Inflation: It’s Not Just for Beef Any More
The other day, I wrote about the rise in beef prices. Beef is at a 27 year high.
Here are a few other things found in many people’s grocery basket (well, in normal people’s grocery basket; PETA members might not have them in theirs): pork, shrimp, eggs. How have they fared since Feb 2009, you ask?
Well, hello inflation: it’s not just for beef any more.
Here are the numbers, courtesy of zerohedge.com:
- Pork: Feb 2009, ~110; end Mar 2014, 152.50; % change, 38.6%
- Shrimp: Feb 2009, ~80; end Mar 2014, 162; %change, 102%
- Eggs: Feb 2009, ~1.85; end Mar 2014, 2.061; %change, 11.4%
For comparison: beef was at ~225 in Feb 2009; at the end of March 2014, 289+ – a %change of 28.4%.
According to the BLS, CPI inflation during roughly the same period (since 2008, presumably since the end of that year) has been less than 10% – 9.75%, to be precise
Of the four food items listed above, only eggs have risen in price at a rate even close to the same rate as inflation. The other items have risen at a higher rate than inflation – all by more than double inflation, and by 10+ times as much in the case of shrimp.
Yes, other factors – drought, illness in pigs – has contributed to the price rises. And yes, food costs are traditionally volatile. Still: when food costs are rising seemingly across the board faster than inflation, you do have to wonder.
Yeah, that economic recovery is really working; people are certainly better off today. The Administration tells us so!
What’s next – “Let them eat cake”?
Category: Economy
86 million full-time workers supporting 148 million benefits takers…that’s welfare for you folks in Barack Obama’s fantasy Land.
http://www.cnsnews.com/commentary/terence-p-jeffrey/86m-full-time-private-sector-workers-sustain-148m-benefit-takers
DefendUSA Thank you. I read the article though I do not know why I was surprised. I WAS GLAD to read they subtracted the veterans receiving government benefits, noting they had EARNED them. Is it going to get better? No! It is only going to get worse because the Democrats want every available person they can get on government benefits…to vote for them. To hell with our future, our nation, our economy, the working middle class and working poor. These numbers will keep going upside down until we collapse. Other measures being considered…”hey Sparks, you worked hard all your life and built a retirement account for later years. How bout you share that with those too stupid to do the same and the Obama Phone folks who need a little extra this month because instead of buying needed stuff with their welfare, well, they have a crack addiction that sucks up a lot of the income we give them. So how bout we tax your 401K. That work for you?” Sorry for the long comment. It pisses me off to no end.
Ayn Rand would feel SO vindicated (Atlas Shrugged).
I see this every day. I am already having to cut back in other areas in order to provide meals for my daughter and myself.
We rarely eat out. Maybe once a month at a local place. Chain restaurants are out of the question.
It’s fortunate that I can cook (and I consider my self a very good cook and a savvy food shopper) because otherwise I’m not sure how we’d be getting by.
AW1 Tim I agree. Though retired and doing some contract work we still watch our budget. Eat out? Not too often. And when we do, if I walk up to the restaurant and they have a sign saying, “We accept Food Stamps/SNAP”, I leave. People on food stamps should be buying staple foods that are nutritional and last. Beans, rice, cheese…things that go a long way for the dollar. NOT EATING OUT at a restaurant on MY MONEY, sitting next to me. It pisses me off to no end and that’s the second comment this morning I have ended that way. Scum sucking, bottom feeding, worthless, lazy ass turds AND THEY ARE PROUD OF IT! That is what bothers me the most. When I was growing up, people who had to “go on the county”, were humble and somewhat ashamed of having to do it and worked hard to get off as soon as possible. Those days are LONG GONE!
I hear 5X5 Sparks!
I’ve been trying to find some part time work, anything really, around here, but so far there’s no one wants to hire an older disabled veteran.
It pisses me off because there are things that I can still do, I just can’t do them full time. I used to build frames for pouring concrete, did roofing, even did some finish carpentry work. But now I can swing a hammer for a day, then I’ll be soaking my hands for 2 days, etc. Sucks big time.
But, what really chaps my @ss is seeing contractors hiring these illegals and paying them each in cash at the end of the day. I’ve complained to the feds about it. None of them do anything. They all say they don’t have the funds to investigate and prosecute.
Then these illegals (and there are plenty right here in Maine) have their wives march down and file for welfare claiming their husbands can’t find work, etc. And the game plays on.
Meantime, you and I and the rest of us who don’t qualify for jack keep having to cut back and do without.
