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Prices on the rise despite all we do

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prices rise
11K views 142 replies 54 participants last post by  ladytoysdream 
#1 ·
Was just listening to the news. They said food prices will increase by 20% over all. The cost of transportation is going way up. Not sure where your located but gas prices have gone up at least 40 cents a gallon in 1 week.Our electric bill is on the rise despite everything we can to lower cost.We sit in the dark most of the times.Of course Illinois has passed the 66% over all tax hike. Which a interview of local eatery's said prices will go up. My goal is not to eat out. Planning on different menu making.
 
#2 ·
yes i see it at the grocery store all the time, i hate spending money on the loaves of bread, things like that as the prices are soo high! we will not eat out and make from scratch more!
 
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#3 ·
I was reading about the 66 % tax increase in Illinois. That is the state income tax, correct ?

A lot of prices are going up. I dread going to the stores.
Cannot remember the last time we ate out at a restuarant but it has been quite a long awhile.

The thing I need to do is to find a white bread recipe and get at it. I used to make a sourdough bread a long time ago, and quite often. I did make from scratch, pumpkin bread today, a double batch.

I do know we will have a bigger garden this year. And lots more canning. I like knowing where my food comes from :)
 
#4 ·
Yes it's state tax.
 
#5 ·
Yup, everything is going up. I am even starting to think I may apply for food stamps. Apparently I qualify now.

With the winter being colder and heat and electric going up my utility bill is steadily rising.

I have been thinking about eating more brown rice with beans and oatmeal. The oatmeal in the morning really seems to fill me up. Since it is cheap and on sale now I will be stocking up. It does seem like a juggling act with trying to eat healthy. I have started cooking collard greens. Will start looking at different greens to eat.

I am just glad the grocery store I am at has good managers specials on meat. But the beans and rice will be more often now. I made brocolli rabe with white beans and rice. It turned out pretty good and was cheap.
 
#6 ·
it definitely takes effort not to spend money. I'm still feeling sick so I just went to the grocery store that was the most convenient, not the least expensive and man I spent $34 on what seemed like nothing.

Gas is $3.32 a gallon at the convenient gas station which is just nuts. I hope I start to feel better soon so that extra 15 minutes out of the way won't seem so daunting.
 
#10 ·
Right now IL is going to be taxing corporations 7.4-8% which is the highest Corporate tax in the Industrialized World.. Many corporations and residents will be fleeing the state God willing. What an absolute mess. This tax will not even fix the budget deficit they are planning on using it for a loan. Sigh.....

Food , and commodities are going to be rising quickly. Yes Nana it is getting tough out there. Menu planning and eating at home will help.
 
#12 ·
Thinking the same my friend :)
 
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#13 ·
Had my electric go up $22. and my consumer gas went down $6. so up $16. Cleaned out 1/2 the cube freezer today. Tomorrow the other 1/2. Then off it goes.
I told DH we will cut back severely on the out to eat. Ds came to ask for money to go up North w/ a friend to visit a friend -NO was my answer. No money/No go..
Gas at the pump was 3.12 tonight so $50. for a tank. Teens will have to cut back on the for fun driving too.
I was just reading that there were 1 mill. forclosures in 2010. And they expect quite a few more than that in 2011. Just too scary. DH wants to repair items and finance a 3rd car. I want a larger savings cushion.
More tough times ahead. Thank goodness for FV.
 
#34 ·
Foreclosures, more because unemployment was the only thing saving many homes and it's ran out for alot of people. They haven't stopped here.

What's really scary, to me, what do you do when there's nothing left to do. There's no more plugged in items to unplug, you've already added a few more clothes to the already full washer and/or dryer ( electric and water ). You're already hanging the clothes. You're already eating as cheap as you can...what happens then. The prices still go up but there's nothing left to do...to cut...this crap is getting scary and it's only going to get scarier.

Two weeks ago I went to Walmart for a fairly major shop...everything had went up 50 cents or more...that's far more than 3 to 5 %...and from what I'm reading that's not the 5% they are talking about...it's going to happen again. What I had thought was going to be about $150 in the cart was $204.

