Raising chickens was the last thing Mary Barker thought her family would do. However, they realized in the face of dramatically increased egg costs, the economic benefits of raising chickens outweighed the cost.
Her family of seven from Ridgefield, Connecticut regularly consumed dozens of eggs costing them up to $23 per week. So, when their neighbors gave them eight chicks for free, they built a coop and began tending the flock.
When the chicks grew, they began producing enough eggs for both the Barkers and others. They sold the excess eggs to neighbors and friends.
The Barker family’s decision is just one example of how rising grocery prices over the past five years have spurred a variety of actions. Families have been forced to reconsider what they can and can no longer afford.
According to the U.S Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, food prices rose by 25 percent from 2019 to 2023. This increase has caused many families to make uncomfortable adjustments to their lifestyle and health choices.
According to the USDA’s analysis, food prices rose faster than housing, medical care, and all other major categories other than transportation. During the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, increases were driven by shifting consumption patterns and supply chain disruptions. In 2022, food prices increased faster than any year since 1979, partly due to the conflict in Ukraine affecting energy costs, and to the outbreak of avian flu that affected egg and poultry prices. Food price growth slowed in 2023 as wholesale food prices and other inflationary factors eased from 2022.
But prices remain high, and as a result, families have made tough choices such as limiting produce and meat consumption and avoiding upscale organic stores like Whole Foods Market, according to interviewees. Families around Connecticut, ranging from small to large and across all incomes, have faced inflation head on, interviewees said. Many are stressed out and overwhelmed by the economic situation.
Paige Belsito’s family lives in Coventry, Connecticut. They live off of a single income. She sees her mom and dad struggle with increased food costs. They determine what stores have the better sales that week. Belsito said her dad is very strict at budgeting. He only goes food shopping once every week, sometimes stretching it out to two. He only buys the sale items and never deviates off track because he never knows how high prices can increase the following week.
They have also avoided their local farmers market because it’s simply too expensive. “People always say farmers markets are a good option, but every time I go I say I cannot afford this. It’s nice to have fresh produce but it’s just super outside our price range,” Belsito said.
Even for families with just two members, such as that of Erin Keith, who works as a pre- certification specialist for an orthopedic practice, the struggle to pay for groceries is constant. She and her daughter live in New Milford, Connecticut. “Right now it costs three times what it used to to go to the grocery store,” Keith said. “The food goes bad so quickly and it’s so expensive. It hits you in the wallet really.”
When Keith shops, she preloads any available discounts on her phone. She also skims by the bakery section of the store searching for sale items, usually not purchasing regularly priced baked goods. She said there have been times when she has put items back at checkout because the price was too high.
Keith’s heard a lot of people say it is cheap to eat badly. People can afford 10 cents for a pack of ramen, but they’re not going to spend $10 to purchase organic produce for healthy salads.
Another family, the Clancys, residents of Sherman, Connecticut try to buy in bulk to cut costs due to inflation. Kathleen Clancy, who shops for her family of four, is aware that prices are slowly sneaking up on her.
“I buy bulk so I can break it down,” Clancy said. “Costco sells four-to-six pounds of beef in a package and I break it down into three parts with two pounds each. I do the same with salmon. I’ll make it into individual servings.”
When she first started shopping at Costco her receipt totaled around $200, but now it can easily be $300 and sometimes $400 around the holidays. Because of this, she has looked into alternative stores with cheaper options. “I started going to Aldi because I found that I could get a cheaper price,” Clancy said. “For instance, I buy blueberries every week at Costco. This week I noticed that it was $8.60 for two pints. If I went to Aldi’s, I could buy one pint for $2.79 so for two of them it’s cheaper than Costco.”
Food prices in the United States are expected to decline in 2024 compared to the past five years, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
The Barkers still have their backyard chickens. The birds have become an integral part of the household. What started as a way to make a supplemental income and save on groceries has become a rewarding hobby.
“Since we decided to raise chickens we’ve profited around $1,000 a year after expenses are subtracted,” Barker said. “The extra money has really helped our family through this difficult time. While the work is sometimes challenging, my parents are happy that they made this decision.”
Susan Hackett is a journalism student at the University of Connecticut. This story is republished via CT Community News, a service of the Connecticut Student Journalism Collaborative, an organization sponsored by journalism departments at college and university campuses across the state.