more than 50% since 2010 or 2012, iirc, but this only tells the official story.
when a "99 cents!" bag of chips is now "$2.99 only!" and the price of fuel doesn't correlate to anything except oil company P&E charts...
Just remember, The "$6 burger" was both making fun of the fact that restaurants charged $6 for a hamburger, as well as less than $6 for the entire meal (usually ~$4 al a carte). That food place ceased offering the $6 burger when the meal went over $8, and that was over a decade ago.
I got quoted out $1000 for 200 feet of garden hose from a hose supplier last week. meanwhile the state government has only given ~6% pay increase in the last decade to civil employees. in the last 12 years i've reduced my electricity usage by 60% by both moving high power stuff to a cheaper facility and buying more energy efficient appliances and such. My electric bill is the exact same (plus or minus 10%) as it was 12 years ago.
I could go on comparing what things used to cost to what they cost now (if you can even get them at all), and my spreadsheet says the "inflation" numbers we're given either are flat out lies or otherwise so misunderstand what people spend money on monthly that it may as well be a lie. Compare a 198X Ford Mustang 6 cylinder base model to any year model you please. Then convince me that moving from metal to plastic and computerizing everything so the wires can be much smaller somehow justifies the price hike, there.
p.s. don't do this with rent or mortgages unless you want to cry.
That whole safety thing probably increases the price a lot. Like crumple zones and airbags. Also what's the zero to sixty and quarter mile on a 1985 Mustang compared to a Honda Civic from today? Also how long did it last between oil changes, how many MPG did it get, how much routine maintenance did it need; etc, etc.
The 1985 Ford Mustang was an amazing feat of engineering - for its time. We're 40 years past that though, and cars are more expensive for a lot more reasons than just plastic. Nevermind the plastic, the metal used in today's cars didn't exist as little as 10 years ago, never mind 40.
Also how long did it last between oil changes, how many MPG did it get, how much routine maintenance did it need; etc, etc.
3000 miles unless synthetic then 5 or 6 (same as my 2012 lexus with a simlar sized engine), 17-18MPG (same as my lexus), and "if you have a wrench and a Haynes you're halfway done".
hope this clears up some things.
eta: the 0-60 i am not sure, i'm sure my car with a 4.6 liter is faster and isn't governed at the same speed as the 1985 mustang, but it's not an order of magnitude faster or anything - the mustangs with large engines were always "fast" and relatively safe. I've owned 3 from the 90s and wrecked two and walked away with nary a bruise from insurance totals.
also if i drive intending to "Hypermilage" i can get nearly 30MPG out of my lexus, but i could get ~30 in a Mitsubishi Evo X and a F-550, too. Daily driving is <20MPG on all those. For reference on a 1.6L i can get nearly 80MPG on certain roads, and always above 65MPG. It annoys everyone around me though, so i tend to only do it if i am driving across country, which is the boringest thing ever.
The 2024 Honda Civic gets 10,000 miles between oil changes, and 30+ mpg, with a 0-60 and quarter mile that's competitive with a 1985 Mustang. Plus a ton more safety features, and without weighing a ton more because of them; it's about the same weight as well.
Hope that clears up why cars are more expensive today.
I see this view a lot, but every time I look at the actual data it isn't borne out.
BLS official inflation: $100 in Jan 2010 had the purchasing power of $144.94 today. That works out to 2.6%/yr by my math. So that's the "official" number that we want to disprove
Gallon of gas: $2.77 in 2010, $3.20 in Jan 24. 15% increase, 1% annualized
Honda Civic [not doing Mustang because it's harder to find data and as a luxury vehicle the comparison isn't as clean]: $16,205 in 2010, 24,000 today. 50% increase, 2.8% annualized
Big Mac: $3.73 in 2010, $5.69 today. 52% increase, 3% annualized
I live in an HCOL area, and did in 2010, so both of these sets of numbers feel a little low to me, but they mostly match my experience. As far as I can tell inflation mostly matches what the government reports, with some sectors coming in under and theoretically balancing out those that come in over (the classics of education, medicine, and housing). Those sectors that are outpacing are a real problem! But I think the consumer goods shadow-inflation people complain about is not borne out by data.
