Inflation is real. Just ask people at the grocery store.

[leftyladyfrommo]

I just bought 2 bags of potatoes, 2 bags of frozen fruit 3 bags of frozen veggies. It was, $36.

I never get out of the store for under $35 and that is just a few things.

And gas here in KCMO is back up to $2.54.

And my house insurance on my tiny house is $1 ,500 a year. I have never had a claim. Car insurance is up.

But there is no inflation.

[Chin music]

1. I'm sorry.

The prices are going up on everything. Nothing changes until we protest nationally, bc everybody thinks everythings ok. It's not ok.

[Sherman A1]

2. Yup

Just got a letter from St. Louis County. My house increased in value by 15% it appears?

[Johnny2X2X]

3. Food is crazy right now

Food prices aren’t included in inflation indices because the fluctuate too much, but it’s crazy right now. My wife and I are spending $1000 a month feeding the two of us.

[leftyladyfrommo]

4. Everyone here in KCMOZ has gotten increased

Values. At least n the northland.

[Ohiogal]

5. The only food that's cheap

like macaroni, white bread, corn flakes , etc. is all junk. Nutritious food and fresh produce is definitely expensive.

But the MSM keeps bleating about our great economy!

[randr]

6. Everything every where is going up

I pay $80 for a bag of groceries that cost $50 last year. Gas will be above $4/gal by summer.
We are being lied to about everything.

[onenote]

7. Who is saying that there isn't any inflation?

From the official report for March (issued in April):

The energy index increased 3.5 percent in March, accounting for about 60
percent of the seasonally adjusted all items monthly increase. The gasoline
index increased sharply, and the electricity index also rose, although the
natural gas index declined. The food index also increased in March, with the
indexes for food at home and food away from home both continuing to rise.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.1 percent in March,
the same increase as in February. The indexes for shelter, medical care, new
vehicles, recreation, education, and tobacco were among those that increased
in March, while the indexes for apparel, used cars and trucks, and airline
fares all declined.

The all items index increased 1.9 percent for the 12 months ending March, a
larger increase than the 1.5-percent rise for the period ending February. The
index for all items less food and energy rose 2.0 percent over the last 12
months. The food index rose 2.1 percent over the past year, its largest 12-month
increase since the period ending March 2015, while the energy index declined
0.4 percent over the past year.

[NewJeffCT]

15. By historic standards

1.9% or 2% inflation is low.

[onenote]

17. Over the past 18 years

annual inflation has been less than 1 percent three times; between 1 and 2 percent six times; and between 2 and 2.5 percent four times.

Since 2008, annual inflation has been higher than 2 percent only twice.

[NewJeffCT]

18. Before Bush Jr

inflation was regularly much higher.

From 1966 to 1992, it was never below 3.0%, except for 1986, when it was 1.1% If you go all the way to 1997, it was always higher than 2.5% except for that one year in 1986.

https://www.thebalance.com/u-s-inflation-rate-history-by-year-and-forecast-3306093

it wasn't until the last few years of Clinton that it dropped to closer to current levels.

[onenote]

21. What the data shows is that inflation ebbs and flows

From the 1930s until the beginning of WWII, inflation tended to be low.
During the war, it spiked up. In the decade after the war, it was up and down.
From the mid 50's to the mid-60s, it was low more often than not.
And then starting in the late 1960s until the mid 1990s, it was consistently higher than 2.5%, sometimes much higher.

My point is that I don't think anyone is claiming that there is "no" inflation currently. In fact, the official reports acknowledge the sharp spike in energy costs recently.

[shanti]

8. Auto insurance

I have a 15 year old van, I'm 63 with a spotless driving record, put less than 2000 miles a year on my auto, and my insurance (albeit, Nor Cal) is over $900 a year! Ridiculous! Our gas is a bit higher than yours though, at around $3.69 a gallon at the moment. That's with a refinery ~70 miles away too. Home insurance is holding steady at ~$1000 a year. And yes, food prices have gone up.

[leftyladyfrommo]

9. Think rents are way up, too.

A very average 2 bedroom apartment costs about ,$600 t0 $800.

Car costs. And car payments are up. I saw where the average car payment is over $500.

Really, it is getting harder and harder to make it.


.

[Kaleva]

10. I get a 10 lb. of spuds for $1.99. 13 oz bags of frozen veggies for $.99 each.

I don't buy frozen fruit so I don't know the local cost for that but I still have bags of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries in the freezer from last fall that I picked and flash froze.


With planning and buying only what's on sale, I can live on a food budget of about $130-$140 a month if need be but I do budget $200 for myself.

The below is from last year but there's ideas there that can help you reduce your food budget costs:

Frugal meal ideas for a frugal food budget. Updated 4/06/18

[mopinko]

11. my bill for seeds for my farm has exploded this year.

been creeping up or the last several years, but this year it really jumped.

[PufPuf23]

19. I garden for food plus it is therapeutic for a geezer.

The best closest nurseries have raised their prices for starts and sell less starts in 6 packs ($3 to $5). I bought about 40 starts of 8 types of peppers last week and could not get 6 packs for 4 types and singleton starts, albeit larger, were $2 to $3 a unit. I need to drive 27 miles to a (new in 2019) Reservation store to buy fresh produce and do most of my shopping in bulk in a small urban area that is a 90 mile one way drive. I shop Costco, Safeway, and Winco plus also sometimes shop especially for fresh produce at a small but full service market, farm organic produce roadside stand, and a local organic food store that are a 40 miles drive. But give away heaps of stuff when my garden is at its height.

[mopinko]

20. i had to raise my prices.

my seedling sale covers a lot of my costs here, and i need to make money.
i also lost quite a bit sourcing to a small seed company. their extremely over priced seeds gave rise to very shitty seedlings, and one was clearly not even all the same tomato.
i cant really even sell the ones that did make it. cant do people that way. i will grow them out and see if there is anything worth saving myself.

got burned quite a few times w small quantities, too.

i will be wwaaaayyy more diligent about saving seed this year.

[LibFarmer]

12. Sadly, it is going to get worse

The tariffs and the tax cuts haven't fully hit yet. By next year this time, we'll see a 7-8% inflation if not more

[onenote]

22. Not a chance.

No one reputable is predicting inflation at that level a year from now. No one. And the way the Fed works, it is almost impossible to imagine.

In the last 90 years, inflation has hit 7% or better only around 10 times. And the last time it topped 7 percent was nearly 40 years ago.

Not sure why you would spread such hyperbole since it only makes you look foolish.

[LibFarmer]

25. Trump has pumped $1.5 trillion

in a 15 trillion GDP .. that is an increase of 10% in the money supply.

Unless the people and corporations buy US savings bonds or T-notes with that money, there has to be inflation.

[cagefreesoylentgreen]

13. All according to plan

Keep employment uncertain, jack up prices on everything, then the populace is too focused on day to day basic survival rather than protesting.

[IcyPeas]

14. gas in SoCal is over $4.00

2 bedroom rental is over 3,000
1 bedroom is $2,000

our governor Newsom was looking into why our gas is so high. Single family houses are being demolished all over the place for multi-unit apartments or condos.

$$$$$$$$

[onenote]

24. Gas prices in California routinely run $0.50 to $1.00 over the national average.

And have for a number of years.

Gas prices have jumped recently, but they're still well below where they were from around 2011 to 2014.

[Kaleva]

16. My budget

$1192.00 SSDI
$140.05 Veteran Pension

$1332.05

----------------------------
$10.00 VA Co-pay

$10.00
------------------------
$40.00 Electricity (averaged out over 12 months)
$13.99 Amazon Prime
$11.99 Hulu
$10.00 Great Courses Plus
$25.00 Cell phone with unlimited text and talk
$40.00 Natural gas for heating, hot water and cooking (averaged out over 12 months)
$43.00 water & sewer
$67.00 Land line and internet

$300.43
------------------------
$140.00 Property taxes and homeowners insurance

$140.00
---------------------------
$37.00 Credit card payment
$40.00 Credit card payment
$54.00 Credit card payment

$91.00 (two credit cards should be paid off by mid summer and the third by the end of the year)
---------------------------
$200.00 Food, personal hygiene
$100.00 Miscellaneous, clothing
$25.00 Donation to Kamala Harris campaign
$5.00 DU

$330.00

$1332.05 - $871.43 = $460.62 available for discretionary spending

[Elwood P Dowd]

26. My prescriptions have gone up over 50% since 2017. Same meds and same dosage.

Food prices are at least 20% higher. Throw in smaller increases in cable service, auto insurance, home owners insurance, property taxes, gasoline, telephone service, internet, and my total fixed monthly expenses have increased about 15% since 2017. I don't believe a single word coming from the government or The Fed when it comes to inflation. Fucking Social Security gave me a whopping 2.8% increase for 2019. About all that did was cover the increases in my home owners and auto insurance.