Inflation: How Much Did You Spend?

[Inversion]

With the out-of-control inflation everything is ridiculously expensive. Post experiences you've had while purchasing goods or services. It seems they're going to price us out of existence.

49216

[Sue (Ayt)]

One cantaloupe yesterday - $5.99
Can't wait til the ones I planted grow!

[Casey Claar]

It is an interesting phenomena, really........ regardless of how little I have, and the numbers I work with are quite small, exaggerated by the fact I live in California, I always have enough. Reality is somehow ( even more ) malleable when you live in a magical mind. This is what I have concluded. Heaven and Earth do move us in magical ways. Fitting, of course, to our lifetime and mindset. My Dad taught me two important things for which I am eternally grateful. He taught me more, but these two things lay at a basis-- 1) never use credit or function in debt, and 2) always work for ( /employ ) yourself. These two ideas do serve me well. They help hold me up out of lower flowing rivers. Above any great difficulty.

[Inversion]

A double-double hamburger at In-n-Out has gone from about $3.50 to $5.05. I was surprised they were able to keep the price that low. A hamburger at Carl's Jr. costs about $9.00.

[Antagenet]

Prices here in Mexico. All utilities (electricity, water, gas) same price, no inflation.
Local fruits and veggies. No inflation.
Imported supermarket foods.. up about 20% from last year.

[shaberon]

I noticed the other day:

"Non-ethanol gas" = $5.50.

That's "real gasoline".

Most of our gas "looks" cheaper, because it is cut with 10-15% ethanol. But that is something we already paid for due to the "corn subsidy". Moreover it will wreck the gaskets in your engine. So what we are normally calling "gas" is not even gas, but some defective imitation. Real gas is more expensive than Premium Ethanol.

Otherwise, a frozen pizza I used to get for $6 is now $8.

In the 90s, the grocers said they raised prices because of gas--but when that gas inflation dropped back to reasonable levels, did the food prices roll back? Hell no! Yes in recent times, quite a noticeable bump in addition.

My answer beforehand was to just default on everything, and they took it back with a lien, for which I paid about $2,700 in legal fees for someone to make a filing and do absolutely nothing for several years.

Since I don't have anything, I won't buy anything, and never will. Aside from necessities, my "participation" in the economy is nothing. Everything else is from the gray market.

New cars = zero

New furniture = zero

New clothing = zero

Meat, alcohol, and other trendy garbage = zero

Whoever was wasting their time researching my demographic for marketing purposes was probably paid considerably better than me. I thought they should have revoked that whole department. I bet it is still a desirable and glamorous job. Sorry. The populace you are preying on is dying off, that is your future.

[Inversion]

I was in two grocery stores this morning and a bagel shop and the standard block of cream cheese is now nearly five dollars. It's cheaper to buy it in bulk at a wholesale/warehouse club. If purchased in the large tub it'll spoil before completely used by an average family. They do sell multi-packs of the blocks.

freeze-cream-cheese (https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/can-you-freeze-cream-cheese#bottom-line)

Cream cheese and other cream cheese products can be frozen in their original packaging or stored in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

Once you’re ready to use the cream cheese, simply thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and add it to recipes like soups, sauces, dips, casseroles, and baked goods.

[Antagenet]

2 Chicken legs and thighs and a 2 kilo (4.4 pound) bag of a variety of chicken bones (for soup)
total 70 pesos Mexican = $3.43 usd.

[CurEus]

It may be an for Avalonians idea to do a weekly round up of grocery staples pricing.
I am aware we have varied diets but it is useful to see how global events are impacting people worldwide.

Off the top of my head I think Milk, eggs, butter, flour, flour ground/minced beef, chicken, pork can of tuna, sardines, Spam ( a dubious luncheon meat) or whatever goto items one purchases regularly would prove invaluable. I expect many are familiar with "shrinkflation" where by amounts are reduced but prices are held in check. I am a bit of an outlier with foods tho, I purchase from local farms where possible and generally don't consume packaged "foods" grains, legumes or seed oils.

