So we know gasoline prices have plummeted in the last year (but are up 20% in the last month), but I’m trying to think of other things I use in my everyday life that have declined in price. Maybe going through the BLS detailed list will jog my memory. Here is the link to their data:
http://www.bls.gov/cpi/cpid1501.pdf
Let’s see how much deflation we’ve experienced in the last year for things we need to live our everyday lives.
Beef and veal +22.5%
Ground beef +21.0%
Steaks +14.9%
Pork +7.4%
Ham +11.5%
Whole Chicken +6.1%
Fresh Fish +3.5%
Eggs +8.2%
Cheese +7.8%
Fresh Vegetables +4.3%
Lettuce +12.2%
Tomatoes +9.6%
Coffee +6.7%
Butter +19.5%
Restaurant food +3.1%
Housing +2.9%
Hotels +7.6%
Owners Equivalent Rent +2.6%
Homeowners Insurance +5.6%
Electricity +2.5%
Water & Sewer +5.5%
Home Repairs +4.4%
Footwear +2.6%
Car Insurance +5.0%
Parking Fees & Tolls +2.3%
Medicinal Drugs +4.2%
Prescription Drugs +5.6%
Hospital Services +4.3%
Veterinarian Services +3.2%
Sporting Events +3.6%
Newspapers & Magazines +4.6%
College Tuition +3.6%
Educational Books & Supplies +6.5%
Grade School & High School Tuition +4.0%
Childcare & Nursery School +3.0%
Postage +3.6%
Cigarettes +2.5%
Financial Services +5.7%
Tax Return Prep +9.3%
These figures are directly from the BLS website. These are the annual price increases of things most Americans need to purchase on a regular basis. I know most of them affect me every day. My weekly grocery bill is much higher than it was one year ago, and we don’t buy nearly as much steak or beef as we did last year.
The price of oil and gas has certainly declined by the 30% or so in the BLS figures, but it doesn’t come close to covering the price increase in food and other living expenses. The BLS declares we are experiencing deflation and our wages are expanding in real terms. It’s a bold faced lie. The other items declining in price are mostly discretionary items which might be purchased every few years. Furniture, appliances, computers and TVs are falling in price. I didn’t buy any of those items in the last year, so the lower prices had ZERO impact on me.
Apparel falls in price, but is made so cheaply in Chinese slave labor camps, you only get half the use out of it before you have to replace it. I’m guessing the BLS hasn’t factored that into their little calculation.
And now for the BIGGEST LIE in the entire report. The have the balls to tell you that health insurance only makes up 0.753% of your entire annual budget and it has FALLEN by 0.5% in the last year. This must be some cruel Obamacare joke perpetrated by these government apparatchiks. I haven’t met anyone who has seen their health insurance costs go down in the last year. My premiums went up by 20% and my annual family deductible went from $0 to $2,000. How the BLS can get away with issuing this drivel is beyond my comprehension. It’s pure and utter bullshit.
I wonder if the sheep actually believe what the government peddles. Does anyone with two brain cells think their daily living expenses are declining? Do they really think their wages are going a lot farther? Evidently not, because they have stopped spending money.
I'm sure you know that the government has been revising the definition of inflation continuously for decades to make it look no worse than about 2.5% annually. But it is still a mystery to me that interest rates can still be held artificially low. This can't go on forever.
Core inflation calculations omit food and fuel, the two most important areas for the every day person. They did this to more tightly control the calculated inflation rate because of the massive debt tied to the rate for the banking system. We now live in times where government calculated stats are routinely skewed to support the narrative and prop up the ponzi financial economy regardless of what is happening in everyone’s life.
Deflationary pressures will continue to increase because of automation and lack of work for the masses and increasing wealth redistribution schemes for those that still have a job. At some point, this will derail the ponzi system which is the financial elites greatest fear.
So, we have crude oil basically cut in half and the US Dollar hitting multi-year highs. The Dollar move and the oil move are a mirror image of each other that only started when QE* was stopped.
The year over year cost comparison may be a bit misleading since the affects of lower oil and a stronger Dollar has only been with us for a few months.
The real question is “Where’s the Cash?”
I suspect producers are trying to maintain their pricing power for as long as possible. If they cut prices it will likely be followed with massive layoffs.
There are a few things to consider. If the products that make up the CPI are primarily imported, than we should see that reflected in our “Purchasing Power Parity”.
The rally in the US Dollar is real and it will have an impact on prices. Might be delayed somewhat, but it will happen.
My contention is that we started a severe deflationary cycle in 2008 that was basically put on hold with the FEDS QE*. Those QE* efforts created inflation of prices but NO increase in economic activity with the allocation of capital for investment.
My income is only $800 more than it was last year. I’ve noticed that we have to watch our budget more closely than ever.
I’m still waiting for the economy to take off. I keep reading the MSM articles telling us how good the economy is, but I’m not seeing it. I see evidence of cost-cutting all over.
Good work on your part.
Surging food cost was one of the things that made Obama’s re-election so amazing...along with $4 gas, 13% unemployment, trillion dollar deficits, and failed foreign policy.
Where’s the ones with minus numbers in front of them? Maybe that’s on a different chart.