Are you feeling inflation?

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
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Billy Pilgrim
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Are you feeling inflation?

Post by Billy Pilgrim »

No hard evidence, just stories I have heard from others they notice that prices are going up on clothes and certain goods. What do you all think?
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Jake46
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Post by Jake46 »

Haven't really noticed it.
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Mel Lindauer
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Re: Are you feeling inflation?

Post by Mel Lindauer »

Billy Pilgrim wrote:No hard evidence, just stories I have heard from others they notice that prices are going up on clothes and certain goods. What do you all think?
It's hard for me to think of anything except real estate that's not going up.
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joe8d
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Post by joe8d »

It's hard for me to think of anything except real estate that's not going up.
That and TV's.The basic necessities have gone up.
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bearwolf
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Re: Are you feeling inflation?

Post by bearwolf »

Billy Pilgrim wrote:No hard evidence, just stories I have heard from others they notice that prices are going up on clothes and certain goods. What do you all think?
I met inflation the other day I didn't think about asking to feel her as well. :D Dang it!

BearWolf
paulsiu
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Post by paulsiu »

I notice food has gone up over the years, unless I plan to eat from the dollar menu forever. Fuel went up but is steady these days. I gotten a notice from my township that the water rate are going up. My electric utilities now charge me a "delivery fee", it's about half of my electric bill. Thanks a lot.

Clothings and stuff on the other hand hasn't gone up, but I have heard on the news that retailers are trying to hike some of the prices now that people are buying more stuff these days.

Paul
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nisiprius
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Post by nisiprius »

Certainly nothing like the late 1970s-early 1980s. We had a couple of decades of the most consistent, moderate inflation in history. Then a year or so of near-zero inflation. I'm not sure what I'm seeing now. Being semiretired I'm fairly interested in inflation but the only thing that's happened that's really hurt is health care inflation (reflected in our insurance premiums).

You always selectively notice the price increases. You don't notice the stable prices because you take it for granted. You tend not to notice price decreases because you attribute them to your skill at shopping. You see the grocery store's $0.89-a-pound special on whole chicken and you say "Have we got space in the freezer," not "Oh, evidence of deflation."

It all reminds me of a year we spent on a Caribbean island near the equator, with constant 12-hour days, 85 degree temperature, and 10 mph trade winds. The locals were constantly fanning themselves and saying "Oh, it's so hot today, I can't stand it," or complaining about how chilly it was--and we couldn't tell the difference. Decades of unprecedented price stability have made people hypersensitive to price fluctuation.
paulsiu wrote:...unless I plan to eat from the dollar menu forever.
Yes, eat-out fast food--both the big national chains and the delis--seems to have been increasing in price much faster than grocery-store food prices.
Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness; Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.
Sidney
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Re: Are you feeling inflation?

Post by Sidney »

Mel Lindauer wrote:
Billy Pilgrim wrote:No hard evidence, just stories I have heard from others they notice that prices are going up on clothes and certain goods. What do you all think?
It's hard for me to think of anything except real estate that's not going up.
for us, a few things have gone down (electric rates, property taxes, electronics - we don't buy much of this but they are down). I'd have to check but I think our homeowners insurance is down a bit this year.

a lot is flat - wine, health insurance, most restaurants in the area have not raised prices. They guy that does our lawn has held the price since 2007.

Clothing is going up because of the bad cotton crop. Some other things are up relative to the deep discounts in 2009 I would guess. Air fares are way up but flying is such a PITA these days that I avoid it as much as I can.
I always wanted to be a procrastinator.
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bearwolf
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Re: Are you feeling inflation?

Post by bearwolf »

Sidney wrote:a lot is flat - wine, health insurance, most restaurants in the area have not raised prices. They guy that does our lawn has held the price since 2007.
Have you gotten your insurance premiums for next year yet? Our cost of insurance is going from about $15000 to almost $17000 in 2011. That's almost 14%.

BearWolf

Edit: I failed to include the deductible amount for 2010. I changed the increase from %40 to %14.
Grasshopper
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Post by Grasshopper »

Except for medical BCBS, YTD for 2009/2010 are very close. Ms. Grasshopper and I both jumped to higher range age categories. Our increase was $69. I was expecting more of an increase.

Last week I bought 3 new get this ORGANIC cotton polo's at Wally-world for 3 bucks each. Ms. Grasshopper bought 3 pairs of hiking socks for a buck each. I think I did better.

I forgot I also bought a 3-piece 71/2 circular saw, drill/screwdriver, with flashlight, 18 volt cordless combo for $64. Amazon has it for $122 when I checked.
Last edited by Grasshopper on Sun Nov 14, 2010 9:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
Ron
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Post by Ron »

Grasshopper wrote:Ms. Grasshopper and I both jumped....
Isn't that what grasshoppers do :roll: ???

- Ron
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norookie
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Post by norookie »

Ron wrote:
Grasshopper wrote:Ms. Grasshopper and I both jumped....
Isn't that what grasshoppers do :roll: ???

- Ron
Quite witty Ron :wink: . I certainly notice it across the board. I should change my sig line to "Starve the beast" meaning any "discretionary spending". :wink:
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Sidney
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Re: Are you feeling inflation?

Post by Sidney »

bearwolf wrote:
Sidney wrote:a lot is flat - wine, health insurance, most restaurants in the area have not raised prices. They guy that does our lawn has held the price since 2007.
Have you gotten your insurance premiums for next year yet? Our cost of insurance is going from about $15000 to almost $17000 in 2011. That's almost 14%.

