Inflation

[HotYogaTeacher]

Ironic, a year ago if you had posted this you'd have been slammed for being "negative" and disconnected from reality. Now everyone is finally willing to admit how expensive it is, how much it's going up, how hard it can be for most people who live here.

For those of us who earn our money in dollars, have you given your maid a raise? Ours never asked, she worked for $40 pesos a day from 2 years ago but we have raised it to $100. As hard as it is for us to see inflation unchecked it is much harder for her. Are you paying your employees, those of you who have them, a living wage?

Something has got to break, and it will. Inflation like this always leads to a crash. I feel badly for middle and lower class Argentines because when it comes it's only going to get worse. For expats who don't earn here it will be easy to go, stay, either way we'll make it, we aren't tied to this economy.

Suerte....

 

[AlexfromLA]

I've been paying my maid $ 85 pesos for a 5 hour day for the past 6 months. I actually just recently started paying her $ 100 pesos for a five hour day. I think it is fair. And yes my few employees get a raise every 6 months or so.

I personally still can't complain much. Prices here are still much cheaper than they are in the US and my business has been doing well. But I understand that the lower to middle class is being hit by inflation and that's why you hear them complain so much.

 

[SaraSara]

Ironic, a year ago if you had posted this you'd have been slammed for being "negative" and disconnected from reality. Now everyone is finally willing to admit how expensive it is, how much it's going up, how hard it can be for most people who live here.

For those of us who earn our money in dollars, have you given your maid a raise? Ours never asked, she worked for $40 pesos a day from 2 years ago but we have raised it to $100. As hard as it is for us to see inflation unchecked it is much harder for her. Are you paying your employees, those of you who have them, a living wage?

Something has got to break, and it will. Inflation like this always leads to a crash. I feel badly for middle and lower class Argentines because when it comes it's only going to get worse. For expats who don't earn here it will be easy to go, stay, either way we'll make it, we aren't tied to this economy.

Suerte....

My housekeeper doesn't ask for raises either, but I adjust her salary every six months. In the past two years it has doubled, in dollar terms.

Buenos Aires is expensive, nothing like 2003-2007, when the peso was so weak. As for the crash, most people I've talked to expect it to come after next year's elections.

 

[French jurist]

My housekeeper doesn't ask for raises either, but I adjust her salary every six months. In the past two years it has doubled, in dollar terms.

Buenos Aires is expensive, nothing like 2003-2007, when the peso was so weak. As for the crash, most people I've talked to expect it to come after next year's elections.

Or maybe will Cristina Kirchner take surprising measures a little before the elections to get full support from the lower classes ? That could be a benefit for Nestor.

EDIT : anyway, yes, something has to happen during the second semester of 2011. Very smart who can predict what will happen exactly.

 

[Ashley]

It's great you're all giving your staff/cleaners regular raises - my Argentine boss gave me a 10% raise middle of last year "in line with inflation!" (our clients are foreign and billed in euros!). I think this is pretty much the case for most non-union protected locals, peso-earning foreigners!
I've been saying/hearing that "something has to happen" for the past 2 years or so now... I'm beginning to think that that "something" is just going to be an increasing widening between the rich and the poor (with the middle classes being absorbed by either category...probably the "poor" one).
I've heard that KK is freezing the prices of some things (utilities, etc) in the run up to the elections but in my opinion the damage has already been done.

 

[qwerty]

The gas and electricity prices are going up the only thing is lacking is the public transport.

If the prices would go up in capital to the level in provincia(1,25 to 1,75) in about 6 months it would also cool down inflation and make the government finances healtier

 

[ghost]

You folks are attempting to combine logic and Argentine economics. It has never worked and it won't work no matter how hard you push. Consider that the Argentine word for "billion" means 1 million, millions. Not 1 thousand million. Go figure.

 

[qwerty]

That's incorrect

 

[AlexfromLA]

If it get's too expensive for some people. They should probably leave and go back to their country of origin. That really seems like the only solution. Either that or cope with inflation because as a non citizen, you don't really have a vote or a say in what goes on here politically

 

[ghost]

That's incorrect

What is incorrect? Logic and economics or a billion equals 10^9 as opposed to 10^12 ????