Examples of current inflation - add yours!

[Koolau]

Previous free estimate from a contractor now has a $75 trip charge. Owner (really nice guy, seriously) says it is due to diesel costs.

Heh, heh, that's some expensive diesel. But, yes, diesel may be the key issue in coming months. If you have a diesel (anything) you might consider stock-piling a drum or two of diesel fuel. If you heat with #2 fuel oil, fill that tank (and a couple of drums.) Of course, CBS is saying a 25 day supply is no problem. I hope they are correct but YMMV.

 

[jldavid47]

Been picking up bagged lettuce from Aldi's for as long as I can remember.

Has always been .89 when Publix is usually around $1.89. Today the price jumped to $1.49. A 67% increase.

WTH!!!!

The bagged salad mix at my Aldi went from 0.89 last year to 1.29 early this year to 1.59 last week.

 

[Freedom56]

Wow! I guess FL residents don’t have that much inflation since they get homestead exemptions.

Florida residents do have the homestead exemption but we are note Florida residents. We only visit our condo a couple of months per year.

 

[Chuckanut]

A

As for hybrid cars, while they usually get better fuel economy in the city cycle than the highway cycle, for EPA purposes, don't they still usually get better economy, overall, than their full-gasoline counterparts? At least, when comparing across similar size classes? For example, I believe the Prius always got better economy than a Corolla...by a big margin on the city cycle, but even on the highway cycle I think it was better.

So, perhaps a hybrid system would still do some good in a big rig, if not as much as we'd hope for?

My RAV4 gets well over 40 mpg on most highways assuming there are not a lot of hills and I keep the speed under 70. Like any vehicle hill climbing and high speeds really eat at gas mileage. I once got a low of 33 mpg on a somewhat hilly highway with a top speed of 80 mph. My high is 52 mpg done on a relatively flat two lane highway with few stops and where going over 50 mph was not possible.

Watching the power diagram as I cruse a highway at 70 mpg shows the electric motor coming on and off very frequently. Other than when I accelerate or hit a hill or slope, I can't identify why that happens. The algorithm must be very sophisticated. All, I know is that with the cheapest gas in my area in the mid $4 range, I'm glad I am getting near 40 mpg overall.

So, yes the hybrid seems to pretty much get 40 to 50 percent better mileage than the non hybrids based upon comparisons I have made.

Oh, cold winter weather also knocks about 10% of the mileage as compared to weather of 60 and above.

Back on topic sort of...

I got a best deals email today saying that Walmart is selling its Plus service for 50% off until the end of today Nov 3. I don't shop their much as there is not one nearby. Others may find this useful. Or not.

 

[Dash man]

My favorite scotch has gone from $69.99 to $72.99. It had been the previous price for years, and occasionally on sale for $64.99. Those days are gone.

 

[11522914]

Just got my new monthly gas bill with their November increase. Our gas rate over the last year has gone up 54%. We're not even into the cold months yet.

Meanwhile our electricity rate has gone up 16% over the last year.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Just got my new monthly gas bill with their November increase. Our gas rate over the last year has gone up 54%. We're not even into the cold months yet.

Meanwhile our electricity rate has gone up 16% over the last year.

Many (most) large electric producers use natural gas to generate electricity, hence the increase in the cost.

 

[Andre1969]

I finally sold my old home last month, so this is one bullet I'm dodging, but still...I was going through some mail and found the homeowner's insurance renewal for the old place. It would have been $1,231.33. Last year, it was about $940. The billing cycle for that place was always Dec 1 thru Nov 30. Anyway, a 31% increase. Ouch!

 

[Koolau]

Just got my new monthly gas bill with their November increase. Our gas rate over the last year has gone up 54%. We're not even into the cold months yet.

Meanwhile our electricity rate has gone up 16% over the last year.

I recall going through these kinds of increases a couple of different times when we lived on the mainland. We always tried turning back the thermostat (and even cutting back on number of showers!) It was frustrating to see that we could affect the AMOUNT of fuel (gas or electricity) but the bills still went up - sometimes dramatically. At times when we were not nearly as financially stable as we are now, inflation was actually frightening. There was a feeling that our finances were no longer under our control.

I sympathize with folks who (with the current inflation) are feeling out of control. At some point, there is just no more you can cut back on. YMMV

 

[JoeWras]

Yikes, yikes, yikes! Walmart and Frito-Lay are socking it to us!

I don't buy many snacks, but I do like the small bags of chips to take along on work trips. I admit, I'm also a Pepsi Zero Sugar fan.

