Food Inflation Experiment +

[jdnstl]

i also noticed lay's changed their packaging to 10.5 oz but left the price the same. sneaky-sneaks!!!

virgil, one of the things mid had stated in the original thread was to adjust the price if the size wasn't available. he used the sugar example because a lot of people were not finding 5 lb sugar bags. he said to calculate the price per pound to find what the price of 5 lbs would be. using that same adjustment practice i found the price of 11 oz lay's for my April numbers.

[mizbear]

Virgil- Getting ready to put in my April numbers this weekend coming up. I noticed that the numbers posted for me are the bone in chix numbers I had posted (before I noticed that everyone else was doing boneless). I have tried a couple times to change it to the higher boneless price- according to my records $4.29/Jan (didn't do Feb since we were on bi-monthly then) and if I am reading my own handwriting right- it looks like $4.39 for March, but will try to locate my hand-written chart here at home- either way- my computer illiterate self is unable to save the changes. Help!

[mizbear]

Chicken- Jan- $4.29, March $4.49
I found the old thread to pull my prices from.

The Lay's Chips here have also downsized to 10.5 oz.
Beary Beary unhappy Bear.

The biggest thing about this experiment is that it is repeatable and falsifiable. Anyone can repeat this experiment and the data can be verified (or not). It would be lovely to see food prices leveling off or better yet going down. But it would also be great to see gas prices, home prices, tuition prices, etc and so forth go back down without losing quality...

[Virgil Showlion]

Miz, if you're having trouble with the application, you're certainly welcome to send the data to me via PM or post it here in this thread.

As for the incredible shrinking products, quite a few people (including myself) have noticed them. Do compensate for the shrinkage when you put your prices in. If you're unsure of how the math works to do that:

[CORRECTED PRICE] = ([PRICE PAID] / ["SHRUNK" QUANTITY]) * [ORIGINAL QUANTITY]

you can leave the wetwork to me.

[missourimommy]

I just entered my April prices and was shocked to realize how much prices have increased between Jan/Feb and April!! The biggest thing I noticed, and it's been mentioned on here, about the size of the Lays chips, going fomr 11oz to 10.5oz. Mine did the same, BUT the price INCREASED by a $1!! It was $2.98 for 11oz.. It's now $3.99-- FOR LESS CHIPS!!!

This is where my lack of math skills (Remember my 2nd grade math problem, mizbear? ;D) comes in to play. Figuring out the TRUE increase in cost of the Lays Chips. Virgil, PLEASE feel free to change the price if you need to. I should be embarrassed to admit I didn't do well in math.

The other HUGE increas I noticed was the increase in the 80/20 ground beef!! Jan/Feb, it was $2.98 per pound. In April, it's now $4.59/lb! (No wonder we haven't had burgers or anything with hamburger in a LONG time!

This is really starting to make me pay more attention to the prices and the increases! Wonder what the tornadoes from last weekend will do to our local prices, or if that will even affect anything. I'll be curious to see....

[shelly527in]

All of mine have stayed the same except: 12 pks Coke products are now $4.78 and flour is now $2.18. I tried to put it in, but couldn't save it for some reason.

[mizbear]

Potato chip bags have decreased again!!!

They are now 10 oz for $3.99.

[mizbear]

Virgil- You have PM from me- apparently I am an idiot. It won't let me put my chix price changes in to match everyone else's info and I can't save my data.

[wvugurl26]

I see I'm not the only one who had chips go from 11 oz to 10.5 oz. I figured out how to adjust the price to make it for 11 oz. I had one small decrease for eggs. Coke, sugar, chicken, and hamburger went up for me. And of course chips went up because the price is the same but the bag is smaller.

[ses]

Wow! The only increase this month, May, was $.20 for milk. My potato chips are still at 10.5 oz, haven't seen the drop to 10 oz yet.

[chiver78]

just posted my prices for May. the only change was that the Wonder bread went up 30 cents to $3.69. wow...for a loaf of bread.

I am also still at a 10.5oz bag for Lays.

[Virgil Showlion]

Thanks chiver.

I'll be putting out my bi-monthly "reminder PM" for the experiment participants to collect their data.

*Sigh* So much to do...

[decoy409]

Virgil, all in a day's work!

[lifewasgood]

Unfortunately, the data completion percentage is not sufficient enough to draw any conclusions from this experiment. I would suggest scrapping it.

[Virgil Showlion]

Give it time, lifewasgood. We have 85%+ of the data for January. All we need is the same 85% to contribute data for any upcoming month, and we have an excellent dataset. Any missing data in the interim becomes irrelevant at that point.

[Driftr]

If you ever start having trouble getting data from North Texas PM me Virgil.

[mtntigger]

May 19, 2011 12:18:17 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

Give it time, lifewasgood. We have 85%+ of the data for January. All we need is the same 85% to contribute data for any upcoming month, and we have an excellent dataset. Any missing data in the interim becomes irrelevant at that point.

