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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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letsgobobby
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Post by letsgobobby »

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Mrs.Feeley
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by Mrs.Feeley »

Work boots. Have you priced those lately? They're like $70 to $100. I bought my last pair for $25 at Kinney's.

I used to buy these great flannel/fleece-lined men's shirts from LL.Bean. A few years ago they were $35 each which I thought was insane. But I figured what the hey, I can both work and sleep in one all winter long. This year they're $65! WTH!
ilmartello
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by ilmartello »

1. IPAD
2. DRINKS AT RESTAURANTS WHEN IT'S NOT HAPPY HOUR
3. beef jerky
4. blu-ray dvds
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BigD53
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by BigD53 »

A box of laundry soap at the Grocery store: $23.99 !!? :annoyed Even at Walmart it's 18 bucks or so. For soap?

(I've never seen a $4,000 sofa. You must live in a better neighborhood. :lol: )
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Imperabo
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by Imperabo »

Blu-rays
Angst
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by Angst »

Pecans.

In the last 2 years or so, they seem to have about doubled in price. Now Trader Joe's sells them in 8oz rather than 1lb bags, unlike all the other nuts which are still available in 1lb bags. I think I heard or read somewhere that Chinese demand has driven the price rise.
snyder66
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by snyder66 »

Bread.
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leonidas
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by leonidas »

Used vehicles. We were in the market for a newer vehicle last month and the prices of the used cars were so close to new we just bought our first new car in a decade.
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leonidas
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by leonidas »

And dairy products too! Seems like whenever I hit bj's some diary product just jumped in price. The latest was the 96 slice kraft cheese. Now 11.99 from about 10 six months ago.

My kids love cheese.
bungalow10
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by bungalow10 »

letsgobobby wrote:-

- furniture. wow, $4000 for a sofa. Who has this kind of money?

- window blinds and drapes. My friend spent $10,000 on interior blinds and I would've guessed 'a few hundred bucks.'

- cabinet depth refrigerator. $3000 and up. No thanks, my fridge will be sticking out an extra 4 inches.
These are all examples of overpaying for something that doesn't have to be expensive.
An elephant for a dime is only a good deal if you need an elephant and have a dime.
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HardKnocker
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by HardKnocker »

BigD53 wrote:A box of laundry soap at the Grocery store: $23.99 !!? :annoyed Even at Walmart it's 18 bucks or so. For soap?

(I've never seen a $4,000 sofa. You must live in a better neighborhood. :lol: )
WalMart has Xtra brand liquid laundry soap for $7.99 that does 160 loads. It works fine.

The brand name soap (Tide, etc.) is very highly priced.
“Gold gets dug out of the ground, then we melt it down, dig another hole, bury it again and pay people to stand around guarding it. It has no utility.”--Warren Buffett
snyder66
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by snyder66 »

I'm not sure Kraft cheese qualifies as dairy... :D
Sidney
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by Sidney »

snyder66 wrote:I'm not sure Kraft cheese qualifies as dairy... :D
Probably belongs in automotive.
I always wanted to be a procrastinator.
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Boglenaut
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by Boglenaut »

Anything medical.
Grt2bOutdoors
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by Grt2bOutdoors »

1) A general practicioner's visit - $200 for 10 minutes, that's some hourly rate, no wonder he's only in 3 days a week and still drives a Caddy to boot!

2) Peanut butter!!!

3) Bag of grass seed.

4) Gallon of heating oil.

5) Toll to cross the George Washington Bridge.

6) A hot NYC pretzel! - $2, used to be 50 cents.

7) Coffee!!
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RadAudit
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by RadAudit »

In response to every new price increase in soft drink prices, my father used to say "that nickel Coke will be the death of me, yet." It was a the earliest example I remember of anchoring a price in the past in order to make a comparison to today's market. It didn't change the price of a Coke.

I guess the best approach would be to substitute one brand for another where we can and to invest so we can stay ahead of the curve.
FI is the best revenge. LBYM. Invest the rest. Stay the course. Die anyway. - PS: The cavalry isn't coming, kids. You are on your own.
compounder
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by compounder »

Newspapers.

