Are The Price Increases Affecting You?

[Napoleon]

First thing: I've held off on having kids. ;-)

Second: I buy those PRECIOS PARA TODOS items

Third: I walk a fair amount.

Fourth: I don't buy mor than two drinks at a bar. (I'm not much of a drinker anyway.)

Fifth: I cook almost all the time.

Sixth: I almost never go on dates. :-(

Seventh: For my latest apartment, I chose "cheap & conveniently located" over "privacy, luxury, hip location"...

...I'm still not sure i made the right decision with #7. :-/

Eighth: I stopped opening emails for sales on clothing, electronics, &... that I would buy and have shipped to my parents' house to either wait for my next visit or be muled to me.

Ninth: Still don't have health insurance.

 

[Davidglen77]

There are some increases that are eye popping - such as in the last 2 years my ABL has increased 600% yes SIX HUNDRED PERCENT. Food prices are out of control, I've stopped buying canned tuna fish, it's over $20 pesos per can, most of what I eat are fresh vegetables and fruits, chicken, some read meat and occasionally fish. If I go out to eat it's only to the tenedor libre on Av. de Mayo cost is $102 pesos including a drink, all you can eat parrilla, vegetables, hot foods, desserts, fiambres, etc. With friends we only do pot luck get togethers or go to street fairs, for movies I go to INCAA for $8 pesos or 2x1 with club la nacion with a friend. My clothes I just dye over and over in black clothing dye to make them look new again, and soon I need to buy a pair of shoes / boots and was looking around and I am going to have to spend around $900 pesos, that really hurts. Last time I went to New York I bought 30 pair of underwear for $1 USD and 30 pairs of socks for $1 USD each. Thank goodness they have held up really well, a pair of men's underwear here is around $70-80 pesos now for the basic ones.

 

[Gringoboy]

I agree with this, but would use the exp<b></b>ression "buying power" instead of "spending capacity" as Argentines, as a result of wage increases, do have more pesos to spend, but an even greater number of pesos now buy less than they previously did.

I can't go along with that 100%.
If you're lucky enough to be in a job with support from the mafioso unions whose power can achieve such wage increases, then lucky you.
If you happen to be self employed or non union affiliated, it's an entirely different story.

 

[AngelinBA]

The price increases affect my heart and stress rate a lot! Can't plan a monthly budget with any kind of hope that you can actually stick to it for that month.
We are a family of 5, the 3 kids are all in private school. These are the changes we have made due to price increases:

Thank God I bought a breadmaker when I did, it has paid for itself many times over and I haven't bought bread products for a long time.

Weekly pizza night has become home made pizza with home made sauce instead of bought from Los Imortales.

We have had to remove things like Milanesas from our diet and buy carne Picada, chicken and roast beef from Precios Cuidados.

We buy all precios cuidados products we can.

The price for books at school is mind blowing, we borrowed the books and photocopied them for the kids.

Cost of private school has gone up so much but there's not much we can do about that one so I just have a stress attack each time we pay it.

I make my own jam, curry, bread sticks, even Easter eggs.

The kids don't get birthday parties and can invite a friend or two home to celebrate. They don't get to go to many parties because the cost of presents is so high.

Eating out at a restaurant is way too expensive, we collect coupons for 2x1 movie and meal deals, it's the only way we can do something.

No more taxis, lots of buses and walking. We are looking for a cheaper, smaller rental place closer to the school to save money. We are already in a place that's too small for my growing family!

And we've just received the best news in a long time, an $870 credit on our power bill thanks to the power cuts in January, that pays for almost 3 months worth of power! First financial good news in a while.

Have downsized medical insurance twice and are looking at doing it a third time.

 

[Rich One]

There are some increases that are eye popping - such as in the last 2 years my ABL has increased 600% yes SIX HUNDRED PERCENT. Food prices are out of control, I've stopped buying canned tuna fish, it's over $20 pesos per can, most of what I eat are fresh vegetables and fruits, chicken, some read meat and occasionally fish. If I go out to eat it's only to the tenedor libre on Av. de Mayo cost is $102 pesos including a drink, all you can eat parrilla, vegetables, hot foods, desserts, fiambres, etc. With friends we only do pot luck get togethers or go to street fairs, for movies I go to INCAA for $8 pesos or 2x1 with club la nacion with a friend. My clothes I just dye over and over in black clothing dye to make them look new again, and soon I need to buy a pair of shoes / boots and was looking around and I am going to have to spend around $900 pesos, that really hurts. Last time I went to New York I bought 30 pair of underwear for $1 USD and 30 pairs of socks for $1 USD each. Thank goodness they have held up really well, a pair of men's underwear here is around $70-80 pesos now for the basic ones.

Excellent recommendations,

• Suggest you go to some Feria Americana for Boots and clothing.
• For food also the tenedor libre offers carry-out option for $6,50/kilo is cheaper than cooking for one person!
• A friend bought a juicer and follows an ALL juice diet with plenty of greens , like acelgas, and fruits plus some soy protein beans

Well as per the pendulum theory the economy started to deflate when consumption goes down and falls in a downtrend spiral hard to stop , it has already started .... then layoffs and foreclosures are inevitable. Hold on to your seats we may go into a spin .

 

[TomAtAlki]

We live on dollars, so it is very different for us. But our other life in Seattle is VERY expensive.
Nancy

 

[Rich One]

Some of these posts sound like taken form the 30's Deep Depression, or the current Spanish Economic Crisis, Its just the beginning!

 

[steveinbsas]

I'm curious to know if there are a lot of vacant store fronts in the Capital now. There are a few in Bahia Blanca but by no means an alarming number, at least not yet.

 

[ajoknoblauch]

The price increases affect my heart and stress rate a lot! Can't plan a monthly budget with any kind of hope that you can actually stick to it for that month.
We are a family of 5, the 3 kids are all in private school. These are the changes we have made due to price increases:

Thank God I bought a breadmaker when I did, it has paid for itself many times over and I haven't bought bread products for a long time.

Weekly pizza night has become home made pizza with home made sauce instead of bought from Los Imortales.

We have had to remove things like Milanesas from our diet and buy carne Picada, chicken and roast beef from Precios Cuidados.

Have downsized medical insurance twice and are looking at doing it a third time.

Elimiinating items like milanesa from your diet should help control your medical expenses.

 

[EdRooney]

To me it's interesting that all of these posts discuss how to spend less money, but not how to address what seems to be the real problem: that pay increases appear to not be keeping pace with inflation. Do any of you work with your respective unions to collectively demand better pay increases?

The Argentine economy has a structural inflation problem that is not going to be changed any time soon (without the terrible results of past efforts), and patchwork savings tricks can only be a temporary solution. Do expats avail themselves of the advantages Argentine workers have of well-organised collective bargaining?