What Inflation?....

[trophy33]

For a person who makes $50,000 a year the take home pay ( net) is about $2400 a month, after taxes, insurance and retirement are taken out.

I noticed that various websites have different numbers for median US income (gross) for 2021, not sure why.

 

[Nithavela]

My health insurance is over $800/month. Out of pocket medical expenses running a little over $7000/yr the past two years. If I live two more years I may get Medicare. Health problems do more damage than 9% inflation. Medical bills are the leading cause of bankruptcies.

I cancelled a $20 a month business news subscription yesterday. I cut back on charitable giving, nor can I ask for charity. I put money into a U.S Treasury inflation protected securities (TIPS) ETF this summer. I own individual stocks, S&P 500 index fund shares and bonds.

I cooked lentils, chickpeas, oatmeal, cornbread, etc. Some days are meatless. I turned my AC from 78 to 80 degrees. I need it to reduce the Florida humidity.

There is a lady in my 55+ community Facebook group who drove around looking for the cheapest gas in town. I went to the gas station near Walmart as it is closer. I had Walmart deliver groceries once a week as I am disabled and can not push a shopping cart. Walmart is one of the cheapest stores in town.

I'm sorry that your country fails you.

 

[QvQ]

Yes, the posts we are both responding to there don't make sense. So, I'm asking about details.

OK What I said
1 year ago and for years before that $150 $200 a month
Over the Last Year $300 $350
July 1, 2022 $350
Aug 1, 2022 $458
NOW I checked the receipts. This trip was unusual because I had absolutely nothing but groceries. So it should have been no more than $350. Most times I have cleaning supplies, toilet paper but not this time only food.
Sticker Shock
As for the Wall Street Journal, it is not encouraging when the newspaper that caters to the monied class publishes articles about "Surviving the Great Depression." What next, SF Juanita's Ketchup and Soda Cracker Stew? (Juanita had a small restaurant during the depression. Any man could have a bowl of hot water, a few tablespoons of ketchup and a handful of crackers. She was famous)
Further, there are many people on fixed incomes and even working that make less than $20,000 a year. And those people could teach the WSJ a few tricks about "frugal"

 

[QvQ]

The median annual wage in 2021 in the US was $45,760, which makes roughly $3,800 a month.

28% or One Third of American Households have an income less than $25,000 a year.

 

[dqhall]

I'm sorry that your country fails you.

It is a privilege to be an American. You should repent of your negative attitude.

 

[Halbhh]

OK What I said
1 year ago and for years before that $150 $200 a month
Over the Last Year $300 $350
July 1, 2022 $350
Aug 1, 2022 $458
NOW I checked the receipts. This trip was unusual because I had absolutely nothing but groceries. So it should have been no more than $350. Most times I have cleaning supplies, toilet paper but not this time only food.
Sticker Shock
As for the Wall Street Journal, it is not encouraging when the newspaper that caters to the monied class publishes articles about "Surviving the Great Depression." What next, SF Juanita's Ketchup and Soda Cracker Stew? (Juanita had a small restaurant during the depression. Any man could have a bowl of hot water, a few tablespoons of ketchup and a handful of crackers. She was famous)
Further, there are many people on fixed incomes and even working that make less than $20,000 a year. And those people could teach the WSJ a few tricks about "frugal"

While in reality even most 'frugal' people aren't near the level in the article in the OP, and could often learn a new idea from it, I think you in

OK What I said
1 year ago and for years before that $150 $200 a month
Over the Last Year $300 $350
July 1, 2022 $350
Aug 1, 2022 $458
NOW I checked the receipts. This trip was unusual because I had absolutely nothing but groceries. So it should have been no more than $350. Most times I have cleaning supplies, toilet paper but not this time only food.
Sticker Shock
As for the Wall Street Journal, it is not encouraging when the newspaper that caters to the monied class publishes articles about "Surviving the Great Depression." What next, SF Juanita's Ketchup and Soda Cracker Stew? (Juanita had a small restaurant during the depression. Any man could have a bowl of hot water, a few tablespoons of ketchup and a handful of crackers. She was famous)
Further, there are many people on fixed incomes and even working that make less than $20,000 a year. And those people could teach the WSJ a few tricks about "frugal"

Great you have an actual receipt you say from both July and August of this year!

Look at it, and tell me a couple of actual key items yo absolutely must have (and that you know cost significantly more than a year ago) -- tell me the brand and the name and size of the package (like ounces of product or food) for those essential items -- from those 2 months, and what the price was in July and now in August then.

