Sugar: Get in While It's Still Cheap

"Good God Almighty!" The woman in front of me had reached the age at which she no longer cared what anyone thought of her. After nearly running into me with her shopping cart? and clearly not caring about it? she paused to pick up a pack of Baltimore's famous Berger cookies.<!--more--> She squinted, unable to make out the price tag at first. Then came the scream. "$4.59! Good God almighty, I don't like 'em that much!" Throwing the box of cookies down with disgust, she shuffled off mumbling under her breath.

Around Baltimore, Berger cookies are legendary for their taste and their artery clogging abilities. They're essentially sugar cookies that have been slathered with a thick chocolate icing. There's not a whole lot to them, just eggs, milk, sugar, flour, and cocoa for the chocolate. However, the prices for virtually every one of these ingredients has soared in the last year. Eggs are up 45% in the last eight months. Wheat recently hit a record high. And milk prices are competing with gasoline on a per gallon basis.