CPI, bald faced lies

[maddythebeagle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tiuxiu We just bought a laptop for $800 that would have been $1500 a few years ago. Neighbor just bought a 32" flatscreen LCD similar to the one we have except he paid $900 instead of $1400 like we did two years ago.

I bet you could find an 8-track player at garage sale for 50 cents or maybe in the "free box" so I guess there isnt any inflation....

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Notmuchlonger Good news. Tequila is staying around the same!

Whaaa? Maybe this year but the stuff skyrocketed a couple of years ago when it became a fashionable "sipping" booze.

[SecondCor521]

1/1/08-3/14/08: $13,650.91 on everything
1/1/07-3/14/07: $14,215.75 on everything

Negative year-over-year CPI-P inflation in the 2Cor521 household.

2Cor521

[cute fuzzy bunny]

We pulled our TCL (Total Cost of Life) down in ER, but that was at the expense of not eating out that much (too much time to shop and cook), not traveling as much (we're not stressed out from our jobs anymore, and theres plenty of interesting stuff within a short drive), and by leveraging free time to squeeze down costs.

There is a bottom limit to it without pinching your TQL though...

[RockOn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SecondCor521 1/1/08-3/14/08: $13,650.91 on everything 1/1/07-3/14/07: $14,215.75 on everything Negative year-over-year CPI-P inflation in the 2Cor521 household. 2Cor521

Just because you spent less for 2 1/2 months isn't valid. Since you did it, congradulations that is great. If you really can live on less, year after year, and are not be cutting back to do it, you live in a different universe than I do. Do you eat, pay taxes, have health insurance, go out to eat once in awhile, buy gas, pay utilities, pay tuition, go on any vacations? Go on a European vacation and tell me about negative inflation. It's probably up 25% in one year. I can cut my expenses year after year for awhile too, it ticks me off to think I have to.

Did you catch the guy on Kudlow tonight? I don't remember his name. He said the only zero anybody in America believes when it comes to inflation is the zero's in 100 which is the dollar/yen, 100 which is the price of oil, and 1000 which is the price of gold.

[al_bundy]

forgot his name, but he is always on kudlow. works for some place called strategas

[RockOn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by al_bundy forgot his name, but he is always on kudlow. works for some place called strategas

I never liked Kudlow, or his opinions, but his show is fair and balanced lately. He brings on all points of view, the show is growing on me. I must be sick

[Notmuchlonger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cute fuzzy bunny Whaaa? Maybe this year but the stuff skyrocketed a couple of years ago when it became a fashionable "sipping" booze.

What since when. Its like the ugly step child of booze.. Man I dont need people running the price up on it.

[RockOn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Notmuchlonger What since when. Its like the ugly step child of booze.. Man I dont need people running the price up on it.

Next thing you know they'll have futures and options on it!

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Yep, agave went from about 5c a kilo in the early 90's to almost two bucks by a year or two ago.

Try out THAT inflationary pressure...

[RockOn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cute fuzzy bunny Yep, agave went from about 5c a kilo in the early 90's to almost two bucks by a year or two ago. Try out THAT inflationary pressure...

23.28% per year if I assume 16 years. Don't worry, it's not in the CPI so it will not affect your COLA's. They assumed you switched to grain bootleg a long time ago.

[ladelfina]

Quote:

I think it's worth substituting along the hedonic scale as appropriate. For my purposes, at a macro level "eating food" suffices for planning since we feel that we have the same quality of life if I'm making us risotto at home or we're plunking down $50 for dinner at our favorite spot.

Marquette, this game only works for so long. Once everyone has swapped out steak for hamburger, then they'll have to swap out hamburger for lungs and kidneys, and the year after they'll be gnawing on the ears and the toenails. What happens when the homemade risotto is $50? You have to compare apples to apples and I would like to see "core" inflation defined as all the basics it would be hard to live without: energy, shelter (I would like to see this on a s.f. basis), basic foodstuffs, etc..

Nords, gas is only one part of the energy picture. You might be paying $1000 more in gas, AND $2000 more in heat/electric depending where you live. That could be 10% of a low-end ER budget. Then you have to factor in that when gas doubles, that causes significant increases in production and transportation costs for all goods. It's not just what you pay at the pump. People (like me) who based their ER on factors like past personal spending, and past reported (and personal) inflation are finding the numbers going a bit blooey these days, and the more you have LBYM in the past, the less fat there is to cut to offset increases in basic necessities. I already make risotto at home, and we hardly ever eat out. Our clothing expenditures for last year were $200. I could make that zero.. but for how long? and how much is that penny-pinching really going to offset in the grand scheme of things? The baseline unavoidable costs are far more significant the more modest your aspirations.

[mh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cute fuzzy bunny Good beer seems to cost about $1-$1.50 more a six pack this year than last year. Thats pissing me off...

Yeah, i am pissed too, that usually gets my attention before gas prices do.

[lazygood4nothinbum]

South Florida inflation rate is largest in nation -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

Quote:

Consumer prices rose at a 5.3 percent annual rate in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area last month, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. That puts the local rate higher than the inflation rate in major cities like New York (3.6 percent), Los Angeles (3.1 percent) and Chicago (4.4 percent). And it's significantly higher than the nation's rate, too.

S. Florida inflation down, but outpaces nation - 03/14/2008 - MiamiHerald.com

Quote:

South Florida's inflation rate dropped in February compared to two months earlier, but it remained much higher than the national inflation rate

looks like i took early retirement at just the wrong time and in just the wrong place. thailand here i come.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mh Yeah, i am pissed too, that usually gets my attention before gas prices do.

Well sure, you hear that pump click when the tanks full and look up to see $75.00, first thing you want is a drink...

[Notmuchlonger]

Man thats it. Im moving out to the country and start making white lightning..


I will live off the land inflation be damned!

Hey that could be my new sig..

[Moemg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SecondCor521 1/1/08-3/14/08: $13,650.91 on everything 1/1/07-3/14/07: $14,215.75 on everything Negative year-over-year CPI-P inflation in the 2Cor521 household. 2Cor521

Are you sure you have the right numbers ? This equals $5,460 a month and I know you always post that you live on a lot less .

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I think he forgot to separate out the $4300 a month for hookers.

[HFWR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cute fuzzy bunny I think he forgot to separate out the $4300 a month for hookers.

I made a hedonic adjustment from steak to hamburger in that category...

[cute fuzzy bunny]

NM

(going in the 'sheep' direction)