Why is everything so expensive (general rant)

[Anonymous]

--Everyone received free money during the pandemic
--People who bought before 2022 refinanced and have a great PTI
--People who sold their home recently and didn't turn around and buy again have $$$$ in the bank
---hourly salary of no to low skilled labor went up by multiple dollars during the pandemic

Retailers, airlines, hoteliers, restaurants, manufacturers, contractors are aware of all of this, why would they not raise prices?
Also, on the other hand at the same time, all of us have been spending our newfound money, creating demand, which causes prices to rise

We want to feel like we go ahead during the pandemic and that the extra cash we received through one or more of the ways above should put us at at advantage somehow, but in reality they have not. Since we all received money, that is an impossibility. If we all think honestly, we are in the same place we were before the pandemic.

Makes me think of my sister, she said in 2022, I have been saving more than ever and I can't afford a house--no sis everyone else's down payment fund was padded the same amount as your during COVID so you are back to where you started.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. The one that gets me is hotel prices. And we stay in budget-to-midlevel hotels, so I'm talking like, at best, and Embassy Suites. And not in NYC or something, but like in Nashville or Denver. You will wind up spending $250 a night for one room, and then you'll have to pay for valet parking on top of that, they won't come clean your room unless you ask, and the pool will be out of service when you get there.

It honestly makes me feel like there is no point in traveling. You wind up spending so much money on flight and accommodations that are barely serviceable, and then you're struggling to stay in budget before you even get to anything you do while there. It's ridiculous. Throw in all the service charges and cleaning fees and other random charges that are tacked onto everything and it's like, I should just stay home and get nice takeout or something. Spend the money I'd spend on a hotel on having someone clean my own house and some high threadcount sheets and call it a day.

We are trying to save to move out of the HCOL DMV and even that is hard. I don't know. The world is not built for middle class people.

I agree, hotel prices are insane, flights too, and service is the worst ever, as if airlines and hotels were doing you a favor by letting you travel.

Also agree. We make a higher salary than ever and yet travel has become too expensive. Going on a vacation to a National Park feels like a huge expense (airfare, rental car, hotel), when it didn’t seem like a big deal a few years ago.

Everyone in your peer group is making a higher salary and prices have risen accordingly. The vacays you want to take now, were they ones you could have afforded before the pandemic?

[Anonymous]

Health care, yes, utilities! internet goes up and up. There's no competition (or in health care, no transparency). It's just dismal because we are not getting money's worth. Don't even want to talk about eating out or travel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. The one that gets me is hotel prices. And we stay in budget-to-midlevel hotels, so I'm talking like, at best, and Embassy Suites. And not in NYC or something, but like in Nashville or Denver. You will wind up spending $250 a night for one room, and then you'll have to pay for valet parking on top of that, they won't come clean your room unless you ask, and the pool will be out of service when you get there.

It honestly makes me feel like there is no point in traveling. You wind up spending so much money on flight and accommodations that are barely serviceable, and then you're struggling to stay in budget before you even get to anything you do while there. It's ridiculous. Throw in all the service charges and cleaning fees and other random charges that are tacked onto everything and it's like, I should just stay home and get nice takeout or something. Spend the money I'd spend on a hotel on having someone clean my own house and some high threadcount sheets and call it a day.

We are trying to save to move out of the HCOL DMV and even that is hard. I don't know. The world is not built for middle class people.

I agree, hotel prices are insane, flights too, and service is the worst ever, as if airlines and hotels were doing you a favor by letting you travel.

Also agree. We make a higher salary than ever and yet travel has become too expensive. Going on a vacation to a National Park feels like a huge expense (airfare, rental car, hotel), when it didn’t seem like a big deal a few years ago.

Everyone in your peer group is making a higher salary and prices have risen accordingly. The vacays you want to take now, were they ones you could have afforded before the pandemic?

Yes, things that we used to do seem unaffordable now, even though we earn more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. The one that gets me is hotel prices. And we stay in budget-to-midlevel hotels, so I'm talking like, at best, and Embassy Suites. And not in NYC or something, but like in Nashville or Denver. You will wind up spending $250 a night for one room, and then you'll have to pay for valet parking on top of that, they won't come clean your room unless you ask, and the pool will be out of service when you get there.

