# Inflation effects???



## Don M. (Nov 11, 2021)

It appears that inflation has reached a high not seen since 1990....6.2%.  Does anyone feel substantially affected by this rise in costs?  For most, the costs of gasoline and food would appear to be the biggest impact.  Crude oil has been sitting around $80/barrel, instead of a more traditional $40/B, for months.  Some "experts" are even predicting that price could rise as high as $120/B in coming months.  Food prices have risen steadily in the past year, due to production cuts, etc., as processing plants have been impacted by Covid, etc.  

We have reduced our "running around", and there have been weeks where I probably used more gas in my mowers, than the vehicles.  We keep a grocery list, and only go to the stores perhaps once a week....instead of running to town for a gallon of milk.  We increasingly look for specials, and have cut back on expensive meats and snacks, etc.  

On balance, I suspect that these rising costs are costing us little more than $10 a week...which is manageable.  IF the SS increases for 2022 are as predicted, I think we'll pretty much break even....maybe even have a few dollars left over.  

The Big Hit, for millions, will be the huge increase in heating costs, this Winter, for those using natural gas, heating oil, or propane.  Some could see their monthly bills going up by 50%, or more....or wearing a coat indoors.   

How's things looking at your place, and are you taking any measures to compensate for these rising prices?


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## Harry Le Hermit (Nov 11, 2021)

I am managing to keep costs somewhat in line, but that is a product of hoarding early on... when things were a bit cheaper. I still can afford these increases.

As for the inflation, that 6.2% will likely look like the good old days... over the next few months, imo.


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## Murrmurr (Nov 11, 2021)

We're feeling it. 

Two big hits on our budget are the gas it takes to drive 440 miles every month to go pick up Paxton and then take him back. Fortunately CPS has agreed to pick him up every Monday, which saves me 220 miles/mo. The other hit is the cost of my cigarettes .

I know, I need to quit. >sigh<


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## bingo (Nov 11, 2021)

since we don't  go anywhere...gas prices haven't affected us....we heat electric...with wood back up...I guess  this winter..there'll  be propane rationing


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## hollydolly (Nov 11, 2021)

Murrmurr said:


> We're feeling it.
> 
> Two big hits on our budget are the gas it takes to drive 440 miles every month to go pick up Paxton and then take him back. Fortunately CPS has agreed to pick him up every Monday, which saves me 220 miles/mo. The other hit is the cost of my cigarettes .
> 
> I know, I need to quit. >sigh<


Petrol here is an astornomical price at the moment.. around £7per gallon..( Over $9 US)...

I don't smoke , but I was stunned just yesterday when I saw the price of a pack of 20 cigarettes here.. an astronomical £13.... approx $17 US per pack of twenty cigs


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## Murrmurr (Nov 11, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> Petrol here is an astornomical price at the moment.. around £7per gallon..( Over $9 US)...
> 
> I don't smoke , but I was stunned just yesterday when I saw the price of a pack of 20 cigarettes here.. an astronomical £13.... approx $17 US per pack of twenty cigs


I pay a little over $60 per carton (10pks of 20cigs), and that's the cheap ones. My usual brand (American Spirit) is around $90 per carton.


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## hollydolly (Nov 11, 2021)

Murrmurr said:


> I wish $17 !
> 
> I pay a little over $60 per carton (10pk), and that's the cheap ones. My usual brand (American Spirit) is around $90 per carton.


$17.. for *one pack of twenty Cigarettes*... a carton 
containing  10  packs of 20 here in the UK  would cost £130... or US equivalent $173...


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## Harry Le Hermit (Nov 11, 2021)

Murrmurr said:


> I pay a little over $60 per carton (10pks of 20cigs), and that's the cheap ones. My usual brand (American Spirit) is around $90 per carton.


I pay about $60 a carton for Marlboro Gold Pack (lights). There is a huge difference in state taxes in some of the surrounding states, which accounts for many of those residents crossing the border to buy cigarettes. I don't know if it still takes place, but it was once quite common for folks traveling through the state to buy large quantities for friends and relative back home. It's not like anyone would rat them out to the ATF.


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## Tom 86 (Nov 11, 2021)

Murrmurr said:


> I pay a little over $60 per carton (10pks of 20cigs), and that's the cheap ones. My usual brand (American Spirit) is around $90 per carton.


I remember at my Dad's gas station back in the '40s & '50s you could buy a whole carton of cigarettes for a dollar.  If you wanted one pack it was 20¢

   What's hitting me hard right now is the gas price for the Durango to go to Dr's office 25 miles away one way.   It gets 22 mpg but not as good as my old Prius that got 55+ mpg.  