Yes, it's going to get scarier..alot
 
#15 ·
heat and electric bill went up about 25$
food bill getting hard to keep in check.

dh drives 70 miles round trip to work each day and there is also a 4$ toll each day too.

i do home care so drive for work - i use to be able to fill up 20$ worth of gas and have itr last all week as i try to stay close to home for my patient load. now its 20$ every 4-5 days
when i work a weekend i have to go where they put me and this weekend i have to go about 45 miles on saturday that i normally wouldnt go.

trying to use wood burning stove and turning down heat on weekends when someone is home all day -
turning heat down when i leave in AM ( if i am last to leave and everyone is showered ) and turning it down at night .

trying to shop sales - meal plan based on what is on sale - trying to use coupons when it helps.

we never really ate out much to start with for birthdays anniversaries etc .
we do take out maybe once a week but its usually a place we can get enough for the 7 of us for 20$ ( sicilian pizza at one place near us is very filling and 16 squares per pie )
and usually reserved for when my fibro is real bad - work was so crazy or a weekend i work .

i am grateful for those that do still eat out because they are funding my daughters college fund as she is a waitress so nothing bad to say about those that choose to afford to eat out as long as they are paying their bills to.

not sure what the 66% increase = reality wise ( 66% of what was the original tax )
but living in NJ i do know what it is like to be paying high taxes - and gvt fees and property taxes but i just figure its a part of living . moving not an option right now with the way real estate has gone plus i still have young ones i would hate to move away from their schools and friends
 
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#18 ·
not sure what the 66% increase = reality wise ( 66% of what was the original tax )
but living in NJ i do know what it is like to be paying high taxes - and gvt fees and property taxes but i just figure its a part of living . moving not an option right now with the way real estate has gone plus i still have young ones i would hate to move away from their schools and friends
The Illinois state income tax went from 3% to 5%

The corporate tax rate from 4.8% to 7%

Lawmakers Approve Illinois Tax Hike - DailyFinance
 
#16 ·
Illinois is just a mess right now. We live across the river in MO....20-25 minutes away. It isn't perfect here either as we're taxed to death on property taxes on our home, trucks, trailer and camper. We decided to sell the camper this year because it just doesn't make sense for us to have one. We can save a lot of money by getting rid of it.

Freebs~I know what you mean by the cost of bread. It's ridiculous and our favorite bread (Bunny) seems to be getting smaller all the time.

I guess we're learning to live more like our grandparents did....simple and within our means.
 
#19 ·
I guess this goes to show how niave I am ~ I always thought the midwest was realtively inexpensive ~ apparently, I was wrong!

West Metro Atlanta prices:
Gas $2.99/gal,

Bread (Kroger store brand) $.75, (Publix brand) $1.25

Milk (store brand) $1.99-$2.99 gal, depending on store,

Water Bill ($5.66 per 1000 gallons) so for Dec, our bill was $39.56 (for 5400 gallons & $4 for street lights ) *I think this is incredibly high, but can't seem to get it any lower - ugg.

Electric Bill for Dec - $248.03, avg. kwh/day is 40; cost per day 3.72 - total kwh for 30 days service 1229.

Don't have a gas bill handy, or I'd share that also.

I'll have a larger garden this year - that's a def. - I've been saving little yogurt cups to use a pots for seed starters -

I'm really hoping for a good year in 2011!

We can DOOOOO it!
 
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#20 ·
Water Bill ($5.66 per 1000 gallons) so for Dec, our bill was $39.56 (for 5400 gallons & $4 for street lights ) *I think this is incredibly high, but can't seem to get it any lower - ugg.
My corner of the Midwest is relatively cheap--esp. on water. (I work for the water company!)

$3.77 per thousand gallon. $2.90 per thousand on sewer. $10 trash, $1.50 storm water.

Our bill runs between 38-43ish bucks and we use just under around 3800 gallons a month. How many people are in your household? The average person uses about 2k water per month. Check out this site for tips on conservation: 100 Ways To Conserve | Water ? Use It Wisely
 
#21 ·
ohhh okay
i think it was 2 years ago we went from consumers 6% to 7%

looks like for coporate businesses its a flat rate of 9% unless they make less than 100,000 then its 7.5%

and according to the page NJ has the highest property tax ratio in the nation.
and recieves the least funding from GVT for things

The Tax Foundation - Tax Research Areas > New Jersey

we even get taxed an exit tax here - you sell your home and are moving to another state - they get you on the way out too lol

N.J.'s exit tax: So baffling, even officials can't explain it | NJ.com


and the crazy weather is going to really affect cost of foods too due to lost crops with cold weather - floods etc
 
#22 ·
We have seen the increase in gas here as well... seems to be rising quickly. I am doing my best to shop sales, use coupons, and stockpile. More eating at home. Trying to do a better job at menu planning. I have also being trying to be diligent about using everything I buy and not letting leftovers get lost in the fridge :)
 
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#23 ·
my gas and electric are up to 427 a month
my water runs about 80
sewer is an every 3 month deal thats almost 200$
property taxes are ~ 500 a month ( added into mortgage payment right now ) and we dont have a huge property or huge house
Gas was 3.01 ( lucky we are a state near NY ports so dont pay alot for the traveling of gas to far away parts - and we get it pumped for us - illegal to pump your own gas in NJ )

thats for 7 of us when i am trying to keep the bills down too.

oh well on a brite note at least we have jobs - could be much worse to have the bills and no jobs ! which is why alot are trying to get out of jersey at this point .
 