It honestly makes me feel like there is no point in traveling. You wind up spending so much money on flight and accommodations that are barely serviceable, and then you're struggling to stay in budget before you even get to anything you do while there. It's ridiculous. Throw in all the service charges and cleaning fees and other random charges that are tacked onto everything and it's like, I should just stay home and get nice takeout or something. Spend the money I'd spend on a hotel on having someone clean my own house and some high threadcount sheets and call it a day.

We are trying to save to move out of the HCOL DMV and even that is hard. I don't know. The world is not built for middle class people.

I agree, hotel prices are insane, flights too, and service is the worst ever, as if airlines and hotels were doing you a favor by letting you travel.

Also agree. We make a higher salary than ever and yet travel has become too expensive. Going on a vacation to a National Park feels like a huge expense (airfare, rental car, hotel), when it didn’t seem like a big deal a few years ago.

Everyone in your peer group is making a higher salary and prices have risen accordingly. The vacays you want to take now, were they ones you could have afforded before the pandemic?

Yes, things that we used to do seem unaffordable now, even though we earn more.

The low and no skilled people have more money now, so they are adding to the people wanting to travel, etc, more demand, higher prices.

[Anonymous]

We've had significant inflation since 2020. I know you don't want to blame Biden or make it political but while I don't blame it solely on Biden, the scale of federal spending since 2019 exploded and Biden's economic policies are definitely, unquestionably part of the inflationary causes. IJIA dumped staggering amounts of spending on the economy. The student loan forgiveness freed up more money to spend.

And as PP pointed out, a lot of stuff isn't recorded in the official inflation statistics, like food or housing.

When prices go up, everything has an effect on everything else and becomes a vicious spiral. Things are calming down but it's still going to take a while (years) before people's incomes catch up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We've had significant inflation since 2020. I know you don't want to blame Biden or make it political but while I don't blame it solely on Biden, the scale of federal spending since 2019 exploded and Biden's economic policies are definitely, unquestionably part of the inflationary causes. IJIA dumped staggering amounts of spending on the economy. The student loan forgiveness freed up more money to spend.

And as PP pointed out, a lot of stuff isn't recorded in the official inflation statistics, like food or housing.

When prices go up, everything has an effect on everything else and becomes a vicious spiral. Things are calming down but it's still going to take a while (years) before people's incomes catch up.

So Biden, including the student loan forgiveness that has been around for about 2 months, not the pandemic (including its student loan payment deferral)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. The one that gets me is hotel prices. And we stay in budget-to-midlevel hotels, so I'm talking like, at best, and Embassy Suites. And not in NYC or something, but like in Nashville or Denver. You will wind up spending $250 a night for one room, and then you'll have to pay for valet parking on top of that, they won't come clean your room unless you ask, and the pool will be out of service when you get there.

It honestly makes me feel like there is no point in traveling. You wind up spending so much money on flight and accommodations that are barely serviceable, and then you're struggling to stay in budget before you even get to anything you do while there. It's ridiculous. Throw in all the service charges and cleaning fees and other random charges that are tacked onto everything and it's like, I should just stay home and get nice takeout or something. Spend the money I'd spend on a hotel on having someone clean my own house and some high threadcount sheets and call it a day.

We are trying to save to move out of the HCOL DMV and even that is hard. I don't know. The world is not built for middle class people.

I agree, hotel prices are insane, flights too, and service is the worst ever, as if airlines and hotels were doing you a favor by letting you travel.

Also agree. We make a higher salary than ever and yet travel has become too expensive. Going on a vacation to a National Park feels like a huge expense (airfare, rental car, hotel), when it didn’t seem like a big deal a few years ago.

Everyone in your peer group is making a higher salary and prices have risen accordingly. The vacays you want to take now, were they ones you could have afforded before the pandemic?

Yes, things that we used to do seem unaffordable now, even though we earn more.

The low and no skilled people have more money now, so they are adding to the people wanting to travel, etc, more demand, higher prices.

This is not true at all and I feel bad that you believe this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:inflation is much higher than stated. Things like car repairs, maintenance, etc have gone up astronomically and are hard to measure. Paying people to sit at home was incredibly disruptive to the labor market and was a failed experiment.