But I can still track some items and contribute a bit of data from my area! I'll also list "shortages" or "purchase limits".

I have heard meat and cheeses are being "security tagged" in the UK and came across this article that SPAM is now being placed in secure containers.

https://twitter.com/willystaley/status/1552736176590708736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

[Ravenlocke]

(Personally our electric bill has gone up almost double of last months and we are careful with using power, whether it’s laundry, washing dishes having an electric water heater, cooking on electric stove, cooling we keep at 79 degrees and use ceiling fans in most lived in rooms in the house, bedroom and sitting room. Low voltage light bulbs as well).

https://twitter.com/GoldTelegraph_/status/1562821160005681159
1562821160005681159

[DeDukshyn]

Prices here in Mexico. All utilities (electricity, water, gas) same price, no inflation.
Local fruits and veggies. No inflation.
Imported supermarket foods.. up about 20% from last year.

In Canada the price of almost everything (including housing, cars, etc) has gone up 15-20% or even more in the last two years. Mayo is now over $7 for a small jar ... was about $4 two years ago. Cheaper to make my own now (and really easy). I noticed a couple things starting to go back down recently.

There's some things that I can still find for a good price if I can hold out for a sale. Found a 5 pack of chicken legs/thighs with backs attached for ~$6 a few weeks ago, and a whole pork shoulder and leg for ~$30 last winter. Have to shop for the sales though these days and keep the freezer / pantry stocked to get you from one major sale to the next.

It sucks right now because I am financially struggling and having to choose between food and gas. I don't need a lot of money to live, but covering the basics without stressing is something everyone should have access to, IMHO.

[DeDukshyn]

It may be an for Avalonians idea to do a weekly round up of grocery staples pricing.
I am aware we have varied diets but it is useful to see how global events are impacting people worldwide.

Off the top of my head I think Milk, eggs, butter, flour, flour ground/minced beef, chicken, pork can of tuna, sardines, Spam ( a dubious luncheon meat) or whatever goto items one purchases regularly would prove invaluable. I expect many are familiar with "shrinkflation" where by amounts are reduced but prices are held in check. I am a bit of an outlier with foods tho, I purchase from local farms where possible and generally don't consume packaged "foods" grains, legumes or seed oils.

But I can still track some items and contribute a bit of data from my area! I'll also list "shortages" or "purchase limits".

I have heard meat and cheeses are being "security tagged" in the UK and came across this article that SPAM is now being placed in secure containers.

https://twitter.com/willystaley/status/1552736176590708736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Wonder how hard it would be to set up a web facing database with an entry form and basic report builder? Well actually I do know (not that hard) ... I guess I'm asking if this would be a worthwhile endeavour. Could we use the Avalon server to set up a basic MySQL DB and form? (also there are a lot of other cloud options) I suppose I could help with the setup if anyone is interested.

[Ravenlocke]

Eggs too have gone up in price including non organic and also getting scarce, they don’t keep them stocked as much as they used too.

I used to buy 3 dozen for $3.99 at a local grocer but now it’s $5.99 maybe even more now.

The coffee has gone up from $10 to $15 in less than six months, I had to switch to a cheaper brand and that now is also high and I don’t like it, I like the dark roast. I was lucky to buy an espresso grounds in a 5 ten ounce packs for $9 a few months ago and now that has gone up to $15.

Cooking oil, olive oil, grape seed oil all went up, the grape seed was 7 now over 9 for a liter and still going up.
Virgin olive oil over 20 a liter, what I used to get for under 12.

Butter has gone up too but I don’t have the amount at the moment.

