Consumer's Be Aware!!

As of late I have seen a trend at the grocery store, maybe you have too.  In this current economy so many of us have to be very budget aware because some of us have lost jobs, our companies have downsized, we or our spouses have not received pay increases for years and it can be a struggle to make ends meet.  Since we became a single family income we have had to make dollar count and one of those is living on a strict grocery budget.  Yesterday I spent 4 hours going to Kroger, Marsh and Meijer to utilize the sale items so that I could get everything that I would need to feed and take care of my family.  It's not so much that I mind having to spend the time or going to the 3 different stores (they are very close to each other) what makes me angry is noticing that the amount you get has decreased but the price has remained the same or increased.  A good example is when Meijer has Crystal Light buy 2 get 2 free, I stock up.  They are $2.69 per container and have 6 packets, until now.  Now they only contain 5 packets and the price has remained the same.  As a SAHM, not only to I take great care in focusing on healthy food for my family, I also have to pay attention to where my products come from and now I have to deal with this.  So my 4 hours of shopping I managed to save $122 and spent $220 and my pantry is now stocked up again and meat in the freezer for future meals and I didn't use any coupons, only in store deals.

As a consumer I no longer have brand preference or loyalty because I can't afford to, especially when they keep the prices the same or raise them and give you less product.  As a person it seems that we could all pull together to get this economy to turn around instead of fighting one another.  The companies could possibly stay in the black and/or make a profit if they wouldn't continue to stick it to us every time we turn around, such as the example I gave above.  Maybe if we, as consumers, didn't feel we were being cheated we'd have brand loyalty.  It's possible I'm just over  simplifying the situation, I'm no economics major, but just seems like people and business are only concerned about themselves and not really doing anything get the economy out of the crapper.

Here is some very useful information I found on Facebook.  It's worth the read:

With all the food and pet products now coming from China , it is best to make sure you read label at the grocery store and especially Walmart when buying food products.
Many products no longer show where they were made, only give where the distributor is located.
It is important to read the bar code to track it's origin.
How to read Bar Codes .... interesting!
This may be useful to know when grocery shopping, if it's a concern to you.
GREAT WAY TO "BUY USA & CANADA " AND NOT FROM CHINA!!

The whole world is concerned about China-made "black hearted goods".
Can you differentiate which one is made in Taiwan or China ?

If the first 3 digits of the barcode are 690 691 or 692, the product is MADE IN CHINA.
471 is Made in Taiwan . 
This is our right to know, but the government and related departments never educate the
public, therefore we have to RESCUE ourselves.

Nowadays, Chinese businessmen know that consumers do not prefer products "MADE IN CHINA ", so they don't show from which country it is made. 

However, you may now refer to the barcode - remember if the first 3 digits are:

690-692 ... then it is MADE IN CHINA
00 - 09 ... USA & CANADA
30 - 37 FRANCE
40 - 44 GERMANY
471 .... Taiwan
49 ... JAPAN
50 ... UK