Should not be a part time job clipping cupons
Whats wrong with reasonable prices and no coupons?
To many games are actually raising the cost of goods
Advertising is not cheap
Whan will they ever learn
This is 2008

The wallet crunch didn't happen all of a sudden. It's been going on for years for the american Utah families and those on fixed incomes. Utah's low wages and job insecurity and easy debt has just gotten worse. Government and business will blame it on the consumer for not obtaining more debt to bring the economy back to its former self. The consumer and working people have a financial crises of their own in trying to deal with, but government and business can't accept that. With less spending there are fewer taxes and governments answer is to raise taxes rather than cut services to illegal aliens and wasteful spending. The crises in the home is going to get worse and more jobs lost before its over. The recession is hear and a depression is around the corner, worse than the one of 1929. Economist can manipulate the numbers but they can't manipulate reality. In all this financial crises of families those on fixed incomes (the retired and elderly) are overlooked or even given a thought. The elderly are often times medicated beyond their retirement income and can't afford food and medicine or qualify for social aid and assistance.

I am amazed that this is just getting in the news. I have noticed that the price of food has skyrocketed for over a year now! I shop for groceries for a 2 person household every two weeks. I used to be able to get loaded up with food for around $100.00 dollars. now it is closer to $200.00. I seldom get fresh produce, instead getting frozen or canned, Even Ground beef is expensive, and this is about the only meat I get.I usually get frozen dinners that cost around $1.00 apiece. It is outrageous!

I see some positives from this.

Less traffic.

People will start to think about where they live. They need to see that closer to work is better.

My commute is 3 miles and my wife's is 1 mile. We could even ride a bike on warm days. Walk if we have to.

When Greenspan first sounded the warning, Dick Cheney publicly read him the riot act.
Not that long ago, George Bush told us the economy is doing just fine.

Don't blame me. I didn't vote for these pathologically lying CEO's.

Did you realize... Several years ago the govt. changed how it calculates inflation. It began excluding things like the cost of a gallon of gas. The official picture you get is really misleading. Yeah, you're wallet's getting pinched.

The Bear Stearns bailout is another factor. The government is "printing" money by the truckloads. All those dollars are reducing the value of the dollars already in circulation.

Last month, Greenspan told OPEC to stop selling oil in dollars. Foreign countries are divesting themselves of dollars.

Oh yeah, a storm is coming. Your dollars are, on the global market, worth about 2/3 of what they were a year ago. You really should consider getting your savings out of the dollar. Go down to Monarch Coin and get some silver and/or gold. You can also buy foreign currencies. Start moving now.

Please, if it's only 30% of your savings, secure it against a devalued dollar and the inflation that's coming.

The silver I bought 3 years ago has appreciated almost 300%. How has your 401K done?

Hey! I didn't vote for the turned-Facist Bush regime in either election. Those who did have no one to blame for the oil driven inflation except themselves...

Wow! Looks like he didn't make you so safe after all...

When are the majority Utah voters going to start voting according to reality and less by ideology and get back to the once vaunted reputation as being the most balanced State in the nation when it came to national politics instead of being the second most imbalanced State in the nation (exceeded only by Idaho) giving over 80% of its vote to a single political party candidate? Going that far just shows how tranced-cultic the voters of a State are.

No single political party, and I repeat... NOT ONE single political party has all the answers to deserve garnering that kind of plurality from a State's voter population... that is unless they are in a Facist-sort of driven trance, which for Utah, especially considering its history, may not be too far from the truth.

We've found that stocking up on sale items such as meat and freezing, then choosing recipes for dinner based on what's in the freezer instead of choosing recipes then getting the ingredients saves a lot at the grocery store.
The cut in calories from skipping eating out has caused us to lose weight which we needed to do anyway. I guess that's the silver lining for us so far.

Perhaps we can do without the luxury goods, buckle down, and be a little more frugal. We can work harder and smarter. I don't feel very sorry for someone who buys a $40k SUV and then complains about $3.25 gas. They could have purchased a smaller used SUV for $20k or less. A difference of $20k would buy over 6,000 gallons of gas. At 20mpg, that is around 120,000 miles of gas. Do the math, see what tradeoffs you are facing when you buy things you want vs. things you need. Most people really only need, food, water, shelter, clothing, and the means to earn a living. If you are financially successful, then be glad you have the means to enjoy more than the necessities.