Lemons, garlic, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, spinach, all up in price. Gave up avocados they’re too expensive now too.
Fresh ginger is still $2.99 a pound and fresh turmeric still $6.99 a pound. Cilantro is no longer 2 bunches for a dollar, one for a dollar and Italian parsley is over a dollar.
Fruits vary but that sometimes has to do with whether they’re in season or not.
Potatoes have gone up too, used to be 99c a pound most variety but now $1.69 a pound or more.
All produce I shop for has gone up really.
Every week now I find the prices go up.
Meats have gone up quite a bit too. But I can still get a Costco chicken for $4.99 and I get three meals from it for us.

[aKnightThatSaysNi]

It is an interesting phenomena, really........ regardless of how little I have, and the numbers I work with are quite small, exaggerated by the fact I live in California, I always have enough. Reality is somehow ( even more ) malleable when you live in a magical mind. This is what I have concluded. Heaven and Earth do move us in magical ways. Fitting, of course, to our lifetime and mindset. My Dad taught me two important things for which I am eternally grateful. He taught me more, but these two things lay at a basis-- 1) never use credit or function in debt, and 2) always work for ( /employ ) yourself. These two ideas do serve me well. They help hold me up out of lower flowing rivers. Above any great difficulty.

I like these ideas but doesn't it become difficult to work for yourself without taking on debt, at least initially?

[I am B]

It is hard to compare from country to country, but the increase in price and decrease in size is blatantly obvious and universal at this point.

The most impressive for me is butane gas, in Spain the bottle of butane gas, something extensively used here for heating and cooking in many houses, went from 13€ to 17€ in a week. And curious about the increase, I went to check it one week later, at the same place, and it had gone all the way up to 23€. That is almost a 100% increase in less than a month, even got a pic on my phone.

As an important note for all avalonians, something to keep an eye on is gas. Not only because of price, but because of it's way of "shrinkflation". It is well known here how low cost gas stations cut the gas with godknowswhat, to sell more quantity at the expense of you car injectors/carburator. We can only expect the reduction of the gas quality in the near future, which may make moving not only difficult because of the lack of cheap gas, but because the engine has been wrecked in one of the worse ways possible.

[Casey Claar]

It is an interesting phenomena, really........ regardless of how little I have, and the numbers I work with are quite small, exaggerated by the fact I live in California, I always have enough. Reality is somehow ( even more ) malleable when you live in a magical mind. This is what I have concluded. Heaven and Earth do move us in magical ways. Fitting, of course, to our lifetime and mindset. My Dad taught me two important things for which I am eternally grateful. He taught me more, but these two things lay at a basis-- 1) never use credit or function in debt, and 2) always work for ( /employ ) yourself. These two ideas do serve me well. They help hold me up out of lower flowing rivers. Above any great difficulty.

I like these ideas but doesn't it become difficult to work for yourself without taking on debt, at least initially?

Well there is a whole strata of work that involves only the person, the action they perform. My dad was an attorney, as an example, rather than work for a firm he worked independently, no overhead, really, save the office if he chose not to work from home. And a legal secretary, as they called them back then, which he brought on only once sufficient income was being generated. He never functioned from debt. I, myself, as another example have worked as a medical caregiver, likewise no overhead. There are many such jobs, many such opportunities to go the independent route. Which is not without its potential pitfalls, so you have to navigate wisely. <--by that I mostly just mean aligned well within yourself, listening inwardly to what you need to know. Inner being is always informing us, we have to be serious about listening.

[Bill Ryan]

Just published by the UK's The Sun: (which has hitherto been fiercely anti-Russia)

https://projectavalon.net/UK_and_Russia_prices.jpg



https://thesun.co.uk/news/19698308/russia-uk-prices-sanctions-food

Their headline:

SANCS A LOT: Welcome to sanction-hit Russia, where prices are DOWN as Brits suffer from soaring inflation

Food costs are also coming down every month and Vladimir Putin’s people are partying as if there is no war.

[Inversion]

I was in the grocery store this morning and picked up a small bag of green grapes. When I got to the register it rang-up at about $12.00 or $5.99 a pound. It said no GMO and I had the checker remove it. The price wasn't listed and the brand next to it was $2.99 a pound.

