100% Pure Organic Honey... Et Tu Brute

[Hackerman]

A meteor is headed for Mars.????? Excuse me, I need to call home....quick. LMAO

OMG!! I went shopping yesterday and bought nothing in a bag, box or can. You would have to be a billionaire to eat healthy like this (or a farmer).

And, it is so much worse where I live. Everyone always says how expensive California is. I challenge anyone in Cali to meet these prices...

Let's not even talk about a bag of oranges at $4.99 for a 4 pound bag. You know how many oranges are in a 4 lb bag? About 6. LMAO Almost a dollar each for oranges. Now, I have been to Cali a bunch of times and I know oranges are not a dollar a piece. LMAO

A lot of the fruit is pretty close in price, like bananas at $.55 a pound. However, cherries at $5 a pound, strawberries at $4 lb and raspberries at $3.50 lb, apricots at $4 lb are all way higher than I see in the grocery ads at the Ralphs Groc in Santa Barbara.

Veggies are even worse. Romaine lettuce $2 lb, Vadalia onion $1 each, Carrots are pretty cheap at $1.50 lb and corn is only $3 for 5 big pieces. We do grow the corn right here so it's usually about $.25 an ear in season for fresh picked.

Meat, fish and chicken all seem to be real close but Cali is a little cheaper on every one except pork.

Ground beef, $5 lb in 3 lb or more packages. Fresh cut bacon $6 lb, New York Strip $9 and Rib Eyes at $15 lb. Wild Sockeye Salmon $15 lb. Scallops $17 lb, cocktail shrimp $12 lb. Chicken runs from $2 (drumsticks) to about $4 (breasts) lb.

My milk is $4 a 1/2 gal, butter is $4 lb, brown eggs are $3.79 doz. All pretty close to Cali.

Coffee $7.50 /12 oz.

0% tax on groceries here. How is that in Cali?

I bought 66 item total and the amount was $306.31

Most everything I buy, I try to get when it's on sale and almost nothing I buy is 'organic' since I know so many organic farmers and hear the same story from every one. LOL

Another thing they do here... instead of cutting prices for a sale, they offer 5 or 6 of an item for a special price. You don't get the discounted price if you buy one. Only if you buy all 5 or 6. Also a lot of BOGO (buy one get one free) Which is why everyone around here is 80 pounds overweight. Bigger and more is always better around here.

/rant

LOL

 

[umbra]

I moved to Cali from the east coast couple of years ago, so I know the difference in prices from there to here. The biggest cost difference was gasoline. Cali charges a minimum of $.80 a gal more for gasoline. My water bill was $13/m on east coast in Cali $75/m. Sales tax is higher. State income tax is higher. Food prices here are not that much cheaper, unless you buy at the roadside stands everywhere. Yep they tax everything here.

 

[Hackerman]

I have been looking at some of the other COL items out there like gas. Rent/own a place to live is crazy outrageous expensive. My house is about 150k here and would be well over 1 mil there, especially with the acre of land. LOL

Like you said, gas is higher but I only drive about 5000 miles a year (retired) and so gas is not a big factor. And, I could ride my bike 12 months a year so that would save me money. LOL

My income tax here in Ohio is only 3.96% but when you add in the city tax (2.35%) it comes to 6.31% which isn't too far from Cali's 8% for that same bracket. Besides, most of my income is interest from T-Bonds and SS income, neither of which are taxed by California state income tax.

Same thing for sales tax Yours is 7.5 (base) to 10.25% with assorted city/county taxes added in. Ohio is 5.75 (base) 8.25%.

Although, again... who buys brick and mortar. LOL I buy 90% of my stuff (except groceries) online anyway. Amazon doesn't charge sales tax (for now) LOL Bummer you charge sales tax on groceries. That will actually be a big hit to me as a big part of my spending is done on food.

Don't even talk to me about the water bill. Our city poo poo'd the EPA and got a zillion dollar fine.... and has to fix their sewer system. So the city passes the fines and costs onto us. My water bill was $140 this month and last year, totaled $1254.00. Don't dare wash your car or water your lawn.

