Takeaway: 75% voted YES; 25% voted NO

Keep doing the same thing we have been saying all year, buy #InflationAccelerating and slow-growth #YieldChasing assets.

Everywhere you look these days, prices are going up. Meats, poultry, eggs and fish prices just hit an all-time high. U.S. rents are at an all-time high. Gas prices are soaring again. Etcetera, etcetera. 

We wanted to know if your wallet was feeling it too: Are you personally feeling the ‘pinch’ of higher prices?

Poll of the Day Recap: 75% Are Feeling The ‘Pinch’ of Higher Prices - pinch 

At the time of this post, 75% voted YES; 25% voted NO.

Those who voted YES had this to say:

  • Yes, most definitely.  Ironically, I was at Sam's Club yesterday and picked up a few items.  I would have liked to purchase a few steaks as I've done in the past.  I didn't purchase any steak as it's a bit of a luxury item and I need to be even more frugal than I typically am with three teenagers at home.  Now, I try to make bulk purchases of hamburger when it's on sale (about $3.50 a pound) along with other grocery items.
  • I'm noticing but I'm fortunate that its not changing my life now. I worry about small business people from landscapers to limo drivers to food trucks whose inputs are spiking. They are suffering and sooner or later we will all start to pay as they have no choice but to raise prices.
  • Commodity prices are inflating, driving energy and food prices up, due to a weak dollar and higher percentage of disposable income (due to low wages) spent on them (higher demand).
  • I increased the rent 30% on an apartment and I found a new tenant before even advertising it.

Those who voted NO reasoned:

  • It's a matter of adjusting family spending accordingly.  Prices are higher, but, just like another comment, good home budgeting matters.  People are generally wasteful and buy unnecessary things to "keep up with Jones'” -- so if they're feeling it and "can't" manage it, it's no surprise.
  • Prices are definitely higher, but not feeling it yet... good home budgeting, good cash flow management, and earning a good job trump poor monetary policy... my next move is a new car with better gas mileage.
  • Prices are noticeably higher, but I'm not feeling the pinch. This question could have rephrased to focus more on the economic impact of higher prices on people and the markets.
  • "Pinch"?  What "pinch"?  The Fed says there's no inflation. I mean, if we can't trust our own government...