Honest question about financial situations

[RNMOM]

With gas prices nearly double what they were less than 2 years ago it is really tough. We also are scaling back on driving. I am at home and have mobility disability. We elected to get rid of both cars and bought a van that gets good mileage and can transport my scooter easier. DH only drives a few miles to work and we scale back our "running around" a lot.

Food is really getting pricey here. We joined Sam's Club again so we can buy meat in bulk. Frankly, it is better quality than the only big chain grocery store here.

We have public transportation available but it seems never to be going where we are. There are limits to it unless you are living in the main city. The suburbs have some smaller buses but on limited runs.

We are also cutting out any unnecessary items like daily newspapers and such. No one reads them anyway. We can get all we need on the computer.

 

[Michelle67]

To be paying almost $2 for a loaf of bread is a kicker.

I pay over $4 for a loaf of bread...but I'm pretty picky about my bread.

 

[Sleepy]

Please don't take this offensively, but I really hurts when people who live in other countries try to compare the overall cost of American gas by saying "We pay $9-$10 a gallon in American money for our gas already and do fine, why are you having a problem with gas half that much"?.

The issue has nothing to do with currency conversion in the sense you view it. It has everything to do with the drastic increase in prices and the fact that wages have not increased along with it. The dire situation with the gas is that it is something that most everyone needs to get to the job that pays for the gas and food. If you can't afford the gas, everything in the budget suffers.

If your gas suddenly jumped double in price and kept going up and up along with the price of food, could you be "OK" if your wages stayed the same?

I feel this twofold. We are American, getting paid in American dollars. We do get gas on the economy at a discount, but it is more than what Americans are currently paying in America. We only get a certain amount each month at that price, then if we need more, we pay what everyone out in town pays. So, while I pay $10 of my american dollars for every gallon, the Italian beside me does NOT pay $10 a gallon, because he is getting paid in Euro and the gas pump is priced in Euro. See the difference?

Think of the price of a head of lettuce in America. 2 months ago (during a visit to America), I could get a head for a dollar. Here, it used to cost me $2, now it is $4. My pay has not increased. Of course, that is going to hurt when everything is increasing at an alarming rate like this. We joke here that we pay $300 for $100 worth of groceries.

 

[marybet]

Last week I went to Pensacola to WalMart and Sam's Club. I usually make this trip about every three weeks, there's just me and DH so we don't use a lot of groceries and I go to the local store for bread, milk, produce, etc. I figured it cost me $15 in gas to make the trip and I started to think if it was really worth it. WalMart has a larger selection and I might save 5 or 10 cents on some items. I go to Sam's because they have the large bags of Cape Cod potato chips that DH loves and I save about $4 a bag. It is an hour trip each way and I am usually gone all day so I eat lunch out. Now I can afford it, but I also could afford to pay a little more at the local grocery store. So I am starting to wonder if I need to change my shopping habits just to conserve gas. Right now I am probably still saving but if gas goes to $5 or $6 a gallon it will probably not be worth it, plus my car takes hi-test and that is usually 20 cents more a gallon than regular.

I did stock up on this trip so I will probably not go again for 4 weeks and I am going to check the prices and see how much I am saving.

 

[NY Disney fan]

Wonder if this economy will affect the birth of the next Duggar baby.

 

[momto2girls]

Honestly, I am as surprised as you are to hear about how badly people are doing in this economy and I'm here in the U.S. I don't personally know anyone who is struggling and our area still seems to be doing okay. We eat out several times a week and the restaurants are always packed. The malls are still full of people carrying shopping bags.

 

[SandraVB79]

Please don't take this offensively, but I really hurts when people who live in other countries try to compare the overall cost of American gas by saying "We pay $9-$10 a gallon in American money for our gas already and do fine, why are you having a problem with gas half that much"?.

etc etc

(I didn't quote the whole post, hate it when long post are quoted just to show to whome you are replying )

I know you can't really compare prices like gaz here and there.
However, gas has also doubled in price, food has increased a lot in price, if there is one thing that hasn't increased, it's my salary.
So, I'm not just comparing the figures, just situatuons. Everything is more expensive here, but I just don't hear people "complain" about it.

 

[Angelhalo]

It hasn't upset our daily lives too much yet here, but I can see it getting that way. Last week the low fat Mayo I buy at the store had gone up from $3.50 a jar to $5.00! Five freakin dollars for a jar of Mayo!!! I refuse to pay that much so I had to switch to something else. It was the first time that I really realized that my grocery prices were going up. Luckily we have a Hybrid car so that has been helping with the gas costs, but event hat will only last so long if the prices keep soaring higher and higher.