[lake]

I know that it is not a great deal but it is the % increase which made me think.
Normally I make my own bread but every now and then I haven't the time to do so and I buy a loaf.
A year ago a loaf was £1.25 in my local shop and then (about 2 months ago) it went up by 10p to £1.35.
Just bought a loaf (as I didn't have time to make one today) and it has changed in the last days to £1.65!
As has cat litter .... was £1.79 for 10 litres and now £2.59 (the cats will have to cross their legs .... I don't mean it .... they eat before me lol)

[Ravenlocke]

Bananas have gone up quite a bit. I thought 49 cents a pound was pricey but now they’re 79 cents a pound. Dairy has gone up, a small tub (16 ounces) of sour cream was $3.99 yesterday. It used to be under $2. Organic is over $5 for 16 ounces. Cod fish wild caught is over $9 a pound, that’s the best price I can find right now.

[Inversion]

The price for a 1 oz. bottle of oil of oregano from Amazon has gone from $30 to $41. If they sold 10 oz. bottles it would be $410. It's really good stuff and knocks down cold symptoms.

[Bill Ryan]

The price for a 1 oz. bottle of oil of oregano from Amazon has gone from $30 to $41. If they sold 10 oz. bottles it would be $410. It's really good stuff and knocks down cold symptoms.

UpNature sells their 4oz bottle of oregano oil for $9.99. (That's the brand I use all the time. :muscle: )

https://upnature.com/products/wild-oregano-oil-huge-4oz-bottle-pure-undiluted-unfiltered-oil-of-oregano-helps-relieve-colds-coughs-sore-throats-combats-candida-oregano-essential-oil-with-dropper-4-oz

:focus:

[Sue (Ayt)]

Went to buy a head of cauliflower at the local grocery store today.
$8.99 a head!
Did not buy it, no. I wonder if they will actually sell any at that price?

[Inversion]

I was in the grocery store this morning and a dozen eggs are now $6.50 USD & just under $9 for 18.

This post (https://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?115525-Manufactured-Food-Shortages--Eradication-of-Our-Food-Supply-&p=1530115&viewfull=1#post1530115) has an approximate number of chickens dead or destroyed since 2021.

[Casey Claar]

I bought a whole organic chicken, just of normal/medium size for the dogs at the house where I am working weekends ( as a Season's gift to them ) : $27 and change. As a reference point, when I was heading into my 20s in the mid 1980s a whole chicken cost roughly $3.99. I mean, I know things cost a lot, this one just hit me plenty.

[Lunesoleil]

The positive side, we return to the local. No more sweet potatoes that come from the United States. In France, the trend is towards recycling, furniture, clothing, manual activities, homemade is much better and more ecological and better for our health.
Reducing sugar is also a necessity, waste is good for the planet and be happier

[rgray222]

Just published by the UK's The Sun: (which has hitherto been fiercely anti-Russia)

https://projectavalon.net/UK_and_Russia_prices.jpg



https://thesun.co.uk/news/19698308/russia-uk-prices-sanctions-food

Their headline:

SANCS A LOT: Welcome to sanction-hit Russia, where prices are DOWN as Brits suffer from soaring inflation

Food costs are also coming down every month and Vladimir Putin’s people are partying as if there is no war.

I really had not paid much attention to this thread but when I finally did check it out this chart jumped off the page at me. Russia's inflation rate, based on three economic reporting agencies and one being the central bank of Russia the inflation rate was expected to be between 11-12% in 2022. The real number turned out to be 12.6% for the year. Not unlike the west the Bank of Russia is forecasting that the annual inflation will drop to 5.0–7.0% in 2023 and then return to 4% in 2024." That being the case (which I think is somewhat believable) then how could the prices for groceries be going down during a very high inflationary period? Everything I read including the Sun article which is the source for the chart says that Putin is subsidizing grocery prices.

