Inflation snapshots: December 2009

[WildspitzE]

Re: Inflation snapshots: December 2009

Inflation: The latest weapon in our war against obesity.

unfortunately carbs, corn syrup, vegetable oils, etc are all cheap. so expect more of that.

[lurker]

Re: Inflation snapshots: December 2009

unfortunately carbs, corn syrup, vegetable oils, etc are all cheap. so expect more of that.

So are lentils and spices, but that takes more imagination

Vegetarian Indian food anyone:

http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/

My wife follows this lady and recently she has produced some exquisite evening meals that cost next to nothing. The only downside is that you start to sweat curry smell.

[ThePythonicCow]

Re: Inflation snapshots: December 2009

Add a quarter cup of white vinegar to rinse to soften fabric and eliminate cling

Yup - vinegar in the rinse cycle. It helps dissolve any soap remaining, it's cheap, it's non-toxic. Cheaper, better, healthier -- what's not to like.

[WildspitzE]

Re: Inflation snapshots: December 2009

what's not to like.

The smell of vinegar on your clothes?

[Spartacus]

Re: Inflation snapshots: December 2009

you can't buy pure corn syrup (pure glucose) here anymore. I just finished my last bottle, and of the 12 brands that the local supermarkets carry, none is pure corn syrup.

Everything I could find at 9 local supermarkets has glucose-fructose (AKA HFCS), which is 30% sweeter than pure corn syrup. so they can use a little less syrup and more water.

unfortunately carbs, corn syrup, vegetable oils, etc are all cheap. so expect more of that.

[ThePythonicCow]

Re: Inflation snapshots: December 2009

The smell of vinegar on your clothes?

That doesn't happen. No such smell. Clothes come out softer and better smelling than with commercial fabric softeners.

[Slimprofits]

Re: Inflation snapshots: December 2009

I can't confirm this with hard data, but if memory serves me right, it seems that plywood prices have gone up considerably just in the last couple of months. Maybe it's seasonal, being that I'm in Massachusetts.

[WildspitzE]

Re: Inflation snapshots: December 2009

you can't buy pure corn syrup (pure glucose) here anymore. I just finished my last bottle, and of the 12 brands that the local supermarkets carry, none is pure corn syrup.

Everything I could find at 9 local supermarkets has glucose-fructose (AKA HFCS), which is 30% sweeter than pure corn syrup. so they can use a little less syrup and more water.

I stay away from all that stuff (corn syrup, glucose, fructose, etc.) with a passion.

[WildspitzE]

Re: Inflation snapshots: December 2009

That doesn't happen. No such smell. Clothes come out softer and better smelling than with commercial fabric softeners.

Interesting. Thanks.

[ASH]

Re: Inflation snapshots: December 2009

*

Ethanol: On the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Hazardous Waste list and can cause central nervous system disorders

I mean no offense to you, KGW, but this list of hazards seems suspect. I don't use fabric softener myself, but there are a couple things about this list which ring warning bells.

Ethanol is, of course, what people drink in alcoholic beverages. Obviously, a lot of alcohol isn't good for you, but there is such a thing as a negligible dose. We get less exposure to ethanol from fabric softener than from intentionally imbibing alcoholic beverages, so it is odd to cite ethanol as a hazard in this case. The fact that ethanol is included in this list signals that the writer is disingenuous -- they are on a search for anything that sounds dangerous, without regard to any rational metric by which to assess the danger presented. Frankly, that makes me question the intent of the list, and the integrity of the rest of the information presented.

In my opinion, any list of "dangerous" chemicals which includes common drinking alcohol -- and which lists chemicals as being "dangerous" but does not say what levels of exposure are dangerous or what levels are present in the product being critiqued -- is a propaganda hit piece.

[Spartacus]

Re: Inflation snapshots: December 2009

your savings probably evaporate(hahahaha) on the bean-o investment

http://itulip.com/forums/showthread....food#post40150

http://itulip.com/forums/showthread....food#post40153

So are lentils and spices, but that takes more imagination

Vegetarian Indian food anyone:

http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/

My wife follows this lady and recently she has produced some exquisite evening meals that cost next to nothing. The only downside is that you start to sweat curry smell.

[mikedev10]

Re: Inflation snapshots: December 2009

A thread for recording some on the ground anecdotes of inflation in action.

Prego sauce - one 'before' and one 'after'

Looks fine right?

[ATTACH]2561[/ATTACH]

Well, a closer look at the sizes...

[ATTACH]2562[/ATTACH]

And a shot of the expiration dates...

[ATTACH]2563[/ATTACH]

There you have it: 3 months apart, 8.2% less product.

cpi will calculate this on a per oz basis right? or aren't these different upc numbers? this would be evident in cpi, not hidden, correct?

[ocelotl]

Re: Inflation snapshots: December 2009

When you see shrinking sizes of coinage, you are welcome to rampant inflation, otherwise, itīs all anecdotes... And yes, some brands down here in Mexico are in the shrinking size fad.

[c1ue]

Re: Inflation snapshots: December 2009

cpi will calculate this on a per oz basis right? or aren't these different upc numbers? this would be evident in cpi, not hidden, correct?

In the case of the Prego: theoretically CPI would account for this - if Prego were in the basket - which I am quite sure it is not.

In the Kingsford briquet example, I'd bet money it would not. After all, the 'new' briquets are hedonically better...

UPC numbers are the same

[doom&gloom]

Re: Inflation snapshots: December 2009

I ate at the local Baja Fresh restaurant for lunch the other day. the
steak fajitas were definitely smaller, the plate size looked smaller, and
the staff was all of three people to staff the 'lunch rush' which was
maybe half what it was in the 'old days'. I guess no need for someone
to bus tables when the tables are not so full.

in addition, the local food chain, QFC, now has big carts and small carts.
I guess when you buy less, and what you buy is smaller, you don't need
that really big cart anymore.

I did an informal survey at a local foods market (multiple vendors) recently.
We stopped to buy fish, veggies, bread, etc all at different vendors. I asked
all of them how much they thought business was off. Standard answer was
about 15% or so.