# The Cost Of Cereal Is Too Much! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 25, 2003, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cost-of-cereal-is-too-much/190930 "2003-07-25T18:11:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Isabelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5a626/32.png) [@Isabelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isabelle)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cost-of-cereal-is-too-much/190930/1 "2003-07-25T18:11:27Z")
Have you seen the cost of your favorite cereal lately? I went to buy a box of Cracklin Oat Bran and the box (12 ounces) was $4.99 so I went for the Raisin Bran and for a small box it was $3.79. Who can afford to eat cereal these days. Do you let your kids pick out the cereal or are you cost conscience? ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cost-of-cereal-is-too-much/190930/2 "2003-07-25T18:20:45Z")
The trick is to buy the off-brands - especially those that come in bags not boxes. Still expensive but more reasonable. And it goes without saying that sugary-sweet = expensive. I buy the plain bran flakes and add my own raisins. ---
**Author:** ![juji\_mojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ea924/32.png) [@juji\_mojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/juji_mojo)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cost-of-cereal-is-too-much/190930/3 "2003-07-25T18:35:26Z")
It is ridiculous. I had hardly eaten cereal in years, but since being pregnant I find its a fast and healthy way to stop the grumblies. Quaker harvest crunch? 7 dollars. So I bought a bag o’ granola for 4 bucks …and its just bits of oats all lose, not in crunchy clusters. I refuse to pay more than 5 bucks for cereal, so I’ve been buying store brands, etc. But I dont need the huge bags of generic cornflakes/cheerios… its just me (and the belly-dweller) eating it, so the big economy sizes make no sense. Has cereal always been expensive…I mean compared to income, cost of living etc? I certainly couldnt be Jerry Seinfeld with a dozen different boxes… ---
**Author:** ![Isabelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5a626/32.png) [@Isabelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isabelle)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cost-of-cereal-is-too-much/190930/4 "2003-07-25T19:14:26Z")
Cereal has gotten out of hand this last year. I have seen several price hikes within the last 6 months. It seems the healthier the cereal the more it costs. I think the price was more noticable to me yesterday because I was only buying cereal and when I went to pay for it …it clicked (the cost of it) I normally buy the off brand big bags for the kids but I am dieting and need something other than sugar coated cereal. It is more expensive to buy cereal then gas! ---
**Author:** ![Dumbguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Dumbguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dumbguy)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cost-of-cereal-is-too-much/190930/5 "2003-07-25T19:49:00Z")
I eat cereal a lot, even for dinner during the summer when it’s too hot to cook and eat heavy meals. I can get five meals or so out of a box of cereal. Add a piece of toast and milk, and it costs you maybe $1.25 for a meal. That’s cheaper than a microwave dinner or a frozen pizza or even a can of soup. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cost-of-cereal-is-too-much/190930/6 "2003-07-25T20:27:06Z")
It wasn’t all that long ago that the cereal manufacturers were braying about their cost cuts. Cereals were really quite cheap for a while… a little while. I don’t like sugary cereals, and since I’m doing South Beach, they recommend the high fiber brands. I just about choked, and this was in SuperWalMart, so it’s the cheapest place around here. I haven’t even opened the box yet - it’s as if it’s something rare and precious and having it for a mere breakfast is tantamount to blasphemy! Absolutely nuts.