Yeah, I’m pissed off as well. I own my own home, and everything we have is paid off, etc. But I still can’t afford a car, and that’s something I’d like to be able to use to take my daughter places, to let us get out now and then. But what the hell, I’m rambling now.
We have a roof over our heads, clean clothes and something on the table for supper. We’ve got more than some, less than others. But we are paying our way so far, and there’s a lot to be said for that.
V/R
AW1 Tim Thank you and I agree to the max. Same thing going on here. The illegals undercut the legals in what they’ll take for pay and they are doing most of the framing, concrete and roofing work. They are on welfare with 7 or 8 kids, food stamps and drive new cars that make my 2007 Hyundai pale. But mine was a good, low miles used car I paid cash for. I bought my last new car decades ago. Can’t see driving off the lot and hearing all the depreciation hit the ground. But in my state as in most, they cannot ask if they are legal or not at the Department of Social and Health Services. If their social security number comes up bogus, they can’t ask them about it and they dig in their wallets and come out with ANOTHER one, from brother or cousin or anyone they can buy one from and then they’re in the system, good to go. By the way the going street rate for a valid Social Security Card is upwards of $250. Others in the system who need drug money will sell theirs because they are already getting their benefits and don’t need to show it again. If asked, it was lost and they go over to the SS office and apply for a replacement. Sorry this was long winded.
If napoleon says it, it must be true. I’m starting to think with all the Republicans bad Democrats good bleating from the sheepole in the media, these guys took Orwell ‘ s work as a play book rather then a warning
Since food and fuel don’t exist, there is no inflation and the cost of living is unchanged. Really. And I’ve got a great downhill-skiing resort in Florida that I’d like to sell you.
I’ve decided that the Beltway and the Boroughs of NY are entrances to Bizarro World, a place where rising prices and shrinking packages are signs of deflation.
Yep, perfect time to start talking about shutting down the commissaries. I live inside the Beltway, where food prices get higher faster. Think the fat cat politicians and lobbyists care? You couldn’t tell from the crowds at Wegmans and Whole Foods.
Non-existent inflation is the reason I go to Aldi. And even their prices on things like eggs have gone from $.95 to $1.89. That’s a 100% rise in price.
I keep all my receipts. If it weren’t for Aldi and Walmart and coupons, I would barely be able to afford anything.
Ex-PH2 We are coupon shoppers as well. Not because we always have to but because we were raised to understand the value of a dollar. If I have a coupon for buy one dozen eggs and get another dozen free, unless the price is jacked up for the difference, I go buy them. People on food stamps could care less about the prices. I see their grocery carts full of ice cream, cookies, potato chips, you know…all the stuff that’s good for you and lasts a long time on a limited budget. Were I the Emperor, well a hell of a lot would change, but one would be clear labels on food products as to what does and does not qualify for food stamps.
As NHSparky pointed out, I watch them pay with their SNAP card. THEN out of the cart comes the beer, booze and cigarettes and out of their pocket books comes the mule choker wad of cash to pay for them. Under the table, unreported earnings. Then I watch as they go to the parking lot and load it all up in a relatively new Escalade with the 22″ tires and spinner wheels (about a $3000 aftermarket purchase around here). Yea I get pissed.
Gee-helicopter Ben dumped trillions into the economy and inflation inexplicably occurred. Who could have foreseen this totally unexpected happenstance?
I keep seeing articles that refer to hyperinflation. They’re fringe element at best, but I’ve enclosed one here:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/2013/10/egon-von-greyerz/us-hyperinflation-2014%e2%80%a8/
That violates our constitutional right to cheap meat and meat by-products!
Smokescreen, Joe. And not even a “nice try” at a smokescreen.
1. Eggs and shrimp are neither meat nor meat byproducts.
2. No one was discussion constitutional rights. Rather, we were discussing this Administration’s fabled “economic recovery”.
3. My basic observation – that any meaningful “economic recovery” to date has been, shall we say, somewhat difficult to discern – is a legitimate one.
4. The observation that for selected (but commonly-purchased) foods price increases have far outstripped inflation is similarly valid.
I will give the current Administration credit for not inducing general runaway inflation – yet – like that which their closet-comparable predecessor administration (led by Carter) did in the late 1970s. But the current administration has done what I consider a completely unacceptable job in fostering any real economic recovery to date – largely because IMO they’re completely clueless as to how the real world works.
When you have something meaningful to contribute to an adult discussion of the current economic situation, child, you’re welcome back. Until then, please go and play – elsewhere.
Hondo,
You’re right, I apologize for being flippant. But I do feel you guys are micro-blaming Obama for things entirely beyond his control, like the terrible drought in the west that has ranchers culling their herds, the hangover from the BP oil spill, etc. How do you know it’s not normal up and down, statistical noise?
