How are you handling rising food and energy costs?

[barkley]

well in good news to some my state's lowest earners-since a few years back we voted in minimum wage increases be tied to the consumer price index the estimated increase will be at 9% for 1/1/23. that will increase our minimum wage by $1.25 per hour (seattle's by $1.42 per hour) and put us at the highest in the u.s.-$15.74 (seattle at $18.69). this includes all servers b/c lower minimum wage for tipped jobs is illegal here. unfortunately this will further drive up prices so it will cost everyone more so i suspect it will result in a net loss

 

[DCLMP]

Here’s an interesting article about the rising price of electricity in New England …
https://www.wbur.org/news/2022/09/08/new-england-electricity-prices-natual-gas-utility-auctions

We're a regulated state and most of energy comes from a nuclear plant. I never thought being regulated was a good thing until now. Our electric company has applied to raise rates, but it won't be voted on until next Fall. This is why local elections matter. We pay 233.00 a month for electricity and around 50.00 for gas I'm feeling pretty fortunate right now.

 

[DCLMP]

well in good news to some my state's lowest earners-since a few years back we voted in minimum wage increases be tied to the consumer price index the estimated increase will be at 9% for 1/1/23. that will increase our minimum wage by $1.25 per hour (seattle's by $1.42 per hour) and put us at the highest in the u.s.-$15.74 (seattle at $18.69). this includes all servers b/c lower minimum wage for tipped jobs is illegal here. unfortunately this will further drive up prices so it will cost everyone more so i suspect it will result in a net loss

Eventually no one will be able to afford to eat out so that minimum wage won't matter they wont have jobs.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

well in good news to some my state's lowest earners-since a few years back we voted in minimum wage increases be tied to the consumer price index the estimated increase will be at 9% for 1/1/23. that will increase our minimum wage by $1.25 per hour (seattle's by $1.42 per hour) and put us at the highest in the u.s.-$15.74 (seattle at $18.69). this includes all servers b/c lower minimum wage for tipped jobs is illegal here. unfortunately this will further drive up prices so it will cost everyone more so i suspect it will result in a net loss

I don't think the people making minimum wage were the ones eating out on a regular basis.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Eventually no one will be able to afford to eat out so that minimum wage won't matter they wont have jobs.

Have you seen the 2023 Vacation Plans thread? People will still be eating out. Probably not as many, but we supposedly have a severe staffing shortage already.

 

[focusondisney]

Have you seen the 2023 Vacation Plans thread? People will still be eating out. Probably not as many, but we supposedly have a severe staffing shortage already.

I was thinking what a contrast in the 2 threads. Posters on this thread worrying that people won’t be able to heat their homes or feed their families within months. And posters on that thread planning several cruises or multiple trips around the country & world. Things must not be as bad as some would have us believe.

 

[barkley]

I don't think the people making minimum wage were the ones eating out on a regular basis.

everything will be going up based on it-not just eating out. there are scores of minimum wage jobs and when employers have to increase wages by 9% it's going to put another 9% on top of the existing inflationary trends. non minimum wage jobs will likely rise as well b/c many industries try to keep a buffer between themselves and minimum to attract employees these days.

 

[DCLMP]

Have you seen the 2023 Vacation Plans thread? People will still be eating out. Probably not as many, but we supposedly have a severe staffing shortage already.

LOL. There is a world outside of Disney.

 

[DCLMP]

I was thinking what a contrast in the 2 threads. Posters on this thread worrying that people won’t be able to heat their homes or feed their families within months. And posters on that thread planning several cruises or multiple trips around the country & world. Things must not be as bad as some would have us believe.

You realize that the percentage of people that could afford a Disney trip before all this was very small. The fact that people on here gage the state of the world on how busy Disney is or the same three dozen people on a fan board discussing their 10k vacations as a sign that all is good.... is laughable at best.

 

[focusondisney]

You realize that the percentage of people that could afford a Disney trip before all this was very small. The fact that people on here gage the state of the world on how busy Disney is or the same three dozen people on a fan board discussing their 10k vacations as a sign that all is good.... is laughable at best.

I find it laughable that many of the same people bemoaning the price of food, electricity & gas have no problem paying for European cruises or multiple other vacations a year. Doesn’t give much credibility to all the sky is falling talk around here. But in case you didn’t get it, my point was the contrast in the 2 threads.

