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Have you been affected by inflation?

Started by propertyfag, February 14, 2008, 09:39:23 AM

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propertyfag

I read an article earlier, saying that because inflation is currently at a seven-month high; more and more people will start to struggle and consequently will drop their standard of living. Basic commodities like food and fuel are drastically increasing in price. I've already noticed the pinch when it comes to petrol, but not so much food.

My standard of living hasn't dropped just yet. I still buy everything I used to, but I do notice the difference. Has anyone had to lower their standard of living because of inflation? Even if it's something small like changing the brand of bread you buy? Or buying petrol from a different station?

Badger

Good question fag.
To be honest i dont look and i dont feel it, but then again the raise in goods goes up very stealthily and its only when someone points it out that people notice.  I can emagine people on budgets would feel it more.  I freaking hate the way this country plays its people.  I dont smoke or drink, i would think i would notice the raise if i did !.

propertyfag

Quote from: Badger on February 14, 2008, 11:53:12 AM
Good question fag.
To be honest i dont look and i dont feel it, but then again the raise in goods goes up very stealthily and its only when someone points it out that people notice.  I can emagine people on budgets would feel it more.  I freaking hate the way this country plays its people.  I dont smoke or drink, i would think i would notice the raise if i did !.

Yeah, it always is very stealthy. I only notice it with petrol. It's hard not to notice things like petrol because I was used to paying £40 to fill up my car for years, and now I pay just over £50.

It's probably not easily as noitceable with food because I don't have the same shopping list every week, and I imagine most people are the same.

It would be interesting to hear stories from people that have been affected, though.

vwilson

I've stopped buying organic food - I did for a bit but it was crazy. I've also started to be a bit more careful recently with food shopping, because over the last few months my weekly shop (even without the organic) had probably gone up about a tenner - maybe some treats, but I'm fairly sure some of it was inflation too. Fuel I have to buy, I only make journeys when I need to anyway and it'd take a lot for me to give up my language study or tai chi and things just because of the fuel cost, but I've definitely noticed a rise of about 8p per litre across all the local fuel stations. And that's a significant percentage.


V

propertyfag

Oh, that's a really good point, V. I used to buy a lot of organic food, but I just didn't think the extra cost was worth it. It had nothing really to do with inflation or affordability, it was more of a principle issue.

What really annoys me is that the government bang on about being more health conscious and energy efficient- but they price those related commodities way higher than the less healthy and energy efficient products. I understand it probably costs more to produce those health products because of economies to scale and all that, but if they mass produced those products to the point where they would be cheaper than the unhealthy/inefficient alternatives, i'm sure people would switch. It's mad. For example, a standard light buld costs something like 50p, an enegry efficient one costs about a tenner...


vwilson

Agree wholeheartedly. Take the whole "chicken out" phenomenon ... my supermarket now has shelves full of battery chickens it can't sell, and empty shelves where the free range stuff is. What does it do? Increase its own production of free range? nah ... imports a load of ridiculously expensive stuff from France.

Its not about how much they can produce it for, its about how much they want to charge you for a "premium" product. And healthy living, it would seem, is a premium.


V

Badger

People say healthy living is cheap and everyone can do it, na i dont think so, It does cost alot to fund a healthy diet and one that can sustain you and be totaly good for you, no addatives etc in food is hard to find and when you do you have to pay through the nose for it.
It has been proven that richer people dont suffer the kinds of food related deaths as much as poorer people do and are in better shape than most.  So there is something in it maybe.  But on the other hand i think the battery hen will be here for ever and all other mass produced battery food will be because people need to eat and will always buy it.  I see people all the time looking at two breasts for 8 quid, putting it down and buy instead  two whole blue stripe chickens. 

propertyfag

Healhy living is expensive, it's ridick.

A small bag of mixed nuts costs £3.

Badger

Next task maybe, find a healthy meal for under a skin diver

propertyfag


vwilson

LOL. Increasingly tough (a healthy meal for less than £5)

BTW, thought of this thread on Saturday when I went to do my weekly shop. I used to bribe myself to go and do the weekly shop by treating myself to a Starbucks coffee and cake, but it was absurdly expensive. When Sainsbury's replaced their Starbucks with a utilitarian canteen it wasn't as luxurious but was much easier on the pocket, and I could get a fried all-day breakfast for the price of my old Starbucks coffee.

This week while stood in the queue the elderly chap in front of me pointed out that there'd been ten pence on most of the items in the canteen. The cakes, tea and cooked meals had all gone up. A single custard tart was being sold for 49 pence in the canteen, while in the store you could buy two in a pack for under 50p.

Inflation in action ... and the people who rely on that canteen being cheap are noticing.


V

PS. Anyone else seen these ads about "supermarket price checker" and matching prices at other stores? The supermarkets have the audacity to claim this is of benefit to the consumer. In my book, looking to see what other stores are charging then charging the same is called price-fixing, and is definitely not getting me a better deal.

Badger

People from here meet up with people from there and talk about things,  we aint ment to know that, but it happens all the time.
The prices on products that are cheaper than somewhere else are marketed to make us think we are getting a good deal so we go and buy there over sized stock and everyone is happy, i bet you when you see that sainsburys has got this and that cheaper this week, i bet you it wont be next week, but another shop will be saying the same item is cheaper and so on untill they cannot afford to market that individual product anymore and the marketing for that item is over,
It makes you think if they are all infact silent partners of each other !.
I have noticed that V aswell,  when i have gone into tesco for the sneaky sausage sandwich, the bloody thing comes to 1.60 ish, the bread is value and the sausage is value total cost to them 9p lol.

Ahhhh dont knock starbucks i love the place, dont care how much they charge  ::)

vwilson

Their green tea is divine, although it tastes different to any green tea I get anywhere else, so gawd knows what's in it.

Mocha frappucinos for the win! ... Or Coffee Caramel ones these days, have evolved from Mocha ... and chocolate fudge brownies of course.

V