Sneaky Inflation

[W2R]

We eat lunch out every day, and I order either a small caesar side salad, or a cup of soup at our favorite restaurant.

About two weeks ago the cup of soup went up from $4.75 to $5.50!!! AAAGH. At least they didn't use any sneaky wording.

Today I ordered the soup at lunch. Previously, with tax and tip I paid $7 for it, and this time it was $8.

But gosh, $8 for a lunch I love? It's so good - - lots of seafood (fresh crawfish in season, otherwise crab), and corn in a perfectly spiced, thick chowder... yum. I decided it was well worth $8 all along. Instead of being upset by the price now, I just figure I was getting a bargain before.

 

[MichaelB]

Today I ordered the soup at lunch. Previously, with tax and tip I paid $7 for it, and this time it was $8.

But gosh, $8 for a lunch I love? It's so good - - lots of seafood (fresh crawfish in season, otherwise crab), and corn in a perfectly spiced, thick chowder... yum. I decided it was well worth $8 all along. Instead of being upset by the price now, I just figure I was getting a bargain before.

A delicious lunch for $8 is a bargain, especially when it has shellfish.

 

[W2R]

A delicious lunch for $8 is a bargain, especially when it has shellfish.

I agree! I love shellfish, and fish too for that matter. Yum yum yum......

 

[FANOFJESUS]

My favorite brand of English Banger sausages used to be about $5 a pound. Now its $7 for a 13 oz package. One problem, besides the price increase, is that the 13 oz package does not feed four hungry people. Now I have to buy two packages. So... I don't buy them as often.

Of course there is the 1/2 gallon container of Ice Cream that is now 1.5 quarts. Maybe that is good, less sugar and calories to temp me.

Ice Cream was the only thing I did not mind getting smaller. When I open it I just can't stay out of it.

 

[robnplunder]

For me, it’s always been the shrinking package size for the same price. Can’t think of specifics at the moment, but if you don’t watch the per unit cost, you’ll never notice the price creeping up.

Along the same line, restaurant dish portion getting smaller for the same price ... Seemingly, Chinese food dish portion has noticeably gotten small every 5 years.

 

[W2R]

Along the same line, restaurant dish portion getting smaller for the same price ... Seemingly, Chinese food dish portion has noticeably gotten small every 5 years.

I know what you mean. TBH I would rather have a smaller dish portion anyway, so that I wouldn't have to take half home; but one would hope the price for a smaller portion would be less too!

 

[mountainsoft]

I once paid $0.15 for fast food hamburgers

A delicious lunch for $8 is a bargain

It wasn't that long ago (1980's?) you could get a burger, fries, and a drink at McDonalds for less than a dollar. At least I remember the ads.

Here's an interesting article on fast food burger prices over the years:
https://www.thisisinsider.com/fast-...-9#first-a-note-about-relative-burger-sizes-1

 

[Teacher Terry]

We love taking home the leftovers and no cooking the next day.

 

[Badger]

I recently tried a Butterfinger candy for the first time in decades. The peanut portion is now very airy, much less dense than it used to be. More air means less product.

It is the same with ice cream. Ever notice the difference in the "thickness" of different brands? The lighter texture is due to more air in the product to increase the volume. More air = less product = greater profit. It isn't just the change in smaller packaging (when viewed from the side) but also the increase in air that increases the bottom line.


The only brand of ice cream in this area that is still 1/2 gallon is Blue Bell. But they seem to have cleanliness problems on occasion.



I have a little electric ice cream maker. The kind where you freeze the metal tub. Now I make my own ice cream without all the whipped in air.


Cheers!

 

[Islandtraveler]

Smaller packages? That’s a relief. I thought my hands were getting bigger!

 

[cyber888]

The Scott Weed & Feed at Lowes was $49.95 last year. Now it is $56.95. It went on sale for $45.00. And I used a $10 coupon to lower it further.

 

[cyber888]

One secret I found. 8 piece Texas Garlic Cheese Toast Walmart brand ‘Great Value’ used to be $2.30s. Now I can always buy it at $1.00 for several months now. The Walmart nearest me does not put a price tag on it, but the register always rings $1.00 for the 8 piece garlic cheese toasts. The 2nd Walmart nearest me puts the $1.00 price tag, and supply runs out fasts.

 

[Perryinva]

I worked at Friendly Ice Cream from 1974 thru 1976. When I started, in the summer, it always amazed me that even though the sizes and prices for cones were RIGHT THERE staring the customer in the face, we were asked at least 50% of the time, “How much for each size?” To which we (were required to ) cheerfully reply “ 25, 35, 45”. By 1976 that had become “ 35,45,55”. I don’t know anywhere a large 2 scoop cone is less than $3.50 now. We pay as much for a pint of decent ice cream as we used to pay for 1/2 gallons. But then we are more a quality not quantity consumer nowadays.

