you have to start using it as a main resource.
For instance, we have bought some wheat for our food storage. When we went to the emergency preparedness store a while ago, we had the choice of buying the wheat in packaging that I would call "storage ready," locked into a white six-gallon bucket with oxygen packets already included, or buying wheat in fifty lb. bags, then buying the buckets and oxygen packets to get the wheat "storage ready" ourselves. This is based on memory, so excuse any mistakes, but the ready-to-store buckets were priced around $31.00, and contained about 44 lbs. of wheat. The bags of wheat ran about $25.00 or $26.00, but the six-gallon buckets cost $8.00 or $8.50 apiece, and a package of oxygen packets, with 24 to a package, was about $8.00 as well. The nice lady helping us indicated that sure, we could pack our own wheat, but that in order to store it well, we would need to store 3 oxygen packets per bucket, and that the way to do that properly would be to line up all of the buckets we were preparing in a row, lids ready, and drop the oxygen packets on top of the wheat and then quickly put the lids in place. (If you are not familiar with the white buckets of which I am writing, their lids need to basically be hammered into place). This would need to be done quickly, or the oxygen packets would quickly be basically good for nothing. So, if I have my math done correctly, we would need to have at least eight buckets and wheat enough to fill them in order to make maximum use of the oxygen packets. (To be fair, I don't remember if smaller packages of oxygen packets were available, but I would be surprised if they weren't.)
So the question becomes, which method is more economical? We bought some wheat from another location, so we needed some buckets and oxygen packets to properly store what we already had. We also bought some of the wheat that was ready-to- store, because we needed it. If you look back at my previous post in May, you will see how much wheat to store for one individual for a year. We have more than one person to provide for, and when you start to multiply the numbers, they add up quite quickly. We were also worried that the price of wheat would just continue to go through the roof, and we wanted to buy some while we could still afford it.
So what is my point? The packaging and lbs. were different--there are also different size white buckets, though we opted for the six-gallon variety. You may end up with less lbs, but properly stored food, or you might want to go the "self-storage"route and get it ready yourself. But please pay attention to how much you are actually storing, how far that will stretch for your family, and what is best in terms of the storage space that you have available to you.
On a side note, we went to a bulk grocery chain store recently to evaluate whether it would be cost-efficient for us to buy a membership and to see if there were things to buy there that would make such a membership worthwhile. There were buckets of wheat there (sorry, I don't know what size) storage-ready, that were between $18-$19.00, and if memory serves, each held about 37 lbs. Not as close to 50 lbs as some might like, but considerably more than 25 lbs. There are different sources available for storage items, with different prices and different products (i.e. red wheat vs. white wheat). Starting to store before you actually need to survive on those products has to be easier than looking for it during an emergency, when nearly everyone else will be looking for it as well.
The jury is still out for us on the subject of the grocery store membership. It may not be the best option for us. The price of the membership has to be added into the food cost--but if buying in bulk would help you to get more in storage quickly, you might want to look into it. Just check on the amounts per package in the bulk section too.... :)

Something else to think about

Well, we recently went to the store/supermarket again, and their bakery French bread loaves had gone up 53 cents! They had been 88 cents for a long time, and then they were suddenly (at least it felt like "suddenly" to me) 97 cents, and now they were $1.50! Not really the kind of thing you can stock up on-- just another reason to learn how to make bread.
Another thing--when we went to get more wheat at the emergency preparedness store, my husband saw that the 55 gallon water drums were now around $60. According to my best source (Mom), they are likely to go up to $80. I realize that many people are in a more enviable position in regards to water supply, (i.e. water source on a farm, etc.) but for those like me, who just live in a neighborhood in town, it will be necessary to have usable water on hand. We already have 2 of these drums that we got somewhere around 2000, but we have added to our family since then, so we will have to "bite the bullet" and get some more for emergency storage, despite the rise in cost. I am thinking we paid around $30 when we bought the ones we have now, but that was over 8 years ago...
Yet another point--we have to make some kind of wooden platform or other structure to put these drums on, because the plastic should not be on the concrete. It is my understanding that all sorts of impurities will leak into the water if you leave it on the concrete. It seems like I knew that at one time in the past, but as I write my water supply is indeed on concrete. Fortunately, we have them stored in the laundry room at the moment, so it shouldn't be that big of a deal to drain them and refill them once we have a platform in place. So much to do, with who knows how much time in which to do it.... we just need to actually do it. :)