How's the cost of living situation where you are at?

[Grudge]

Gas prices now

[jawn galliano]

i live in massachusetts, the situation has been dire for a long time and it's of course going to get much worse. my work has also pulled back on annual salary increases so despite modest nominal raises, in real terms my wages have gone down over the last two years.

gas prices themselves are obviously not great, but as a monthly cost are minimal for me since i mostly no longer commute and only need to drive a short distance once a week for routine errands. i filled on 2/28 knowing the spike was coming, and i've only used a half-tank since then. i will fill again in the coming days since they're obviously not going to go down between now and the end of april.

so direct fuel costs don't hit me too badly. but obviously transport cost increases will reverberate, along with the myriad other supply shocks that are locked in but haven't started to actually register yet.

[Methuselah Honeysuckle]

Pretty well good and fucked

[Lavabug]

4 bucks a gallon in the poorest, most car-dependent state. I stopped eating out last year as the increasing cost of groceries ate up most of my budget

Rent keeps climbing as well as unemployment and homelessness. I used to rent a house for 900 bucks, now I can't get an apartment for less than 1100 in WV. When I was considering a few jobs in Nordic capitals I saw 2BR's for rent for similar prices. The landlord class is an insatiable parasite.

[jawn galliano]

yeah housing everywhere is turbo fucked. i'm paying 1250 for a 1BR which is unheard of in my city, dilapidated studios generally start around 1400 now and the new construction studios a little under 2 grand. overwhelming majority of listings in the $1000ish range are for a single room sublet with 3-4 other people paying the same

boston pricing with none of the amenities or conveniences, great stuff

[Lavabug]

I recently interviewed for a remote job in the Boston area and after 3 fuckin rounds of interviews they asked me if I was willing to relocate. Uh, yeah if you add 50 grand to your salary range I'd consider it lol. Not paying over 3 large for an apartment within a reasonable commute just to remote ssh into a supercomputer which I could do from anywhere. Especially when the entire team I'd work with is remote

[Dr. Gonzo]

I dont have it as bad as most states. I know homes are expensive, more than renting. Gas prices are um...well...high as a kite, everywhere. Groceries are getting up there as well. Which is the most annoying part.

[Mesarthim]

Homes and rent are about the same price as they were 5 years ago, we have a surplus which has kept it in check.

Gas has gone up but not insanely so - I only have to fill up every 3 weeks, so not as noticeable. The biggest increases I’ve seen have been my heating and electricity bills. I am looking into getting plug in solar panels to see if I can offset a little in the summer.

Food has increased but I’ve been able to cope.Hardly eat any red meat anymore so haven’t been buying beef (which has skyrocketed in price) chicken / pork are still affordable. Funny enough lamb is cheaper than a lot of beef cuts which historically has not been true. Fish is up due to fuel costs. Domestic milk price is still solid, so cheese and such isn’t awful but imported cheese is getting hit hard with tariffs so have seen some increases there.

What you will begin to see soon:
There is a nationwide truck driver and labor shortage (you know why) so expect to see crop prices increase over the spring and summer. Also expect shortages for the same reasons. On top of this, a lot of farms have and will be going into bankruptcy and selling off their land so this is not a problem that will be easily unfucked.

If there’s another outbreak of swine/bird flu it will exasperate the situation…. So yeah.

[zim]

groceries and fast food prices are absurd. i'm fortunate to have cheap rent (crappy apartment owned by my boss) and make good money but man i really wonder how most people are getting by

[User]

things are OK in australia, government halved the fuel tax, quick policy response saving everyone a fair bit of $$$, and free public transport for all of april will help a lot of people—all in response to the oil situation. i can eat cheaply very easily, but my mother and sister spend quite a bit on food. at the other house in thailand everything is still easy and cheap. of course petrol has gone up a lot, and i do a fair bit of driving, so i'm noticing it

[jawn galliano]

yeah that imported cheese is no joke. i grabbed a block of DOP gruyere without thinking like a month ago and that shit was like $15

[Mesarthim]

yeah that imported cheese is no joke. i grabbed a block of DOP gruyere without thinking like a month ago and that shit was like $15

yeah, the costs have varied depending on the country of origin but I've seen all the French, Swiss, and Italian cheeses jump up in cost, which in turn has caused the retail price /lb to go up by anywhere from $2lb-$5lb more than it was. English / Scottish cheese has as well, but not as dramatically. Parmigiano-Reggiano had such a robust system of contracts locked in and solid distribution that costs actually went down a few years ago, only for them to go back up this year. It's all the fucking tariffs, though fuel costs might start impacting it soon as well.

[Methuselah Honeysuckle]

Yeah, tariffs ain't fun when all you do is sell euro car parts.

[User]

hey lummo, are all the ICE fascists out of minnesota or are they still doing turds on your fine streets?

[Mesarthim]

No, they are still here but the amount of them has dialed way down (which also means they are now elsewhere in the country). People are still vigilant and doing what they can to keep tabs and document them. The nation’s attitude towards ice changed pretty negatively, even among republicans, so they had to change tactics. The question of their continued funding has also been the reason behind the current government shut down and the administrations attempts to deflect blame have mostly failed, so that’s nice. We know who the murderers are and who the orders came from, maga and co can’t and won’t protect them forever.

[User]

that's good. i really wonder what comes after this bag of diarrhea inside another, bigger bag of diarrhea administration. i mean, the world has fundamentally changed. but if the U.S. continues down this path it will only change further. really been glad i live on the other side of the world from the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East recently

[jawn galliano]

well we've got a lot of soon-to-be marginally employed killers that will have to repatriate amid a severe global depression as our imperial footprint inevitably shrinks, five hundred thousand guns per capita, and a political opposition that doesn't believe in exercising power. call me pessimistic, but i don't think there's much good in the pipeline!

[User]

bag of diarrhea inside another, bigger bag of diarrhea has really pulled away the veil, the language his administration has used in this iran catastrophe is so fucked

"yes, this is the world we want to live in"

[deckard]

Let me put it like this, i am doing better and better for myself, but things are alot more expensive than when I left home.

I am fortunate to still be comfortable and not worry, so I appreciate I am in a rare situation whilst being single

My groceries are through the roof though

[Corpsepyre]

Well, we just had our second enormous fuel price hike. It's now at 458 rupees/liter, up from 268. Things are going to get catastrophic. Seeing increases with groceries and other items too.

[deckard]

well this is the world we wanted right