That's another thing.. utilities. Not counting cable my total utility costs for one year are over $5000.00. That's just gas, water and electric. It's always too hot or too cold here. My house is under 1400 SF. I doubt most peeps in Cali spend 5k on utilities for a house this size. (growers with 50 gazillion lights excluded LMAO). I'm sure your cost per cubic foot or per kilowatt hour or whatever is more, but our weather is so extreme, one thing or another runs all 12 months. Which also might mean that I am replacing furnaces and air conditioners more often than you.

How about property taxes? I know it's all over depending on where you live but my house is about 150k and costs me over $4000 a year just for property taxes. I don't live in the 'up and coming' neighborhood. LOL My neighborhood was build in 1963-68 for the schools nearby. So, the area has declined "significantly" in 50 years as have the schools that were once the best in the state (now flunked the state test for schools this year). LOL

What's really killing me about Cali is a place to live. If one of you wonder people who are so lucky to live there already would just build a tiny little cage in the corner of your garage, I could live there and everything else is pretty affordable. LMAO

I just need a tiny little space. LMAO

Thanks for the input bud. It's a big help to me. I just need to get out there and I'll real quick see the things that affect me the most. Like tax on groceries. Hopefully, I'm almost out of here.

 

[umbra]

Although I'm not old enough to collect SS, for all practical aspects, I am retired. Housing is funny here. I have a 1/2 acre and it was hard to find. The larger properties do exist in Cali, but they are either remote or crazy expensive. They pack houses really tightly. The whole land use thing. When Reagan was Gov of Cali, they did property tax reform out here. It is 1% of value based on the last time it sold.
Back east my property taxes are $7500 for a $250,000 house. My utilities in Cali are $1800 a month, lol. But that is the grow as well.

 

[Hackerman]

I don't really need any land. I could live in a trailer park if I really had to. LOL Even with a half acre or acre of land, you don't really have any privacy from neighbors anyway. At least not like the 30 acres I just sold. LOL And, even that, I could see my neighbor.

So anything would be cool. A small yard would be cool. And, I'm not big on the beach. I could live in the mountains a little way up. When I was in Santa Barbara, there were 2 basic areas. The coastal, and the mountains. The coastal area seemed to be where everyone was. As you went up the foothills of whatever mountains those are, the lots got bigger. The prices didn't get a whole lot cheaper but you got more for your money.

And, what's the story on Ventura? Is the entire city the 'hood'? LOL Prices are much cheaper there than in SB. Oxnard seems pretty cheap too. I have not even started looking South of there yet. So far, all my looking has been between Monterey and Oxnard.

Buying is worse than renting. I find some pretty reasonable rents...

https://santabarbara.craigslist.org/apa/6180357998.html

https://santabarbara.craigslist.org/apa/6210043653.html

https://santabarbara.craigslist.org/apa/6177192965.html

Thanks again for the input.

 

[umbra]

I'm east in the central valley and a bit north. It depends on what you like to do. Out this way the large land use is agricultural and ranching. We have 3 24 hr bait stores, lol. Lots of fishing by me. Camping is plentiful. Near the foothills. Yosemite is 50 miles. Sacramento is 75 miles, San Fran is 75 miles. Works for me.

 

[Hackerman]

I never even considered the Central Valley. Not real sure why. Like I said, I have no real need for the beach or ocean. I just want that moderate, year round climate. I don't know anything about the Central Valley but I just did a little reading.

Where you are gets a little too much weather swing. I can take the 80's and 90's in the Summer but you get well below freezing in the Winter (according to the Wiki weather thing) and I am done with cold Winters. LOL Maybe a little further South in the same valley.

Last time I was out your way I spent a week in Mariposa. If I could stand Winters, that would be an awesome place. Although, if I could stand snowy Winters, I would be going to Colorado, not California. LOL

Thanks again

 

[umbra]

I never even considered the Central Valley. Not real sure why. Like I said, I have no real need for the beach or ocean. I just want that moderate, year round climate. I don't know anything about the Central Valley but I just did a little reading.

Where you are gets a little too much weather swing. I can take the 80's and 90's in the Summer but you get well below freezing in the Winter (according to the Wiki weather thing) and I am done with cold Winters. LOL Maybe a little further South in the same valley.

Last time I was out your way I spent a week in Mariposa. If I could stand Winters, that would be an awesome place. Although, if I could stand snowy Winters, I would be going to Colorado, not California. LOL

Thanks again

Actually it never gets below freezing where I am. Above 5,000 ft maybe, but not in the valley. Our climate is described as a Mediterranean climate; dry hot summers and cool wet winters. Summer here is hotter than 90's right now. Triple digits half of june and july so far.