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#25 ·
my gas and electric are up to 427 a month
my water runs about 80
sewer is an every 3 month deal thats almost 200$
property taxes are ~ 500 a month ( added into mortgage payment right now ) and we dont have a huge property or huge house


.
Holy smokes.....$500.00 a month! Makes me feel grateful that I live in MO....we're not perfect, but it isn't anywhere near that expensive.
 
#27 ·
oops the 7% is the tax we pay when we buy things ( non luxery items )

it looks like income tax is from 1.75 (if u make no income which makes no sense ) to 8.xx
anyone near to or in middle income for this area seems to be in the 6-6.75 range

funny the last jump is from 75,001 a year to 499,999 a year all pay the same % - i mean helloooo what a difference is that !!
i am sure some politician signed that into law whose friends all make just under 500,000 -
 
#28 ·
there are seniors in towns near us that have paid off houses that are selling them because they cannot afford the property taxes - we live in a more blue collar middle class area - just a few blocks away in another town thats considered a step up is where you may find a a 3 bedroom 1 bath bungalows with a small yard - the taxes are 7000 a year ! these poor people never paid that much a year in a mortgage - its insane - makes me angry being in home care i see it all the time - they cant afford their meds or heat etc because they want to stay in their home soo sad

i guess thats why even with the money issues with gas and food and heating costs etc i just keep at it and feel blessed i have a job -because so many of my patients are in such a sad place . and they did everything right - no cc paid cash for things their whole lives- have savings but all that is dwindling while they try to keep their homes
 
#29 ·
I wonder when the time will come when there is no middle class?

Our electric rates just went up, again. I can't remember how much per kilowatt hour. We are making sure we are using up what is in the little freezer first then it is being turned off.

I am planning my veggie garden and going to try my hand at canning this year. I always thought canning was something I would do when I retired, but I think I need to start learning now.

I don't believe in chicken little media but I have some belt tightening to do. My school system is talking about RIFs (Reduction in Force) or layoffs. I just thought, nice. I am trying to plan for it just in case.
 
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#30 ·
Everything going up here. Our fine new commissioners gave us a 45% tax hike on our land taxes + adding a $5.00 fee to our electric bills + my electric bill was $120.00 MORE this month than last. Highest bill I've ever gotten. Water has gone up too. We've had a colder winter with a lot of snow so its costing a lot more to heat. Groceries have gone up partly because 2 of our grocery stores have closed and Walmart has not competition here. There is only SaveALot and Walmart in town. 2 other grocery stores in surrounding communities. Our SaveALot is Saveveryverylittle anymore. My husband has to drive to work every day and I have 2 in college that have to drive 2 hours a day. Ds 4 days a week but dd managed to get hers in 2 days a week but they will be long days. Only dh is working right now. There are no jobs in our small town at all. Even Walmart isn't hiring. Its just a very scary time right now.
 
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#31 ·
We are lucky to have a victorian home on a huge lot with a barn. Taxes a year is $1250. Lucky our house payment is $ 550 a month. We own our business through our house and can claim Quarter of the mortgage,heating,water, phone,cell,internet,car insurance and gas on our taxes. But just this last 2 years we have got money back. Most time we have to pay in.
 
#33 ·
I am in the cheapest apartment in the city. I know that when they took rent control off here it all went to pot. My rent will go up in Sept every year as long as I live here. Bread is about 1.50 a loaf. Plus we pay HST on everything so that is 15%. Hydro rates are expected to go up 40 to 50 % within the next 4 years. The cost to ride the bus is going up. It is crazy, I think that it is going to get to the point that family's are all going to be living together out of neccessity. Gas is supposed to end up at all most 2$ a litre by the summer. I think that it is going to get to the point where there is no middle class you are poor or you are rich.
 
#36 ·
I agree. Dual living is happening then we think. More and More families are moving in together.That is the norm for most other Countries.Some places have many generations living in one house.
 
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