So far it's just kind of a nuisance to us....but we DID have a lot of family not come to our wedding because they couldn't afford to get here. So, I guess it really is starting to creep in.

 

[DawnCt1]

The only impact we are seeing is the price of gas. I consolidate my trips but that is about the only change we have made. With regard to food prices, I just haven't seen it. Milk at Costco is still about $2.30 or so a gal. A quart of half and half is still $1.75. Canned, solid white albacore tuna is still a $1. per can. Boneless chicken breast, $1.99. I buy the loss leaders at the grocery store, stock up on detergent when it is on sale, etc. In fact, there are several restaurants that have incredibly good deals. On Sunday and Monday, there is a popular seafood grill that for $20 offers an appetizer, salad, entree and dessert which includes almost everything on their menu. Last Thursday, DH and I had dinner at another very nice restaurant. If we chose to dine on the patio, which we did, they had a prime rib dinner, complete with salad, vegtable and cheese platter available for nibbling, etc for $10.95. The wine tasting was $10 pp. This surprisingly included 4 glasses of wine, filled 3/4s of the way and when we were done with that, we were offerred another glass on the "house". They have this special, every Thursday. So I think if you look, you can find even better deals.

 

[Sleepy]

I was just really wondering about it. To us, the US is still the country where everybody is rich and happy; this is what we see on television/ movies/ ... Heck, take your average Lifetime movie, they are always living in HUGE houses, etc etc etc.

I tell people here with satellite tv to watch the FX Channel. They show Married with Children. Comedy Channel used to show Rosanne. I tell them these are the average Americans. Low paying jobs, struggling with bills in houses that are older and furniture that is not new. The average life is not The Cosby Show, The OC, and Dallas, which are the shows they use as the basis for all Americans. Of course, we Americans see movies where all Italians are living in these beautiful houses on a grassy hillside. My neighborhood looks more like something you see in the Bronx. TV is a terrible tool for comparison.

My son takes his old IPod to dance class everyday. It gives him something to listen to while he is commuting. One of his classmates told him recently to buy him an IPod. Yes, just buy one for him. My son said no, I don't have the money to just buy you one. He said sure you do, Americans are rich. His friend then told him to buy himself a new IPod and give him the old one. He looked at his friend and asked him how much that Coke costs. His friend said 1Euro. My son said yeah, and when I buy that Coke, it costs me 1.60 of my money and it only costs you 1 of yours. We are not as rich as you think. The reason I don't have a NEW IPod is because I don't have the money to buy another one for myself, the same reason I don't have the money to buy you one.

 

[Angelhalo]

The DIS (and some other message boards) is my window on the US. On one side, you read threads about how people try to limit Christmas gifts to 1000 USD per child (holy crap! I should tell my parents they owe me so many more gifts, lol!) and otherwise, you read about the current situation hurting everyone. It's hard to "get" what is really happening.

My family has always spent this way at Christmas though it's usually about $500 per person. But, the thing is that we NEVER got anything the rest of the year. No new clothes, no new shoes, no toys, no tv's, no bikes, no jewelry, no NUTHIN. The ONLY time you got new stuff was at Christmas so you'd have a HUGE pile of stuff on Christmas morning. We just really liked it that way and it balanced out because we weren't spending the money during the rest of the year.

 

[Mkaz]

It hasn't upset our daily lives too much yet here, but I can see it getting that way. Last week the low fat Mayo I buy at the store had gone up from $3.50 a jar to $5.00! Five freakin dollars for a jar of Mayo!!! I refuse to pay that much so I had to switch to something else. It was the first time that I really realized that my grocery prices were going up.

During last week's grocery run I was going to try to add in a twin pack of Jif. We didn't need it, but I figured since we were below budget for this month, I would add it. The twin pack used to cost $7.98. When I looked at the shelf price it said $9.87

Needless to say, I didn't add it in to last week's trip. We will see if it's cheaper at Sam's Club.

 

[Angelhalo]

The only impact we are seeing is the price of gas. I consolidate my trips but that is about the only change we have made. With regard to food prices, I just haven't seen it. Milk at Costco is still about $2.30 or so a gal. A quart of half and half is still $1.75. Canned, solid white albacore tuna is still a $1. per can. Boneless chicken breast, $1.99. I buy the loss leaders at the grocery store, stock up on detergent when it is on sale, etc. In fact, there are several restaurants that have incredibly good deals. On Sunday and Monday, there is a popular seafood grill that for $20 offers an appetizer, salad, entree and dessert which includes almost everything on their menu. Last Thursday, DH and I had dinner at another very nice restaurant. If we chose to dine on the patio, which we did, they had a prime rib dinner, complete with salad, vegtable and cheese platter available for nibbling, etc for $10.95. The wine tasting was $10 pp. This surprisingly included 4 glasses of wine, filled 3/4s of the way and when we were done with that, we were offerred another glass on the "house". They have this special, every Thursday. So I think if you look, you can find even better deals.

