Rising prices - Wow!

Llynn said:
I'm still buying what I want and my Daughter's hens provide all my eggs but I have cut way back on resturant meals. There is simply not enough value received for money spent on eating out; plus tipping is totally out of control.
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Fortunately we don't have that problem. Waiting staff here get paid a standard wage... so tips are extra... and so peoople don't feel obligated to leave a tip unless the service or food has been particualrly good

The drawback of that is tho' the waiting staff have no incetnive to be extra helpful to the customer
 

gruntlabor said:
In addition to outta sight prices, many products are now of inferior quality. I just opened a new block of Tillamook cheese. Tasteless, or just tastes like salt, waxy, fibrous, inedible!
(It always was a cheap inferior brand but has now hit a new low.)
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I live about 50 miles from the Tillamook dairy and cheese factory. Out here it is considered a quality product and very popular. According to their website, 90% of their cheese comes from Oregon. I'm sure they would like to know about your experience. Perhaps problems with the shipping or storage on the way to your area. I've never had a problem with any Tillamook product. It's a farmer owned cooperative so they care about their reputation.
 
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StarSong said:
Interesting. US middle class parameters are so wide that they're all but meaningless. The general definition is a 3 person household with an annual income between 67% and 200% of the national median income, so anywhere between $56K and $170K. A huge range. In most of the country, 3 people would be hard put to survive on $56K per annum.

In California, most if not all the couples I know in their 30s-40s have combined incomes over $170K, but would not consider themselves in the upper range of middle class, never mind upper class.

Blue or white collar jobs in the US are defined by job type rather than salaries. Blue collar work usually involves manual labor of some kind, though many require special skills (like welders, or electricians). White collar jobs tend to be clerical, office or managerial work. The "white collar" designation goes back 100 years ago when men wore (white) shirts and ties to office jobs.

In the US, "working class" is a rarely used descriptor.
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I get 35 or 36K annually to live on. Not much when most of your check is out in the wind with expenses.
 
Fritz said:
I get 35 or 36K annually to live on. Not much when most of your check is out in the wind with expenses.
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the state pension amount in the Uk for a single person who has paid a minimum of 35 years National Insurance contributions .. which are taken from salaries 8% on earnings between £242.01 and £967 per week, ..and @% over that, amounts to a paltry £11,950 per year..

It's a national disgrace!

That is what all single retired people in the UK get to live on.. and we don't have 401K's here.. so unless someone has paid into a private pension.. this is the amount everyone who has paid Contributions for 35 years out of their salaries to the govt....and those working for minimum wage of which there was many, could not afford to pay into any other pension after Insurance contributions and Income tax was already taken from their salaries... those latter 2 amounted to approx a 1/3rd of our salaries.. every week/month

Those who worked less than 35 years.. or worked part0time like the majority of mother raising children... recieve substantially less,,in State pension....

EG...

Pro-rata amount:
Your pension is reduced proportionally for every year you are short of 35 qualifying years.

  • Example:
    A person with 23 qualifying years would receive approximately two-thirds of the full £230.25 weekly pension.

  • Minimum years:
    You need at least 10 qualifying years to receive any state pension. If you have fewer, you will not get a pension at all.

 
Fritz said:
I get 35 or 36K annually to live on. Not much when most of your check is out in the wind with expenses.
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When you say "I get 35 or 36K," I assume you mean net (take home) income after all deductions such as medical insurance, etc.

My annual net income is a little more than $10K less than yours. By income, I mean Social Security income that is realized in a monthly deposit, not income from investments such as CD interest (which accumulates in the bank until needed.)

I've had people tell me they can live on SS alone. I have no idea how they manage to do that. No matter how conservative I may be, I cannot pay a mortgage, maintenance, insurance, taxes, utilities, groceries, and all the other expenses of life on the income I just described. The things I must pay before any discretionary expenses total more than my net SS.

The monthly shortage has to come from savings and IRA RMDs. I'm thankful my wife and I planned ahead for retirement. I'm just sorry she didn't get to enjoy the fruits of our labor.
 
MACKTEXAS said:
When you say "I get 35 or 36K," I assume you mean net (take home) income after all deductions such as medical insurance, etc.

My annual net income is a little more than $10K less than yours. By income, I mean Social Security income that is realized in a monthly deposit, not income from investments such as CD interest (which accumulates in the bank until needed.)

I've had people tell me they can live on SS alone. I have no idea how they manage to do that. No matter how conservative I may be, I cannot pay a mortgage, maintenance, insurance, taxes, utilities, groceries, and all the other expenses of life on the income I just described. The things I must pay before any discretionary expenses total more than my net SS.

The monthly shortage has to come from savings and IRA RMDs. I'm thankful my wife and I planned ahead for retirement. I'm just sorry she didn't get to enjoy the fruits of our labor.
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No. That's my gross pay. They take quite a bit out of my check each payday.
 
hollydolly said:
the state pension amount in the Uk for a single person who has paid a minimum of 35 years National Insurance contributions .. which are taken from salaries 8% on earnings between £242.01 and £967 per week, ..and @% over that, amounts to a paltry £11,950 per year..

Pro-rata amount:
Your pension is reduced proportionally for every year you are short of 35 qualifying years.
  • Example:
    A person with 23 qualifying years would receive approximately two-thirds of the full £230.25 weekly pension.
  • Minimum years:
    You need at least 10 qualifying years to receive any state pension. If you have fewer, you will not get a pension at all.
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In the U.S. the government takes 6% of your gross pay for Social Security. Your employer is required to pay another 6%. So, 12% of your gross pay goes towards SS. The amount paid out depends on when you start, you can go on SS at 62 years old or wait until you're 70 to get your maximum pay. For each year you wait your payout goes up by 8%.

