ECON evidence of inflation

teedee

teedee

Veteran Member
I use a lot of Kleenex. I noticed that the last few boxes had not lasted as long as usual. I looked and there were 110 sheets in the new boxes. I looked at an old box and low and behold there were 144 sheets. Both boxes had been purchased from Sam's the new 110 sheet box about 1 month ago and the 144 about 5 month's ago. A case of almost unnoticeable shrinkage!
 
B

billet

Veteran Member
teedee said:
I use a lot of Kleenex. I noticed that the last few boxes had not lasted as long as usual. I looked and there were 110 sheets in the new boxes. I looked at an old box and low and behold there were 144 sheets. Both boxes had been purchased from Sam's the new 110 sheet box about 1 month ago and the 144 about 5 month's ago. A case of almost unnoticeable shrinkage!
Click to expand...
Is the box smaller or do they just put less in?
 
Melodi

Melodi

Disaster Cat
This has been going on slowly on both sides of the water since at least the 2008 crash, basically companies "hide" the inflation by "downsizing" the product.

Often, they keep the same size box, I actually saw this one a few years ago where the grocery store didn't bother to remove the older boxes and one had 18 of an item and the other had 12, the boxes were otherwise identical.

They can only do this so long before the public reacts with: "do they think we are stupid?" but usually at that point they don't much care.

Some of the toilet rolls here in Ireland now have holes so large in the middle I wonder why they even bother? Just put them in a box and call the "booty-wipes" or something.
 
bbbuddy

bbbuddy

DEPLORABLE ME
I noticed that new toilet paper bought to replace some in the preps is once again 1/4 inch less in width! How many more times are they going to do that!!??
 
Jeff B.

Jeff B.

Don’t let the Piss Ants get you down…
It’s not going to be the reduction of the amount in the package for the same amount ...

You cannot flood the markets with created money and not create inflation. We’re just cranking out the fiat dollars. Sooner or later, the margin calls we’re playing will be called.

Jeff B.
 
Bps1691

Bps1691

Veteran Member
Evidence of inflation???

Yep, every time I go to a grocery store to pick up or to a gas station to get gas.

6 months ago $100 worth of groceries for two weeks - last week $145 for almost the same things at the same stores.

1610991776659.png
 
20Gauge

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
hiwall said:
How many young people have even heard of an adding machine?
Click to expand...
This is one of the main issues with how to calculate inflation. There are others such as how the government screws with things and the basket of goods to "lower" the actual rate.

Base question on inflation is how to you account for tech improvements?
For example a simple computer in 1970 was several million dollars and now it sells for a whole $300 and has more capability.

If that is used, then you have deflation. In reality the original good no longer exists.

One item that does seem to hold true is oil / energy as that unit of measure has held consistent.

Another example is bread flour. Costs less than in the past, but for the most part, is not a key item in today's households. Most buy ready made loaves and premade foods. Things that were made from scratch in the past.

This overall makes people pissed off as they know food costs are rising faster than ever, but it also allows the feds to pretend that there is no real inflation.

It would crash the markets if anyone really handled inflation and the basket of goods properly.
 
AlaskaSue

AlaskaSue

North to the Future
rafter said:
When it gets to the width of adding machine tape.
Click to expand...
That is just about what I saw in Fred Meyer last week...no joke. I should try to go back and take a pic! I saw today that Amazon has changed my Subscribe & Save paper towel monthly order from Bounty to some off brand. With no input from me at all. Hmmmm

Now I want to go pull some of the TP I put back in the conex, um, many years ago. Will post here to compare.
 
Last edited:
lonestar09

lonestar09

Veteran Member
A half gallon of orange juice is now 59 ounces or better yet the Florida own grower brand is now 52 ounces. It is all over the place. Except a gallon of milk. Give it time and that will change too.
 
S

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
AlaskaSue said:
That is just about what I saw in Fred Meyer last week...no joke. I should try to go back and take a pic! I saw today that Amazon has changed my Subscribe & Save paper towel monthly order from Bounty to some off brand. With no input from me at all. Hmmmm

Now I want to go pull some of TP I put back in the convex, um, many years ago. Will post here to compare.
Click to expand...
Oh, it will be very noticeable! I had a couple big Sterlite containers full of TP in the attic from Y2k. Call it my DEEP preps! LOL!

Anyway, I knew the rolls were getting smaller, but it was a real trip to pull a roll out and show to the kids when they came and helped us unload the attic and sort everything. They were amazed at the width of the roll (a full inch wider) and the thickness of the sheets (Angel Soft brand... the 20 year old stuff is closer to the high end Charmin than a bargain brand). Best of all, like I do on most of my preps, I had dated each package and put the price I paid. 22 cents a roll!!