 

[Lewis Clark]

Smaller packets, same or higher pricing. I think they call it new and improved.

Yeah. The "improvement" they refer to is the profit margin, not the product itself.

 

[Dawg52]

For me, it’s always been the shrinking package size for the same price. Can’t think of specifics at the moment, but if you don’t watch the per unit cost, you’ll never notice the price creeping up.

This is one that irks me.

20 pack of Bud Light had been $14.99 across the street from w@&k for years. All of a sudden its $16.99.

I see this from time to time but I'm flexible on items like this. There are several brands that I'm ok with and usually there is one always on sale. So it's a work around solution.

For me and most everyone the fastest rising cost has been health insurance. Doesn't fall into the sneaky category tho. But getting on Medicare in 3 months will reset this a bit.

 

[MrLoco]

I would be more concerned with the nutritional content of the breakfasts at Dennys than the increase in prices.


The sodium, cholesterol, and saturated fat content of those "breakfast slams" will kill your body faster than inflation will kill your wallet.


So don't worry about the increase in prices and enjoy!

 

[scrabbler1]

I would be more concerned with the nutritional content of the breakfasts at Dennys than the increase in prices.


The sodium, cholesterol, and saturated fat content of those "breakfast slams" will kill your body faster than inflation will kill your wallet.


So don't worry about the increase in prices and enjoy!

It's not just Denny's but at the supermarket in general. I have diabetes and have some (smaller) kidney issues, so I pay close attention to the nutrition labels on the store items and try to find similar info from restaurant's websites before buying the items (or going out to eat). At the supermarket, I often have to decline buying something on sale because it has significantly more carbs and/or sodium than the more expensive but similar item.

At the restaurant, I am stunned by the outrageously high carb and/or sodium content of many of the menu items.

 

[aja8888]

I would be more concerned with the nutritional content of the breakfasts at Dennys than the increase in prices.


The sodium, cholesterol, and saturated fat content of those "breakfast slams" will kill your body faster than inflation will kill your wallet.

I think this goes for every restaurant out there, unless you eat green salads with no dressing only.

Cholesterol in eggs is good for you now, haven't you heard?

BTW, at 75 1/2 years old, I am in great physical shape, exercise every day, and take one script for a slightly enlarged prostate. That prostate issue pretty common for the majority of older men. Now, DW is another story.

 

[gerntz]

For me, it’s always been the shrinking package size for the same price. Can’t think of specifics at the moment, but if you don’t watch the per unit cost, you’ll never notice the price creeping up.

I just noticed the clear OJ bottles went from 59 to 52 oz. Don't know when that happened. I saw MM cartons of OJ were still 59 oz at same price, so went there.

 

[Chuckanut]

The sodium, cholesterol, and saturated fat content of those "breakfast slams" will kill your body faster than inflation will kill your wallet.

Given how thin my local Denny's can slice a strip of bacon, I have to wonder about the saturated fat problem.

 

[aja8888]

Given how thin my local Denny's can slice a strip of bacon, I have to wonder about the saturated fat problem.

I've seen pepperoni on pizza sliced so thin you can actually see through it if you hold a piece up to the light.

 

[W2R]

At the restaurant, I am stunned by the outrageously high carb and.or sodium content of many of the menu items.

I think most of the menu items are intended for people celebrating a once-in-a-decade event of some kind. At even the most reasonable restaurants there are only one or two menu items that I would ever order, and often I have to even modify those by asking the waitress to omit bread or whatever.

But that's OK. I'll keep ordering only those foods that are healthy for me, and if a lot of us do that then restaurants will eventually respond. They are starting to do that here at over a hundred restaurants which (at the urging of a local hospital that initiated this) have banded together to include an "Eat Fit" designation for entrees under 600 calories with limited carbs, sugar and sodium. They still aren't strict enough to please me, but it's a start.

 

[braumeister]

I've seen pepperoni on pizza sliced so thin you can actually see through it if you hold a piece up to the light.

I always wondered why the lighting in many restaurants is so dim.

 

[Chuckanut]

I've seen pepperoni on pizza sliced so thin you can actually see through it if you hold a piece up to the light.

+1

One local national chain pizza place (I refuse to call it a pizzeria) has some pretty thin mushroom slices, IMHO.

One thing that has not inflated much is the fee's on my index funds. When I started investing, the standard was to be below about 0.75%, preferably under 0.5%. I remember finding index funds with fees of about 0.33% and being elated at my investment smarts. Today, the Schwab 1000 fund has a fee of 0.05%. And, of course, there are now some no-fee funds.

 

[ivinsfan]

I would be more concerned with the nutritional content of the breakfasts at Dennys than the increase in prices.


The sodium, cholesterol, and saturated fat content of those "breakfast slams" will kill your body faster than inflation will kill your wallet.


So don't worry about the increase in prices and enjoy!

Really, come on now....exaggerate much?...the Op says they do it maybe once a week...….