Examples of current inflation - add yours!

[NameTaken2]

My neighbor was paying $250 semi-annually to have his car detailed.
Saw him in his driveway recently detailing his car.
He said the guy did a great job, but he's watching his expenses more closely now.
Just an anecdote for how inflation is affecting spending decisions.

 

[JoeWras]

Also, "priority" DOES mean something. For CONUS shipments, it's usually 2 or 3 days. I have shipped stuff to Alaska via Priority with regularity for a number of years and they have never taken more than 3 days...and is MUCH, MUCH cheaper than UPS or FedEx. And when I say cheaper...I mean by at least $25 for the smallest package.

I've got a story. Short version: sent a large check to settle an estate. The time was early December. Took 8 days. At least I could track it and it seemed in limbo, maybe lost. Called USPO, the gruff clerk told me it isn't lost, just still in progress. Chided me for sending in December. Told me "Priority" is usually 3 days, is best effort, and not guaranteed. If I wanted it to really get there, she said I needed "Priority Express" with their money back guaranty.

 

[finnski1]

SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE!

Amazon:


We are not big customers.....only averaging about 200 orders a year. They lost us....Walmart is one mile from the house. (Walmart sells my Propel....for less money)

Woah. You may not be big customers but that seems like a boatload of orders to me. We have placed 3 orders YTD with Amazon.

 

[aja8888]

Woah. You may not be big customers but that seems like a boatload of orders to me. We have placed 3 orders YTD with Amazon.

Yeah, three orders a year are low volume!

Wife is handicapped so I do all the shopping, etc. Most orders are for personal care stuff (mostly hers), pet food, coffee (well, not any more), household odds and ends, cleaning supplies, etc. Wife would send gifts, gift cards direct from Amazon to grandkids.

I really can get 99% of this stuff at brick and mortar stores and have started doing that.

 

[Sunset]

Thanks for the update. Can't say I'm surprised that USPS has been hit by dreaded inflation. I'm just surprised that they feel comfortable hitting the consumer with such a wallop! We sent one of the flat rates home (the biggest one) and I think it was about twice what we paid just a few years back. I was kinda shocked. Still, anytime I need to get liquids home, I mail it since I can't take it on the plane.

I will use checked bags when flying to get liquids in plastic bottles transported.

 

[Walt34]

Okay, this one is kind of "out there" and is definitely a "first world problem" but it's a topic on the relevant forums. Radio control models of all kinds - airplanes, helicopters, cars, trucks, boats, earth-moving equipment and just about any other vehicle or machine one could imagine. At first the reason given was the huge increase in shipping container costs, which was plausible given that everything being shipped by container was going up and stories abounded about the increases.

But although the costs of moving a container are no longer $20k+, the prices have not come back down. The price of a model airplane hasn't quite doubled yet, but they're getting there. And yes, I'd like some New York sharp cheddar cheese with that whine, thank you.

 

[coveredbridge]

I heat my home with heating oil. 1st tank of oil for heating season 2020 $380 2021 $528 2022 $901

I use 5 tanks per year.

 

[NW-Bound]

^^^ Yikes. That's $4500 just for heating oil.

Here in the SW where the summer heat hits a record high of 122F, my year-round electric bill was only $2500 or so. And that was before I installed a solar system to run the ACs off-grid. My trailing 12-month bill is $730. Next year, it will be lower as I expand the system.

It's cheaper to live in hot places than in cold places.

 

[Koolau]

My neighbor was paying $250 semi-annually to have his car detailed.
Saw him in his driveway recently detailing his car.
He said the guy did a great job, but he's watching his expenses more closely now.
Just an anecdote for how inflation is affecting spending decisions.

Heh, heh, do what I do. Don't! My car gets washed every time it rains. Once in a while one of our long-term visitors will detail the car after using it for the summer. Came back to the car being really dirty (stuff blowing in from the Pacific (salt) also picking up the red volcanic dirt.) SO, I plan to hose the car down when I get the energy. We have a car-wash station on top of the parking structure. I'll have to think where I put my long-handled brush and soap pail.