You know that's not going to happen as some of those members are gone.
Of course, if lifewasgood's DW was taking part in this experiment, the 1% reporting would be totally valid.

I just got my data (valid or not) and the package for Lay's chips are now 20% increase! Of course the it's not a 20% increase of the original 11 oz... just the 10.5 oz.

[TrixAre4Kids]

Gosh, have you seen the price of coffee? I pulled out an old Costco receipt. On April 13 I paid $13.79 for a 2.5 lb bag, same bag on May 18 cost me $18.99.

[Virgil Showlion]

Deflation in the housing market; inflation in everything else. Personally, I don't see why wages would have any impact on non-discretionary spending (food, fuel, toiletries).

[decoy409]

Here is some GREAT STUFF! Just call it a 'Back to REALITY' check.

May 20,2011

What's happening now in these middle eastern countries is a preview of what's coming to America - and it's already begun. Don't believe me? Take a look at these food charts from 2010 - 2011

metalaugh.blogspot.com/2011/05/got-food.html

[Virgil Showlion]

Thanks for the link, Decoy.

Apparently the price of rice in China (and not just the proverbial one) is also going through the roof.

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

LOL, a reality check eh? I luv these internet blogs... a quote from your article.

"So what can you do about it? You must prepare. Just like in the Great Depression when our ancestors began canning foods, we must begin storing up foods for the hard times ahead."

Really?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canning

The process was first developed as a French military discovery by Nicolas Appert in 1810. The packaging prevents microorganisms from entering and proliferating inside.

We all know what the results of the graph above is right?

[decoy409]

Well I know the results when you can have a steak instead of a burger.

Furthermore you are yet to make any viable points in the HOUSEING that you were just bragging about everybody is wrong and housing is burning up with sales.

Like I say folks,have a steak instead of a burger. Burgers are processed meat kinda like a puppet is processed from wood.

[Virgil Showlion]

The chart doesn't even make it as far as the 2008 meltdown, Ham.

This is the chart I'm more concerned about:



Another record high, in case it isn't obvious from the plot.

[Aman A.K.A. Ahamburger]

Yes a 6% up tick in food stamp participation is a bad thing. Good thing food isn't as pricey as it was in the 80's.

Ah, yes classic decoy, can't bring up anything intelligent so you have to attack the person? Well here is something for you to chew on for a bit. I was surprised when the NAR reported a 7.3% increase in new home sales, still above last years lows. Go back and check the dates.. clown

[decoy409]

Hey it's a PUPPET! The old burger boy puppet.

The old string puller forgot to give the puppet this one to deliver. ;D

Good thing for PM's in my never ending participation of good old common folks!

A reader sends me the following,

Beware: Same price, less productSome manufacturers are using new packaging to shrink the contents of their products while charging the same prices as before.

money.msn.com/shopping-deals/scam....arketwatch.aspx

And once again as I like to say,'it all comes out in the wash!'

Just sucks when the people or common folks (about 90%) have to wait for it to come out. So as usual the NEWS is the NEWS! Whether I discuss it ahead of time or not,'it all comes out in the wash!'

[decoy409]

patstab, I don't know which camp you are in or for that matter if you are in any at all.
Your first part there above hits the nail on the head,and your second part as to raising the bar,well that is just as good as asap it made me think as to raising the radiation level of the human body and the food taking it on.
Did you happen to catch the recent hail and the radiation in that hail falling from higher atmosphere? That was really a good one. What is worse is that one of those little gizmos to take reading cost nothing like a telescope for viewing in space. Following me?

As well I pull this from my Decoy Post entered today and place it here. What do you think of this?

June 1,2011 From,'The DECOY 409 POST - Here is how you take care of those that have given their lives to defend this country called the US.

May 31,2011 NM plans to stop food stamp supplement for elderly

SANTA FE — Gov. Susana Martinez's administration proposes to end a program that supplements federal food stamp benefits for about 4,000 low-income elderly and disabled New Mexicans.

The Human Services Department plans to stop the assistance on July 1 because there's no money in the state budget for it. The program cost nearly a half million dollars last year.

Social services advocates say the state program helps the poor meet their basic food needs.

Under the program, the state provides supplemental assistance to ensure that New Mexicans who qualify for federal food stamps get at least $25 a month in benefits.

Currently, $16 a month is the minimum amount of federal food stamp benefits. For those qualifying for that amount, the state will pick up an extra $9 a month.


www.santafenewmexican.com/local%2....ent-for-elderly

[decoy409]

patstab,pretty sick stuff going on,that was just a example.

[ses]

I just finished my June pricing and got a real chuckle. The Lay's chips that started at 11 oz then went to 10.5 oz for the original price were sitting on the shelf next to a bag with 10% free (12 5/8oz) still with the original price. What's up with this?

[reasonfreedom]

How is ground beef 2.58 per lb? it is like 5.50 at my store in SC. lol