Milk is $2.00/gallon at HEB. This time last year it was nearing $4.00. Bread's a lot cheaper as well. I like Triscuits and go through a box a week. Last summer they were $2.00/box, then they went to $3.00. Now they're back at $2.00. Utility bills are noticeably lower, even with the current heat wave. You know what's happened to housing costs.My medical insurance premiums continue to skyrocket and I don't want to think about college tuition for my kids. Those are the two remaining bubbles left to pop, and when they do it will be spectacular.
6 comments:
Do you ever go to Mexican markets? Go through the produce department and you will see 5/$1.00 all over the place.
Growers get $0.15/lb for cabbage. Go to Vons or Albertsons and you will see it for $0.75/lb
Grocers are like gas stations, never miss a chance to make a little more margin.
W is right. I usually go to farmers markets and even their prices have been coming down.
Gas has been steadily marching higher over the past few months.
Health insurance premiums are absurd... it might well be cheaper to just bank the money and pay out of pocket for regular doctor's visits and even short hospital stays.
Another thing still going up -- property taxes. I've read claims that many jurisdictions are on a 2-year or 3-year lag in determining property taxes. Which may or may not be B.S... however, when the lag catches up with the precipitous drop in property values (circa 2010-2011), I can't imagine they'll go down nearly as much they've increased percentage-wise.
Hey Toad, I don't know about where you live, but in the DC area we've seen gasoline prices sink a bit in the last few weeks. Compared to last year at this time, this is bliss.
On health insurance, don't even THINK of paying a hospital out of pocket unless you're young, healthy, and have no assets for their bill collectors to plunder. If you have an insurance plan behind you, hospitals and doctors have serious fee cuts that have been negotiated; you pay full, horrendous price as an uninsured patient. It ain't fair, but it is what it is for now. Till then, the fixed price clinics are the way to go for modest ills.
Property taxes: Few places do an assessment every single year. A 3 year cycle is common, so you might feel skrewwed if yours was done in late-2006. As for speed of adjustment, I can't complain about our last assessment that dropped like a rock; seems fair priced to me.
(One factor I consider in a proper assessment is that I *might* want to sell the house at that price, maybe. If I would LOVE to sell them my house at that price right now, they're high. If there's no way I'd give it up for what they assessed at, it's low. I think I've had low appraisals for years and years.)
The worry with property taxes now is the taxing rate: Will the government be happy with 1.0% of value per year, or because of lower revenue will they bump that to 1.4% a year on your new, lower assessment? That's the big question.
NoVa, properties are assessed every year in Houston. Mine's gone up the maximum 10 percent for the last 3 years. We also dream about 1% tax rates. If you live in the City of Houston, the rate is well over 2%, in unincorporated areas, it can run over 3%
I was shocked at Texas' 2% and 3% rates -- until I found out what the houses actually sell for and are assessed at.
The 1% tax rate is not so great when your 1971 3/2 split level on 0.4 acre is assessed at $731,000 like my friend's is in McLean. No great house, just location I guess.
And actually, I picked 1% because it's a round number. It's usually in the 1.x% around here, sometimes nearing 2%.
So compared to my friend with his house about the same size as mine,
I'm in the clover -- I'm only coughing up $3900 for my 3/2 1970's house! :-)
But at least my income tax rate is less than half that of... California! (Arrrghhhh!)
Post a Comment