INFLATION or Gouging? Getting screwed no matter how you look at it!

INFLATION or Gouging? Getting screwed no matter how you look at it!

Golden Rule/United Healthcare upped monthly independently-insured premium for 2 adults ($5000 deductible) from $600 to $730 per month. Said state auditors/actuaries approved hike - of course. We're talking over a 20 increase!

Anthem Blue Cross just upped parent's Medicare supplemental plan from $29 to $55 per month. They also dropped some key medicines from their formulary - which will be costing an elderly friend $90 per month extra -- at a minimum.

Local electric company getting rate hike approve from PUCO. Local county is upping water and sewer rates. Gasoline jumped $0.35/gallon in one day.

Now, take a look at the smaller things. Northern toilet paper - used to have 350 2-ply sheets per roll, then it went down to 325, then 305ish, then 270, then 242. The 242 held for over a year. All the while the price was about $5.99 for a 12 roll package. Now I see at Target (regular price $7.99), that there is new packaging and the count is now 190 sheets! You to do the math - it ain't pretty.

Stop looking at the price only - look at the volume or weight or sheets per roll. It's ridiculous. Instant coffee now at 7 oz, same size. Dove bath soap plunged from 4.25 ounces per bar to 4 ounces - and the price isn't going lower but higher. Look at the weight and volume of every canned good, or boxed item and watch it as it starts to really piss you off -- or it should.

Wake up - look at the details and the fine print.