Anyone else really not being impacted by current economic conditions? (gas prices, gallon)
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Yes, we've all heard the Henny Penny's on this site with their 5 threads a day that the world is coming to an end with the runaway train inflation.
So, for the rest of the non-curmudgeons, I'd love to hear from you.
For me, I recognize gas has gone up roughly 40 cents in my area from the time people actually started getting on the road again (a realistic way to look at things as few cars were on the road at this time last year accounting for extraordinarily low demand). But I get 41 miles to the gallon so can't say it's been a big deal to me (it will amount to less than $300 a year)
I also must not buy the most common items at grocery stores since the chicken, ground beef, and salad items I get at Costco haven't changed in price. Milk prices are actually up but that's from an historic low (similar to gas). We actually paid more for milk from 2012-2015.
Top 10 items bought at grocery stores (comments in parenthesis are things I don't buy) :
Soda (nope)
Cereal (oatmeal)
Frozen Dinners (nope)
Salty Snacks (nope)
Milk
Laundry Detergent (bulk at Costco)
Eggs (seldom)
Peanut Butter and Jelly (nope)
Packaged Meats (bulk at Costco)
Bread
Add to that a refinance for our house being converted from a rental property to a principal resident and we've dropped over 3% on a mortgage saving us $350 a month (I suspect many have refinanced at these historically low interest rates and had a reduction of their mortgages).
I've also noticed none of the stores in my area have been missing anything I shop for.
Like I said, we know the curmudgeons will come into this thread and scream bloody murder, but I'm really interested in hearing from the other group that don't think the sky is falling and can shelf their silly political opinions.
Those controlling the dummy cadaver of the former person known as Joe Biden have only just begun with their supply chain crises and skyrocketing inflation...you will feel the pain.
Those controlling the dummy cadaver of the former person known as Joe Biden have only just begun with their supply chain crises and skyrocketing inflation...you will feel the pain.
Yes, I understand you couldn't resist but you have plenty of "end of the world" threads you can chime in on. Let's hear from the other side.
Prices have risen so I am not denying they haven't. I did receive a raise at work and so my savings rate remains the same even though prices have risen. I can still pay off my credit card every month as well.
I do agree that all of the shelves are well-stocked at my local grocery stores at least for the items I usually buy.
What I have noticed are the price increases in restaurants especially my favorite ones. The last time I ordered take-out I got the impression that I could have just made it myself and save a lot of money. I rarely felt like that with my favorite dishes in the past. My husband asked last Friday if I wanted to order take-out and I turned it down. We made our own food.
If all your shopping is done at Costco then you will see the price rise a bit later. Huge conglomerates like them (and Walmart’s, Sam’s, etc.) can use their buying power over their suppliers to keep rising prices down but only for so long.
Come back in about 6 months and tell us how we curmudgeons are still wrong.
So...just because YOU do not buy the things that have escalated the quickest or the most...YOU seem to think there is no economic crisis and everything is just fine?
Well, that is great for you but no so much for everyone else.
I would suspect everyone's situation is different.
Those that work from home are probably NOT affected by the rise in gas prices, while those that commute 30 miles a day probably are experiencing a bit of a pinch. Again...it is all relative.
Be glad that YOU are not feeling a pinch, but don't insult others by saying there is no economic problem or that there is no crisis or things to be worried about.
Gas and groceries are where we are seeing the most impact. But we both work at home and we do not eat any animal products. Produce has increased a bit. For instance, a few months ago, I paid 50 cents for a lemon at Walmart. Now the same lemons are 57 cents. At Publix, the same lemon is 80 cents. Yikes.
I'm not sure what your point is. You say yourself you're spending more in gas so it does affect you. Maybe not a lot, but it did. In our area the grocery stores do have some empty shelves at certain times and in general prices have gone up across the board. Restaurants increased their prices and so did most other businesses. Maybe it's an additional $1.00 on a certain meal, but the prices did go up. Cars and homes are insanely expensive now. So across the board prices have increased very quickly. Whether it affects someone or not is going to come down to what they do and what they buy. You're not affected as much because your car gets 41mpg, you don't buy certain items, etc.
Am I more mindful of food purchases? Yes. Am I more mindful of combining car trips etc? Yes. Have I radically changed my habits? No.
Gas is up about 60 cents a gallon from this time last year. Having lived through earlier times of rapidly rising gas prices, I can put this one into perspective, not think the sky is falling, and go on with my life. I'm lucky to work a hybrid schedule, so instead of 250 miles a week commuting, I'm doing only 100 - 150 miles a week depending on how many days I go into the office.
The only food item I'm buying less of is beef, and beef prices rose a long time ago, long before the pandemic, so no one with two working brain cells can say "Biden did this". My staple foods - chicken, fish, eggs, cheese, fresh and frozen produce - are about the same price as always, or a few cents higher.
The only shortages I'm seeing consistently is canning lids. The past two growing seasons have been rough on us home canners.
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My staple foods - chicken, fish, eggs, cheese, fresh and frozen produce - are about the same price as always, or a few cents higher. 
