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Dear Nanny Fran,

The cost of pet food has jumped. What do you recommend?

Well, I really do not know who has all the answers to our fuel crisis and that is the major reason for the upsurge in the cost of all items we need daily. I always find it interesting to note that there is a bright side to any situation.

Nanny Fran's longtime companion Amy. photo for Tropical Breeze courtesy of Francene Mattucci

For example, the other day in the grocery store I had a conversation with the checkout lady. She was lovely and we remarked about the cost of food. She told me that her granddaughter had asked her to teach her how to cook from scratch. This was asked in order to save dollars. The granddaughter had become aware that the cost of food stuffs, ready to eat after a few minutes in the microwave, were a great deal more expensive than cooking from scratch. The lady also remarked that not only would the cost of food decrease but her granddaughter’s health would benefit greatly. Just imagine… something we eat that is not full of food coloring, preservatives and other nasty chemicals too numerous to mention.

The same scenario plays out in the pet foods. The majority of pet foods have nasty, nasty things in them. The most common nasty ingredients are corn and wheat. Now with the introduction of biofuels the farmers are actually going to be paid more for producing corn. I am thrilled beyond belief to think that the American farmer might actually be able to earn a living from farming without having to maintain the proverbial “job in town” in order to keep his family on the land they love!

When we have corn being produced for biofuel we also have increased prices for beef. Yes, indeed. We are paying for that more expensive grain. Corn and wheat, usually, comprise 75% of the store bought pet foods and pet treats. We are paying the increased cost of ingredients in the foods as well as the increased shipping costs to the pet food store, grocery store, Sam’s Club, Costco, on and on.

I think we should pay for the increased cost of feeding ourselves and our best friends one time! I suggest that we purchase foods at the grocery store or fresh market for us and them. When we prepare food from “scratch” we see increased health and wellness, fewer trips to the doctor or veterinarian and we also feel a sense of control over our lives. A great many families cook for their best friends. They spend a few hours a week preparing the foods and then store individual servings in the refrigerator/freezer. All have reported increased health and wellness on this new diet. If corn and wheat were not bad enough for our best friends, we also have to contend with coloring agents causing problems as well.

I know that many of you will speak of the time involved to cook from scratch. We will find more time at home when we consolidate the errands we need to run to the grocery store, the bank, etc. Gas is now $4 per gallon in Hawaii and we are not far behind. How does $100 to fill up your gas tank sound to you?? When I was a child we lived ten miles outside of the big city and we went into town once per week to shop for groceries. Yes, we planned ahead and you can as well. At that point in my life a car’s gas tank was filled with a $3 purchase.

© 2008 Francene Mattucci. All Rights Reserved. Francene Mattucci founded Never Say Good Bye Pet Sitting Service in 1994. Call 727-512-3206, visit www.TampaBayPetCare.com or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with questions for this column.