The inflation rate on the price of most newspapers is astounding.
jebmke
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by jebmke »

GRT2BOUTDOORS wrote:1) A general practitioner's visit - $200 for 10 minutes, that's some hourly rate, no wonder he's only in 3 days a week and still drives a Caddy to boot!
Next time, try the barber. I get a 30 minute haircut for $25 + $5 Tip. $60 an hour is better than $200.
Stay hydrated; don't sweat the small stuff
RobertAlanK
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by RobertAlanK »

English gin. Just one thing I noticed this past weekend on a trip to the ABC store for my regular brand. Nothing top-shelf, but it's up nearly 10% from just a few months ago.
hicabob
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by hicabob »

when we whine about the price of parts my machinist always says - " you wouldn't believe the price of aluminum nowadays!"
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Igglesman
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by Igglesman »

Parking and Handling/Shipping for concerts and tickets.
beareconomy
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by beareconomy »

toilet paper.
Valuethinker
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by Valuethinker »

leonidas wrote:Used vehicles. We were in the market for a newer vehicle last month and the prices of the used cars were so close to new we just bought our first new car in a decade.
Car sales went off a cliff in 2008-09 and thus there is a dearth of used cars of the 2-3 year old age.

It is estimated the North American car market will not recover to its 2007 peak of about 16 million vehicles until 2018 or so.

So therefore there are going to be fewer used cars around.
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by Valuethinker »

compounder wrote:Newspapers.

The inflation rate on the price of most newspapers is astounding.
Dying industry, so, rationally, they are milking what remains of their customer base.

Free newspapers have become a big thing, at least here. The logical opposite innovation.
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by Valuethinker »

letsgobobby wrote:- jeans, when they're not on sale. $50 for Levis? WTH? I pay $15, $20 if I'm desperate and only after my old ones are being amputated at the knee.
As clothing I guess it entirely depends on which brand and where you buy?

Cotton prices have doubled.
- furniture. wow, $4000 for a sofa. Who has this kind of money?
That's consistent although for 'customized' as to size, sofabed, fabric etc.
- window blinds and drapes. My friend spent $10,000 on interior blinds and I would've guessed 'a few hundred bucks.'
You can spend crazy money if you bespoke it (ie custom made).
- cabinet depth refrigerator. $3000 and up. No thanks, my fridge will be sticking out an extra 4 inches.
Non standard items they kill you.
- hotel rooms in New York - but at least it's nothing new.

that's all on my list today. That's enough.
T'was ever thus ;-). The various bargain finding websites can help.
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by Valuethinker »

Igglesman wrote:Parking and Handling/Shipping for concerts and tickets.
that's called 'bundled pricing': you are less sensitive to the costs of extras than you are to the headline price, so providers 'bundle'.
Valuethinker
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by Valuethinker »

hicabob wrote:when we whine about the price of parts my machinist always says - " you wouldn't believe the price of aluminum nowadays!"
The China factor. From memory, roughly trebled in 5 years.
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by Valuethinker »

GRT2BOUTDOORS wrote:1) A general practicioner's visit - $200 for 10 minutes, that's some hourly rate, no wonder he's only in 3 days a week and still drives a Caddy to boot!
Hi I am being contrarian in my points below. It's not intended to be personal or to needle you. I think the price of everything is set by the microeconomics: the mixture of supply, demand, market power of the producer and the amount of information (and ability to switch) available to the customer.

On doctors, the problem as always is the customer does not know what they need, and a third party is paying. There is a very famous paper by Kenneth Arrow about healthcare economics (in fact, it could be said to have invented the field).
2) Peanut butter!!!
US still has peanut subsidies I think. However food manufacture is generally an oligopoly-- a handful of manufacturers make most of the food out there-- so they control margins. My suggestion is to try store brands (assuming your grocery has them) and to try WalMart.
3) Bag of grass seed.
It depends how much a 'nice' lawn matters to you. Local grasses and weeds would be better for insects (and thus birds and other wildlife). Kentucky Blue Grass is apparently a European import (who knew?). A 'lawn' in the classic North American sense is an import from 18th century England (ie you were rich enough to have servants to cut your grass) and is therefore something of a bowlderisation. I would expect, in water poor parts of the USA, that in 30 years lawns will be completely circumscribed.
4) Gallon of heating oil.
AFAIK there is no tax on this? So it's the world price of oil + refining and distribution margin (neither is a high profit industry). The world price of oil is inflated by growth in China and India in driving, plus artificially low prices for gasoline in oil producing countries, plus Libyan production is off market at the moment, and the big find (Brasil offshore) is several years to come.

