This article, entitled When it Comes to Food Costs, It’s Great to be an American! comes from SavingsAngel.com.
While increases in the costs of food throughout the world have been an ongoing story, I’m very grateful to live in America. Experts have predicted that Americans and the rest of the world will see increases in what we spend at the grocery store for a number of reasons. These include an increase in global demand, economic depression, the cost of fuel, and floods and droughts.
The United Nations has stated that food prices will soar by as much as 30% over the next 10 years. A UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report predicted that the cost of cereals throughout the world is likely to increase by 20% and the price of meat, particularly chicken, may soar by up to 30% in the very near future.
Despite future increases, the silver lining for American families struggling to get by is that compared to the rest of the world, it’s relatively inexpensive to eat in the United States. So, as we experience increases with the rest of the world, we will have started from a much lower number to begin with.
Advances in manufacturing and technology have significantly increased food production in the United States over the past 80 years – while significantly reducing the cost of this production. In 1933, Americans spent 21.9% of their income on their (at home) food. Today, according to the USDA, we spend just 5.7% on food eaten at home. Incidentally, food purchased out of the home increased just slightly from 3.3% in 1933 to 3.9% in 2009.
Compared to the rest of the world, 5.7% of personal income is astonishingly inexpensive. This does not factor in the expenses of other consumables like paper products, cleaning products, and personal care products – which when all combined together put the average American family of four above $700 a month at the grocery store. This is no small expense but if you lived outside the United States, here is the percentage of your paycheck you would spend to feed your family…
United States 5.7%
United Kingdom 8.6%
Canada 9.2%
Australia 10.7%
Germany 11.4%
Hong Kong, China 12.2%
France 13.5%
Japan 14.2%
Israel 17.7%
South Africa 19.8%
Chile 23.3%
Mexico 24.0%
Brazil 24.7%
Russia 28.0%
China 32.9%
India 35.4%
Philippines 36.7%
Egypt 38.1%
Morocco 40.4%
Indonesia 43.0%
Kenya 44.9%
Pakistan 45.5%
Azerbaijan 46.9%
The full chart can be found at http://sa2.me/worldfoodcosts
Naturally, incomes are lower in most countries with a higher percentage spent on food – but imagine if your paycheck was nearly half gone just to keep your family fed. Compare that with someone who follows my advice in the United States and can potentially feed their family on just 3% of their income. It’s a great blessing to live in the United States – where, even though we’re dealing with our own economic hardships and higher than usual unemployment, our standard of living is remarkable compared to most of the world.
The best couponers save hundreds of dollars every month at the grocery store. However, extreme couponers can end up living very extreme lifestyles to get those savings. For over five years, SavingsAngel.com has equalized the playing field – giving extreme savings to busy families who don’t have the time or ability to be an extreme couponer. Each week, SavingsAngel.com’s over 70 angels combine over 2,000 products on sale at local grocery and drug stores with an enormous database of over 2000 different manufacturer coupons. These combinations result in our members getting access to over 300 products each week for 50% off or better. Simply log in, choose the deals you want, print or clip only the coupons you need, and save hundreds of dollars a month at regional and national stores. Our angels will personally work with you to craft a plan that will help you buy healthier food at lower prices – helping you keep $200 to $400 in savings each month.
Josh Elledge is the Chief Executive “Angel” of SavingsAngel, Inc. – launched from his home in January 2007. A husband and father of three, he now appears each week on television, in eight newspapers, and a number of radio stations across the country teaching families how to cut their grocery bill in half using the Internet. Elledge created the technology found on SavingsAngel.com through the need to save his own family’s money. Successfully able to cut his own grocery bill from $600 a month to less than $300 a month, his message has reached hundreds of thousands of families. SavingsAngel.com is now growing rapidly throughout the country. You can watch a short video at SavingsAngel.com that will explain more information about how to cut your own grocery bill in half with the help of SavingsAngel.com!