Well something is going on with Pepsi-Frito and Walmart at a few stores in my area, maybe nationwide?

1) 12 packs of Pepsi Zero Sugar were stable at $3.98 since spring. Now, BOOM, up to $5.28.

2) No more Great Value chips. I don't know who made them, but I liked their taste better and they were 60% the price of Frito-Lay. On top of that, Frito is asking a king's ransom for chips, somewhere between $.70 and $1.20 per oz. This is double from a year or two ago.

It was good for my waistline. I skipped them and got some almonds instead. They can take their chips and shove 'em.

No coincidence that this is happening either:
https://www.thestreet.com/markets/pepsico-stock-jumps-on-q3-earnings-beat-profit-forecast-boost

PepsiCo Stock Jumps As Frito-Lay Powers Q3 Earnings Beat, Profit Forecast Boost

Big gains from Frito-Lay continued to power PepsiCo's bottom line over the third quarter, thanks in part to price increases for its key branded snacks.

 

[Fermion]

We will hit demand destruction pretty soon for a lot of that stuff...probably never for soda though...ppl are addicted to that....just like a $8 pack of smokes never stopped many smokers.

 

[Koolau]

Yikes, yikes, yikes! Walmart and Frito-Lay are socking it to us!

I don't buy many snacks, but I do like the small bags of chips to take along on work trips. I admit, I'm also a Pepsi Zero Sugar fan.

Well something is going on with Pepsi-Frito and Walmart at a few stores in my area, maybe nationwide?

1) 12 packs of Pepsi Zero Sugar were stable at $3.98 since spring. Now, BOOM, up to $5.28.

2) No more Great Value chips. I don't know who made them, but I liked their taste better and they were 60% the price of Frito-Lay. On top of that, Frito is asking a king's ransom for chips, somewhere between $.70 and $1.20 per oz. This is double from a year or two ago.

It was good for my waistline. I skipped them and got some almonds instead. They can take their chips and shove 'em.

No coincidence that this is happening either:
https://www.thestreet.com/markets/pepsico-stock-jumps-on-q3-earnings-beat-profit-forecast-boost

Yeah, I've mentioned that I've cut my drug-of-choice usage in half (Diet Pepsi.) I've also quit chips and most snacks. I would have guessed things like carrot sticks would have gone way up in price, but, so far, not so much. I can crunch relatively healthy carrots instead of Frito Lay chips and get the most of the oral satisfaction without most of the calories. Just gotta be sure I don't turn orange. Heh, heh, never had that problem with my ultra-favorite -- CHEETOS! (I love that commercial where the guy uses a black light to see who's been eating all the Cheetos. Even the cat was "guilty.") Unfortunately, Cheetos are now on the do-not-buy list.

 

[JoeWras]

Went out with friends to a restaurant we used to frequent. Haven't been there in a year.

New for this Fall is a 3.5% credit card fee. Yeah! One friend said he's starting to see this crop up in more places.

Let me get this right... just a short time ago people on this forum were talking about how they almost never use cash. I was headed that way too. I am now reversing and using cash more than ever.

Call me cheap, call me whatever. I just can't get LBYM out of my system.

 

[11522914]

Been picking up bagged lettuce from Aldi's for as long as I can remember.

Has always been .89 when Publix is usually around $1.89. Today the price jumped to $1.49. A 67% increase.

WTH!!!!

What the heck is up with bagged lettuce at Aldi's. Now it went up another .20 to $1.69.

 

[JoeWras]

What the heck is up with bagged lettuce at Aldi's. Now it went up another .20 to $1.69.

Not just Aldi. Everywhere!

I'm thinking of building a cold frame this winter and giving lettuce a try. Living in the southeast, it is manageable unless we get a late 70s style winter. I can warm the frame with a heat mat or bulb if the nights get below 25F.

 

[Scuba]

I was at Wal-Mart today and noticed significant empty shelf issues. Not sure if the product shortages are because of diesel prices, continuing manufacturer supply problems, or what? Reminded me of early COVID days where the shelves were bare, except that this wasn’t throughout the store, only in certain sections.

 

[Koolau]

DW and I have three lower-cal ice cream treats we really like at Costco. They have had none of the three for a month now. All I get is shrugs when I ask empl*yees what gives. The prices, last we saw them were still the same. I can only guess that Costco can't make money on our favorites.

I've come to believe that Costco audits what we buy regularly and then deletes those items from its inventory. That's my story and I'm stickin' too it.

 

[athena53]

Went out with friends to a restaurant we used to frequent. Haven't been there in a year.

