And prices keep going up

[Revoltingest]

Take the train

I've moved to more economical vehicles.

 

[Spice]

BTW, I've seen many prices fall over the last
couple years, eg, shipping, gas, plastic bins.

Flat panel TVs, VCRs, laptops, cell phone plans, etc.

 

[Kathryn]

Flat panel TVs, VCRs, laptops, cell phone plans, etc.

Maybe over the last year or so, but I am still paying double what I paid for them four or five years ago. DOUBLE! It's actually ridiculous.

I haven't priced out VCRs by the way, which are pretty obsolete.

 

[We Never Know]

Flat panel TVs, VCRs, laptops, cell phone plans, etc.

As technology gets old and replaced with new, prices drop.

What's the newest version of iPhone up to now? $1500, $2000?

 

[We Never Know]

Maybe over the last year or so, but I am still paying double what I paid for them four or five years ago. DOUBLE! It's actually ridiculous.

I haven't priced out VCRs by the way, which are pretty obsolete.

Example...

Prices for the first dvd players where around $1000.
Now you can buy one for around $40

 

[Kathryn]

Example...

Prices for the first dvd players where around $1000.
Now you can buy one for around $40

Example - the first VCRs were at least $1000. I have no idea what they are now.

I remember thinking "With prices this high, how will this ever take off?" LOL

 

[Spice]

Maybe over the last year or so, but I am still paying double what I paid for them four or five years ago. DOUBLE! It's actually ridiculous.

I haven't priced out VCRs by the way, which are pretty obsolete.

See, you live in a different world/culture than many, even here in the states. Blue-ray VCRs are far from obsolete where internet is not available nor affordable.

My first laptop, 2005, cost $1,700. My last, 2015, cost $200.

Have you forgotten the days of text messaging being limited, and worse, being charged by the character?

Life evolves. Culture priorities change. With that, economic priorities also become redirected. I don't hear much about the increases in luxury items, which are much, much higher than necessities. I hear the same people who complain about the price of a carton of eggs also talk about how great their week in the Bahamas was, and how they just bought their son a $35,000 truck for high school graduation.

Then of course there are the folks who went wayyyy into debt for school with no thought or plan to how economical that decision would be. Bad attitude.

The attitude should be gratitude.

 

[Spice]

As technology gets old and replaced with new, prices drop.

What's the newest version of iPhone up to now? $1500, $2000?

Yes, I purposely left the phones off the examples, as they are out-of-this-world. But they are due to popularity and fashion. You can still get a prepaid very affordability to cover the necessities.

 

[Kathryn]

See, you live in a different world/culture than many, even here in the states. Blue-ray VCRs are far from obsolete where internet is not available nor affordable.

My first laptop, 2005, cost $1,700. My last, 2015, cost $200.

Have you forgotten the days of text messaging being limited, and worse, being charged by the character?

Life evolves. Culture priorities change. With that, economic priorities also become redirected. I don't hear much about the increases in luxury items, which are much, much higher than necessities. I hear the same people who complain about the price of a carton of eggs also talk about how great their week in the Bahamas was, and how they just bought their son a $35,000 truck for high school graduation.

Then of course there are the folks who went wayyyy into debt for school with no thought or plan to how economical that decision would be. Bad attitude.

The attitude should be gratitude.

So you really, truly don't think prices for what most people are buying have gone up significantly over the past few years? And/or packaging has gotten smaller?

 

[Spice]

So you really, truly don't think prices for what most people are buying have gone up significantly over the past few years? And/or packaging has gotten smaller?

No more than any other time period of similar economic security. We've got it good. And that's why they're going up. We're able and willing to pay.

 

[Kathryn]

No more than any other time period of similar economic security. We've got it good. And that's why they're going up. We're able and willing to pay.

Alrighty then.

 

[Subduction Zone]

So you don't really notice inflation is above what is healthy for an economy. Gotcha.

Wrong, I do not overreact irrationally. I definitely notice what is healthy for the economy, I can see that you have not been noticing that.

 

[Kathryn]

Wrong, I do not overreact irrationally. I definitely notice what is healthy for the economy, I can see that you have not been noticing that.

I do notice it, but I also notice that prices and inflation are still going up and are still above normal and healthy limits.

Look, I just bought a house a few months ago, in a comparable market, and wow, I was shocked at the prices though I guess I shouldn't have been. I go to the grocery store at least once a week, and I'm shocked by those prices as well. My son lives out of state and so I need to attend his wedding and was looking at tickets which are frankly unbelievable. I just sent him a chunk of money but it won't go nearly as far as it would have a couple of years ago. It's depressing.

 

[Kathryn]

Wrong, I do not overreact irrationally. I definitely notice what is healthy for the economy, I can see that you have not been noticing that.

So do prices on most things continue to rise? That's what this thread is about.