At a time when people should be coming together more than ever, the neoconservatives that voted into office the most monstrous administration of all time is trying their best to divide us even further.

Watch for more non-stop cries from the neocons about socialism taking over. These nasty people are frightened about the amount of angry Americans and will do anything they can do demean and degrade their legitimate concerns.

It time we statr to hold the Oil companys accountable for their actions in cheating the public for there outragious living

is not worried , I assure you all!

If you use the old CPI formula, inflation is actually about 11%. Wheat prices have tripled in the past year, corn is way up, rice, and of course gasoline up almost 3x since 2000. The government's CPI calculation of 3.5% is really bogus because it excludes things that people, especially poor people need the most including food and energy costs. The reality of the situation is that the dollar is in freefall, inflation is high, job losses are mounting, wages are stagnant, and housing prices are still out of control. I foresee a serious recession in the coming years that will test this country like it has not been tested since the great depression. Who is to blame for all this? I'd say just about all of the politicians, but especially the republicans who controlled both the legislative and executive branches between 2000-2006.

On a side note, why we are still giving oil companies billions of dollars in tax incentives while they are recording record profits is really mind boggling.

"Who is to blame for all this? I'd say just about all of the politicians..."

No, we are ALL to blame.

For letting it happen.

We still have it too good to be bothered with getting involved.

So we get trampled on by the power of the day.

Apathy is king in the US.

We get what we allow.

Here's an idea. Stop having so many dang kids.

I wonder how much gas consumption would go down if parents actually walked to the elementary schools to pick up their students. Or at least not idle their cars waiting for the students. What are we teaching kids by driving everywhere, is our life that busy?

Get ready, it appears the high inflation days of the 70s are back. For a few years it seemed inflation was under control, but we have lost our economic way again. The cost of almost everything, including taxes have gone up at least 600%(gasoline is up over 1000%) since 1970, but wages have gone up much less than that. Inflation, in my opinion is a legalized form of theft from anyone that has tried to save and invest.

I love how all problems are caused by blaming the President, big business, illegal aliens etc. It's always nice to have a scape-goat to blame for your problems. How about taking some responsibility for wasteful, debt-ridden, greedy, instant gratification, blame it on someone else, savingless, arrogant culture and the consequences that result from living beyond ourselves. We're living and promoting a lie.

We need to get back to what made America great. Unfortunately that requires work,innovation, self-discipline, self-restraint, long-term planning, and patience; something in short-supply these days.

What happens when Bush's term is over? Will all our problems go away? No. The left amazes me. We have a group of people determined to destroy us (Islamic Arabs) and somehow the left blames it all on Bush, Haliburton and the oil companies??? These Arab thugs continue to play games with the oil supply. I don't think the most unstable despots should be trusted with the world's oil reserves anymore. And if our currency is so worthless, boy, all those "allies" of ours are sure willing to accept it (in record amounts I might add) in the form of "foreign aid." We should immediately cut off foreign aid to any oil-producing nation or member of the EU. They don't need our money. We're even giving foreign aid to countries like Japan and Kuwait. We give foreign aid to Russia, then they loan us money back?! Don't be fooled by liberal lies! Liberalism has never worked ANYWHERE, EVER!

No more lies?? Arab thugs? Who do you think is making money off oil; liberals? Who in the EU is getting foreign aid? Israel is largest receiver of US money. They're liberals? Oil companies aren't running at record profits? This is a lie for their liberal share holder, I guess.

Clinton must be to blame for the last seven years. I forget, democrats lead by a couple people so, it can't be conservative obstructionist.

Conservatives tout fiscal constraint, small government, letting the free market work, balanced budgets and returning morality to government. They have ived up to these goals?

Just imagine how many air-miles the military is accumulating on our gas cards.