The problem is Dawn....is that it's not like that everywhere. Our milk is $4.00 and up per gallon. Our tuna is twice the price of yours and there sure aren't any prime rib dinners for under $20 no matter how "hard you look", and everything else is costing so much that a prime rib dinner is the last thing on our minds.

 

[SandraVB79]

I know television isn't the best source to compare, but you know, it's about the only thing we say about the US
And it's not Dallas nor the Cosby Show, we watch the Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful, Ghost Whisperer, Shark, lifetime movies, ...

 

[Angelhalo]

During last week's grocery run I was going to try to add in a twin pack of Jif. We didn't need it, but I figured since we were below budget for this month, I would add it. The twin pack used to cost $7.98. When I looked at the shelf price it said $9.87

Needless to say, I didn't add it in to last week's trip. We will see if it's cheaper at Sam's Club.

Its insane. I think it helps us that we don't have kids. I feel so bad for families that having to buy so much milk, peanut butter etc right now. I know our impact would be MUCH higher than it is starting to become.

 

[alldiz]

it is coming our way be sure of that, what hit the US a year ago is rippling and affecting Europe, we are seeing our prices increase and it will continue.

At $10-12 per gallon for gas/petrol I am sooo grateful I do not run a car, but we are still paying for it on our groceries and utility bills etc. To be paying almost $2 for a loaf of bread is a kicker.

We are tightening our belts, and although we are committed to our hols for this year, our annual disney trips will be a thing of the past if this continues.

I know Europe has been paying higher prices forever....the tax is much higher....What does the money go for in your countries. Is it for public transportation and such?....Really curious. Thanks

We are feeling it. Not that we cannot pay our bills or that we compromise on the groceries, but in the extras that we enjoy. I do not just hop in the car anymore, but consolidate my trips. We do not eat out as often as we used to. My DH is our money manager and he told me on Saturday that he cannot understand why we have less left to save after all our expenses are taken care of, we are not just starting out. But, after oil, food, gas and electricity there is not as much left as there was last year.

I feel badly for people whose incomes are fixed or those whose incomes are not high to begin with. In our area $12 an hour is not going to pay bills, never mind increases due to higher gas prices.I believe that if the cost continues to rise there are going to be more economic consequences, and canceled vacations are just the beginning.

It amazes me how many people live on very low salaries.....these are the people really hurting.

With gas prices nearly double what they were less than 2 years ago it is really tough. We also are scaling back on driving. I am at home and have mobility disability. We elected to get rid of both cars and bought a van that gets good mileage and can transport my scooter easier. DH only drives a few miles to work and we scale back our "running around" a lot.

Food is really getting pricey here. We joined Sam's Club again so we can buy meat in bulk. Frankly, it is better quality than the only big chain grocery store here.
We have public transportation available but it seems never to be going where we are. There are limits to it unless you are living in the main city. The suburbs have some smaller buses but on limited runs.

We are also cutting out any unnecessary items like daily newspapers and such. No one reads them anyway. We can get all we need on the computer.

I've been going to Costco for a while....I agree the quality is superior to grocery stores.....and the prices are WAY cheaper.

Please don't take this offensively, but I really hurts when people who live in other countries try to compare the overall cost of American gas by saying "We pay $9-$10 a gallon in American money for our gas already and do fine, why are you having a problem with gas half that much"?.

The issue has nothing to do with currency conversion in the sense you view it. It has everything to do with the drastic increase in prices and the fact that wages have not increased along with it. The dire situation with the gas is that it is something that most everyone needs to get to the job that pays for the gas and food. If you can't afford the gas, everything in the budget suffers.

If your gas suddenly jumped double in price and kept going up and up along with the price of food, could you be "OK" if your wages stayed the same?

I feel this twofold. We are American, getting paid in American dollars. We do get gas on the economy at a discount, but it is more than what Americans are currently paying in America. We only get a certain amount each month at that price, then if we need more, we pay what everyone out in town pays. So, while I pay $10 of my american dollars for every gallon, the Italian beside me does NOT pay $10 a gallon, because he is getting paid in Euro and the gas pump is priced in Euro. See the difference?

