Monday, December 2, 2024

Mincemeat

A friend posted that she had tried to buy mincemeat (in Florida) but that it was selling for $37. a jar. I thought she was joking. When I had bought my dried fruit for fruitcake, I looked at the mincemeat, but decided to buy that a bit later, since I'd spent quite a bit that day. But I knew the price of it. It was $7.99 a jar. I laughed at my friend, and told her the price. 



She asked me how many years ago I had bought that mincemeat. And she showed me some links. Mincemeat was indeed $37 AND UP. 

My gosh. I nearly had a heart attack. I had all this dried fruit which was not going to do me a bit of good if I couldn't afford the mincemeat. I should have bought it back when I first saw it. 

I wanted to get to the store right away, but I couldn't. I was trying to return a car part for Tim, and I'd been wrangling with the company for several days. It all seemed pretty straight forward. They'd send me a UPS return label. I was told that I'd have it within 45 minutes. This was on Saturday. Of course the label did not come. So I contacted the company again. It seems as if there was a problem with that label, and it required special attention. I was assured that it would be there on Sunday. Sunday I was told that it would be Monday. Since it was a $350 part, I was concerned about this. (Spoiler for Linda: It was NOT from Rock Auto)

But Monday, wasn't there an e-mail for me, with the label. Tim was running some errands in preparation for our meat cutting tomorrow, so I asked him if he would stop into Walmart to pick up Cobalt Blue Printer Ink. Mind you, the label did not require Cobalt Blue Printer Ink, but the copier refused to copy anything unless I purchased the cobalt blue printer ink. 

He came home with the ink, and try as I might, I could not print out that label. I've never had difficulty printing something like that out, but this time I could not. It would only print part of the label. I tried resizing. I tried 'saving a copy as', but no matter what I did, it would not print out the label in its entirety. 

The whole time, I was trying to do that, I was also fretting about mincemeat. I needed to get to the grocery store. We were trying to meet the UPS pickup time. We finally just went to the library. I am not sure why, but I could not bring up the whole label there, either. It was the craziest thing. The librarian finally came over. She struggled with it a bit as well, and for the life of her could not figure out why this was not working, but in the end, she got it, the label was printed off, and we rushed out the door. 

We had just missed the UPS pickup. (Natch.) But at least it will go out tomorrow.

We went to the grocery store, and I grabbed two jars of mincemeat off the shelf. I was a bit concerned because there was no price marker on the shelf. For all I knew, I was carrying around nearly $80 of groceries. 


But they were at the same price as the first time that I priced them: $15.98 for two jars, $7.99 each. 
(whew!!!!)

The question begs an answer: how much is mincemeat in your stores? 

 This morning, I awoke to the news of a death. It shouldn't affect me, but I found that it did. More than I thought it would. I received a phone call, which was kind, and I struggled to say the right words of comfort. I closed with "I'm sorry. I know its just words..." and the sad voice answered, "you are so very good with the words. You always have been." 

I hung up the phone and wiped my tears. 

I wish I was as good with words as he seemed to believe. 
I'm not. 
This weekend has been a real heartbreaker. 
 

Tim and I discussed it a little tonight. 
He sat quietly, listening. 
He had no words either.

Sometimes there just aren't any. 

Late edit: snow is still falling, and they expect the lake effect snow to last until tomorrow night at 7PM. Erie has 5 feet of snow on the ground, and are expecting 8-15 inches of snow to fall. The National Guard is there and crews and equipment from across the state have come in for snow removal, but still, they warned that it would be a minimum of a week before things are back to normal. 



25 comments:

  1. You are good with words. ((Hug))

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sorry about your friend. It's a bummer when so many folks are gone before us. Glad that wasn't a RockAuto part; don't think i've ever had to return a part. There is a way to make a printer print just in black ink when you're low on one color. In the printing instructions it usually tells you and asks "Do you still want to print in just black in?" Linda in Kansas

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Re printing in black..there are those instructions but most still seem to want the colour cartridges with enough ink..even if you don't use them!

      Delete
  3. Same brand of mincemeat my Mom and I have used! Glad it's not $37 each. I love her mincemeat cookie recipie but I'm the only remaining one who likes it. Now I'm old enough to eat all of the Walnut Burbon balls I want! Linda in Kansas

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sad news about your friend Debby. It seems sadder at this time of year when everyone is feeling jolly about Christmas.
    I don't buy mincemeat so have no idea of the price here but your friend's store seems to have a huge markup. Perhaps she could make her own?