 

[Subduction Zone]

I do notice it, but I also notice that prices and inflation are still going up and are still above normal and healthy limits.

Look, I just bought a house a few months ago, in a comparable market, and wow, I was shocked at the prices though I guess I shouldn't have been. I go to the grocery store at least once a week, and I'm shocked by those prices as well. My son lives out of state and so I need to attend his wedding and was looking at tickets which are frankly unbelievable. I just sent him a chunk of money but it won't go nearly as far as it would have a couple of years ago. It's depressing.

Are they? They do not seem to be. The current rate is about 3% and it is still dropping. It is expected to be down to 3.1% in June and the ultimate goal is around 2%. I am amazed that you can detect about a tenth of a percent in the rate of inflation, since that is the monthly percentage that you need to be able to observe:

United States Inflation Rate

Inflation Rate in the United States decreased to 2.90 percent in July from 3 percent in June of 2024. This page provides - United States Inflation Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

tradingeconomics.com

 

[Subduction Zone]

So do prices on most things continue to rise? That's what this thread is about.

They will hopefully always being going up somewhat. Too low of an inflation rate is a sign of a stagnant economy. A negative inflation rate is from an economy in a severe depression.

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

I am tired of cutting down, cutting back, living austerely, etc.

That's understandable, but if your tastes eventually exceed your ability to afford them due to rising prices and a fixed income, you will either be cutting back in a controlled way of your own choosing or it will be imposed on you when you hit a tipping point.

You really haven't noticed pricing going up?

Yes, I have, and I'm angry at Biden about it. Somehow, his inflationary choices have affected us here in Mexico, so I'm voting for Trump this time. Maybe that will make things better [/sarcasm].

This is how many Americans think: American politicians have done this to them, and since they don't like it, they'll vote for the other party and hope it works out better. That's a pretty poor analysis and a counterproductive remedy. From Trump says he'll end the "inflation nightmare." Economists say Trumponomics could drive up prices.:

"Key policies that undergird so-called Trumponomics — a combination of tariffs, tax cuts and a crackdown on immigration — are likely to cause a flare-up in inflation, according to many Wall Street economists."

And then there's this: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/06/26/business/nobel-economists-trump-inflation/index.html The opinion is unanimous.

But let's ignore all of that and give Trump a try anyway, OK? Maybe the economists with Nobel prizes in economics are wrong and Trump will outperform them all and bring down inflation. After all, Trump has a bachelor's degree in economics, so he probably knows more than world renown PhD economists.

I don't think we should put too much stock in all of those bankruptcies and business failures in a dizzying array of areas (casinos are a gamble), nor that he's banned from doing business in New York, nor that he's lost his fortune, nor that his brand is worthless. That can happen to anybody. Maybe this time, Trump will save the economy. [/sarcasm]

 

[Kathryn]

They will always being going up somewhat. Too low of an inflation rate is a sign of a stagnant economy. A negative inflation rate is from an economy in a severe depression.

I want things to return to a healthy rate, not an unhealthy rate.

 

[Kathryn]

That's understandable, but if your tastes eventually exceed your ability to afford them due to rising prices and a fixed income, you will either be cutting back in a controlled way of your own choosing or it will be imposed on you when you hit a tipping point.

Yes, I have, and I'm angry at Biden about it. Somehow, his inflationary choices have affected us here in Mexico, so I'm voting for Trump this time. Maybe that will make things better [/sarcasm].

This is how many Americans think: American politicians have done this to them, and since they don't like it, they'll vote for the other party and hope it works out better. That's a pretty poor analysis and a counterproductive remedy. From Trump says he'll end the "inflation nightmare." Economists say Trumponomics could drive up prices.:

"Key policies that undergird so-called Trumponomics — a combination of tariffs, tax cuts and a crackdown on immigration — are likely to cause a flare-up in inflation, according to many Wall Street economists."

And then there's this: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/06/26/business/nobel-economists-trump-inflation/index.html The opinion is unanimous.

But let's ignore all of that and give Trump a try anyway, OK? Maybe the economists with Nobel prizes in economics are wrong and Trump will outperform them all and bring down inflation. After all, Trump has a bachelor's degree in economics, so he probably knows more than world renown PhD economists.

I don't think we should put too much stock in all of those bankruptcies and business failures in a dizzying array of areas (casinos are a gamble), nor that he's banned from doing business in New York, nor that he's lost his fortune, nor that his brand is worthless. That can happen to anybody. Maybe this time, Trump will save the economy. [/sarcasm]

I'm not giving Trump a try. That being said, if he just does what he did prior to the pandemic, I think we'll all be OK. Great? No. But OK.

 

[Stevicus]

Take the train

Trains suck. So do buses. And I'm not a fan of air travel either. Not enough legroom for my long legs. As far as I'm concerned, the only way to travel in America is over the road, in an Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.