Prepping pays! (Heck yeah, it does... I'm currently using sugar that I paid 17 cents a pound for back in 2002! Yes, it was on sale. Try finding it at that price these days!)

Oh, and inflation? I guess so! We have a somewhat l9cal brand of truly delicious horseradish mustard. Webers brand, made in Buffalo. I always stay stocked on the stuff, watching for the sales that bring the price down from $3.49 for the 16 oz jar to $2.49. The half dozen jars in the basement (most recent date Feb 2020) all were $2.50 each.

I glanced at the price the last time I was at the store, and then did a double take! The price was still $3.49... But it was a SIX ounce jar, not 16!

I've since looked online, and found a seller selling it for $2.79, which isn't bad, but shipping will kill it. However, Amazon has it on Prime... for $12.23 a jar!

Nah... no inflation here!

Summerthyme
 
Last edited:
biere

biere

Veteran Member
I am still made from the tuna cans shrinking. I bought my first place and made some rolling rotaters for the cabinets. I bought a ton of tuna and built to fit that. Well, few years later bought more tuna. Hmmm, look at all that wasted space in the rotaters.
 
  • Sad
Reactions: bev
G

Gimpywarrior

Contributing Member
Inflation under the new administration, never happen. People who claim it will be deaminized and kick off the internet.
 
T

Terrwyn

Veteran Member
# 10 can Mountain House Beef 82 bucks. I would have to look up what I paid a few years ago but it was a whole lot less than that.
 
Betty_Rose

Betty_Rose

Veteran Member
Thinwater said:
A simple 2x4 stud, used for framing nearly all houses, is now over $7.00.

They were $2.25 a year ago.

Plywood is up 400% over last year.
Click to expand...

Thats’s what hit me hard on the restoration of my MCM house. Construction costs and even availability of supplies bears little resemblance to 2019.

I’m quite good at finding sweet deals but not this time.

I don’t even know how folks can pay for new construction. The costs must have increased by 35-50%.
 
West

West

Senior
And the real crime, will be when the MSM finally does a piece on this, cause they will blame the evil capitalist and how the greedy capitalists do it for only one reason..."profit" the six letter word that most all of America will soon associate with the evil white man or privileged racist patriots, etc..

Or as I just heard on MSM "Trumplican"
 
Betty_Rose

Betty_Rose

Veteran Member
Thinwater said:
A simple 2x4 stud, used for framing nearly all houses, is now over $7.00.

They were $2.25 a year ago.

Plywood is up 400% over last year.
Click to expand...

I pulled down a massive wall in my basement. Normally, I would have chucked all those used 2x4s into the dumpster.

Nope. Not this time. I’m going to pull out all the itty bitty nails, clean them up and use them again.
 
Carl2

Carl2

Pass it forward...
biere said:
I am still made from the tuna cans shrinking. I bought my first place and made some rolling rotaters for the cabinets. I bought a ton of tuna and built to fit that. Well, few years later bought more tuna. Hmmm, look at all that wasted space in the rotaters.
Click to expand...
Tuna used to come in 7-ounce (net) cans, I have heard. Now it is 4 or 5 ounces net.
 
B

bassgirl

Veteran Member
I just had to buy a bunch of building supplies for a room remodel. the 2x4 studs were the same pirce here. 7.06 and plywood 3/4 treated was over 40$ a sheet.
 
Rebel_Yell

Rebel_Yell

Senior Member
Thinwater said:
A simple 2x4 stud, used for framing nearly all houses, is now over $7.00.

They were $2.25 a year ago.

Plywood is up 400% over last year.
Click to expand...

In Mississippi timber prices on the stump or delivered to the mill are less than they were 20 years ago.

1611072575650.png
1611072625689.png
 
coalcracker

coalcracker

Veteran Member
“Glad” brand 13 gallon kitchen garbage bags.
Had 120 count in the 2 rolls in the large box.
Now, still has 2 rolls in the same large box for the same price, but 110 count.
 
Bad Hand

Bad Hand

Veteran Member
The dog food I buy went from a 20 lbs bag to 15 lbs but the price stayed the same. The same thing happened to smoked sausage the links are smaller but the price is the same.
 
West

West

Senior
Profit has to remain a certain amount to keep a business/product running/marketable.

I muse that most businesses today are running vary thin profit lines. Just enough to barely stay in business.

So as mandated payroll liabilities go up including mandating higher wages and the frivolous lawsuits keep raising mandated general liabilities, finished products need to be raised in price by hook and crook if need be, and raw materials need to be obtained cheaper (China-Mexico,etc.) or just offer less for local sourced materials as well.

It's just going to get worse and worse.
 
rafter

rafter

Since 1999
Half gallon of milk yesterday at Walmart was $3. Went to Aldi's and it was $1.65. Normally Walmart prices are that much higher that Aldi, but almost twice? :eek:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top