So if Putin is actually subsidizing prices this does not bode well for him or the long-term outlook of the economy. Whatever source you care to use tells us that young Russian men are losing their lives in the Ukraine war in great numbers. If the Russian people had to put up with the tremendous loss of life and at the same time be subjected to rapidly increasing prices for everyday items it tells us that Putin's grip on power is tenuous at best.

Fuel is the one constant for Putin, without it subsidies would be doable but not sustainable in the long run. He is performing a delicate balancing act that could crumble around him if the price of fuel plummets for any protracted length of time.

[Sue (Ayt)]

The positive side, we return to the local. No more sweet potatoes that come from the United States. In France, the trend is towards recycling, furniture, clothing, manual activities, homemade is much better and more ecological and better for our health.
Reducing sugar is also a necessity, waste is good for the planet and be happier

I was stunned to hear from a (wealthy) relative yesterday who reported that many of her neighbors are turning their front yards into vegetable gardens. She is in Santa Monica. Granted, they are likely doing it for the trendiness and enviromental concern... but still it is a pretty cool trend, almost like the Victory Garden days. I always admired that idea of Victory Gardens being encouraged in those days.

[Casey Claar]

Santa Monica doesn't count, lol, ( it is a world unto itself ). In the past I might have meant this in a good way, I definitely would have, but anymore, wow, no..........It is beautiful, don't get me wrong, but it feels like something dark has taken over and infiltrated the people. It's hard to explain. It has grown to be elitist and is the height of how California itself stands in regard to the current global 'thing'. Sorry I went on a bit of a rant there. Let me come back to the topic. Food costs a lot there. Like crazy a lot. My $27+ chicken would have cost way more. I once ate a restaurant on Main Street, no prices on the menu ( common for the area ), I ordered the ravioli and received 5 whole ravioli spread wide on a plate for the bargain price of something like $30.

[Whiskey_Mystic]

I was recently in Berlin and everything except transportation seemed very inexpensive to me. A good meal out was half what I'm used to. A bottle of Johnnie Walker Red, about $32 in the US, was only €10. Groceries were quite affordable. I have no idea why, but I definitely noticed.

[Ricker]

I was in the grocery store this morning and a dozen eggs are now $6.50 USD & just under $9 for 18.

This post (https://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?115525-Manufactured-Food-Shortages--Eradication-of-Our-Food-Supply-&p=1530115&viewfull=1#post1530115) has an approximate number of chickens dead or destroyed since 2021.

Same here :-(

1 Dozen eggs went from 1.98$ to 4.98$.
Guess I'm guying chickens. (If they're not banned yet that is..)

Ricker

[Karen (Geophyz)]

Everything has gone up in price in Texas it seems. More and more people ask me how to start a home garden. I trade with my neighbors for goods I cannot raise myself. It is a habit we should all get into. I fear for those who live paycheck to paycheck and cannot get food on the table for their families. But population decrease is part of the grand plan.

[Ravenlocke]

I was in the grocery store this morning and a dozen eggs are now $6.50 USD & just under $9 for 18.

This post (https://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?115525-Manufactured-Food-Shortages--Eradication-of-Our-Food-Supply-&p=1530115&viewfull=1#post1530115) has an approximate number of chickens dead or destroyed since 2021.

Yes the shortage of eggs and rise in price is being attributed to “Avian flu and having to destroy infected chickens “.


https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/11/why-egg-prices-are-surging-but-chicken-prices-are-falling.html

Why egg prices are surging — but chicken prices are falling


https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-01-07/7-a-dozen-why-california-eggs-are-so-expensive-and-increasingly-hard-to-find

$7 a dozen? Why California eggs are so expensive — and increasingly hard to find

https://globalbusinessleadersmag.com/the-us-faces-egg-shortage-crisis-bird-flu/

The U.S. faces Egg shortage crisis with rising fear of Bird flu


I’ve been able to get two dozen organic eggs for $7.59 which were only under a dollar more than two dozen nonorganic eggs, last week.

