Sunday, September 18, 2005
INFLATION
Has anyone else noticed the price of stuff going up lately? I have no idea what the national numbers on inflation are, and I won't be bothered to check, but here are some things I've seen increase in price in the past two months.
Laundry: In my apartment building the cost of a load of washing increased from $1.00 to $1.25 and the cost of a load of drying went up from $1.00 to $1.50. This is still cheaper than what I paid when living in Montreal but a 25% and 50% increase nonetheless.
Snacks: Chips and chocalate bars in the vending machines on campus at Queen's increased by ten to twenty-five cents for items of a $1.00 or $1.50. Having to pay $1.10 instead of $1.00 for a bag of chips isn't so much expensive as it is simply annoying.
Pizza: The "carry-out special" at the local Dominoes pizza increased from $4.99 to $5.99. A 20% increase.
Milk: One of the real markers of inflation, the price of milk at the convenience store across the street last week went up from $3.99 to $4.24. An increase of 6%.
I'm no economist but I suspect the price of gas has something to do with this. Which is why I shake my head when I hear non-drivers say the price of gas doesn't affect them.
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Interesting observation, Matt. Add to the concerns the fact that the Canadian dollar has appreciated considerably in the past couple of years, meaning that even in pre-inflation terms the prices of certain goods has increased (although because wages have also increased, the effect will not be real for most Canadians).
I remember seeing, about a month ago, some inflation stats indicating that with oil factored out, inflation was stable. We may be seeing a lag effect.