This year my LP is going sky high. Last year it cost from 89 to 99¢ a gallon.  Last month it was $1.59 a gallon.  Yesterday when I went in to pre-pay it's up to $2.19 a gallon.  John said he expects it to go to $3.00 or more in the winter.  Glad I pre-paid as I still get my gas at the $2.19 a gallon price.


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## Murrmurr (Nov 11, 2021)

Tom 86 said:


> I remember at my Dad's gas station back in the '40s & '50s you could buy a whole carton of cigarettes for a dollar.  If you wanted one pack it was 20¢
> 
> What's hitting me hard right now is the gas price for the Durango to go to Dr's office 25 miles away one way.   It gets 22 mpg but not as good as my old Prius that got 55+ mpg.
> 
> This year my LP is going sky high. Last year it cost from 89 to 99¢ a gallon.  Last month it was $1.59 a gallon.  Yesterday when I went in to pre-pay it's up to $2.19 a gallon.  John said he expects it to go to $3.00 or more in the winter.  Glad I pre-paid as I still get my gas at the $2.19 a gallon price.


Gasoline is $4.89/gal for regular.


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## fmdog44 (Nov 11, 2021)

The news said yesterday the rate of inflation is the highest it has been in 30 years.


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## Murrmurr (Nov 11, 2021)

Harry Le Hermit said:


> I pay about $60 a carton for Marlboro Gold Pack (lights). There is a huge difference in state taxes in some of the surrounding states, which accounts for many of those residents crossing the border to buy cigarettes. I don't know if it still takes place, but it was once quite common for folks traveling through the state to buy large quantities for friends and relative back home. It's not like anyone would rat them out to the ATF.


I refuse to buy Marlboro because when I co-owned a convenience store they were absolute A-holes.

Buying cartons of cigarettes on some Indian Reservations was a cheap way to get them but I think the feds have cracked down on that.


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## Aunt Bea (Nov 11, 2021)

I haven’t been impacted much at this point.

Today I was reading the supermarket flyers for four of the major chains in the area.   The local Tops friendly market is advertising frozen turkeys for forty-eight cents a pound.

It looks like prices of basic food items for a traditional Thanksgiving meal are still reasonable if people are willing to do a little scratch cooking.

There is no denying that we are in an inflationary period but it makes my blood boil when the media does everything they can to whip it into an apocalyptic frenzy.

_“America was built on the can-do spirit and will continue to thrive on the can-do spirit.” _- Robert Mondavi


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## Irwin (Nov 11, 2021)

The price of gas doesn't seem to have gone up much here in Denver. It's still too expensive, but it doesn't seem to have been hit by inflation... yet! We're paying about $3.50 a gallon and with my King Sooper's card, I get 50¢ off a gallon. Beef is expensive. My wife pays the utility bills, so I don't know if gas and electric have gone up. 

I always try to conserve... even when fuel is cheap and I buy food that's on sale. I'm just miserly. Maybe that comes from the time in my life when I was poor. I'll set the thermostat to 66° and use a blanket when watching TV. I have a little electric space heater here in my office.


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## Harry Le Hermit (Nov 11, 2021)

Aunt Bea said:


> There is no denying that we are in an inflationary period but it makes my blood boil when the media does everything they can to whip it into an apocalyptic frenzy.


The fixation seems to be on the YOY 6.2% number and should be on the 0.9% month to month change, imo. Even if the month to month were "0" for the November report, the Year over Year would be 6.3%. Which is the lower bound forecast.


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## Aunt Bea (Nov 11, 2021)

Harry Le Hermit said:


> The fixation seems to be on the YOY 6.2% number and should be on the 0.9% month to month change, imo. Even if the month to month were "0" for the November report, the Year over Year would be 6.3%. Which is the lower bound forecast.


I understand.

I also think many of us lose sight of how much better off we are today than we were during the round of inflation thirty years ago or the previous one in the late 70s.

I have to believe that things will improve and someday these will be the good old days.


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## Aneeda72 (Nov 11, 2021)

The price of gasoline is wrecking my budget.  We really need cheaper housing, but there is none.


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## Becky1951 (Nov 11, 2021)

Murrmurr said:


> I pay a little over $60 per carton (10pks of 20cigs), and that's the cheap ones. My usual brand (American Spirit) is around $90 per carton.


I buy mine just over the state line in KY, 28.16 per carton, the brand is called THIS.


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## Harry Le Hermit (Nov 11, 2021)

Aunt Bea said:


> I also think many of us lose sight of how much better off we are today than we were during the large round of inflation thirty years ago or the previous one in the late 70s.


Yep, from 3-1977 till 6-1982 the inflation was higher than 6.2%, peaking in March, 1980 at 14.8%. In fact March 1973 through February 76 was higher. Fun times.   