[Lunesoleil]

I was stunned to hear from a (wealthy) relative yesterday who reported that many of her neighbors are turning their front yards into vegetable gardens. She is in Santa Monica. Granted, they are likely doing it for the trendiness and enviromental concern... but still it is a pretty cool trend, almost like the Victory Garden days. I always admired that idea of Victory Gardens being encouraged in those days.

In France, we had the demonstration of the bakers, bread being the emblem of the country, the energy crisis went through there. Rising prices will bring order to this consumerist society.
Politics has done everything to boost the electric car, the French who responded to the state's offer, felt fooled after the increase in electricity in the end charging the electric car costs more than gasoline, another scam. In recent years the meat has been doubled and even tripled due to organic products whose real motive was to increase the price.
I'm near a big city and here the houses are sprouting up like mushrooms in a laboratory and not leaving much room for a garden. Even if we can find collective or associative gardens, they are quite far from my home. There is a shared garden, in 2022 nothing has been planted... We just have to adapt to the changes to come

[Ravenlocke]

The positive side, we return to the local. No more sweet potatoes that come from the United States. In France, the trend is towards recycling, furniture, clothing, manual activities, homemade is much better and more ecological and better for our health.
Reducing sugar is also a necessity, waste is good for the planet and be happier

I was stunned to hear from a (wealthy) relative yesterday who reported that many of her neighbors are turning their front yards into vegetable gardens. She is in Santa Monica. Granted, they are likely doing it for the trendiness and enviromental concern... but still it is a pretty cool trend, almost like the Victory Garden days. I always admired that idea of Victory Gardens being encouraged in those days.

You don’t need much room to grow a few veggies really. Have you ever heard of the book, “Square foot gardening?” It’s a good book for small space gardening, and container gardening is another option for folks who live in apartments you can still grow herbs and tomatoes or other veggie goodies that do well in containers? I grew pumpkins in a small five foot square one year in the front yard and my neighbor laughed at me because he thought the wild life would eat my plants before they grew. I didn’t have a fence around them. Didn’t happen though, I got five huge pumpkins which lasted me several months.

[Bill Ryan]

Very slightly off-topic, but I thought this was might be interesting to many. (To convert the prices to $/gallon, multiply by 3.785.)

https://t.me/Slavyangrad/29233

Slavyangrad/29233

[Inversion]

I was in Walmart today and their candy section only had about 1/3 the normal products on the shelves. There was nothing under $6.50 USD and they were small bags. I can see grocery stores morphing over the next year where entire sections are gone due to engineered shortages and extreme prices.

[Inversion]

Our natural gas bill has doubled from $100 per month to $200 USD. They said on a radio talk show that it could triple or quadruple. This is orchestrated to turn the screws on us. People will be turning off their gas valve and they'll have no heat, no hot water and won't be able to cook. Knowing them like I do this is a test run for something bigger they have planned in the near future which is more than likely connected to the depopulation agenda.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du6hFyZhtxM

The Aliso Canyon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliso_Canyon_gas_leak) gas leak happened in 2015. Had that thing completely ruptured a lot of people would have died. The calculations I made during the event was they had 184 cubic miles of gas stored underground at 2,700 psi.