when i moved to louisiana in 2013 gas was <$2. it's routinely been $1.29/gal. It's currently $3.50 a gallon. I can cherrypick data, too. In 2010 i was buying literal jet fuel for $8/gal in california, gas prices in the intervening 14 years have approached that at service stations in california. (i have pictures, but why bother uploading)
McDonald's subsidizes their food with drinks; regardless, though, inflation (in last decade only) on McChicken is 199%, mcdouble 169%, medium fries 138%; taco bell: 5-layer 132%; popeye's mashed potatoes 134%. See? onion-picking the big mac as the basis makes inflation "look better"
My car insurance is double what it was in 2014. My electric bill is easily 60% more expensive than it was in 2014, i said that already. That's more than double the 2.6% BLS numbers.
we can go around all day, but citing the government for numbers about inflation seems counter-productive.
anyone else notice how few fireworks were going off prior to july 4th? or after? Is that normal?
I was going for sources that could be cited -- for instance, I could only find reliable data on the Big Mac because of the Economist's famous index thereof. If you have a good source for historical McDonald's prices I'd love to see it and compare.
Without having some data to compare I cannot differentiate between (1) you are correct, (2) you are misremembering, or (3) you've experienced the inflation you claim, but for particular reasons (eg, you got a nicer car, or, your area had an influx of high earners).
Also, a small nit: by my calculations 60% growth over 10 years is 4.8% annualized - outpacing CPI yes, but not more than double.
I know it's not really your point, but what kind of hose? I bought 100' of 3/4" "contractor" hose from Tractor Supply this last winter for $79. Even the in-ground stuff doesn't cost that much.
3/4" oil and weatherproof reinforced double wall hose, the kind that lasts a decade with heavy use (at least, i have one that's 12 years old that i haven't had to repair at all). For the "better than contractor from TSC" it was $413 for 200', which is oil and weatherproofed double wall hose, but doesn't have the anti-collapse webbing between the layers, just the water carrying layer and the outer protective layer.
ETA iirc home depot has 75' for $30 for, uh, passable garden hose. I understand we can buy cheap stuff but even the cheap stuff is more expensive than it used to be.
Comments
more than 50% since 2010 or 2012, iirc, but this only tells the official story.
when a "99 cents!" bag of chips is now "$2.99 only!" and the price of fuel doesn't correlate to anything except oil company P&E charts...
Just remember, The "$6 burger" was both making fun of the fact that restaurants charged $6 for a hamburger, as well as less than $6 for the entire meal (usually ~$4 al a carte). That food place ceased offering the $6 burger when the meal went over $8, and that was over a decade ago.
I got quoted out $1000 for 200 feet of garden hose from a hose supplier last week. meanwhile the state government has only given ~6% pay increase in the last decade to civil employees. in the last 12 years i've reduced my electricity usage by 60% by both moving high power stuff to a cheaper facility and buying more energy efficient appliances and such. My electric bill is the exact same (plus or minus 10%) as it was 12 years ago.
I could go on comparing what things used to cost to what they cost now (if you can even get them at all), and my spreadsheet says the "inflation" numbers we're given either are flat out lies or otherwise so misunderstand what people spend money on monthly that it may as well be a lie. Compare a 198X Ford Mustang 6 cylinder base model to any year model you please. Then convince me that moving from metal to plastic and computerizing everything so the wires can be much smaller somehow justifies the price hike, there.
p.s. don't do this with rent or mortgages unless you want to cry.
That whole safety thing probably increases the price a lot. Like crumple zones and airbags. Also what's the zero to sixty and quarter mile on a 1985 Mustang compared to a Honda Civic from today? Also how long did it last between oil changes, how many MPG did it get, how much routine maintenance did it need; etc, etc.
The 1985 Ford Mustang was an amazing feat of engineering - for its time. We're 40 years past that though, and cars are more expensive for a lot more reasons than just plastic. Nevermind the plastic, the metal used in today's cars didn't exist as little as 10 years ago, never mind 40.