Average Monthly Payments:
  • Overall average (all beneficiaries): ~$1,865/month
  • Average for retired workers: ~$2,008/month
  • Average for men at age 65: ~$1,784/month
  • Average for women at age 65: ~$1,452/month
Maximum Monthly Payments:
  • At age 62 (earliest claiming age): Up to $2,831/month
  • At full retirement age (currently 67): Up to $4,018/month
  • At age 70 (maximum delay): Up to $5,108/month

    To receive the maximum, a person must:
  • Have earned the maximum taxable income for at least 35 years.
  • Delay claiming benefits until age 70.

Annual Adjustments:
Social Security payments are adjusted annually through a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) to keep pace with inflation. The projected COLA for 2026 is 2.7%, which would increase average payments slightly.
 
hollydolly said:
I hate Subway above all sandwich places... I can only imagine US Subway is much better than the British version... I can't imagine anywhere else would be worse...
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Subway's headquarters were in the Connecticut town where I lived. They would send food when we were working on a community project. I thought it was good and even paid for it many times.
 
Babs2u said:
Subway's headquarters were in the Connecticut town where I lived. They would send food when we were working on a community project. I thought it was good and even paid for it many times.
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sorry...I just shudder at the thought of Subway...:sick:. Many people in the Uk enjoy it... but many people don't have high standards... so I can only presume that Subway in the US is of a higher standard than here
 
Oldeagle66 said:
I don't shop at just one store. I go to markets like seafood and meat markets, Amish markets. I avoid the national big box stores with their huge overhead and shop locally and it's just me...... I watched my mother shop the old fashioned way. plus I am cheap.
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That’s an impressive achievement—$150 a month is just $35 a week! I’m in awe. I don’t think I could pull that off (especially with two of us), but you clearly have it down to a science. Honestly, you should write a book!
 
hollydolly said:
the state pension amount in the Uk for a single person who has paid a minimum of 35 years National Insurance contributions .. which are taken from salaries 8% on earnings between £242.01 and £967 per week, ..and @% over that, amounts to a paltry £11,950 per year..

It's a national disgrace!

That is what all single retired people in the UK get to live on.. and we don't have 401K's here.. so unless someone has paid into a private pension.. this is the amount everyone who has paid Contributions for 35 years out of their salaries to the govt....and those working for minimum wage of which there was many, could not afford to pay into any other pension after Insurance contributions and Income tax was already taken from their salaries... those latter 2 amounted to approx a 1/3rd of our salaries.. every week/month

Those who worked less than 35 years.. or worked part0time like the majority of mother raising children... recieve substantially less,,in State pension....

EG...

Pro-rata amount:
Your pension is reduced proportionally for every year you are short of 35 qualifying years.


  • Example:
    A person with 23 qualifying years would receive approximately two-thirds of the full £230.25 weekly pension.


  • Minimum years:
    You need at least 10 qualifying years to receive any state pension. If you have fewer, you will not get a pension at all.


Click to expand...

But you have way better health care benefits than we do in the US. For example both my wife and I have Medicare. But I still pay about $1000 a month out of pocket for medical insurance to cover us both when you add in the cost of our supplemental and drug coverage. And even at that I still get hit with a co pays and deductables.
 
Jackie23 said:
My grocery bill has doubled since the first of year, I see nothing going down in price any time soon or any indication that it will go down. I also agree that people will stop going out to eat (because of high prices) and that will lead to people without jobs and businesses closing.
Another thing I see around here regarding food is that the food pantries are closing....Isn't that just lovely....NOT!
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Why would food pantries be closing? Is it because people can't afford to donate? That's horrible!
 
Llynn said:
I live about 50 miles from the Tillamook dairy and cheese factory. Out here it is considered a quality product and very popular. According to their website, 90% of their cheese comes from Oregon. I'm sure they would like to know about your experience. Perhaps problems with the shipping or storage on the way to your area. I've never had a problem with any Tillamook product. It's a farmer owned cooperative so they care about their reputation.
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I love Tillamook cheese. I usually wait for it to go on sale and buy it.
 
TeePee said:
Why would food pantries be closing? Is it because people can't afford to donate? That's horrible!
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In many places, such as where I live much of the food donations came from the federal government. That aid was cut off months ago. In fact, the trucks that were on the way to our state got a message to turn around and leave. So now they are totally dependent on local donations, which can’t keep up with the need.
 
Llynn said:
I live about 50 miles from the Tillamook dairy and cheese factory. Out here it is considered a quality product and very popular. According to their website, 90% of their cheese comes from Oregon. I'm sure they would like to know about your experience. Perhaps problems with the shipping or storage on the way to your area. I've never had a problem with any Tillamook product. It's a farmer owned cooperative so they care about their reputation.
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Thanks, Llynn.
Many cheeses can be got in low-fat or full-fat. I'm pretty sure Tillamook used to be one of these brands. This product doesn't stipulate. It just says, "13% fat" on the back panel.
This is a 5# block from Costco.
The good cheddars are really expensive. I always thought of Tillamook as a budget cheese, not too bad for the price. I hope this iatest is just a one-time thing.
 
Teacher Terry said:
In many places, such as where I live much of the food donations came from the federal government. That aid was cut off months ago. In fact, the trucks that were on the way to our state got a message to turn around and leave. So now they are totally dependent on local donations, which can’t keep up with the need.
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I won't get political. I'll just say "no comment".
 

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