Here's the Illuminati playing car that matches that event.
The Illuminati card game.... (https://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?58287-The-Illuminati-card-game....&p=1509995&viewfull=1#post1509995)
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Eopcb5UXEAM9EwA.png

[Inversion]

I was in the post office this morning and a sheet of twenty stamps is now $12.60 or $.63 each.

link (https://www.postageonlinenow.com/guides/forever-stamps-historical-value/)

Forever Stamps Historical Pricing:
July 10, 2022: $0.60
August 29, 2021: $0.58
January 29, 2020: $0.55
January 30, 2019: $0.55
January 23, 2018: $0.50
January 22, 2017: $0.49
April 10, 2016: $0.47
January 26, 2014: $0.49
January 27, 2013: $0.46
January 22, 2012: $0.45
May 11, 2009: $0.44
May 12, 2008: $0.42
April 12, 2007: $0.41

[Bill Ryan]

https://t.me/intelslava/44667

intelslava/44667

[Bill Ryan]

For those who can't see Telegram posts, the Sky News article is here:

https://news.sky.com/story/food-inflation-hits-another-record-high-as-pressure-mounts-on-home-finances-12870884

Food inflation hits another record high as pressure mounts on home finances

https://t.me/DDGeopolitics/61941 (https://t.me/DDGeopolitics/61941)

DDGeopolitics/61941

[Bill Ryan]

This report, from the Financial Times, no less, is interesting. It seems to give the lie to the much-touted claim from all EU governments that the rate of inflation is much lower.

(It'd also be good to see the figures for petrol/gasoline prices, and household energy bills!)

https://t.me/DDGeopolitics/64686

DDGeopolitics/64686

[Johan (Keyholder)]

From shopping experience here locally - in Belgium - the real prices have gone up way more than the numbers indicate above...

[Casey Claar]

The price of some items really astounds me. The one that has me boggled currently is BLEACH. Is it the same in other areas, I wonder? Always a cheap item to purchase in the past ( .99 - $3 ) is now upwards of 7.99. I mean that's just crazy for something that is so simple to produce. And apple juice, $18+ a gallon? What the heck. And when did crap food, like potato chips and French fries, etc.. go so richter? It really is a mad, mad world we see today.

[Ernie Nemeth]

cellery is $3 a bunch, usually it's under a dollar this time of year...

[Bill Ryan]

An interesting headline from Zero Hedge today.

(https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/out-control-inflation-it-now-takes-least-177798-family-4-live-comfortably-us)Out of Control Inflation: It now takes at least $177,798 for a Family of 4 to Live Comfortably in the US

(...the interesting article continues (https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/out-control-inflation-it-now-takes-least-177798-family-4-live-comfortably-us))

A personal comment: in Ecuador, an expat family of 4 could live very comfortably indeed on $40,000 a year, and most probably a lot less.

[Bill Ryan]

An interesting tweet about the raging inflation in the US, that can hardly be kept hidden any more:

https://x.com/jimiuorio/status/1795436512533971176

The text:
Good morning..reminder that the inflation was an intentional, calculated, policy decision…they took your spending power to bailout heavily indebted government entities…have a great day..
And the interesting stats:

https://avalonlibrary.net/Bill/US_inflation_stats.jpg

1795436512533971176

[shaberon]

Good morning..reminder that the inflation was an intentional, calculated, policy decision…they took your spending power to bailout heavily indebted government entities…have a great day..


I can't remember if I posted it in this thread, however, it may apply to many countries. It concerned what happened financially during the Covid hysteria.

When inflation happens, there are a few contributing factors that can be placed in a ratio. Wage increase is part of this. Comparatively, that sloughs "extra cash" into the market, so prices go up. But this is usually a sleight-of-hand, since your wage didn't really go up as much as the price did.

So, at first, of course, you had billions of tax dollars tossed into what were virtually no-bid contracts on these serums, which is its own kind of scandal, as well as, in that way, dumping extra cash into the market.

Once the roof was raised and we had a year or so to measure the swell, it turned out that the contribution of wage increases to inflation was:


12%


However the contribution of corporate profits was:


48%


which is historically unprecedented in a titanic manner.

The typical contribution of business loot is around 5-6%.

Here is an easy one for me to track, which is not listed in the chart:


Property Tax...54%


I can't think of anything more counter-productive than that.

This is post-Covid Happytalism, if I am to believe the folks at Davos continue to tick.

