The price of everything!

Vikingod

Gas prices haven't killed me directly, as my car gets good milage, but I'm certainly getting it indirectly, and without a hug or a smoke afterward. I got back from the grocery store this evening, and it might as well been a visit to the proctologist. $170 dollars later, and I nearly cried at the checkout counter. Having three kids, shopping is always hell, but that is $60+ more than I would normally have spent, and I didn't even get any beer for the weekend. It's not like I'm eating choice steak either, more burgers and dogs with salad or fruit.

What pains me more is knowing that I'll be going back next week... Looks like I might be in the market for a part-time job this summer.

So, anyone else feeling the pinch? If you are, my sympathies, but you aren't alone.

CDsDontBurn

i wouldn't say that it is just the price of gas that is going up that is affecting our spending power. it would also be the pay of minimum wage. I don't know about your location, but here in california, minimum wage is at $8/hr.! just two years ago it was at $6.75!!!

with the price of minimum wage having gone up, you start to see it at some places like grocery stores (as in your experience today), movie theatres, and even places like fast food joints.

If i could vote to have minimum wage go down, i would. gas too. lol.

but seriously, $170/week isn't *so* bad compared to what my mom spends. omg, my mom spends TOO much at the grocery store!!!

airlines are also passing down the costs of fuel to their customers. American Airlines for example, in economy class with more leg room, they are charging their customers $20 more per passenger for such seats to make up for part of the costs of fuel!

then shipping services too. a few months ago i went to ship a package for my uncle out in north carolina, i shipped out his package for $13.28 (i still have the receipt) with ground shipping. a few weeks ago, i shipped out another package of the same weight for $2.71 more! the increased price was in, you guessed it, *fuel surcharge*

Falstaff

ha ha...
I pay UK gas prices..
my heart goes out to you

niceguyrichy

I'm paying $2.50 a litre for fuel, I can't even afford to drive to a shop to spend money.....
last time I looked supermarkets' own brand bread was almost a pound (2 dollars) , and things like pasta and rice were almost double what they were a year or so ago
times is hard my friend.

Falstaff

Its bloody Gordon Brown mate!!!

GutterPunk

I hear ya, when I moved here a year and a half ago, my fiance and I could get about 3 weeks to 1 months groceries for just around 90-120 bucks. Now we hardly leave without spending $150-$210. Its tough man I feel your pain.

temeteus82

The food prize is going up because some stupid companies makes biofuel from grain, corn and other crops. And there has been some food riots in developing nations just because the food prize is going up.

Vikingod

Yeah, I paid $2.50 for bread yesterday, and $3.50 for a gallon of milk (which lasts a day or two in our house, tops). Christ, a jar of Mayo was $6.00. I'm hoping this is just a fluke, and prices of some of the food will lighten up over the summer, but I'm not holding my breath.

I don't mean to complain, as I know things are tough in many places, that's not the purpose of my posting this. I was wondering how things have been in other areas of the world.

It's just shocking is all, having the price of necessaties skyrocket, yet peoples wages, at least in my area, have either shrunk (benefits-wise) or stayed level.

niceguyrichy

OPEC are expecting petrol to hit £2 a litre ($4) , wages aren't even getting close atm, I don't honestly what we're meant to do.

Al_Vampyre

Same all over guys, equivalent of $2.20 per litre for petrol (that's roughly $8.50 per US gallon), $11.00 for Marlboro red here in the UK.

Most of the problem is the current price of oil, oil goes up, fuel goes up, haulage costs more, price to the consumer rises. That and the turning of food crops into bio-diesel.

It will cycle though, it always does, people will stop buying things if the price rises too far, so the prices will come back down again otherwise the retailers will start to fail altogether.

Vikingod

Here are a few facts I spotted: Why-Gas-in-the-U.S.-Is-So-Cheap: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance

Reading the article is necessary to put a perspective on it.

Judas

about 100 bucks a month for food...

and i don't drive anywhere...

Falstaff

fiance Greg?
I never thought you would sheath your sword and turn it into a plow..LOL
how the mighty have fallen...
congrats mate...

temeteus82

Yesterday in local tv-news was story about the food prize in the US. In Baltimore there were huge queues for food banks. And the manager told that there were increasing numbers of mid-class people queuing in the line. One woman that was interviewed had worked all of her life in hospital as nurse and now her pension wasn't good enough to support her living and same story went for her social security. He was most angry to the current president who spends too much money on war in her opinion.

Tinkerhell

Good article but it only touches on the vast # of things that go into the cost of gasoline. It does make me sick though, if the powers that be would tap Anwar, the Gulf of Mexico off of Florida & some of the places in the Rockies and build new & upgrade existing refineries our gas prices here would be that low also. Then you go ahead & ramp up production of nuke power plants across the nation and we could be one of the most fuel/power independent countries in the world.

I'll stop now least I disclose my entire presidential campaign platform.

Costs me $80 every week or week & 1/2 to fill up my truck to drive my 13 miles to work one way. I'm in the market for a cheap old motorcycle to help with my prices.

Robert McClelland

hehe If you have pure box or bag of rice sell on ebay you make alot money hehe

Vikingod

That's it right there. My family is decidedly middle class (well, what's left of "middle class" anyway), and we're feeling it. I feel terrible for those who really can't make ends meet. We've been in the same shoes before, so I understand the stress.

It's strange, it's seems to be effecting young professionals more than you would expect. My good friend lost his job as an architect Friday. Rising costs of everything have slowed development, and therefore taken away much of his work. I know others who are in the same ship.

kris23

oh yea... 20 bucks for 30 or so pounds.....

but i like rice...

swimtech

That's really the only way to make a difference that matters for the volume of energy required and as other countries around the world develop - but it'll take 5 to 20 years...

Lowfat

I don't pay for my gas