BearWolf

Edit: I failed to include the deductible amount for 2010. I changed the increase from %40 to %14.
Health insurance is flat for 2011. Mine is retiree medical. could be that they had good experience this year - health insurance for companies isn't insurance it is administrative fee for service.
I always wanted to be a procrastinator.
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SpringMan
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Post by SpringMan »

On food products I have noticed that often prices remain constant but the package sizes are getting smaller. That means price per ounce is going up. Typically we buy raisin bran on sale for $2 a box. A year ago it was the 24.5 oz box, then it went down to the 20 oz box, now it is the 15 oz box on sale for two bucks. I like it when the stores show the cost per oz, it is harder to get fooled.
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Re: Are you feeling inflation?

Post by Fear and Loathing »

bearwolf wrote:
Sidney wrote:a lot is flat - wine, health insurance, most restaurants in the area have not raised prices. They guy that does our lawn has held the price since 2007.
Have you gotten your insurance premiums for next year yet? Our cost of insurance is going from about $15000 to almost $17000 in 2011. That's almost 14%.

BearWolf

Edit: I failed to include the deductible amount for 2010. I changed the increase from %40 to %14.
Consider yourself lucky. They have eliminated much of the coverage and eliminated much of the network. Increased the deductible and premiums have increased by 25+%.
Chuck T
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Post by Chuck T »

We are retired and have BC/BS health insurance. It goes up ever year and will go up another $31 per month starting in January 2011. Then there is food and gas prices. Both continue to rise.
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3CT_Paddler
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Post by 3CT_Paddler »

Food and gas prices are going up. I see a lot of wage deflation and commodity inflation. That sounds like --economic/political policy comment deleted--
tim1999
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Post by tim1999 »

One thing I have definitely noticed is that food packaging, cereal especially, is shrinking although the prices are staying the same. One particular box of store-brand cereal I buy has probably shrunk by about 25%.

Otherwise, the increases in my expenses have been pretty minor the past few years. Gasoline fluctuates. Property taxes always go up. Restaurant prices have been steady here. Some home improvement-type work by contractors has gone down a bit.
GammaPoint
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Post by GammaPoint »

Not really. The price of pinenuts has skyrocketed, but that's apparently from a really bad harvest in China last year. Other than that, I haven't really felt it, although perhaps if I kept a more detailed budget I'd be able to see something (although presumably inflation would get lost in the noise then).
kerry75
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Post by kerry75 »

I have to second Cherokee8215's and SpringMan's comments; food prices/household items have definitely gone up largely through smaller packages for the same price-tuna fish, Graham crackers, paper towels, detergent, etc. It's definitely a stealth operation.

Eggs are a special case. In a package of large eggs they are routinely slipping in some smaller ones.

I love it when they label a package of paper towels as "8 Rolls Equal 12 Rolls!". Can we respond, " One Dollar Equals Two Dollars!!" ?
Last edited by kerry75 on Sun Nov 14, 2010 4:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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DA
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Re: Are you feeling inflation?

Post by DA »

bearwolf wrote:Have you gotten your insurance premiums for next year yet? Our cost of insurance is going from about $15000 to almost $17000 in 2011. That's almost 14%.
+10% here for the employee contribution to employer provided health insurance. Same insurance company, no change in coverage.
david99
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Post by david99 »

I see inflation in some areas such as the grocery store and health insurance but not in other areas such as clothes.
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Billy Pilgrim
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Post by Billy Pilgrim »

According to Walmart, it is already here.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/40135092
chaz
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Post by chaz »

Chuck T wrote:We are retired and have BC/BS health insurance. It goes up ever year and will go up another $31 per month starting in January 2011. Then there is food and gas prices. Both continue to rise.
I notice the same items going up.
Chaz | | “Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons." Woody Allen | | http://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
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Padlin
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Post by Padlin »

Year to year I really haven't noticed any real impact. cumulatively over the last 3 or 4 years I have noticed it. 2 years of no raises, and a couple 1-2%'ers makes one notice. I'm very aware that most prices are up well over what the government tells me they are.
Regards | Bob
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jh
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Post by jh »

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MWCA
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Post by MWCA »

No. We are spending less this year than last year. If we figure right it should come out around 700 less for the whole year. The big savings are utilities and groceries.

Coffee is slightly up. Proteins seem to be down in our area. Wine cheap as ever!

Rent and home ownership no change since we do both. Health insurance paid for.
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tetractys
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Post by tetractys »

I've noticed coffee shops are charging slightly more; but grocery stores are not. But for me everything else seems to be in deflation. Pallets of 12 cup coffee makers at Walmart from between 5 and 7 dollars caught my eye today. Food prices seem to be dropping, in grocery stores and restaurants, and there are lots of specials. Clothing is definitely cheaper, by maybe 30%. Even doctors office and dentist visits have dropped in price around here. I don't understand what's going on with that, except that it seems like some of my care providers are undercutting the insurance companies. I also expect to negotiate lower rent soon, maybe within the next 6 months. -- Tet
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rcshouldis
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Re: Are you feeling inflation?

Post by rcshouldis »

Billy Pilgrim wrote:No hard evidence, just stories I have heard from others they notice that prices are going up on clothes and certain goods. What do you all think?
Food defintely.
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