If you have a receipt from further back like January through March of this year, that's good too, and also give me a price from one of those months for the same item.

 

[QvQ]

As I didn't know this would be an issue, I tossed the receipts. I can compare bank statements for totals but no specifics.
If I am correct and my brother also noticed a sudden jump in prices the last few weeks, then it will be felt on a more widespread basis.
We will see. Watch your receipts.

 

[Nithavela]

It is a privilege to be an American. You should repent of your negative attitude.

Your post sure didn't sound very privileged to me.

 

[dqhall]

This is the inflation some people are trying to cover up:

Consumer prices up 9.1 percent over the year ended June 2022, largest increase in 40 years
JULY 18, 2022
Consumer prices up 9.1 percent over the year ended June 2022, largest increase in 40 years : The Economics Daily: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

 

[Halbhh]

As I didn't know this would be an issue, I tossed the receipts. I can compare bank statements for totals but no specifics.
If I am correct and my brother also noticed a sudden jump in prices the last few weeks, then it will be felt on a more widespread basis.
We will see. Watch your receipts.

Prices are not rising here in the last month for key things i buy, and I think you should go to different stores and look around at prices, (unless you aren't concerned about the extra costs)

 

[Halbhh]

This is the inflation some people are trying to cover up:

Consumer prices up 9.1 percent over the year ended June 2022, largest increase in 40 years
JULY 18, 2022
Consumer prices up 9.1 percent over the year ended June 2022, largest increase in 40 years : The Economics Daily: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Yes, this is a number that is realistic, 10% over 12 months.

But of course, in the OP I point out a new thing I expect to see going forward: more things going 'on sale'.

If a person does shop around, going to more than 1 or 2 places.

There are examples in the article in the OP and post #2, for more ways to save money on basic shopping. Stuff that even many frugal shoppers can learn from.

 

[dqhall]

Prices are not rising here in the last month for key things i buy, and I think you should go to different stores and look around at prices, (unless you aren't concerned about the extra costs)

I bought a car in January. If the price of a car rises, that does not affect me. If auto insurance premiums rise, that takes more more money out of my bank account.

The price of oatmeal might rise a few cents. If I switch from organic steel cut oats to regular, my oatmeal expense deflates. If I manage my cleaning lady better, I will get more done for the $30/hr the agency bills me for the hours she works.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

I'm sorry that your country fails you.

Trump was going to take care of that but the Globalist Deep State decided that they would install a Commie Nazi Socialist with dementia so they could cause inflation and corrupt our precious bodily fluids.

 

[BPPLEE]

Trump was going to take care of that but the Globalist Deep State decided that they would install a Commie Nazi Socialist with dementia so they could cause inflation and corrupt our precious bodily fluids.

Looks like their plan is working.

 

[Halbhh]

I bought a car in January. If the price of a car rises, that does not affect me. If auto insurance premiums rise, that takes more more money out of my bank account.

The price of oatmeal might rise a few cents. If I switch from organic steel cut oats to regular, my oatmeal expense deflates. If I manage my cleaning lady better, I will get more done for the $30/hr the agency bills me for the hours she works.

Right, it's best to look in the places where the most significant costs are, if one wants to economize. While in my mind I actually keep track from different stores of the prices of milk and eggs and tortillas and so on, the main way to save money for most people is usually to look at the biggest items that cost the most. But still, if one store charges a $1 more for the same milk (gallon organic), then I notice that, and so on.

You mentioned someone trying to cover up inflation..... I recall above you said that.

Well, the opposite would be a wrong also. Someone trying to give people a clearly false impression that a just normal grocery shopping inflation is over 100% for instance when it's nowhere close to that.

Don't you think?

So, to me, if someone like the above person in the thread paid $458 (they said) for what used to cost $200, then of course a lot of things could be going on, like buying more, different brands, or Russian goods (an extreme example might be Russian caviar, because it's hard to even imagine going from $200 to $300, much less another $150 more! (so, something is going on there, and it's frankly not believable that it's just ordinary groceries like 98% of people buy, and also of the same kinds as in the past. If you and me see 10% and 20% inflation, that will be representative. When someone claimed 125% inflation, it's not credible/believable. They are being deceptive somehow, like not telling us some key, central fact or such, but trying to imply that food inflation is over 100% when it is not for the overwhelming majority of common food things that almost any family does buy, where instead inflation has been much lower than 100%+)

 

[dqhall]

Right, it's best to look in the places where the most significant costs are, if one wants to economize. While in my mind I actually keep track from different stores of the prices of milk and eggs and tortillas and so on, the main way to save money for most people is usually to look at the biggest items that cost the most. But still, if one store charges a $1 more for the same milk (gallon organic), then I notice that, and so on.

