I had to buy eggs today and they were $2.58 for 18, last time I paid $1.54 for 18. Needless to say, I was shocked.
Someone next to me pointed out that a dozen of Natural Eggs- No Antibiotics and No Hormones were cheaper than a dozen of Wal-Marts brand of eggs. I bought some to try.
Has anyone else noticed the price of eggs going up?
darkchocolate
Prices of everything have gone up here in Oz recently due to the drought but i am still comfortable with paying $6/doz for the freerange eggs. There is a company up in gippsland that sell the most beautiful freerange eggs. The yolks are orange, like they should be! And they make fantastic cakes.
When i finally get around to my own business my cakes wil be that bit more expensive due to gippsland eggs!
Yes, eggs and milk have gone up drastically in price here in PA, and the near parts of NJ. Milk is a dollar more per gallon than last year at this time, and eggs are ridiculously prices.
Deli cheeses have also gone up, but ironically, the price of butter has come down somewhat, about 50 cents per pound here.
Yet they tell the media that the cost of living index only creeps up slowly. I do not know what indicators they are using, perhaps the price of toilet paper, which is cheap if you buy in bulk. I don't know who needs it more, me or the full of it political economists.
It's no wonder people go to the chain stores for their cakes. The only way an independent baker can compete is if they are the only baker/cake decorator for 50 miles. Independents do not have the buying power that the chain stores have.
Theresa 
Alas up in Canada, I usually pay double that for good eggs, but I haven't noticed a price increase lately.
Eggs are quickly affected by supply and demand in your region. Has there been anything in your area affecting egg output? Floods, droughts (poor gingerkitten - that is too bad), avian flu outbreak (in chickens, not necessarily ppl), a massive cull, that woulc of reduced the supply available?
Or is there some crazy new fad involving eggs driving up demand??
A doubling in price is pretty bad! Especially since it isn't as easy for our cake prices to fluctuate to compensate for it.
I had to buy eggs today and they were $2.58 for 18, last time I paid $1.54 for 18. Needless to say, I was shocked.
Someone next to me pointed out that a dozen of Natural Eggs- No Antibiotics and No Hormones were cheaper than a dozen of Wal-Marts brand of eggs. I bought some to try.
Has anyone else noticed the price of eggs going up?
darkchocolate
over $3 for 18 large here. 
http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopic-401253-0.html
See above thread for add'l reasonings on pricing.
It reminds me of the "shortages" that were claimed during the early 1970's. First it was gasoline, then dairy products, then paper products, then coffee.
Anything to jack up prices.
Theresa
Thanks indydebi for posting that link - definitely informative.
Gas is driving up so much, but then again, isn't it ironic that the huge drive for a replacement to gas (ethanol) is driving up prices just as much if not more? And will have a major effect (or affect? oh my poor grammar!) on our food supply?
The fact that the basics increase mean that everything will - including our cake prices if we want to stay afloat. I only wish the salaries would increase at the same rate. Seems like every raise I get is eaten up by the increase in the cost of living.
I hadn't been in a Wal-Mart in nearly 4 years because, well, I am fundamentally opposed to just about everything that store stands for. But, I was forced into going into one a few weeks ago and I was shocked at their prices. They certainly weren't cheaper than the other stores I frequent, and many of their prices were actually higher. On top of that, most of the shelves were bare. It made me glad that I never go there!
Eggs have almost tripled in price around here, and milk has gone up by over 50%. However, my fiance is from England and, when I see the prices that people have to pay in Britain (for example, almost $8/gallon for gas!), I hesitate to complain - I guess everything is relative!
I don't know of anything in my area that would cause the cost of eggs to increase. I haven't noticed any other big price increases in other items. I didn't get milk today because I didn't need, but now I wished I would have looked. I will be getting milk in the next 2 or 3 days though.
darkchocolate
YUP! I used to pay about $4.50 for 5 dozen eggs at BJ's Wholesale and now they are up to over $7!!