Last time I checked, no significant changes have been implemented, such as re-instating Glass Steagall, or the use of Lawful Money. If nothing has been prevented, this must be it. Everything costs a lot more. If something was less than $10, and it went up by a dollar, it went up more than 10%. That's pretty thick.

I'd rather poke my eyes out with both forks, than prove most items are tracking like the tax. As an adult, I'd say I've watched the Same Thing get More Difficult, just for daily basics. This last hurdle was a record-setter. It's like it's All Bad, and then it's All Bad all over again. Just drastic.

I remember times when I was young, before working, when the minimum wage was around $5 an hour, because it meant you could realistically survive on it. Nothing major, you'd be in a cheap apartment or a trailer park maybe, but you could do it. It was basically easy and feasible. That's why so many people quit school, because you could just go live.

The same things are now ten times as much, but minimum wage isn't $50 an hour.

[scotslad]

Since the covid-19 pandemic, rising inflation, interest rates and cost of living, we have seen dramatic increases on the cost of everything going up from utilities to fuel, to food.

But, if according to accounts in the Daily Mail, then even those folks in the Hamptons are
complaining when a woman was charged $20 for 2 tomatoes. (apparently).

There are many elections happening around the world this year, here's hoping its time for positive change and put the people first - not the shareholders, stakeholders of lobbyists, but the common man so they can afford to buy and cook their food.

What will be the impact of all the current "change" - more higher costs of everything
or will the "elected" do the right thing and bring order to the chaos...time will tell.

If true, then there's a lot to be said for going off grid, becoming self sustained and growing your own food.

Is this mis-reporting, fear mongering or a state of the times in terms of supply and demand?

I seem to recall recently in scotland in the local news it was stating the cost of eggs (let alone morgages and rent) in Newyork was getting nonsensical - all contributing to high living costs.

Is this happening everywhere, and will the new change bring prices down, or have we to wait until Elon Musk turns his attention to revolutionising agriculture and food chains for here on earth and not just Mars?

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/07/05/00/86943639-13602109-The_27_year_old_said_that_the_purchase_had_shocked_her_and_even_-m-36_1720136158014.jpg

More HERE:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13602109/Hamptons-food-costs-tomatoes-New-York-tiktok.html

[dim]

It is the infinitesimal number of us ready to take on the staggering amount of the inconvenient introspection we need to realize what we deem as normal causes the collapse of this civilization.
And not the tomatoes.

[Inversion]

I went into Jersey Mike's sandwich shop this morning and ordered a mini at 4.5 in/11.4 cm that was ten dollars. I almost walked out when he was cutting the bread. I imagine in the future we'll walk into restaurant and be served a large pill on a plate that costs fifty dollars.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ8xYyyfUgM

[Inversion]

A man who suffered from asthma died because his inhaler went from $66 USD to $537. The family has filed a federal lawsuit.

dailymail (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14356491/Young-man-dies-agony-price-inhaler-rose-66-540.html)

Cole Schmidtknecht, 22, who had battled chronic asthma since childhood, was denied his life-saving inhaler when he went to collect his prescription at a Walgreens pharmacy in Appleton, Wisconsin on January 10, 2024.

According to the lawsuit obtained by Newsweek, the Walgreens pharmacist should have contacted Cole's physician about alternative treatments, but failed to do so.

The pharmacist 'never provided Cole with any more affordable workarounds to obtain his usual inhaler for his chronic asthma,' the lawsuit read.

Schmidtknecht 'repeatedly struggled to breathe, relying solely on his old 'rescue' (emergency) inhaler to limit his symptoms, because he did not have a preventative inhaler designed for daily use,' according to the lawsuit.

The legal battle will be heard by US District Judge Byron Browning Conway, a Biden appointee, according to Law and Crime.

This comes just months after Ivy League graduate Luigi Mangione was charged with murder for allegedly gunning down Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare on a Manhattan sidewalk on December 4.

01/31/25 (0:37)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LlfdhxxTYg