Prices going up every where, what have you noticed?

[sabra]

Besides the obvious of heating prices, and prices @ the pump (though they are intertwined), what products/services have you seen go up in price?

Just this week (here in Chicago):

- one way train ticket went up 30 cents
- cup of coffee @ Dunkin Donuts went up 20 cents
- my company's cafeteria prices went up 2%

So how about you?

[Cobalt Violet]

1. Food.

If I want to make a salad I have to have at least $30.00 to spend.

[SpiralHawk]

22. Whoa - invite me over to help with that salad

Yum

[Cobalt Violet]

33. We have very high produce prices up here.

The quality isn't great either.

I get some relief from my local farm but that's months away.

[Cobalt Violet]

34. We have very high produce prices up here.

The quality isn't great either.

I get some relief from my local farm but that's months away.

[SammyWinstonJack]

25. ** knows how hard it is to put food on your family.

He really does :eyes:

[MadisonProgressive]

2. This isn't a big surprise

but my health care and drug deductibles were just 'adjusted'. Why don't they just say they were 'raised'? I'll have a major cardiac if it EVER goes lower!

[Flabbergasted]

3. Portland Bus lines up .15

Postal Stamps up .02,

[sabra]

stamps, forgot about that one.

[Horse with no Name]

4. At the grocery store

Most things have increased in price at least .05-.10.
Most noticeably, the cheap starchy food that is normal 2/1.00 are now .54 each.
Cabbage is normally .30-.40 a pound, yesterday I noticed it was .50 a pound.
I notice I don't save as much money on my Kroger card as I did a few months ago.
Cheap 12-pk of soft drinks normally $2.00, are now $2.10.
It adds up.

[TechBear_Seattle]

12. Speaking of soda inflation

Around Thanksgiving in the Seattle area, 2 litre bottles of Pepsi and Coke products went from $1.50 each to $2.50. They have been "on sale" for between $1.50 and $1.89 ever since. The one time I noticed it was at "full retail" -- and I do notice, being something of a diet Pepsi addict -- lasted all of about a week.

Oh, and of course you need one of the grocery store's customer purchase tracking cards in order to get the "discount."

[Lorien]

29. Try being a vegetarian who eats mostly organic foods

3.99 for broccoli or a small bag of spinach, 4.15 for two bell peppers, or two cucumbers, 3.79 for bread, 3.49 for one dozen eggs, 5.99 for a small Amy's pizza, etc. etc. I have fibromyalgia and I'm sensitive too all kinds of chemicals, so I rarely get out of the grocery for $40 these days-and that's food for one person!

[Horse with no Name]

32. It's insane that most people can't afford to eat healthy

especially when you consider that our government subsidizes farming.:shrug:

[katinmn]

35. Unfortunately, big corporate farms get the bulk of the subsidies

Some of them aren't even farms in the traditional sense.

[Lorien]

44. The reason why bottled water is often more expensive than soda:

corporations are subsidized for adding corn products-like corn syrup-to foods and beverages. They're getting paid to have us consume some truly unhealthy stuff. It's no surprise that the poor are often overweight; you have to consume an enormous amount of many processed foods to get nutritional minimums, and additives like corn syrup cause a spike in blood sugar, which causes sugar and carb cravings.

[tsuki]

5. But there is no inflation. n/t

[Mind_your_head]

6. Regular (not sale) price for loaf of 'decent' bread - $3.00 and up!

eom

[napi21]

9. $3.00! Where do you live????

I hate off the shelf bread and always buy mine in the bakery. The highest price I've seen on a loaf of bread was $2.69 and I now just buy the bread they have on special that week!

[SoCalDem]

17. My grandfather always said.. "Food is cheaper than medicine"

I never buy "cheap" bread..or cheap food. Even if it's "expensive", I would rather splurge on groceries than on shoes, or video games or......

[Lorien]

30. Our neighborhood Albertsons have bread for $3 plus

a frozen pizza will set you back $9, a bag of spinach is 3.99, eggs are close to three bucks, milk is about $5 a gallon...and the really sick part is that this Alberson's is one of the ONLY grocery stores within walking distance for those in the very poor section of town! Even Whole Foods isn't as expensive.

[hang a left]

45. Orowheat makes really good shelf bread.

If it is not on sale, it is 3.69 here in Southern California. I will not buy sale bread unless it is Orowheat. It is just one of those items I won't skimp on.

[napi21]

7. I can't be as specific as you, but I know all food has gone up.

My husband works as a meat cutter in a large east coast chain. Everything has gone up in price BECAUSE of the proce of gas! Everything in a retail store is delivered by truck! The price of deisel has skyrocketed, and we're all seeing the results added to our prices on the shelf.

It's been a gradual increase, so many people don't pay much attention, but items that used to be .99 are now 1.19.

The other thing I got hit with is the increase in Postage costs! I sell on Ebay, and although the standard stamp only went up .02, every other service increased too! I ship most of my items via Priority Mail or Parcel Post. On PM, what used to be $3.85 is now $4.10, and ever other service has increased the same!

[Coexist]

18. BINGO! The cost of fuel affects the cost of EVERYTHING!

There is nothing in your stores that didn't get there by car or truck.

[stop the bleeding]

8. property taxes and home owners insurance has increased by 67-140%

over the last year here in Florida - I know that is not the point of your post - but it sure feels like inflation to me.

[meganmonkey]

10. Hmm...I must block it all out

I went grocery shopping yesterday and the only thing I remember is that my soy milk went down about 25 cents.

Selective memory is a good thing }(

[SoCalDem]

11. Shampoo price is down

I found an ancient bottle of shampoo in a cupboard (circa '80's). It was priced $1.39.. That smae shampoo was on sale at Longs the other day for 89 cents..

So.. I guess we can at least wash our hair for a decent price :)

[bush_is_wacko]

13. Spending a lot more at the grocery store even though I'm buying less and

"cheaper" products than I used to buy. I can no longer even afford to worry about whether a food is particularly healthy for us as long as it is edible.

Health insurance cost went way up for a lot of the people I know but I don't think ours did.

I heard a brief announcement on our local news channel that our public service company is thinking about lowering the cost of natural gas by 35% next month. No reason was given but I imagine it is because way too many people can no longer afford to pay their natural gas bills and have turned their heat down to 55 so that it rarely kicks on. I know that is what I am doing. It is cold as heck outside but I'm sitting by the fire to keep warm!

[Individualist]

16. Same here re. groceries

I nearly went into shock yesterday when the grocery store cashier told me the total amount. As for health insurance, my co-pay went up Jan. 1.

[meganmonkey]

14. Credit card minimum payments have gone up

for many...

I guess that means that money itself costs more, in a way :crazy:

[stewert]

15. Everything is up Except Wages.......

Prices on everything is up and wages are down, a recent report shows real wages adjusted for inflation are down 0.5 percent.

My Father is on a pension and social security, the biggest hit to him are the gas prices and the heating oil prices. A year ago he was spending about $40 a week for gas, now it's $60 or more. Last winter our highest energy bill was about $200 in a real cold month. Our last energy bill was $270 and the next month was even colder so it will be more than $270.

The slight increases in food etc. are not the main problem, it's the gas prices and the energy prices that are killing people.

[DebJ]

19. credit card interest rates. mine have gone up over the last 6 mos

increasing .5% every other month or so...in other words, I am now paying a full 3% more than I was 8 months ago on my remaining cards. I contacted the companies because not only have I been making regular payments, I have been making extra payments to most of them. They said my personal history has nothing to do with it; it is the prime rate increases. We've been paying down our debts as fast as possible for the past 18 months, reducing 18,000 in principle owed to $2000, with the end coming quickly in sight, thank God! I hate those bastards. My rates were so astronomical to begin with, they surely had absolutely no need to raise them at all.

[Peggy Day]

20. I noticed that I can't afford to eat some things anymore

[anitar1]

31. Hey, same here. But I knoe prices and shop around.

i never buy junk and try to shop locally f possible. Things rise in price every week. Albertsons and Safeway are really the worst here. I only buy leaders there. We are fortunate here in Eugene as we have local, organic stores and a chain of Oregon markets which are wonderful.Whole Foods are coming in, but I don't know if they will survive here. Wild Oats folded their tent and closed down a year ago.I love Trader Joe's for some items. It is sort of fun to shop around once one gets used to it.I did notice at FM that they have Smuckers jams "on sale' for 2 bucks almost all the time now. People stopped buying it when it became so high priced.

[Nutmegger]

21. Food and bus fare

I'm fortunate enough to have the university take care of the bus fare but a quarter increase had a lot of folks steaming.

[DiverDave]

23. The cost of Diesel fuel

It's more then GAS!
They do this on purpose as they know that people don't put the cost of truck fuel together with the cost of products.
Everything, EVERYTHING that you buy has been on a truck.
If not the finished product, the materials that made it.
Remember when diesel used to be the cheapest?
No more, because we wouldn't have ANYTHING without it.
So, they raise the price sky high, and people don't have a clue.

[napi21]

24. It's also put a lot of small truckers out of business!

I very well remember when Diesel was the cheapest fuel you could buy. That was one of the selling points on the diesel PU's. I have no idea why the refineries increased the price so much! Sad to say, but it's probably because the trucking companies didn't pay enough in bribes!

[SammyWinstonJack]

28. Probably part of the plan.

It's also put a lot of small truckers out of business!

[no_more_rhyming]

36. Wait till the new HOS kick in fully, and

ultra low sulphur diesel is mandated, and the next year when the 2007 emission trucks are sold. We're already talking to customers about the increase in freight rates to offset the added expense of all the new regulations.

[DiverDave]

37. YOU know this and

I know this, but to the vast number of consumers, they just see that the prices rise and rise.
Meanwhile the Owner-Operator driver has to pay the outrageous prices while taking a small increase per mile.
I have talked with guys that have just about parked their trucks, they cant find freight that pays more then it costs to deliver.

[no_more_rhyming]

39. If they are parking their trucks,

I'll bet I can tell them where they can find some work. There is freight everywhere. Qualified drivers are in short supply though.

[DiverDave]

48. Why work at a loss?

When it costs more to take a load then they get, then what?
I've heard 2.00 a mile the bottem price for some guys.
Course you know there isn't that out there, yet.

[bigwillq]

26. Gasoline

is really the only thing I noticed.

[Initech]

27. The only thing I've noticed is gas went up almost 30 cents/gal.

And that's in the last two weeks. It was $2.19 a gallon when I filled up last Wednesday. I filled up today and it was $2.37 a gallon.

[hyphenate]

38. Groceries today

cost me $124, and I can't think of anything that was a single large purchase. It's disgusting.

[MODemocrat]

40. Real Estate and automobiles have really gone up in price

Also, when I go to the grocery store, it seems the prices have risen. My utility bill is a killer too.

[wishlist]

41. Dr/Dentist , State License Tag fees plus gas tax, oil changes,Insurance

Of course groceries including eggs are higher, but what we have noticed the most are costs such as higher fees for medical visits, vehicle registration, insurance premiums, car maintenance. Our water, electric and cable bills have also jumped up in the last couple of months as well as a 3 cent state gas tax increase that just took effect.

We are shopping ebay, flea markets, dollar stores and low cost grocery stores more than ever to find bargains. Fortunately where we live there are many alternatives to full retail.

[graywarrior]

42. Scott toilet paper from 2.89 to 3.19/4 rolls

My electric bill went up $40 this month and I haven't used my AC since Nov.