You mentioned someone trying to cover up inflation..... I recall above you said that.

Well, the opposite would be a wrong also. Someone trying to give people a clearly false impression that a just normal grocery shopping inflation is over 100% for instance when it's nowhere close to that.

Don't you think?

So, to me, if someone like the above person in the thread paid $458 (they said) for what used to cost $200, then of course a lot of things could be going on, like buying more, different brands, or Russian goods (an extreme example might be Russian caviar, because it's hard to even imagine going from $200 to $300, much less another $150 more! (so, something is going on there, and it's frankly not believable that it's just ordinary groceries like 98% of people buy, and also of the same kinds as in the past. If you and me see 10% and 20% inflation, that will be representative. When someone claimed 125% inflation, it's not credible/believable. They are being deceptive somehow, like not telling us some key, central fact or such, but trying to imply that food inflation is over 100% when it is not for the overwhelming majority of common food things that almost any family does buy, where instead inflation has been much lower than 100%+)

150%+ home price inflation from 2012 to 2022. The price of a car inflation not as great. Gasoline went from a pandemic low of $2.00 a gallon to $5.00 a gallon after the Russian invasion, all in the course of less than two years.

 

[Halbhh]

150%+ home price inflation from 2012 to 2022. The price of a car inflation not as great. Gasoline went from a pandemic low of $2.00 a gallon to $5.00 a gallon after the Russian invasion, all in the course of less than two years.

Yes. That's very true

But, those of course, as you know, are not "groceries" -- I'm sorry if I wrote unclearly above. In post I was referring to above, they are claiming that their food only grocery costs rose from $200 to $458 in under 2 years.

Now, as I just wrote to you, that might be for some reason that makes sense, as I wrote to you, like if they bought some unusual item like from Russia. But as I meant to make more clear, them claiming their food costs rose that much without saying why is "deceptive", because it's trying to suggest that grocery food costs rose more than 100% generally, just for everything in general on average.

You know and I know that grocery food costs of a full grocery shopping list of foods a typical American family would buy, that typical families pay, have not risen more than 100% in the last year to 2 years.


But now I think I must write very poorly, if that wasn't clear above. Is that why you thought I meant non grocery things also like cars and houses?

 

[dqhall]

Yes. That's very true

But, those of course, as you know, are not "groceries" -- I'm sorry if I wrote unclearly above. In post I was referring to above, they are claiming that their food only grocery costs rose from $200 to $458 in under 2 years.

Now, as I just wrote to you, that might be for some reason that makes sense, as I wrote to you, like if they bought some unusual item like from Russia. But as I meant to make more clear, them claiming their food costs rose that much without saying why is "deceptive", because it's trying to suggest that grocery food costs rose more than 100% generally, just for everything in general on average.

You know and I know that grocery food costs of a full grocery shopping list of foods a typical American family would buy, that typical families pay, have not risen more than 100% in the last year to 2 years.


But now I think I must write very poorly, if that wasn't clear above. Is that why you thought I meant non grocery things also like cars and houses?

It you plant tomato seeds, you might get cheaper tomatoes than in a supermarket. Proclaiming, “What inflation?” is a bit extreme.

In 1970 a new house cost almost $23,400.
In 1979 a new house cost almost $58,500.

What was the inflation rate in the 1970’s?

Trivia - Cost of Living / 1970s Cost of Living

 

[Halbhh]

It you plant tomato seeds, you might get cheaper tomatoes than in a supermarket. Proclaiming, “What inflation?” is a bit extreme.

In 1970 a new house cost almost $23,400.
In 1979 a new house cost almost $58,500.

What was the inflation rate in the 1970’s?

Trivia - Cost of Living / 1970s Cost of Living

Ah!

It was the title, which I took from the article -- "What Inflation", about how the very real inflation is manged by some very careful families!

It sounded like i was saying there was little or no inflation!

!

All this time, 5 or 6 posts, several days...

Now I get it!

That's what made everything uncleaR.



I should have guessed it might seem like that and used a different beginning for the post....

 

[Halbhh]

Finally.