But I’ll try to be more respectful.
Joe: some of it is simple variation due to events beyond human control. And if it was only one item, I’d write it off as just that.
But it’s not. Vegetables and fruits are also going up & up.
But the economy is still essentially stagnant – and pretty much has been since 2009. Ditto wages. The labor rate has fallen essentially linearly since about early 2009. We’re short about 5.5 million jobs today just to get the labor participation rate back to where it was in Jan 2009. The only reason the unemployment rate is down is that a massive number of people have said “f-it” and quit looking.
Economic recovery? What freaking recovery?
Well, it’s all relative. If you’re a trillion-dollar multinational company (i.e., anything on Wall Street) getting huge subsidies, Congressionally-gerrymandered tax amnesty, and/or enormous Federal contracts – in short, Federal welfare – AND you’ve figured out a way to maintain operations (sort of) while slashing your American workforce and making the survivors do the work of multiple people … why, you’re doing just ducky!
I have definitely felt the impact of the rise in food and energy costs. It has hit me especially hard because I have Celiacs disease. This bundle of fun precludes me from eating anything containing gluten from wheat, barley and rye. Because of this, the foods that are safe for me are expensive. Gluten free bread can be from $2 to $3 higher than regular bread. Gluten free pasta is also more expensive, but not quite as bad as bread. add in the medical costs every time I have a gluten reaction, well it puts a huge strain on my income. My wife and I have to shop very carefully, and we often look for special on meat, stuff being cleared out because it’s about to go pasts it’s best by date.
The company I work for is actually owned by 3 other companies, one has controlling interest. That company split and we went to the new group that is trying to negotiate a buyout. Needless to say, I haven’t seen a raise or bonus in 4.5 years. I am compensated for that with getting to work from home most of the time, a regular work week (unusual in the IT world), and as much time off as I need.
That said, inflation has eaten away at my salary so that I’m sure I make a significant amount less than I used to in real dollar terms.
My husband no longer gets the overtime he used to, so his income is significantly reduced as well.
The only thing in our favor is that our kids all grew up and moved out, so we don’t have that expense anymore.
I think our food bill may be almost as high as when the kids were at home, even though there are only two of us, prices have gone up that much. Bacon is ridiculous!
Beef bedamned, have you tried to buy Gunpowder lately? If you can find it, and I sure as hell can’t, the price has skyrocketed. It is so scarce that I saw a pound of Unique bid up to $95.00 on Gundealer.com. That’s 500 percent. Im sure part of the increase is the result of hoarders but it seems to me that a half billion rounds of ammo sales to the Feds may be partly responsible.
Not meaning to change the subject, but if you haven’t already heard, Hillary is going to be a grandma. Some news pundit said (last week, I think) that she’s the ONLY solid candidate the Democraps have, whereas the GOP has several. She keeps putting off saying anything about running. It may be that she already knew she was going to get the Granny title before too long.
Whether or not it will affect the economy and make it worse if she does run and somehow wins remains to be seen. Let’s wait and see what happens there.
Twice as much as the 1/2 billion rounds of ammo went to people who were lining up like fans at a Beatles concert. Some of that went to the military, you know.
Walmart last year was selling ammo at the rate limit of 3 boxes per person per day, so people bought 3 boxes one day and the next day, they were right back in line to get another three.
Multiply 3 boxes per day by 7 days per week. Multiply that by a more accurate number, 500,000 non-government, private sector buyers of ammo. It may have even been more buyers than that.
Don’t blame it all on the gubbmint. It was mostly the hoarders.
I looked it up and Homeland Security bought 1.6 billion (1600 million) rounds of pistol and rifle ammo. It would take the Army 20 more years in Afghanistan to use up that much. Ammo is getting more available but the components are very scarce. The only powder I have found in a nationwide search if for 50 BMG. Not a very common loading.
This is what happens when blue-sky academics have the reins of power in their soft little hands.
POTUS, Bernake, all the czars, and out-a-sight left wing nutballs for a cabinet … yeah, that was a real match made in Heaven.
How any of those concluded that all the Quantitative Easing they’ve been doing wouldn’t give us serious inflation …
Of course, it helps a lot when food and fuel aren’t a part of the CPI anymore. Perhaps, that led them to believe that they could BS their way through it. So many low info bozos out their voting Dems forever, maybe they are right … until the whole Ponzi scheme the federal government has become causes a general collapse and then it’ll be Katy bar the door.
Seems inevitable at this point, but I’m hoping and praying for a Miracle to change the course of our history.