Examples of current inflation - add yours!

[Calico]

On another forum (snowblowerforum.com) members were commenting on the rise in costs of new snowblowers, and how that makes the ROI on fixing up an older snowblower an even better deal than it ever has been. The asking prices of used snowblowers is in many cases getting downright silly. Many of the members of that forum make a hobby of rescuing snow blowers that were headed for the dump, often with the expenditure of less than $10 for carburetor cleaning (most common) or simple ignition parts replacement. Even a whole new carburetor on Amazon or eBay rarely exceeds $25. And people throw these machines away!

The Ariens Deluxe 24 snowblower that I bought five years ago for $995 is now $1,449, a bit over 37% increase in just five years. I suppose that's not really an outrageous increase but it sure looks like a lot.

The specs for that machine state that it "moves 62 tons of snow per hour."

I take it you will be clearing the entire neighborhood, and all the surrounding neighborhoods as well?

 

[Healthy Lifestyle]

Very unhappy with the outrageous Comcast Internet Package
that is now billing me for ~$210.00 a month. DW and I think that this is
extreme inflation or highway robbery.

 

[John Galt III]

7 ounce bag of fancy potato chips 'on sale' for $4.39. How long has it been like this ?

 

[2HOTinPHX]

7 ounce bag of fancy potato chips 'on sale' for $4.39. How long has it been like this ?

I hate the fact that a lot of times you have to buy at least 4 or more of something to get a discount on them now. I just want one bag of chips please...the guilt from buy one is bad enough.

 

[Music Lover]

I hate the fact that a lot of times you have to buy at least 4 or more of something to get a discount on them now. I just want one bag of chips please...the guilt from buy one is bad enough.

I buy the large bag of taco chips from Costco, but there's no way I can eat even half of them before they start to go stale, so after they're opened I keep them in the freezer which keeps them fresh.

 

[Fermion]

12 pack of Coke cans at Wal-mart for $7.09

Wal-mart.

 

[finnski1]

Just got my Subaru oil undercoated. Last year $179.99 Today $212.58.
18.1% increase

 

[GenXguy]

7 ounce bag of fancy potato chips 'on sale' for $4.39. How long has it been like this ?

Some of the bags of chips that are just 12 oz or so are well over $5 at Walmart. I used to hate to pay $3 for a bag.

They've been running high for quite a while. I never buy chips unless there's some significant sale. Pop is $8 for a 12 pack now. I'm not seeing inflation slowing. I think the latest round of minimum wage increases, which results in wages going up for about everyone else as well, is feeding into more inflation, along with the supply chain / shipping issues. Then we're getting stuck by others, like 22% car insurance premium increases. Inflation isn't going anywhere - just piling on to the already high prices.

 

[Cayman]

7 ounce bag of fancy potato chips 'on sale' for $4.39. How long has it been like this ?

I hate this too - chips (potato, corn, etc) are darn high. I've seen a 7oz bag of Seitan chips for $5.79 (didn't buy them). But I'm glad to substitute the junk food for something else that's better priced. *Substitution* is my friend. I play the game buying better priced meat, discounted produce and other substitutions because I can, because it's fun to find bargains. I also buy high priced stuff when I want to and am grateful that I can. That said inflation has torn a nice big hole in my spending power and I'm not happy with what the powers that be did with M2.

 

[Gumby]

..... I'm not happy with what the powers that be did with M2.

Seems like that may be correcting now. https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/M2REAL

 

[USGrant1962]

Changing a watch battery at a watch service shop up 25.5% from June 2022 to now. 2022 and 2018 were the same price.

Haircut up 39% from 2020 to now, excluding tip.

Local Italian restaurant prices are up 20% for lower-end dishes (basic pastas) and >40% for higher-end (e.g. Crabcake Stuffed Portobello) since 2020.

 

[Montecfo]

Chips are a good food to avoid. Potato chips are probably one of the worst things to eat. Higher prices may provide more motivation.

Fresh veggies are a better option and pricing has come down in many cases.

Add a simple salsa or cottage cheese based dip and you are golden.

 

[Fermion]

Chips are a good food to avoid. Potato chips are probably one of the worst things to eat. Higher prices may provide more motivation.

Fresh veggies are a better option and pricing has come down in many cases.

Add a simple salsa or cottage cheese based dip and you are golden.

What if you slice fresh potatoes and make your own chips?

 

[Buckeye]

Very unhappy with the outrageous Comcast Internet Package
that is now billing me for ~$210.00 a month. DW and I think that this is
extreme inflation or highway robbery.

This is JUST internet and not TV also? That's nuts...either way!

 

[Chuckanut]

What if you slice fresh potatoes and make your own chips?

I make home pseudo fries by brushing olive oil on sliced potatoes, adding some seasonings and baking them. I consider them much healthier if for no other reason the potatoes stay in a more natural state. Who knows what they do to chips? IMO, often the problem is not the food itself but what they do to it when the process it.

 

[GenXguy]

Chips are a good food to avoid. Potato chips are probably one of the worst things to eat. Higher prices may provide more motivation.

Fresh veggies are a better option and pricing has come down in many cases.

This thread is about inflation examples, not about healthy food habits. I hardly ever bought chips even in the past, but I can't miss the massive price increases, along with everything else. Sale prices are much more than they used to be regular price.