What it costs me in rust/ugliness, I save on car detailing. No one would steal my car and it's only worth its current value because of the supply chain issues for new cars. I'll (hopefully) take the car to "zero" value as I have done with the past two cars I have owned here in the islands over 15 years. All three Island cars cost (total purchase price) $28K. Not too bad for 15 years service - and one of them is still quite serviceable. Dirty - but serviceable. YMMV

 

[aja8888]

Heh, heh, do what I do. Don't! My car gets washed every time it rains. Once in a while one of our long-term visitors will detail the car after using it for the summer. Came back to the car being really dirty (stuff blowing in from the Pacific (salt) also picking up the red volcanic dirt.) SO, I plan to hose the car down when I get the energy. We have a car-wash station on top of the parking structure. I'll have to think where I put my long-handled brush and soap pail.

What it costs me in rust/ugliness, I save on car detailing. No one would steal my car and it's only worth its current value because of the supply chain issues for new cars. I'll (hopefully) take the car to "zero" value as I have done with the past two cars I have owned here in the islands over 15 years. All three Island cars cost (total purchase price) $28K. Not too bad for 15 years service - and one of them is still quite serviceable. Dirty - but serviceable. YMMV

I take it your DW doesn't drive.

 

[NW-Bound]

My new car is parked inside the garage. It does not get "rain-washed" like my older cars that are left out on the driveway.

But then it does not get too dirty for me to wash it, after almost 2 years since the purchase.

 

[ExPatKiwi]

Back to doing oil and filter changes for all the family vehicles. Dealership service costs are blowing out. Doing oil and filter myself less than $45.

 

[CarbonaNotGlue]

I received my homeowners insurance renewal today. It increased over $1400! Most of the increase was due to increased property value for my replacement cost policy. At this rate, I might consider self insuring the windstorm/Hurricane portion. I just don't know if my stomach can tolerate that when the next storm approaches in 2023.

 

[JoeWras]

Google YouTube Premium subscription rises from $17.99 to $22.99 per month.

We will be dropping it due to this blatant money grab by Alphabet.

 

[jollystomper]

Dominos $7.99 carryout deal is still in place . Interestingly, their $5.99 deals are now "$5.99 carryout/$6.99 delivery". They give you a "break" for using your own gas .

In our area junk/fast food does not seem to have changed much in price. Not that I am going to eat more of it...

Well, so much for that. The 7.99 carryout pizza is still there - but you get a single topping now, not 3 as before. And the $5.99 carryout deals are now $6.99.

 

[aja8888]

It's still happening!

Prices are still going up:

Today at Walmart (weekly shopping trip):

Large eggs (dozen) - $4.18 vs. $3.58 last purchase

Party Size Chip Bag (Great Value) - $3.18 vs. $2.62 last purchase (Lays same size is $4.78.)

Apples - Cosmic - $2.87 pound vs. $2.08 last purchase

Nuts!

 

[Chuckanut]

Prices are still going up:

Today at Walmart (weekly shopping trip):

Large eggs (dozen) - $4.18 vs. $3.58 last purchase

Party Size Chip Bag (Great Value) - $3.18 vs. $2.62 last purchase (Lays same size is $4.78.)

Apples - Cosmic - $2.87 pound vs. $2.08 last purchase

Nuts!

GnG. Gas and Groceries.

FWIW, regular gas in my area has barely crept below $5 as of yesterday. $4.99 a gallon if you pay cash. Diesel, which was at parity with regular gas for several weeks has stayed up there at about $5.79 a gallon.

 

[aja8888]

GnG. Gas and Groceries.

FWIW, regular gas in my area has barely crept below $5 as of yesterday. $4.99 a gallon if you pay cash. Diesel, which was at parity with regular gas for several weeks has stayed up there at about $5.79 a gallon.

