You hear it every day. Prices keep going up. But have they?
As a keen watcher of prices of groceries and other household items, it is clear to me that prices of many items in fact have either stayed the same, or actually gone down over the last 20 years.
Which is why i am sick and tired of hearing the whingeing people who keep saying that it is higher prices that have them struggling - these working families under pressure.
I'm not talking here about fresh produce, which has gone up, for a whole range of reasons, although not nearly as much as you might think.
What i refer to is everything else that you may buy at the supermarket, or for that matter, other regular items and even major one off purchases.
If you find all this hard to believe, I'm going to give you some examples. And these are real examples, from newspapers of the early 1990's. Keeping in mind, many of these items were on special!
Pepsi - 1.25 Litre
1990: $1.39
2008: $1.29 (less on special)
Rexona Deodorant
1990: $3.79
2008: $3.65
Latest Music CD:
1990: $29.99
2008: $19.95 (or less)
34 Cm TV
1991: $399
2008: $99
Levis 501 Jeans (or equiv)
1991: $129
2008: $89
Grants Scotch Whiskey
1992: $23.95
2008: $23.50
And this is just the start. Over the coming weeks i will be showing you that prices for most items other than fresh produce have actually come down over the past 20 years. Whether it is electronics including computers, cars, white goods, furniture or regular domestic items, prices are lower now in actual prices, and in real terms than they have ever been.
So what do we have to thank for the lower prices? Id have to say the rise of China. And the collapse of our manufacturing sector. Goods produced for much less and greater competition leads to lower prices.
Now, if people were to complain about a loss of jobs in Australia - that i could understand. Its true.
But to complain that prices have gone up when they haven't in reality - that's hard to bear.
As a keen watcher of prices of groceries and other household items, it is clear to me that prices of many items in fact have either stayed the same, or actually gone down over the last 20 years.
Which is why i am sick and tired of hearing the whingeing people who keep saying that it is higher prices that have them struggling - these working families under pressure.
I'm not talking here about fresh produce, which has gone up, for a whole range of reasons, although not nearly as much as you might think.
What i refer to is everything else that you may buy at the supermarket, or for that matter, other regular items and even major one off purchases.
If you find all this hard to believe, I'm going to give you some examples. And these are real examples, from newspapers of the early 1990's. Keeping in mind, many of these items were on special!
Pepsi - 1.25 Litre
1990: $1.39
2008: $1.29 (less on special)
Rexona Deodorant
1990: $3.79
2008: $3.65
Latest Music CD:
1990: $29.99
2008: $19.95 (or less)
34 Cm TV
1991: $399
2008: $99
Levis 501 Jeans (or equiv)
1991: $129
2008: $89
Grants Scotch Whiskey
1992: $23.95
2008: $23.50
And this is just the start. Over the coming weeks i will be showing you that prices for most items other than fresh produce have actually come down over the past 20 years. Whether it is electronics including computers, cars, white goods, furniture or regular domestic items, prices are lower now in actual prices, and in real terms than they have ever been.
So what do we have to thank for the lower prices? Id have to say the rise of China. And the collapse of our manufacturing sector. Goods produced for much less and greater competition leads to lower prices.
Now, if people were to complain about a loss of jobs in Australia - that i could understand. Its true.
But to complain that prices have gone up when they haven't in reality - that's hard to bear.
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