Remember how the Biden administration kept using the term “transitory inflation?”

Biden’s government is incapable of being honest.

I am tired of this utter garbage.

Trump caused this learn econ.

And moron you want a 60% tax on everything when he gets back? "Trump confirmed that he would impose tariffs of 60% or higher on Chinese goods were he to win a second term in office"

You like food right? Well gee who is going to work the farms when they deport everyone? Your white son or daughter

Biden is not the problem Republcians and CEO's are. What do you think when Trump and any REpublican for that matter deregulate everything? Jesus you freaks are stupid.

Literally everything you said is a lie. Your entire post is gaslighting.

[Anonymous]

I'm in Canada and +1 to all this. No Biden here to blame! It's just crazy. It honestly makes me weep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We've had significant inflation since 2020. I know you don't want to blame Biden or make it political but while I don't blame it solely on Biden, the scale of federal spending since 2019 exploded and Biden's economic policies are definitely, unquestionably part of the inflationary causes. IJIA dumped staggering amounts of spending on the economy. The student loan forgiveness freed up more money to spend.

And as PP pointed out, a lot of stuff isn't recorded in the official inflation statistics, like food or housing.

When prices go up, everything has an effect on everything else and becomes a vicious spiral. Things are calming down but it's still going to take a while (years) before people's incomes catch up.

Why don’t you want to blame Biden? It’s Biden’s fault. Why are you beholden to stick up fir him?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We've had significant inflation since 2020. I know you don't want to blame Biden or make it political but while I don't blame it solely on Biden, the scale of federal spending since 2019 exploded and Biden's economic policies are definitely, unquestionably part of the inflationary causes. IJIA dumped staggering amounts of spending on the economy. The student loan forgiveness freed up more money to spend.

And as PP pointed out, a lot of stuff isn't recorded in the official inflation statistics, like food or housing.

When prices go up, everything has an effect on everything else and becomes a vicious spiral. Things are calming down but it's still going to take a while (years) before people's incomes catch up.

Why don’t you want to blame Biden? It’s Biden’s fault. Why are you beholden to stick up fir him?

You act as if blaming Biden will in one second make me taller, thinner, more popular with boys, and friendly to cute animals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm in Canada and +1 to all this. No Biden here to blame! It's just crazy. It honestly makes me weep.

You’re just along for the the ride on the mess we’ve made of things since 2021. You don’t need your own a Biden, ours is capable of screwing up enough for the whole world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We've had significant inflation since 2020. I know you don't want to blame Biden or make it political but while I don't blame it solely on Biden, the scale of federal spending since 2019 exploded and Biden's economic policies are definitely, unquestionably part of the inflationary causes. IJIA dumped staggering amounts of spending on the economy. The student loan forgiveness freed up more money to spend.

And as PP pointed out, a lot of stuff isn't recorded in the official inflation statistics, like food or housing.

When prices go up, everything has an effect on everything else and becomes a vicious spiral. Things are calming down but it's still going to take a while (years) before people's incomes catch up.

Why don’t you want to blame Biden? It’s Biden’s fault. Why are you beholden to stick up fir him?

You act as if blaming Biden will in one second make me taller, thinner, more popular with boys, and friendly to cute animals.

Well, definitely more of a chance of that than if you defended him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We've had significant inflation since 2020. I know you don't want to blame Biden or make it political but while I don't blame it solely on Biden, the scale of federal spending since 2019 exploded and Biden's economic policies are definitely, unquestionably part of the inflationary causes. IJIA dumped staggering amounts of spending on the economy. The student loan forgiveness freed up more money to spend.

And as PP pointed out, a lot of stuff isn't recorded in the official inflation statistics, like food or housing.

When prices go up, everything has an effect on everything else and becomes a vicious spiral. Things are calming down but it's still going to take a while (years) before people's incomes catch up.

Why don’t you want to blame Biden? It’s Biden’s fault. Why are you beholden to stick up fir him?

You act as if blaming Biden will in one second make me taller, thinner, more popular with boys, and friendly to cute animals.

Well, definitely more of a chance of that than if you defended him.

+1. One step closer to the truth is always more attractive and therefore healthier than living in denial

It’s Bidenomics, OP. Own it.