Milk prices are INSANE - I really don't know how ANYONE is making money at this from home 
I don't know of anything in my area that would cause the cost of eggs to increase.
Corn!! Corn affects EVERYTHING in the grocery store, and it's being diverted to biodiesel fuel production. Corn is fed to chickens and when the price of corn goes up, chicken feed goes up. When the chicken farmer's expenses go up, so does the price of eggs. Corn affects the price of every meat-food in the grocery.
In the basic laws of supply and demand, when the price of corn goes up, then farms will divert their soybean fields to corn fields, so they can logically cash in on the great pricing, causing a soy shortage, which affects practically everything in the grocery. It's a vicious catch-22 that's coming.
I feel blessed to get free range, organic FRESH eggs for $2/dz. since they are only 2 houses down from me at a little farmette. They only ask $1.50 for them but to me they are worth every penny of the $2 I give her. They are so large that I usually have to cut back an egg in recipes!!
BUT . . . I ordered a dozen carnations yesterday for my dear sweet auntie to be delivered on what would have been her 70th wedding anniversary if my beloved uncle hadn't passed away in February and I got the shock of my life! 
The flowers were $35 and the delivery fee was $12 to go less than 10 miles! 
She was very touched by the delivery and I was very broke and hoped I would make that much in tips that day to cover the cost! Needless to say I will get flowers at the supermarket from now on and deliver them myself!!! I'm amazed that floral shops don't turn more people onto the supermarket floral depts. 'cause I could have saved myself about $40 if I would have had the time that day to pick them up myself!!
BUT . . . I ordered a dozen carnations yesterday for my dear sweet auntie to be delivered on what would have been her 70th wedding anniversary if my beloved uncle hadn't passed away in February and I got the shock of my life!
The flowers were $35 and the delivery fee was $12 to go less than 10 miles! She was very touched by the delivery and I was very broke and hoped I would make that much in tips that day to cover the cost! Needless to say I will get flowers at the supermarket from now on and deliver them myself!!! I'm amazed that floral shops don't turn more people onto the supermarket floral depts. 'cause I could have saved myself about $40 if I would have had the time that day to pick them up myself!!
Much like cakes, you get what you pay for with flowers. Grocery store flowers are *horrible*, and they don't last.
Florists are trained to process and care for flowers, grocery store floral departments usually aren't. Florists use special additives and techniques to help you get a long life out of you flowers - in grocery stores, they aren't really processed at all - just cut and wrapped. Also, the grocery store flowers tend to start out at a lower grade than the florist flowers.
Sort of bothers me to see this sort of attitude on this forum.. I mean, no one here would appreciate the same sort of "I should have saved the money and bought at the grocery store" thing when it relates to cakes, ya know?
I thought I was the only one having fits - I came home from the grocery yesterday after I paid 4.89 for 30 eggs!! I have been on a rant ever since- this has just happened since August - WTF?
And I have to say that with the prices I would have to charge to compensate, I would not feel in the slightest bit surprised or slighted to hear people with the sentiment of saving money by buying their cakes at the grocery store!!
I thought I was the only one having fits - I came home from the grocery yesterday after I paid 4.89 for 30 eggs!! I have been on a rant ever since- this has just happened since August - WTF?
And I have to say that with the prices I would have to charge to compensate, I would not feel in the slightest bit surprised or slighted to hear people with the sentiment of saving money by buying their cakes at the grocery store!!
Yes prices have gone up here in Virginia as well. Last year this time, I was paing a little over $6 at Sam's for 4 pounds of butter and about $3 for 36 eggs, $1 and some change for heavy cream. Now....these items are close to $8 for the butter, almost $5 for the eggs and almost $2.50 for the heavy cream. It really sucks. I wonder if Costco or BJ's are any cheaper.
