A Short Lament
We were at my at my Mom's house for a visit last night and she was telling me that she'd heard that retail sales have been way down this year according to the news reports. I guess it doesn't really surprise me as how can people afford things like diamond jewelry, fancy clothes, an LCD TV, iPods or the latest tech gadgets, etc. when everything around us has gone up so high? There's barely enough money for a lot of people to pay their bills so how they can go out and buy high-end gifts?
I got my water bill yesterday and it looks like it has almost doubled since last month and I know I haven't used more water, especially considering my washing machine died on me and I've been having to hoof it to the laundromat to do laundry. Obviously the cost for water has risen, right along with the cost for heating oil, gas for the car, and milk. At some places, milk is over $4.00 a gallon now and my Mom was telling me that bread and other wheat products were going to rise in cost, too. When does it stop?
I made less money several years ago but it seems to me that I had more of it to spend on things like Christmas gifts and meals out or the occasional little nicety. This year it's been hard to find two extra nickels to rub together and yet I haven't gone out and gotten myself in debt from credit cards or anything like that - it's just the regular old costs of living.
It's not just the retailers that are lamenting - I think a lot of us are lamenting right along with them and I get the feeling it's only going to get worse.
I got my water bill yesterday and it looks like it has almost doubled since last month and I know I haven't used more water, especially considering my washing machine died on me and I've been having to hoof it to the laundromat to do laundry. Obviously the cost for water has risen, right along with the cost for heating oil, gas for the car, and milk. At some places, milk is over $4.00 a gallon now and my Mom was telling me that bread and other wheat products were going to rise in cost, too. When does it stop?
I made less money several years ago but it seems to me that I had more of it to spend on things like Christmas gifts and meals out or the occasional little nicety. This year it's been hard to find two extra nickels to rub together and yet I haven't gone out and gotten myself in debt from credit cards or anything like that - it's just the regular old costs of living.
It's not just the retailers that are lamenting - I think a lot of us are lamenting right along with them and I get the feeling it's only going to get worse.
Labels: stuff
Posted By 
at
12/21/2007
5 Comments:
You got that right, my dear. Just plain old bills are eating up all of our money, I guess that's why I'm not spending and shopping (see previous comment today). Our electric bill I just opened is almost double the usual. Eeek.
Anyway, I know you're at work so you are not blogging. That's sad. But like you said the overtime pay helps!
Yep, bills are doubling, and milk & dairy prices will be sky-rocketing.
With the ethanol craze, more corn is going into that, creating a shortage for feed corn (which, considering the US grew more corn in 2007 than in any year since WW2 is just outrageous), so farmers are being charged astronomical prices for feed. They pass the costs on in the form of higher prices for consumers.
I know that the cost of chicken feed has about doubled in the past year, so I'll bet egg prices are gonna go up up up too.
I hear you Linda. I've noticed the bills always seem to creep up during December. A bunch of Scrouges if you ask me. Oh wait, it's just typical greed. :(
The best way to beat food inflation is to eat less. Unfortunately the farmers' revenue drops so they raise prices even further. Either way, the corporations win.
Merry Christmas
Since my mom passed I have been up the creek without a paddle. The electric bill @ her house is about $300 every month, plus water & sewer, gas, pest control and the list goes on. Talk about stress!!
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