    ReplyDelete
  5. For the first time I made mince meat, so easy the slow cooker does all the work, and so much nicer than the shop jars, I thought I made too much but it's being used so quickly. I am sorry for your loss, I'm not good with words, but the sentiment is sent to you with good wishes.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sorry to hear you have lost someone who you cared for.
    Typical minced meat here would be minced beef, and minced pork, lamb and chicken can be found. What do we call what you call minced meat? Maybe it is minced fruit?

    ReplyDelete
  7. I know the cost of living is going up but that mincemeat seems a ridiculous price.
    It was sad about your friend. The sadness lingers a long time and is especially poignant at this time of year.

    ReplyDelete
  8. In the dark days of December hearing sad news is miserable. Perhaps the mincemeat was a luxury brand, there was a time of course when our dried fruit mincemeat had real meat inside in history, I wonder if they put pastry around it.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have never heard of anyone buying mincemeat, but I suppose that my mother may have a very long time ago, for I have a dim memory of mincemeat pies. I had no idea how they were made.

    Sorry for the bad news.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have had two notices of the deaths of members of our yacht club this week. One was the wife of a member who died less than three months ago. We were friends of all of them. I guess it is the end of an era for the old club members. Sad at this time of year for their families. My daughter lives about 125 miles north of Toronto and south of here got the 5 feet of snow, closing the highways for hours but she only got a few more inches of the white stuff. We still have none in the city but it might come this week. Glad you got your return sent off. Gigi

    ReplyDelete
  11. Mincemeat here is $12.49 if it is in stock at my local grocery store. That is Canadian dollars. Gigi

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sometimes there truly are no words. I'm sorry.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I've never had mincemeat in my life and don't even know what it really is. I did like the suggestion that you can make your own as that sounds like something you might do, Debby.
    Sorry about your loss.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I haven't bought mincemeat since I last made mincemeat drop cookies and that was years ago. I was the only one eating them and they are yummy. I wonder how much a jar costs here??? I'm going to check it out.
    It's a sad time of year to lose someone. Hugs.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I have quite a few jars of my homemade mincemeat in my cellar. Didn't realize it had become so valuable!
    So sorry about the sadness, Debby. It's never easy to lose someone.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I am very sorry for your loss.
    I buy my mincemeat from the Methodist Church ladies in a nearby village who can it before Thanksgiving. It is all dried fruits. This year I paid $7 for a pint and $13 for a quart.
    Looking on line, Meijer has it for 8.99 for 14 oz one city over, Walmart and Amazon are outrageous. Both were online prices, I guess Walmart doesn't carry it locally. CRAZY

    ReplyDelete
  17. So sorry for your loss. I remember None Such mincemeat, my mother used it when she made mince pies during the holidays. Stunned that it's still around. You've had your allotment of snow. Enough!!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I remember mincemeat pie, now that you bring it up. Oddly enough, I don't remember if I liked it. My mother used to make really good pie, that gene passed me by. I am so sorry your person has died, it's always sad, but this time of year makes it more so.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I would think with all the venison you have now, you would make your own mincemeat! Surely you can find recipes online or check with your Amish friends to see if any of them have recipes for it.
    I've always liked mincemeat, I just haven't had any in a very long time.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Little things can through a big monkey wrench. Something simple like a delivery can become a big problem. we really have to watch prices. 30 some bucks for mince meat is nuts and criminal.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Commercial mincemeat in the UK is full of UPF stuff now. I have been looking for recipes, and this looks good.
    https://www.lavenderandlovage.com/2022/11/boozy-fat-free-mincemeat.html

    I make their tasty mincemeat and almond squares every year, less fuss than mince pies.

    ReplyDelete
  22. It's been years since I bought mincemeat, so you had me doing my own research. I was amazed at the cost, everywhere I looked!

    You have my sympathy. It's been a rough year. I had several folks close to me die in January and several more in the past few weeks.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I’m so sorry about the loss of your friend. It really stuns you when it’s so unexpected. Sending hugs. Xo, Rigmor

    ReplyDelete
  24. My mom used to make mincemeat every year. I think she canned it and made the best pies. We had an older lady in church that used to make the pies and invite us over, my husband loved mincemeat pie and coffee.

    ReplyDelete

I'm glad you're here!

Oh deer.

 The things that I learn from blogging! For one thing, as stupid as it sounds, it never once occurred to me that I could make my own minceme...