At the WM this morning (shopping trip), I filled up for $2.95 RUG.

 

[Koolau]

I take it your DW doesn't drive.

Actually, she does, though she prefers for me to drive - and so do I when we are together. BUT she will take the car if need be. We see pretty much eye-to-eye on what to spend money on. Keeping the car "spiffy" is not a priority to either of us. We are fortunate that the car just looks "washed out" when it's Hawaii dirty. No mud or sludge like on the mainland. YMMV

 

[NW-Bound]

Two days ago, I treated my children and my mother to a teppan dinner. The bill for 6 came to $342, including tax and an 18% automatic gratuity.

Yes, it included some drinks, which were only $5 each as it was happy hour.

I just came back from Europe, and we have had nice dinners with wine, for $100 or less for 2.

 

[NW-Bound]

I have not been back to my favorite French Bistro in town since COVID. They used to have prix fixe dinner for $30 or so.

Recently, looked to see how it was doing. No more prix fixe. I looked at a single dish that was $18 in 2020 is now 28.

I do not blame them for raising the prices. And they now open only 4 nights a week.

I suspect people do not eat out as much as they did pre-COVID, but am not sure. We never eat out that much to know.

 

[skipro33]

The price of diesel in many western states. We drove the RV 1600 miles from California through Nevada to Utah and back. Fuel bill was close to $900. While diesel was more expensive in California, it was maybe 50 cents a gallon more is all. California was $5.90, Nevada $5.50 and Utah was $5.20 on average. And since I'm only 50 miles from Nevada, very little California priced Diesel was purchased.

 

[Badger]

I received my homeowners insurance renewal today. It increased over $1400! Most of the increase was due to increased property value for my replacement cost policy. At this rate, I might consider self insuring the windstorm/Hurricane portion. I just don't know if my stomach can tolerate that when the next storm approaches in 2023.

We have to carry separate 3 policies - Homeowners, Flood, and Wind and Hail (hurricane). That is the way it is done here. It can get quite pricey if you live in Florida on the east coast. Our modest 1500 sq ft 1955 concrete block house has so far not been damaged from storms (other than a roof leak when the rain is wind driven) for all those 67 yrs.
The Wind/Hurricane insurance keeps increasing and then the company went belly up and we had to find other insurance. The only company available had a premium of $2500.
Since the lot is worth 3X more than the house I'm going to wait and see. If our house blows away all the big stick frame McMansions will probably be gone as well.

Cheers!
Maybe next May or June I'll check again.

 

[Chuckanut]

The price of diesel in many western states. We drove the RV 1600 miles from California through Nevada to Utah and back. Fuel bill was close to $900. While diesel was more expensive in California, it was maybe 50 cents a gallon more is all. California was $5.90, Nevada $5.50 and Utah was $5.20 on average. And since I'm only 50 miles from Nevada, very little California priced Diesel was purchased.

While regular gas prices have dropped somewhat over the past few weeks they are still much higher than a year ago. Diesel has not gone down much at all. In fact I saw one station selling it at $6.02 a gallon. I think this is the first $6+ fuel I have seen in my area. I'm glad I drive a hybrid.

 

[38Chevy454]

While regular gas prices have dropped somewhat over the past few weeks they are still much higher than a year ago. Diesel has not gone down much at all. In fact I saw one station selling it at $6.02 a gallon. I think this is the first $6+ fuel I have seen in my area. I'm glad I drive a hybrid.

Diesel inventory levels are at very low levels - 25 days supply; which is lowest they have been since 2008. Compounded by home heating oil needs that is a very similar refinery product, I don't see any relief in diesel prices. I heard on the news about rationing of home heating oil in northeast US. Diesel shortages will cause a very bad ripple effect throughout the economy. Everything is supplied by diesel at some point in the supply cycle.