Since new barrels of oil (Canadian tar sands, Brasil off shore) are coming in at marginal costs of $60-80/barrel, that's where the world oil price starts. Big increases in production are not likely, and neither are sharp falls in consumption, even if China goes off the boil.

As ever, insulate insulate insulate. And leakproof. Get a thermal scan and leak test. And look into heat pump technology. Solar hot water also has a payback (it does not if you heat water with gas, but if you are oil fired, it can).
5) Toll to cross the George Washington Bridge.
I shall take an economist's viewpoint. Do you suffer inordinate delay? Then it's not high enough. Tolls should be priced at the marginal cost of delay to the user who values it most highly.
6) A hot NYC pretzel! - $2, used to be 50 cents.
Most of this is service costs + rent which tend to rise with all NYC prices.
7) Coffee!!
Arguably coffee prices were too low. They were headed downwards for decades (after inflation). Now they are catching back up. IF (big IF) the benefits accrue back to the farmers in the countries where coffee is produced, this is nothing but a good thing.
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by jwtietz »

Not to get off the subject of price increases but if you want a SXS ref counter depth you should look at this now, as it is on sale. Samsung - 24.5 Cu. Ft. Counter-Depth Side-by-Side Refrigerator not to advertise for them but the price is only 1499 at bestbuy. I bought this ref and it is very nice. Most of the ones I had looked at didn't have the ice through the door or were smaller and much more $$.
hsv_climber
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by hsv_climber »

VTI (Vanguard Total Stock Market Index ETF). Only 2.5 years ago, someone could buy it for $35 / share. Today it is $64.51. Ridiculous.
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SpringMan
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by SpringMan »

Gold and silver.
Best Wishes, SpringMan
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rob
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by rob »

Should be nothing on this list.... Inflation is low and those of us that know that is bunk are thought to have tin hats around these parts. Must be all your imaginations......
| Rob | Its a dangerous business going out your front door. - J.R.R.Tolkien
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Opponent Process
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by Opponent Process »

I can't believe the hedonic value I get in Apple products.
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DetroitRed
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by DetroitRed »

hsv_climber wrote:VTI (Vanguard Total Stock Market Index ETF). Only 2.5 years ago, someone could buy it for $35 / share. Today it is $64.51. Ridiculous.
Good one.
leod
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by leod »

new Rolex 5K watch I looked at 4 years ago, new one now it's priced >7K
i<3Investing
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by i<3Investing »

a candybar. For some reason spending over a dollar on a candy bar seems wrong.
Valuethinker
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by Valuethinker »

DetroitRed wrote:
hsv_climber wrote:VTI (Vanguard Total Stock Market Index ETF). Only 2.5 years ago, someone could buy it for $35 / share. Today it is $64.51. Ridiculous.
Good one.
Out of couriousity, what's the price 4 years ago, say 1st January 2008? About $62.00?

;-). ;-).

'Past performance is no guarantee of future performance' as the UK boilerplate for retail financial products goes.
Valuethinker
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by Valuethinker »

rob wrote:Should be nothing on this list.... Inflation is low and those of us that know that is bunk are thought to have tin hats around these parts. Must be all your imaginations......
I don't think there is anyone here who ever argued that. Just some examples of things we are all aware have moved up faster than US CPI

- price of US healthcare has both risen much faster than inflation, and suffers compared to any other developed country of which I know (on the order of twice as much for the same care)

- price of services generally rises faster than US CPI

- price of raw materials of all kinds have shot up much much faster than inflation

- US price of gasoline has risen faster than general inflation (because you don't have the taxation levels, it is more geared to the oil price than ours, say, in percentage terms)

Don't know about rents (which is what the CPI uses, roughly) but US housing prices are down c. 50% over the last 4 years.
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by Helloeeze »

Large jar of mixed nuts from Costco. For years they were $9.99. I hadn't bought any in a year so I didn't realize that now they are $15.99 for the same exact jar.
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by stoptothink »

HardKnocker wrote:
BigD53 wrote:A box of laundry soap at the Grocery store: $23.99 !!? :annoyed Even at Walmart it's 18 bucks or so. For soap?