I haven't see any price drops in veggies except for temporary sales, but we've always had those, and they're not as good as prepandemic pricing.

What if you slice fresh potatoes and make your own chips?

Potatoes have gotten pretty expensive, too.

 

[CaptTom]

7 ounce bag of fancy potato chips 'on sale' for $4.39. How long has it been like this ?

I hate this too - chips (potato, corn, etc) are darn high...

Some of the bags of chips that are just 12 oz or so are well over $5 at Walmart. I used to hate to pay $3 for a bag...

I have also noticed that snack food and soft drink prices have skyrocketed way out of proportion. Then I came across this article: PepsiCo products are being pulled from some Carrefour grocery stores in Europe over price hikes.

Some excerpts:
"Global supermarket chain Carrefour will stop selling PepsiCo products in its stores in France, Belgium, Spain and Italy over price increases for popular items like Lay's potato chips, Quaker Oats, Lipton tea and its namesake soda."

"The company behind Cheetos, Mountain Dew and Rice-A-Roni has raised prices by double-digit percentages for seven straight quarters, most recently hiking by 11% in the July-to-September period."

"Its [PesiCo's] profits are up, though higher prices have dragged down sales as people trade down to cheaper stores. PepsiCo also has said it's been shrinking package sizes to meet consumer demand for convenience and portion control." [emphasis mine.]

No, PepsiCo, we consumers are not demanding shrinkflation. Nor do we believe that your costs have risen as fast as your prices. Especially since your profits are up and sales down. Yes, we do understand where those profits come from.

This level of unmitigated BS is just unfathomable. How anyone could consider buying products from a company like this is beyond me. I'm a firm believer in voting with my wallet. I hope at least some others are doing the same. BTD on something else. It's not about the money. It's about being taken advantage of.

 

[Dash man]

I don’t buy soda and only chips for the grandkids. But we’ve owned Pepsi stock for years and love the dividends. People will keep buying that stuff.

 

[MichaelB]

I have also noticed that snack food and soft drink prices have skyrocketed way out of proportion. Then I came across this article: PepsiCo products are being pulled from some Carrefour grocery stores in Europe over price hikes.

Some excerpts:
"Global supermarket chain Carrefour will stop selling PepsiCo products in its stores in France, Belgium, Spain and Italy over price increases for popular items like Lay's potato chips, Quaker Oats, Lipton tea and its namesake soda."

"The company behind Cheetos, Mountain Dew and Rice-A-Roni has raised prices by double-digit percentages for seven straight quarters, most recently hiking by 11% in the July-to-September period."

"Its [PesiCo's] profits are up, though higher prices have dragged down sales as people trade down to cheaper stores. PepsiCo also has said it's been shrinking package sizes to meet consumer demand for convenience and portion control." [emphasis mine.]

No, PepsiCo, we consumers are not demanding shrinkflation. Nor do we believe that your costs have risen as fast as your prices. Especially since your profits are up and sales down. Yes, we do understand where those profits come from.

This level of unmitigated BS is just unfathomable. How anyone could consider buying products from a company like this is beyond me. I'm a firm believer in voting with my wallet. I hope at least some others are doing the same. BTD on something else. It's not about the money. It's about being taken advantage of.

I think this action by Carrefour will not be solitary and we will see other consumer and retailer push back this year.

 

[GenXguy]

I just went to order a pizza for delivery. Simple 2 topping large pizza with extra cheese. Price came up to just under $25! I bailed on the order. I was expecting it to be closer to $15. I hadn't ordered one lately, so that was a shocker, even knowing inflation is high.

 

[folivier]

Went to Homedepot to buy 4 6'x20" wire shelves. $39.98 each! But, if you buy 5 or more the price dropped to $31.98. So the 5th one was free. Of course I had to point out to the cash register person the bulk price when all 5 rang up at $39.98.

 

[Koolau]

I don't know if the BLS tracks the price of snowblowers specifically, but with respect to all good and services, the CPI in November 2018 was 252.038. In November 2023, five years later, it was 307.051. That's a 21% increase in 5 years. Did the reported snowblower price go up more than general prices over that period? It would appear so, but not by 5 times as much.

Gross exaggeration rarely improves an argument.

I guess I haven't seen anyone suggest inflation (in general) at 5 X the "official" numbers. My personal inflation is certainly more than the official numbers, but that's another story. No one likes gross exaggeration, but unless I missed it, I'm not seeing that here. YMMV

My recent example: We switched to Kirkland from Charmin for several years to save several dollars per 30-roll bail of TP. But Costco recently had a sale, locally $30.50 (reduced from $36.50) I saw shopping carts piled high with the stuff (heh, heh, we bought two bails as a "treat" for ourselves.) 8 years ago, we paid $22 for the same thing (so $22 to $36.) I don't know what that comes out, but it's not insignificant inflation and I think it's more than the official numbers but nothing like 5X.

 

[Lakedog]

Just got my 6 month auto insurance renewal -- 17% increase ($412 vs $352). Not quite as bad as expected...

 

[captain3d]

Bunnahabhain 18 year old whisky was $180 a few years back. Last week at a total Wine $360!

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Bunnahabhain 18 year old whisky was $180 a few years back. Last week at a total Wine $360!

I think that is more likely to be/may be a supply vs and inflation issue.

https://www.wine-searcher.com/merchant/110773-bottle-republic?wine_id_F=108583853