We're not there and hopefully don't get there, but the headlines next month will say something akin to highest in nearly 40 years.  The media needs a disgruntled populace to drive up ratings for something taking place late next year. (Don't dare speak it on this forum).


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## Knight (Nov 11, 2021)

Murrmurr said:


> I pay a little over $60 per carton (10pks of 20cigs), and that's the cheap ones. My usual brand (American Spirit) is around $90 per carton.


And I thought that raising the price of Winston's from 80 cents a carton to $1.20 was a lot. That was back in 1965 when I was in the Navy.  As for price increase on gasoline no impact on us. Food price increase no impact but do see the impact on others that have put some items back because unable to pay.


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## Llynn (Nov 11, 2021)

Our little village store is not known for low prices but yesterday I saw 1.16 lbs of hamburger offered for $9.38.


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## David777 (Nov 11, 2021)

One thing for certain is the effective value of my bank savings account I saved up over the last 8 years before retiring is continually shrinking due to low interest rates.  Rates the enormous real estate and financial corps promote because it allows them to keep buying up properties with government play money and then selling them at inflating profit to we peon fools that have no choice.


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## Irwin (Nov 11, 2021)

Once the pandemic is under control, things will get back to "normal."


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## Aneeda72 (Nov 12, 2021)

Irwin said:


> Once the pandemic is under control, things will get back to "normal."


No, no things will not.  Normal will have changed to a new normal.  There is no such thing as normal.


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## Aunt Bea (Nov 12, 2021)

Aneeda72 said:


> No, no things will not.  Normal will have changed to a new normal.  There is no such thing as normal.


_"Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature's inexorable imperative."_ - H.G. Wells


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## mathjak107 (Nov 12, 2021)

David777 said:


> One thing for certain is the effective value of my bank savings account I saved up over the last 8 years before retiring is continually shrinking due to low interest rates.  Rates the enormous real estate and financial corps promote because it allows them to keep buying up properties with government play money and then selling them at inflating profit to we peon fools that have no choice.


Our investments  are at record highs and despite spending down for 6 years in retirement we are way higher then the day we retired  even though we run a very conservative portfolio.

the fed did everything but drop leaflets from helicopters telling people not to use cash instruments as investments .

those who listened did very well. , those who didn’t paid the price


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## mathjak107 (Nov 12, 2021)

Irwin said:


> Once the pandemic is under control, things will get back to "normal."


Unlikely , since once many goods and services go up they are not going to roll back , especially services ..

so while we may see some drop in inflation as the supply chain improves it is not likely that much of it will be temporary


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## oldpop (Nov 12, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> $17.. for *one pack of twenty Cigarettes*... a carton
> containing  10  packs of 20 here in the UK  would cost £130... or US equivalent $173...


When I quit smoking ten years ago I was spending about $275.00 a month on cigs. To date that is a 33.000 savings....


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## CarolfromTX (Nov 12, 2021)

My hairdresser raised her price. My grocery bill is way higher. Is costs way more to fill up my gas tank. My teaching pension is not likely to increase, so I am effectively losing money there. Ditto my husband’s pension.  Glad we invested for all those years or we would really be hurting.


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## CarolfromTX (Nov 12, 2021)

Irwin said:


> Once the pandemic is under control, things will get back to "normal."


And when is that going to be? This pandemic has given unprecedented powers to a lot of politicians. They want the pandemic to go on, especially since they hold themselves above the rules they impose.


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## Don M. (Nov 12, 2021)

Murrmurr said:


> I pay a little over $60 per carton (10pks of 20cigs), and that's the cheap ones. My usual brand (American Spirit) is around $90 per carton.


I suspect much of that price is California Tax....just like the price of gasoline in California.  

Out of curiosity, I looked up American Spirit Cigarettes online, and found this.  You might want to check out buying your smokes online.

https://www.cigarettesdealer.com/american-spirit-cigarettes-c-13.html

https://www.usa-cigarettes.com/american-spirit-cigarettes-c-65.html


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## Murrmurr (Nov 12, 2021)

Don M. said:


> I suspect much of that price is California Tax....just like the price of gasoline in California.
> 
> Out of curiosity, I looked up American Spirit Cigarettes online, and found this.  You might want to check out buying your smokes online.
> 
> ...


I bookmarked both of those. Thanks! I didn't peruse yet but I will. If the total after shipping is still cheaper than the Calif price, I'll be ordering.


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## Aneeda72 (Nov 12, 2021)

Murrmurr said:


> I bookmarked both of those. Thanks! I didn't peruse yet but I will. If the total after shipping is still cheaper than the Calif price, I'll be ordering.


Cause heaven forbid you give up smoking.


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## Murrmurr (Nov 12, 2021)

Aneeda72 said:


> Cause heaven forbid you give up smoking.


Oh, for sure.


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