Capitalism plus greed minus conscience equals exactly what we're seeing today. Easy math. And ALL of us are responsible as long as we let it happen. We're criticized for having "liberal" peace rallies, but at least we're trying to make people aware, and we're also writing or emailing our Congressmen and women. Does it matter what side you're on? Get involved past blog spots. The Founding Fathers expected us, ALL of us, to be involved in our government. At the time, it didn't involve slaves or women, but it does now, so walk the talk.

1. Arab thugs (OPEC, etc) are making the MOST money off of oil, but more importantly, they're dragging down Western economies.
2. ALL members of the EU are getting foreign aid in some form, be it cash, goods and/or military protection.
3. Yes, oil companies are also part of the problem, but not the only part.
4. Clinton cannot be blamed for all of today's ills, although his "head in the sand" approach to the Arab problem is well documented, including giving up bin Laden three times. 9/11 took more than the six months Bush was in office to plan. The vast majority of the groundwork took place on Clinton's watch.
5. I agree that true conservative policies, if actually applied, will work. Unfortunately, they have not been applied and the GOP nominee (McCain) is not a conservative. But since the other two candidates are liberals, well, the choice is pretty simple.

It is unbelievable how mislead we are. The media generally reports on what they are interested in and what they want their readers/viewers to know. We complain about high gas prices and don't drill for oil in our own country. We look for ways to conserve electricity and don't build new coal burning or nuclear power plants. Everytime a new dam is proposed to supply life sustaining water an uproar is heard. Environmentalists and delusional liberals have for decades stiffled our energy growth and increased our dependance on foreign oil. We have allowed this to happen. I'm afraid that it's too late to make the changes necessary to turn things around. The latest attack is the farce of global warming. We can safely use oil, coal and nuclear power. We have done for decades with little harm to the environment. Our standard of living has been greatly increased. We have learned how to use them more efficiently and with greater care. There are some in our society that would have us back in the middle ages where the life expectancy was four decades or less. Maybe this would make them happy?

BG- more than greenies and lib media caused this problem. Blaming the libs for the whole problem fails to address many of the other problems that are causing this like increase in global demand, larger population and speculation in the commodities market. And even if you don't believe in any of that, the falling dollar must have at least crossed your mind as being a tiny bit to blame.

For a big box of real cheese in January 2007 cost $40. Today we have to spend $70 for the same box. Customers complain when we raise the price. Should we buy fake cheese instead? I would rather raise the price and sell a quality product instead of fake junk.

I took a job close to home hoping to save gas on my commute. Then after hiring me, the company tells us that it plans on moving 17 miles away. So now I must drive 34 a day from my present 8 miles a day. So muc for saving on gas.

Interesting how some people say they just started buying store and no-name brand foods instead of name-brand foods. They should been doing that long ago instead of throwing their money away on larger name-brands. There is little if any difference between the two. Also, look at nonessentials-- do you really need satellite or cable TV (no) or caller ID and other frills on your home phone? Can you survive with a 27 inch TV instead of a 36 inch or larger? Can you maybe step down on a notch on your cell phone service? Really, is text-messaging necessary? Do you need 3,000 minutes a month for personal cell phone use?

Have you looked at the store brand things? Full of high fructose corn syrup and other gross things. I'll pay a little more for real foods, organic if necessary.

The turmoil in the U.S. marketplace and the angst it's generating is truly tightening the screws on the foreheads of nearly everyone I know. Daily I read about the politics involved in all this (U.S. and global), and the market reactions from the U.S. Europe, Asia and other places and one thing comes to mind time and again: 'I can't really change any of that. It's beyond my sphere of influence as an individual.'

Amidst all this, I ask myself, 'Really, what can I do that might make a difference for myself, my family, my community and my world?' When I do this the answers sharpen:

1. Maintain faith that all this has meaning beyond this existence
2. Love and nurture my wife and family
3. Get an education
4. Think through and prioritize things
5. Live within my means
6. First, pay myself (in savings), then pay my bills
7. Plan for the future and purchase conservatively around those plans
8. Obtain DIY skills and tools
9. Don't buy for the sake of appearances
10. Be politically educated and vote
11. Give of yourself to others

I CAN do these things and they WILL make a difference.