The headlines are doom and gloom today, with gas and food prices driving retail prices up 5% annually in June, the biggest 12-month change since May 1991. I also decided to analyze my checkbook data from the first half of the year.
- Food – Total expenditures have been holding steady, but I now buy less meat, less milk, and fewer fresh veggies. I don’t shop at Whole Foods anymore, and I now eat breakfast and lunch out only once a week.
- Gas – My gas expenditures averaged $70 in Feb, March, and April. In June, I spent $170 on gas — not including my trip to Oklahoma City. I’ve been driving less, because I now eat lunch at my desk rather than going out, I do errands on the way home, and I’ve given up random trips out and about.
- Haircut – The salon raised the price of my simple haircut (wash-cut-dry only) by $10 between Jan and July. Does it really cost that much more to run the blow dryer these days?
Local gas price snapshot from http://www.kcgasprices.com
- Today 4.104
- Yesterday 4.098
- One Week Ago 3.953
- One Month Ago 3.867
- One Year Ago 3.115
Thanks right — one year ago today gas was $1 cheaper per gallon. Thanks, George. You’re doing a heckuva job.
ravenchilde_art
July 16, 2008 at 8:56pmSure, the cost of a haircut would go up, since it costs gas money to go to work. The cost of transport affects everything.
Simple economics.
allisonstein
July 16, 2008 at 9:39pmThe cost of transport doesn’t affect the haircut. The stylists aren’t getting a pay increase. The price increase is going into the salon owner’s pocket.
ravenchilde_art
July 16, 2008 at 9:41pm*chuckles* If the price increase is going into the owners pocket, then clearly the cost of gas has affected someone’s profit. ^_^
theresamather
July 16, 2008 at 11:36pmOne advantage of living in this little city is that the three supermarkets (they serve the whole county and the neighboring counties so we have several) are all about 6 blocks apart and about 1 mile away. So we get the ads showing what’s on sale and can start at the far one and work our way back without it really being a hassle.
One thing I hate is the shrinking size of cereal boxes. Chex boxes are now the size of what was once a Grapenuts box!! đŸ˜›