Inflation

[El Pibe]

I remember being shocked at my first ?2 pint.

That was in about 1993, in the sticks.

[Huguenot]

I remember being shocked when Kronenbourg went from ?1.15 to ?1.25.

Had to win more on the pub quiz machine to pay for my Friday night drinks.

[Brendan]

Nobody would sell me a pint in 1991 so that doesn?t really count now does it.

[Jeremy]

dulwichgirl2 Wrote:

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> Loz, from the thread it seems that flights have

> gone up massively (zeban's era) and then down

> again...

I don't even think you can draw that conclusion from the various conflicting anecdotes on here (neither Zeban's or Loz's version of events match mine at all).

All I can say for sure is that at some point in the past flying became a lot more affordable, but at the moment it is rising at well above inflation.

[BrandNewGuy]

There's the hidden inflation of lots of consumer goods being much cheaper than they were in the past, but not lasting as long, due to being crappily made. For example, you can get a kettle for less than a tenner, but it only lasts a few years. In real terms in the past, a kettle would have cost more but lasted much longer. Doc Martens are like that too - cheaper in real terms but only lasting a year or so...

[njc97]

When I came to London in 1997 there were few places other than students unions that charged less than ?2 for the cheapest pint.

Churchs havent really changed in price (and they do last years)

Starbucks havent really changed in price - were ?2ish for a latte in 2000.

But dont forget 1990 was a looong time ago. Even at 3% inflation a year, you'd expect things to cost about twice as much.

[Huguenot]

Well there you go - should'a been a student in the 1980s instead. Music's somewhat deflated since then too. Used to take itself terribly seriously.

[Chippy Minton]

???? Wrote:

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> Rather than speculate like a whole load of old

> people in a shop queue, why don't we just create a

> reasonably representative basket of goods and

> services and see how their price has changed over

> time. that'd be brilliant! Hang on a minute you

> mean there is one? That'd be the official

> inflation rate ; )

Hee, hee...you could even put it in a nice graphic.

http://www.tradingeconomics.com/chart.png?s=ukrpcjyr&d1=19970101&d2=20120831

It has obviously gone up quite a bit in the last five years.

The rate is still nothing like it was in the mid 70s or early 80s though.

[dulwichgirl2]

Would be interested to see a graph from 1970 onwards but thank you very much for this taster.

Brandnewguy, that is an extremely good point. I had observed that nothing seemed to last any more but had not connected it indirectly with goods inflation, which it certainly is. My parents fridge (some non existment British make) has lasted 45 years so far and they fully expect it to continue for another indefinite term. I otoh seem to buy white goods annually and my sister has a guy fixing her washing machine under contract street every six months I would estimate. (Bosch)

Lastly never buy a Bosch dishwasher. If you set it off at night, it beeps at 3am seeking attention and to announce proudly that it has finished.

[edhistory]

Is that a CPI chart or an annual change in CPI chart?

John K

[dulwichgirl2]

I was starting to think things weren't so bad, reading all about some deflationary examples (DVD players etc.) when I remembered the eye watering hell that is legoland's ticket policy. Also children's clothes I find very expensive. I don't mind uniforms at all as they get great wear out of them but semi formal/semi casual things I find expensive.

[zeban]

Really? you can buy kids clothes from Primark, from H&M, from Sains and Tescos etc. All seem pretty cheap to me

[????]

edhistory Wrote:

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> Is that a CPI chart or an annual change in CPI

> chart?

>

> John K

Google uk inflation calculator and you get a tool that allows you to put work out what ever a ?amount at any year was worth in any other year....so you can go back and fort ie see what ?100 pound now was worth in whatever year and vice versa

[edhistory]

Thanks quids.

Many years ago in the days of mechanical hand calculators I supervised the grunt work in preparing a range of UK government indices.

John K

[Loz]

dulwichgirl2 Wrote:

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> Lastly never buy a Bosch dishwasher. If you set it off at night, it beeps at 3am seeking attention

> and to announce proudly that it has finished.

DG - I have a Bosch and you can switch the beeper off. Have a look in your user manual under 'End of Programme' and it should tell you how to change the beep volume and/or turn it off completely.

[Huguenot]

Here's a fun toy: http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/HTMLDocs/dvc14/index.html

Only works for the last 2 years, but it does show how inflation is diffferent for all of us depending on what our spending patterns are.

I don't think it's possible to look a inflation on things like leisure parks when the nature of the product is changing - you'd expect to pay more for a theme park than a walk in a muddy field, and you'd expect to pay more if they've invested millions in new rides.

That's not inflation.

[Lowlander]

dulwichgirl2 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Would be interested to see a graph from 1970

> onwards but thank you very much for this taster.

>

> Brandnewguy, that is an extremely good point. I

> had observed that nothing seemed to last any more

> but had not connected it indirectly with goods

> inflation, which it certainly is. My parents

> fridge (some non existment British make) has

> lasted 45 years so far and they fully expect it to

> continue for another indefinite term. I otoh seem

> to buy white goods annually and my sister has a

> guy fixing her washing machine under contract

> street every six months I would estimate. (Bosch)

>

>

> Lastly never buy a Bosch dishwasher. If you set it

> off at night, it beeps at 3am seeking attention

> and to announce proudly that it has finished.

We have that. You can switch it off :-) Is in the instructions somewhere near the back...

I found that because ours would beep for everything

[dulwichgirl2]

Lowlander and Loz, many thanks, guys/ladies. A friend said the same thing a while back but that he had tried with a similar machine to ours and couldn't change it. To our shame, we took him at his word. I am going to search now for the manual. (you get the picture: a high level of domestic chaos does operate in our small world.)

Off to search in a minute. Thank you whatever happens. It was kind of you to bother.

[dulwichgirl2]

Hug., legoland is just an example of how expensive days out are for average families. People (NOT us I stress!) seem prepared to pay 100 pounds for a family of five for a day, including lunch and snacks etc. this screams," ridiculous!" to me but maybe my children will be complaining in therapy about me next.

Off to find dishwasher manual.

[dulwichgirl2]

Wow! It worked! THANK YOU, Lowlander and loz.

[LondonLogCo]

I think there's a predatory inflation by the supermarkets

( which are neither super or markets )

In this period of thrift, rice and lentils et al, have up-shifted price wise

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Bloody cigarettes seem to go up 3 times a year minimum. Am I supporting the whole of the NHS on my own?

[Mick Mac]

Maybe a good time to give up PGC? Spend what you save on good whiskey.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

What's the point? No SPL to celebrate!

PS: you seem to have an exra 'e' in your post.

[LondonLogCo]

Oh schlocks

He / it's Irish

Whatever next?