[LondonReign2]

43. My breakfast sandwich

Suddenly up more than 5%

[karlrschneider]

46. Beer has gone up 20% in the last month.

:grr:
But oddly, not liquor. Maybe I should switch...?
:silly:

[mrbill]

51. definately some beer price creep going on...........

In December the on sale price of a case of my favorite malted beverage was $14.99 plus a .0825 sales tax of $1.24 for a total of $16.27.

This week the best sale price is $16.49 plus $1.36 = $17.85. That's a $1.58 increase, a dollar fifty for the beer company and 12-cents more in sales tax. Looks like the beer ration has gone up about 9%.

2 liter Pepsis are holding steady at Sack and Save at .98 each.

Scot toilet paper went up 6% the other day, but they announced the price increases in the business section about a month ago and that was no surprise.

Crappy cat sand went from $1.97 to $2.28.

Natural gas bill at the house up 42% from last year.

Just paid 40-cents more for 20 stamps.

Car went to the shop, the price of auto parts has gotten absurd and then the shipping has gotten all slowed down. My mechanic is a good guage of the local economy, he says that this year instead of using the tax refund checks to pay down a new/er car, people are fixing up their junkers.

[wiggs]

47. Gov't price index numbers are bogus

Prices have been going up for a couple of years generally, except for electronics. Official price index numbers are kept down because so many benefits and costs are tied to consumer price index and inflation rate and would go up faster if true index increases were reported.

[OneBlueSky]

49. regarding food . . . not only do prices keep rising, but . . .

the contents of packages keep shrinking . . . not the packages themselves, mind you . . . just the contents . . . you used to be able to buy a pound of coffee, for example, but today the same size cans hold 13 or even 11.5 ounces . . . same story with what used to be a half gallon of ice cream . . . and on, and on, and on . . .

[REP]

50. Cat Food

Used to be $28 for 20 pounds; in December it was $30 and yesterday it was $32.

[spinbaby]

52. Breyers ice cream

Up to $6.14 for the "half gallon" that's really 1.75 quarts. Five years ago a real half gallon of the same stuff was about $3.50.

Much of our food-buying strategy is to patronize local businesses where we get better food for a better price. We get local eggs from a feed store, dry goods from a Mennonite grocery, and meat from a real butcher. In the summer we have a garden. But that takes time and we still have to shop the grocery store for what's left.

[Nickster]

53. Almost choked when I saw the price of chicken last week when I went

shopping. I always get whole chickens to bbq, usually a 4 lb bird costs about 5-6 bucks. The price, and I had to double check it, was 15.50. I looked at the skinless chicken breasts instead, normally about 6 bucks for a lb, they were 8-9.50. I decided against chicken for this week.

[B Calm]

54. Health insurance

and only to find out almost every time that you send in a bill, your case is being reviewed and payment denied!

[merbex]

55. I shop completely differently from 10 years ago

10 years ago I would just go to my local Stop n Shop and buy my weekly groceries

I'm a stay at home mom (probably not for much longer) and we had to stretch a buck so I searched for lower costs in my food budget

Now I drive 15 miles to go to a butcher with a high volume turnover- his shop is near an elderly complex and a lot of Asain immigrants shop at his store. Next I drive to a stop n shop near the butcher's shop which for some reason has items that sell 15 - 20 cents cheaper than in my suburban hometown

For my vegetables I support a local business which specializes in produce and hard to find items. The produce cannot be beaten for quality and price. The hard to find items are expensive and I just look and occasionally buy for gift giving

For staples I want to head to a Costco but the nearest one is too far so I'll head to a Target or a Kmart if it fits my schedule

Shopping like this can take 3 hours ( I also take my elderly mother so she can also stretch a dime)Thankfully, it 's only once a week

[DarbyUSMC]

56. Right before Christmas a pound of Dunkin' Donuts coffee was $6 a pound.

Now it is $7. They can keep it. Great coffee but that much of an increase is ridiculous.

[Toots]

57. Oil at $68. a barrel

Almost all goods are delivered by diesel trucks........Prices will continue to rise....