(I've never seen a $4,000 sofa. You must live in a better neighborhood. :lol: )
WalMart has Xtra brand liquid laundry soap for $7.99 that does 160 loads. It works fine.

The brand name soap (Tide, etc.) is very highly priced.
You can also very easily make it on your own, for about 1/30th the cost. I have done it in the past and it was amazing. Since I do 2-3 loads of laundry a month now, no point in expending the effort when a $8 box of soap can last me multiple years.

Most of the listed items, well at least the ones which I purchase(such as jeans), can be found for much much cheaper. I have frugal shopping down to a science.
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camper
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by camper »

A bag of salmon fillets at Costco. We used to buy them every trip at $16.99. For the last couple years they have been $21.99-$22.99. So we have gone without.
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by Rick Ferri »

Investment management services! :wink:
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xerty24
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by xerty24 »

Rick Ferri wrote:Investment management services! :wink:
That's just recency bias ;). Back in 2007 the typical AUM fees were higher than today (due to more assets), and they were much much cheaper in early 2009 than they are now or previously.
No excuses, no regrets.
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ryuns
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by ryuns »

I often deliberately take the opposite approach and marvel at how cheap some things are.

Bottom of the line Vizio tablet computer from Costco for $189. It's made out of glass and plastic and silicon and, I dunno, magic? $189 to play high def videos that appear from nothing--I just move my finger around and an elf apparently makes 1's and 0's turn in to a picture almost indistinguishable from reality.

Ramen is still 20 cents a bag. I mean, it's crap food but the process is something like: grain is grown somewhere, shipped to somewhere else, a bunch of obscure chemicals are added and a weird noodle-like brick is made, wrapped in plastic (don't forget the seasoning!), which is shipped to some port, to some distribution center, to a conveniently-located grocery store, then it's in your hands. For 20 cents.

Ryan
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by epilnk »

letsgobobby wrote: - cabinet depth refrigerator. $3000 and up. No thanks, my fridge will be sticking out an extra 4 inches.
Ah, I envy those of you with a kitchen so vast that 4 inches doesn't matter. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to open the oven with a standard size fridge. But there are plenty of cabinet depth refrigerators in the $1000-2000 range, though I've seen them online for less.
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by Boglenaut »

Valuethinker wrote:
DetroitRed wrote:
hsv_climber wrote:VTI (Vanguard Total Stock Market Index ETF). Only 2.5 years ago, someone could buy it for $35 / share. Today it is $64.51. Ridiculous.
Good one.
Out of couriousity, what's the price 4 years ago, say 1st January 2008? About $62.00?

;-). ;-).

'Past performance is no guarantee of future performance' as the UK boilerplate for retail financial products goes.
Actually, it is amazing how low ER's and trading costs have gone down. I cannot believe it, but in a good way.
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by grabiner »

Valuethinker wrote:
leonidas wrote:Used vehicles. We were in the market for a newer vehicle last month and the prices of the used cars were so close to new we just bought our first new car in a decade.
Car sales went off a cliff in 2008-09 and thus there is a dearth of used cars of the 2-3 year old age.
But this situation has been around for much longer. I bought a new Honda Civic in 2006 because the new car cost less per mile to drive to 120K miles than a used one with 40K would cost to drive 80K miles. The reverse was true when I bought my first car in 2001, because of a huge supply of three-year-old leased cars.
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tludwig23
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by tludwig23 »

Euros
hicabob
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by hicabob »

tludwig23 wrote:Euros
Things do seem very expensive in Euro-land if you are US dollar based ... but Australia/NZ are even more so. Perhaps the USD is reaching the low side of the spread?
Mr. Gatti
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Re: I can't believe the price of...

Post by Mr. Gatti »

Similac Sensitive for Spit-Up ready-to-feed baby formula.

Had been getting at Walmart for 4.25/bottle while powder was unavailable. Powder became available and ready-to-feed price went to 6.47 overnight. It's a racket I tell you.
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