Think of the price of a head of lettuce in America. 2 months ago (during a visit to America), I could get a head for a dollar. Here, it used to cost me $2, now it is $4. My pay has not increased. Of course, that is going to hurt when everything is increasing at an alarming rate like this. We joke here that we pay $300 for $100 worth of groceries.

I think the OP was asking an innocent question.

(I didn't quote the whole post, hate it when long post are quoted just to show to whome you are replying )

I know you can't really compare prices like gaz here and there.
However, gas has also doubled in price, food has increased a lot in price, if there is one thing that hasn't increased, it's my salary.
So, I'm not just comparing the figures, just situatuons. Everything is more expensive here, but I just don't hear people "complain" about it.

The problem is how quickly prices have jumped in lots of things in the last yr....and it is all directly affected by oil prices....ie, asphalt driveways, building materials. layoffs and relocations has increased twofold in the last yr.

I tell people here with satellite tv to watch the FX Channel. They show Married with Children. Comedy Channel used to show Rosanne. I tell them these are the average Americans. Low paying jobs, struggling with bills in houses that are older and furniture that is not new. The average life is not The Cosby Show, The OC, and Dallas, which are the shows they use as the basis for all Americans. Of course, we Americans see movies where all Italians are living in these beautiful houses on a grassy hillside. My neighborhood looks more like something you see in the Bronx. TV is a terrible tool for comparison.My son takes his old IPod to dance class everyday. It gives him something to listen to while he is commuting. One of his classmates told him recently to buy him an IPod. Yes, just buy one for him. My son said no, I don't have the money to just buy you one. He said sure you do, Americans are rich. His friend then told him to buy himself a new IPod and give him the old one. He looked at his friend and asked him how much that Coke costs. His friend said 1Euro. My son said yeah, and when I buy that Coke, it costs me 1.60 of my money and it only costs you 1 of yours. We are not as rich as you think. The reason I don't have a NEW IPod is because I don't have the money to buy another one for myself, the same reason I don't have the money to buy you one.

TV has ruined so many things. Everything is "glamorized".....including the news

Wow....I really didn't know Europeans thought "Americans" are rich as a generality.....
Our dollar is so bad.....we are not visiting because it is too EXPENSIVE for Americans there.
Kerri

 

[ChrizJen]

It's not "hurting" us yet per se. We just bought a house (as you know ), and we're making it OK. We're having to make small adjustments (things that we should have done a long time ago, like cutting back on our electric/gas usage to save a few bucks, buying groceries at the "super-saver" discount stores as opposed to the big brand stores, cutting back on our entertainment expenses, etc.) It's sometimes a little tight, but we're making it.

But I definitely see folks around me who just aren't making ends meet. And these are people who were doing pretty well before.

I think that the bottom line, like others have said, is that the prices have increased so drastically that wages haven't had a chance to catch up to the curve. So many of us are spending WAY more for gas and groceries (and just about everything else), and not making any more money.

In a situation where prices increase gradually, it's not quite as painful because wages can usually keep up with the trend. But it's just happening too quickly.

 

[Angelhalo]

OMG ChrizJen the picture in your signature almost made me spit all over my screen!!!!


ok back to your regularly scheduled topic

 

[DawnCt1]

The problem is Dawn....is that it's not like that everywhere. Our milk is $4.00 and up per gallon. Our tuna is twice the price of yours and there sure aren't any prime rib dinners for under $20 no matter how "hard you look", and everything else is costing so much that a prime rib dinner is the last thing on our minds.

Connecticut has never been known for its "low cost of living". If you have access to a Costco, you may find that the savings is well worth it. I can buy a two pound bag of salad mix there for $2.79. We also planted our own tomatoes and will have those this summer.

 

[Ephany]

I work in a pharmacy in a rather rural area. I've noticed people not getting their meds because they need the money for gas to get to work. Since our pharmacy is located in a grocery store, we're also seeing a lot more groceries being put back when the total comes up at the end of the transaction.

You gotta remember too, that many Americans don't have a computer or internet access at home. Most of the people I work with, especially the ones over 45 or 50 don't see any reason to have a computer. These people are the ones struggling, (less people shopping/spending less at the store) and their hours are being cut back with less customers in the store. Fewer hour at work means less money in the paycheck, so they're spending less overall too.

I think even though people from all walks of life and circumstances post here, it's still not a true reflection of average American society. Many of the people we know in our area, aren't planning or talking about taking Disney vacations and they aren't posting on the Disboards, (or any other board for that matter). They certainly don't have the money for luxuries like internet access.