 

[DCLMP]

I find it laughable that many of the same people bemoaning the price of food, electricity & gas have no problem paying for European cruises or multiple other vacations a year. Doesn’t give much credibility to all the sky is falling talk around here. But in case you didn’t get it, my point was the contrast in the 2 threads.

This is a disney forum where most people are upper middle class or above. In case you missed you missed it we discussing the economy as a whole. I actually care about people less fortunate then me and how this affects society and my community. I'm sorry you don't. Maybe the sky is not falling for people that post on this forum, but this forum doesn't represent the middle or lower class.

 

[focusondisney]

This is a disney forum where most people are upper middle class or above. In case you missed you missed it we discussing the economy as a whole. I actually care about people less fortunate then me and how this affects society and my community. I'm sorry you don't. Maybe the sky is not falling for people that post on this forum, but this forum doesn't represent the middle or lower class.

You don’t know what or who I care about anymore than I know what you care about. But I think you made my point better than I did…l find it hard to believe the sky is falling for people who can plan these types of vacations. That doesn’t mean I don’t think there are people who really are going to be in trouble. Again, the contrast is the point.

 

[DCLMP]

You don’t know what or who I care about anymore than I know what you care about. But I think you made my point better than I did…l find it hard to believe the sky is falling for people who can plan these types of vacations. That doesn’t mean I don’t think there are people who really are going to be in trouble. Again, the contrast is the point.

Ok lets get this straight there's a handful of people that post on both threads. The vacation planning thread is a plan....if I'm not correct? A plan is something you hope to do or plan to do correct? My plan is to go to Europe next year if everything doesn't implode. or I lose my job, or inflation gets so bad I can't afford to go. I guess I shouldn't be worried about the economy or my kids future. Should we not be concerned about our rising energy bills or the rising cost of food.

I get your point about the contrast, but this is a vacation planning forum where people like to discuss other things. If the discussion bothers you I'm sorry.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

everything will be going up based on it-not just eating out. there are scores of minimum wage jobs and when employers have to increase wages by 9% it's going to put another 9% on top of the existing inflationary trends. non minimum wage jobs will likely rise as well b/c many industries try to keep a buffer between themselves and minimum to attract employees these days.

I'm okay with that. IMO, it's beyond time that things equaled out a little in this county. I can choose to partake or not, but we shouldn't have so many people working for what is effectively poverty wages.

LOL. There is a world outside of Disney.

I guess you missed the fact that some of the same people are posting in both threads

This is a disney forum where most people are upper middle class or above. In case you missed you missed it we discussing the economy as a whole. I actually care about people less fortunate then me and how this affects society and my community. I'm sorry you don't. Maybe the sky is not falling for people that post on this forum, but this forum doesn't represent the middle or lower class.

Those who care about the less fortunate should be championing a living wage for all, even if it affects some of us negatively. I'm not saying you don't, but it seems to be the prevailing thought among many who are totally against raising wages for some, because it will negatively affect the more fortunate.

 

[DCLMP]

I'm okay with that. IMO, it's beyond time that things equaled out a little in this county. I can choose to partake or not, but we shouldn't have so many people working for what is effectively poverty wages.

I guess you missed the fact that some of the same people are posting in both threads

Those who care about the less fortunate should be championing a living wage for all, even if it affects some of us negatively. I'm not saying you don't, but it seems to be the prevailing thought among many who are totally against raising wages for some, because it will negatively affect the more fortunate.

No I didn't miss that part I've posted in both threads. Yeah I have plan... god forbid you plan a vacation on a vacation forum. What's a livable wage? When burger flippers are making 50k a year what's a burger going to cost? I won't be able to afford a burger so good bye burger flippers job. I flipped burgers and waited tables I never expected to make a career out of it. Even back in the 90's when I was making peanuts I could afford rent, food and gas.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

No I didn't miss that part I've posted in both threads. Yeah I have plan... god forbid you plan a vacation on a vacation forum. What's a livable wage? When burger flippers are making 50k a year what's a burger going to cost? I won't be able to afford a burger so good bye burger flippers job. I flipped burgers and waited tables I never expected to make a career out of it. Even back in the 90's when I was making peanuts I could afford rent, food and gas.

A livable wage is being about to afford housing, food & other necessities at the bare minimum. That isn't possible on minimum wage in most states & hasn't been for several years. Minimum wage hasn't come close to keeping up with the cost of living in most areas. A "burger flipper" is so far away from making 50,000 a year that I can't even take that sentence seriously.