3000 miles unless synthetic then 5 or 6 (same as my 2012 lexus with a simlar sized engine), 17-18MPG (same as my lexus), and "if you have a wrench and a Haynes you're halfway done".
hope this clears up some things.
eta: the 0-60 i am not sure, i'm sure my car with a 4.6 liter is faster and isn't governed at the same speed as the 1985 mustang, but it's not an order of magnitude faster or anything - the mustangs with large engines were always "fast" and relatively safe. I've owned 3 from the 90s and wrecked two and walked away with nary a bruise from insurance totals.
also if i drive intending to "Hypermilage" i can get nearly 30MPG out of my lexus, but i could get ~30 in a Mitsubishi Evo X and a F-550, too. Daily driving is <20MPG on all those. For reference on a 1.6L i can get nearly 80MPG on certain roads, and always above 65MPG. It annoys everyone around me though, so i tend to only do it if i am driving across country, which is the boringest thing ever.
The 2024 Honda Civic gets 10,000 miles between oil changes, and 30+ mpg, with a 0-60 and quarter mile that's competitive with a 1985 Mustang. Plus a ton more safety features, and without weighing a ton more because of them; it's about the same weight as well.
Hope that clears up why cars are more expensive today.
I see this view a lot, but every time I look at the actual data it isn't borne out.
BLS official inflation: $100 in Jan 2010 had the purchasing power of $144.94 today. That works out to 2.6%/yr by my math. So that's the "official" number that we want to disprove
Gallon of gas: $2.77 in 2010, $3.20 in Jan 24. 15% increase, 1% annualized
Honda Civic [not doing Mustang because it's harder to find data and as a luxury vehicle the comparison isn't as clean]: $16,205 in 2010, 24,000 today. 50% increase, 2.8% annualized
Big Mac: $3.73 in 2010, $5.69 today. 52% increase, 3% annualized
I live in an HCOL area, and did in 2010, so both of these sets of numbers feel a little low to me, but they mostly match my experience. As far as I can tell inflation mostly matches what the government reports, with some sectors coming in under and theoretically balancing out those that come in over (the classics of education, medicine, and housing). Those sectors that are outpacing are a real problem! But I think the consumer goods shadow-inflation people complain about is not borne out by data.
CPI: https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm?mf_ct_camp...
Gas prices: https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=pet&s=e...
Civic: https://www.kbb.com/honda/civic/2010/ (original MSRP in Pricing section) and same URL ending in 2024
Big Mac 2010: http://www.maxi-pedia.com/big+mac+index+2010
Big Mac 2024: https://www.statista.com/statistics/274326/big-mac-index-glo...
when i moved to louisiana in 2013 gas was <$2. it's routinely been $1.29/gal. It's currently $3.50 a gallon. I can cherrypick data, too. In 2010 i was buying literal jet fuel for $8/gal in california, gas prices in the intervening 14 years have approached that at service stations in california. (i have pictures, but why bother uploading)
McDonald's subsidizes their food with drinks; regardless, though, inflation (in last decade only) on McChicken is 199%, mcdouble 169%, medium fries 138%; taco bell: 5-layer 132%; popeye's mashed potatoes 134%. See? onion-picking the big mac as the basis makes inflation "look better"
My car insurance is double what it was in 2014. My electric bill is easily 60% more expensive than it was in 2014, i said that already. That's more than double the 2.6% BLS numbers.
we can go around all day, but citing the government for numbers about inflation seems counter-productive.
anyone else notice how few fireworks were going off prior to july 4th? or after? Is that normal?
I was going for sources that could be cited -- for instance, I could only find reliable data on the Big Mac because of the Economist's famous index thereof. If you have a good source for historical McDonald's prices I'd love to see it and compare.
Without having some data to compare I cannot differentiate between (1) you are correct, (2) you are misremembering, or (3) you've experienced the inflation you claim, but for particular reasons (eg, you got a nicer car, or, your area had an influx of high earners).
Also, a small nit: by my calculations 60% growth over 10 years is 4.8% annualized - outpacing CPI yes, but not more than double.
I know it's not really your point, but what kind of hose? I bought 100' of 3/4" "contractor" hose from Tractor Supply this last winter for $79. Even the in-ground stuff doesn't cost that much.
3/4" oil and weatherproof reinforced double wall hose, the kind that lasts a decade with heavy use (at least, i have one that's 12 years old that i haven't had to repair at all). For the "better than contractor from TSC" it was $413 for 200', which is oil and weatherproofed double wall hose, but doesn't have the anti-collapse webbing between the layers, just the water carrying layer and the outer protective layer.
ETA iirc home depot has 75' for $30 for, uh, passable garden hose. I understand we can buy cheap stuff but even the cheap stuff is more expensive than it used to be.