Sign of the Times
 

I know that things have gotten near squeaky in the Lilith household due to the rising costs in groceries, gas, etc. I am pretty sure everyone is feeling the pinch. When our economy is like this it's so hard on those who can least afford it. I know we've talked about gas and even milk but where is it that you are noticing the pinch?


Fo me it was a real eye opener today when in my classifieds there were only 3 pages of Help Wanted ads. Usually we have 6-8.

Oh and at Walmart, eggnog is $5.00 a half gallon this year.

Eggs are high.......I paid $1.78 the other day.

Lately the customer shoplifting has been bad, I'm finding 5-7 empty packages every time I work and it is not just high dollar items either. I find empty dollar toothpaste boxes a few times a week.

I paid $1.84 for a dozen large yesterday.

Lilith,

I wager that some of the people who purchased Hummers when gas was less that $2 per gallon are regretting their decision.

I've streamlined my entire lifestyle for cost efficiency, more or less. It's so friggin' expensive to live here and I'm doing everything on my own steam. Just a few years ago I wasn't even paying attention to things I'm draconian about now, because I had roommates to split rent and I had money to burn on socializing. Now...pffft!

I use the generous sunlight in my apartment to light up my daytime indoor life like it's out of style. Springtime and summers were SO heaven, bright and warm...now...uggh! I turn off room lights even when I'm going to the bathroom to take a dump and I know I'll be reading on the can for at least ten minutes. My last electric bill was $28...I'm trying to see how low I can get it so I can stick to it. No space heaters for me this winter, hoping hoodie sweatshirts, blankets and my newly active daily running keeps my blood pumping enough to keep me warmer than I used to feel when I was a weak-end lush and kept the heaters going on constantly.

I just discovered that Target has my favorite Tropicana orange juice half-gallon cartons for as cheap as I'll ever get them, $2.99. That's nearly a dollar less than what I was paying for them originally at the corner organic store.

A family pack of grocery meats can last a week with me, since it's just me and there's no other mouths to feed. I don't even do corner takeout dinners anymore and I used to think doing THAT was saving money because it was cheap-assed takeout! Har!

Guess Paris Hilton doesn't have to think about these things, eh? :weg:

I do a lot of scrounging for metal for my shop now.The prices of steel has tripled over the last year.Shipping costs have gone thru the roof so I have to hunt around here before ordering anything from out of state.On some things its actually cheaper for me to drive to Dallas and pick it up at the store there than ship it 200 miles north.

As the basics for living in our social culture require more attention, time and $$$, the class-gap widens with a shrinking middle class. As we approach the 'global living standard' it is going to be more noticeable for the ones that enjoyed the top level in the past.

For the first time in our history, instead of working so our children will have it better, we're hoping they just have it as good as we did. :shrug:

You said it, PF! :(

I go grocery shopping about 1/2 as often - it forces me to get creative and not use the fresh, expensive stuff...and use the canned, cheap stuff instead. :) We get fed the same.

Having 30+ for Thanksgiving will put us in a bit of a crunch, but I refuse to not do something special for my friends. And me, of course. :)

For me, it was not one specific item as much as it was the more often expressed term "Wow, that's not cheap! I remember when they were.....".

It just seems like even everyone's "fantastic bargain price" gives me sticker shock.

Not only that, but the quality of our jobs or careers dictate our having families, period. I honestly cannot afford a family and have restructured my mindset towards being satisfied living a single life. This isn't easy to do because all of us are more or less raised to believe we're supposed to get married and raise families when becoming adults...and if you can't do that, then you're quietly stigmatized with this "fail" stamp on your forehead.

If I had Paris Hilton money, it wouldn't even be a question about having a family someday. That day ain't coming anytime soon.

Uh oh, there would be a serious problem if it cost that much up here. I absolutely love that stuff! I think I paid $2.48 for a half gallon a couple of weeks ago when it first came out.

For me, it always comes back to the price of a gallon of gas...as a courier, I have to keep the that 20 gal tank topped up for the out of town runs...I usually do it at the local Kroger fuel place, where I get a .10/gal discount, but a couple of weeks ago I got caught out in the boonies tipping over near the "E"...stopped at a Pilot station, where they have a $50 limit on Visa transactions, & for the first time it actually was an issue...the guage said my tank was full, but the pump shut off at the dollar mark before it hit the overflow valve.

The housing/credit crisis has brought my band to a halt as well...our guitar player's wife does home loans on commission, & she hasn't had a lick of business lately, so he has to work 16 hour days, 7 days a week just to pay his house note...

For me, it is the cost of heating oil. Fortunately I can manage the increased cost but it leaves me wondering how those with lower incomes cope. I mean, it is $300-$400 extra per month in the winter. That's a tough pill to swallow.