 

[DCLMP]

A livable wage is being about to afford housing, food & other necessities at the bare minimum. That isn't possible on minimum wage in most states & hasn't been for several years. Minimum wage hasn't come close to keeping up with the cost of living in most areas. A "burger flipper" is so far away from making 50,000 a year that I can't even take that sentence seriously.

Your really getting the thread off track, but you got you me curious. What is a livable wage and who should be making it?

In my state a fast food worker would make about 35k a year( most places are hiring between 15-20 an hour} if they worked full time. I guess that's why my state has the highest inflation rate in the country and no I don't live in California. My son worked at Five Guys this summer making 17 dollars an hours. It costs my family of four about 70 bucks to eat there. It's nice he made some summer cash working there, but we don't eat there it's not worth it. If 35k for a burger flipper isn't reasonable then what is? You tell me.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Your really getting the thread off track, but you got you me curious. What is a livable wage and who should be making it?

In my state a fast food worker would make about 35k a year( most places are hiring between 15-20 an hour} if they worked full time. I guess that's why my state has the highest inflation rate in the country and no I don't live in California. My son worked at Five Guys this summer making 17 dollars an hours. It costs my family of four about 70 bucks to eat there. It's nice he made some summer cash working there, but we don't eat there it's not worth it. If 35k for a burger flipper isn't reasonable then what is? You tell me.

I already provided my definition of a livable wage. Your state obviously has a higher cost of living than most, which makes higher wages necessary to survive. My DH & I ate at Five Guys in Ohio last month. Two double cheeseburgers, a shared fry & two drinks were $27. That makes the $17 an hour in your state less impressive don't you think? The adults working the day shift, when teens are in school, most likely have a family to support. They need to be able to afford to eat too.

As a side note, Five Guys apparently pays better than most. I already posted on a different thread about going to one burger place that had closed their indoor dining due to a staffing shortage, when the Five Guys nearby had more employees than customers.

PS: I don't think I was taking the thread off track, because I was replying to posts already on this thread one of which was worrying about the less fortunate.

 

[sasywtch]

Right now we are fortunate that we haven't really had to cut down much. But (and this goes with the other thread about generations living together), my daughter lives with me, I take care of her and my youngest son also lives with us. Even though my daughter and I are on fixed incomes (her-disability, me-pension and ss), we are fortunate that we pay a small amount yearly for home tax. We are seeing a higher cost of electricity and will soon see our gas/heat bill jump. I do her food shopping and definitely see the increases in prices, especially eggs, butter. We have cut down the driving as gas prices are still over $5 a gallon here. What I don't understand is when did working at McD's, etc become a living wage to support a household? When I was growing up and into my 40's, it was extra income, teenagers, etc. The only people that it was a living wage for was the store manager. I worked at Jack in the Box as a teen, then McD's after married for extra income and as a vault manager for a retail store. Not one of those jobs was a living wage and I never expected it to be. If I wanted to rent an apartment and pay bills, I had to either get 2 jobs or look for something better.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Right now we are fortunate that we haven't really had to cut down much. But (and this goes with the other thread about generations living together), my daughter lives with me, I take care of her and my youngest son also lives with us. Even though my daughter and I are on fixed incomes (her-disability, me-pension and ss), we are fortunate that we pay a small amount yearly for home tax. We are seeing a higher cost of electricity and will soon see our gas/heat bill jump. I do her food shopping and definitely see the increases in prices, especially eggs, butter. We have cut down the driving as gas prices are still over $5 a gallon here. What I don't understand is when did working at McD's, etc become a living wage to support a household? When I was growing up and into my 40's, it was extra income, teenagers, etc. The only people that it was a living wage for was the store manager. I worked at Jack in the Box as a teen, then McD's after married for extra income and as a vault manager for a retail store. Not one of those jobs was a living wage and I never expected it to be. If I wanted to rent an apartment and pay bills, I had to either get 2 jobs or look for something better.

Someone has to staff the day shift, when teens are in school. These are often people who aren't college material for a variety of reasons. They aren't capable of getting a college degree to better themselves. They may also not be in a situation where a spouse working makes their job extra income.

They may not be capable of improving their life, but they can do the job they have. Are you saying some people should have to work two or three jobs for their entire adult life to pay the bills, because they don't have the intellect or opportunity to get a better job? I don't think any of us would want to do that. I can't imagine why anyone would support someone else having to do that in order to survive.