Same out here I have 4 small kids of my own and have a after school program for some of my friends who work till about 5 or 6 . I always have a nice treat for my kids ( they are 8 in total who come after school including mine) and a glass of milk ,so I use to go through 4 to 5 gallons a week but with prices over 5 dollars a gallon here that just hurts. hehe you should have seen the look on my husbands face when I asked if we could buy 2 cows and a few chickens =o.
Monica
flowergirlMN,
If you're a florist, i understand your angst with my comments! I hadn't ordered flowers from a florist for quite awhile and could not believe what they wanted for delivery! We have a SM chain here that does a great job with flowers and they last - I just didn't have time to pick up and deliver myself that day 'cause I had to work.
I'm sorry if I offended you!
Corn is fed to chickens and when the price of corn goes up, chicken feed goes up. When the chicken farmer's expenses go up, so does the price of eggs. Corn affects the price of every meat-food in the grocery.
I noticed egg prices have gone up here in Mass.; but the price of chicken hasn't.
I raise free range chickens also. I love my chickie's! 
They lay the largest brown eggs I have ever seen and the yolks are a rich orange. They make all my baking and cooking taste so much better!
I did notice the price of butter has gown down slightly, our local grainery has kept their corn prices steady so far, but the prices of milk and gas etc....yikes! It seems like everything in the grocery stores are rising in price lately even by just a few pennies sometimes! That all adds up!
And yes I have noticed WalMarts prices on just about everything are also increasing. They do not have the "Lowest prices" around anymore! As with everything else you just have to shop aroound to find the best prices on things. I saw a Documentary on TV recently about apple farmers going out of business because of Giant corporations like WalMarts. It said just because their apples might be a little cheaper dosent necessarly mean they are good quality . And they are not! Have you seen their produce? Yuck!! I have been slowly fazing WalMarts out! I dont like what they stand for and what they are doing to our local small busineses/farmers etc....
WalMart's milk prices certainly are not the lowest around anymore. Now, when I shop locally, I check the Sunday ads to see which drug store is selling milk at the state minimum this week. If I shop in New Jersey, I buy my milk there, as costs 50 cents less per gallon.
Normally, gas prices are less there, too, but we use mid-grade, and lately, it is less espensive here in Pennsylvania.
Theresa
I have noticed the same thing here in NC!! And yes, I also have been paying less for butter! We are currently in a really bad drought and local produce, meat, etc., are getting really expensive.
I do also have to note from the floral comments above -- I love to have fresh flowers in the house. I think it just makes it a little cheerier. My local high-end grocery sells a dozen and a half roses for next to nothing (they will probably go up soon too 
) and they usually last me longer than any florist arrangement I have ever purchased (and I do that a lot also). I explained to DH yesterday, after we set up a wedding cake and worked with my favorite florist ever, that you are paying for his time and talent just like my customers pay for the same with me.
Hey Guys,
I think the cost of GAS, has alot to do with this belive it or not. Here in CT i live right by a dairy store or better saying super store and they said is due to the gas prices. I paid for a gallon of milk 4.89 and for eggs one dozen 3.00 YES I am about to get some chickens and a cow. LOL ITs alot of money. I tell you and then people wonder why you charge what we charge for cakes. I tell all of my customer there prices go up. My prices go up. Some people understand and other's don't.
This is why I plan to have my own hens. We're very close to finally breaking ground on our house and barn. I plan to have a small flock of hens for eggs (and pest control, they eat tons of bugs). I had a flock before and I miss them and I love having my own egg producers. I know how they are fed and cared for personally and the eggs taste so much better.
I too have been stunned at the price hikes. Especially milk! Geez, it's $4.50 a gallon lately!! That's stunning. 
And I like to get the organic milk, which is even higher. But the gas prices have caused price hikes in almost everything.
I have 5 chickens and get 4-5 eggs daily. If it's legal for you to have hens, I highly recommend getting a few. If you want them to lay all winter, you need a 60 watt light bulb to give them 12 hours of light a day. I use it at night for at most 3 hours in the dead of winter.
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