 

[Hackerman]

I have been reading up on the Central Valley. I have been to Cali 15 to 20 times in my life and never seemed to spend a lot of time there. My business took me mostly to government and military locations so maybe there's just not much of that there. I was a Travis a few times but I never got off the base. Thanks again for all the info.

Meanwhile, I made some home made raisin bran today. I hung around the kitchen and made bread and ciabatta and one of my recent favorites... cinnamon raisin bread and figured I would try something new.

I am not a big breakfast eater (like I should be) and if I do eat breakfast, I try to make it high protein (eggs and bacon type breakfast). However, sometimes I just don't feel like either and a nice cool bowl of cereal usually goes down pretty easily.

I used to think that I was eating a relatively healthy breakfast with Corn Flakes or Raisin Bran and some skim milk. OMG, poison. LMAO Soy/grain product and cow water. LMAO

I'm sure what I made today isn't really much better. LMAO However, it probably has less preservatives in it and it's actually very good. AND.... I know what's in it. Well, I think. LMAO

Nothing but some Hodgsons Unprocessed Wheat Bran, some King Arthur whole grain wheat flour, honey, sunflower oil and water and a pinch of salt.

The next batch will definitely include cinnamon.

The taste, when mixed with raisins is pretty close to Kellogg's, simply because the taste of the raisins overwhelms everything else.

Just plain, it tastes about like you would expect unprocessed bran and whole grain flour to taste. LMAO Actually, it really is pretty good all by itself. Next time, I may include more honey, or maybe some brown sugar just to sweeten up the flakes. The fruit (raisins or whatever) is really what sweetens this type of cereal anyway.

Another thing I'll do different is to prick the dough before I bake it so the finished flake is bumpy and wavy rather than flat. When you break up these into bite sized flakes, they lay flat or each other. LOL A little curvy shape will help the milk flow between the flakes. Duh, Kellogg figured that one out too. LOL

I guess the best news about this whole thing is that I made 2 batches today. I weighed the 2 pieces and they weigh about 11 ounces. I added a cup of raisins and it's at about 18 ounces A box of Kellogg's Raisin Bran cereal is about 18 - 20 ounces. Kellogg's is about $4. Mine was about 80 cents.

And, it was fun. Bread is just about to go into the oven. Yummy.

View attachment raisinbran.jpg

 

[umbra]

if you take 152 from Fresno to Gilroy, you will drive passed Sun Maid's grape orchard

 

[Rosebud]

I eat nasty healthy bars for breakfast or a smoothie, made with veg protein powder, frozen organic fruit, ground flax seed a half a cup of oj and water... it is good, BUT, it doesn't stay with me long. I usually eat one of the icky bars in two hours. We are all organic here, we do that instead of going on vacation. lol

 

[Hackerman]

I just love to cook. So, it's fun for me to experiment with stuff like home made raisin bran. LOL

I was crunching on some of the bran flake I made and it tastes a lot like a Granola bar. I could add some chopped nuts, more honey and make it a little thicker and it would make a very nice breakfast bar.

If you like to munch on bars like that, there are a million home recipes for making them yourself. And, those bars are way expensive in the stores. Making your own might leave a little money for a vacation. LOL

The bread came out of the oven and is cooled. I sliced it and yummy yummy. Bread is not great for you. Lots of dead calories. However, some times I just like a slice of bread and this stuff sure fits the bill. I slice it and freeze it. Then, toast a slice or 2 at a time as I need it. Fresh bread has no preservatives so it's only lasts a few days to a week on the shelf. So, with only me and Mrs Hackerman eating it, we have to freeze it or throw half away. It freezes very well.

This bread is so light and airy. It toast so well, it's like it toasts all the way through. Even better than Thomas's nooks and crannys in their English Muffins. LOL

View attachment bread1.jpg

View attachment bread2.jpg

 

[Rosebud]

OH MY GOD, do you know how long it has been since i have seen or smelled bread like that?? ten years at least i have been gluten free? You should frame that! Just beautiful. damn.

 

[Hackerman]

I wish I could share the smell with you. On days that I spend baking bread, the house always smells so wonderful. LOL