New for this Fall is a 3.5% credit card fee. Yeah! One friend said he's starting to see this crop up in more places.

Some interesting implications if this continues:

Easier to hide cash transactions from the gubmint.
Huge risk of theft or loss from carrying and storing large amounts of cash, both for consumers and for the business.
Finance experts have said that people spend more when all they have to do is swipe a piece of plastic.

 

[JoeWras]

Some interesting implications if this continues:

Easier to hide cash transactions from the gubmint.
Huge risk of theft or loss from carrying and storing large amounts of cash, both for consumers and for the business.
Finance experts have said that people spend more when all they have to do is swipe a piece of plastic.

Apparently this trend started in the northeast during the pandemic. Yet another custom imported to North Carolina from our newly transplanted neighbors.

https://www.nj.com/news/2022/06/mor...a-credit-card-heres-what-you-should-know.html

 

[Fermion]

I tip more when I pay with a card than I do with cash, so it is a loss for their employees.

It isn't that I don't tip, it is just that when I am paying cash for something, like a coffee, I will put a $1 in the tip jar (seems reasonable, $1 for 2 min of time to make a $6 latte).

When I pay with plastic, they swing the screen around to me with the options of 20%, 25%, 50% (whatever the max is nowadays). I usually choose 20%, which is $1.20 on that latte.

 

[Accidental Retiree]

Apparently this trend started in the northeast during the pandemic. Yet another custom imported to North Carolina from our newly transplanted neighbors.

https://www.nj.com/news/2022/06/mor...a-credit-card-heres-what-you-should-know.html

I saw this CC fee 4 years ago in Fredericksburg, Texas.

 

[isisdave]

Card system rules used to prohibit surcharges (but permit discounts); a 2017 Supreme Court decision called Expressions Hair Design v. Schneiderman examined this and remanded the decision to the Second Circuit, which decided in 2018 that if the actual credit-card price is posted, it isn't a surcharge. Tomato-tomahto.

So now they're mostly permitted, and it's up to the market to figure out what to do.

Only one restaurant we visit, so far, has imposed a surcharge, and it's less than 3.5%. I haven't decided what to do yet; it's an inexpensive place.

I'm getting a crown replaced this week. I'm going to ask for a cash discount. We recently bought a hot tub, and I did get a cash discount -- 3.5% -- on that. The owner told the salesperson "OK, half the tax" which suggested he'd answered the question before.

We'll have to see what the answer is to "do people buy more when using credit" and "is what they buy higher margin" like alcohol and dessert. Cash management is a problem --our son's an assistant manager at a retail place, and cash is always disappearing anyway, usually in small amounts.

My crystal ball suggests that if this becomes a big problem, cash-back rebates to consumers might go away and be replaced by rebates to merchants based on volume.

 

[athena53]

Cash management is a problem --our son's an assistant manager at a retail place, and cash is always disappearing anyway, usually in small amounts.

I can see where the cost of pilferage might exceed the cost of processing credit cards.

This didn't occur to me as a form of inflation- I don't know if the company has always done business this way- but I signed papers late last year for some window replacements and put $1,000 down on my credit card. When the work was finished this spring, they wouldn't accept a credit card. A check was OK, but how did they know that I even had $9,000 sitting in my checking account to pay off the balance? Maybe I should have pretended that I didn't. 2% cash back on $9,000 is nothing to sneeze at.

I will not be using them again.

 

[JoeWras]

I can see where the cost of pilferage might exceed the cost of processing credit cards.

This didn't occur to me as a form of inflation- I don't know if the company has always done business this way- but I signed papers late last year for some window replacements and put $1,000 down on my credit card. When the work was finished this spring, they wouldn't accept a credit card. A check was OK, but how did they know that I even had $9,000 sitting in my checking account to pay off the balance? Maybe I should have pretended that I didn't. 2% cash back on $9,000 is nothing to sneeze at.

I will not be using them again.

When I was having tree work done, one of the estimators said I'd get 10% off for cash. I told him, "No problem, I'm not paying with a credit card."

He said: "No, bills. Cash."

Oh. Well, I didn't happen to have $8,000 of bills handy. Sounded shady to me.

 

[isisdave]

Yeah, when we were buying the hot tub, he first wanted like $7500 cash. I said no, I'm paying in full 10 days before delivery, so go cash the check.

That's another unfamiliar thing about living in Indiana. In California, if I paid a worker with a check, he'd cash it within an hour. Here in Indiana I've written checks for up to $3800 that didn't get cashed for a week.