Another Monkey Consumer Price Index, 8/21/08

Also known as the Late Summer Super Deluxe Jumbo Bonus Bumper Edition.

It's been a while since I've done one of these. I've got three weeks worth of grocery receipts and eight visits to gas stations in two states. I just missed out getting some grocery information from Maryland - my friend had already gone grocery shopping a few days before I got there.

Today's currency conversions, according to XE.com:

$1 =

• 0.53296 GBP (British Pounds)
• 0.67164 Euros
• 1.04443 Canadian Dollars
• 1.13876 Australian Dollars
• 5.32026 NOK (Norway Kroners)
• 24.2935 Russian Rubles
• 1.41180 Georgia Lari
• 6.86303 Chinese Yuan Renminbi
• 108.431 Japanese Yen
• 1,184.74 Iraq Dinars
• 5,200.05 Turkmenistan Manats (fixed exchange rate)
• 21.7790 Zimbabwe Dollars (Note: Zimbabwe dollars had ten zeroes "knocked off" on August 1, so this would be comparable to 217,790,000,000 in the "old" currency. This was, I think, one of the only currencies the US dollar was trending well against, and now we don't even have that. Still, it looks like we've gone up relative to most currencies since the last time I posted this.)

Gasoline
7/24/08, 87 octane, Sam's Club, Wilkes-Barre PA: $3.929/gallon
7/30/08, 87 octane, Sam's Club, Wilkes-Barre PA: $3.749/gallon
8/05/08, 87 octane, Sam's Club, Wilkes-Barre PA: $3.749/gallon
8/11/08, 87 octane, Sam's Club, Wilkes-Barre PA: $3.669/gallon
8/13/08, 87 octane, Sam's Club, Wilkes-Barre PA: $3.579/gallon
8/15/08, 87 octane, Sam's Club, Wilkes-Barre PA: $3.549/gallon
8/17/08, 87 octane, Exxon, Columbia MD: $3.759/gallon
8/18/08, 87 octane, Sam's Club, Wilkes-Barre PA: $3.559/gallon

Yes, I know. I bought gas from an Exxon. I apologize. If you can avoid buying from the Exxon in Columbia, MD, you should - their prices were not typical of what I saw advertised elsewhere in the Baltimore-Washington area.

Please understand that many of these are top-offs, not fill-ups. I typically need to fill up every 4-5 days, but with my big trip this weekend I needed to top off before I left, refill before I came back, and refill again after one work day.

Groceries

Weis Market, Nanticoke, PA, 8/5/08:

Milk, 2% milkfat, half-gallon: $1.86

Orange Juice, house brand, half-gallon: $2.50 (sale price, normally $2.99)

Apples, Gala, 3 lbs.: $4.99
California Celery, 1 stalk: $2.69
Cherries: $4.99 / lb.
Black Plums: $1.69/lb.
White Peaches: $2.49/lb.
Blueberries: $2.99/pint


Weis Market, Nanticoke, PA, 8/12/08:

Milk, 2% milkfat, half-gallon: $1.86
Bread, Maier's Italian Seeded, loaf (1 lb. 4 oz., or 567g): $3.19

Apples, Gala, 3 lbs.: $4.99
White Peaches: $2.49/lb.
Tree Plums: $2.49/lb.
California Celery, 1 stalk: $2.69
Cherries: $3.99 / lb.
Blueberries: $2.99/pint


Weis Market, Nanticoke, PA, 8/19/08:

Milk, 2% milkfat, half-gallon: $1.86
White Vinegar, gallon: $2.99

Orange Juice, house brand, half-gallon: $2.50 (sale price, normally $2.99)

Apples, Gala, 3 lbs.: $4.99
California Celery, 1 stalk: $2.69
Cherries: $4.99 / lb.
Black Plums: $1.69/lb.
Blueberries: $3.49/pint


Hmmm...the only fluctuations I'm seeing are in the prices of fruit. Still, this is meant to make long-term comparisons in time and distance, not really week-to-week. I wonder how these prices will look in a few years?