Humor

ChicagoBoyz Eatin’ Cheap Contest Winner

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This post generated a lot of interesting comments and great ideas not only for cheap foods, but for great ways to prepare your food and make it last longer. The pork shoulder (butt) was mentioned a few times and I will admit that I use those once in a while to eat cheap myself. Top Ramen was king with several people, and seems to have helped many survive their college days. Various ways to prepare chicken also garnered several comments as did PB and J sammiches. Some things I just can’t eat, like the roadkill mentioned or the Jose Ole burritos (3 for $1!). I have heard of people here in Wisconsin taking roadkilled deer and butchering them on the spot and taking the meat home for freezing. Out of so many good ideas I had to narrow it down, and I got it down to two.

Our runner up is Ozmo, whose wife, using a combination of newspaper coupons and a loyalty card purchased food and toiletries for a total of $50, but in the end with the coupons and loyalty bonuses $13 was paid to HER.

But our clear winner reminded me of myself back in my college days, where free food was my main draw. I will let John say it as he did in the comments:

Margarita Mondays at Acapulcos. Go into the Cantina during happy hour and for $1 you get a margarita (cheap tequila, but it still works) and all you can eat buffet. I swear, for a while there in college that was the only fresh vegetables I was getting. They also had these great little taquitos. You just had to make sure to get out before the karaoke started (or if you had at least $5 you could be drunk enough to last through it).

For this Eatin’ Cheap submission John, you are the man!

*Special thanks to Jonathan for making this certificate, which will entitle John to great respect wherever he goes, as well as the best tables at America’s finest restaurants.

US inflation at lowest level since 2003!

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According to the Commerce Department, the US economy expanded by 0.6 percent in the first quarter of this year:

The U.S. economy expanded at a 0.6 percent annual pace in the first quarter, reflecting an increase in inventories as consumers retrenched and companies cut investment.

 
The gain in gross domestic product, the sum of all goods and services produced, was more than forecast and matched the rate of the previous three months, the Commerce Department reported today in Washington. …

To get the 0.6 percent growth number, nominal GDP had to be adjusted for inflation (from the same article):

The report’s price index increased at an annual rate of 2.6 percent, lower than forecast, compared with a 2.4 percent gain in the prior quarter.

The Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, which is tied to consumer spending and strips out food and energy costs, rose at a 2.2 percent pace, down from 2.5 percent.

The report ´s 2.6 percent rate of inflation is especially interesting in comparison to the 2006 rate reported in January 2007:

Last year, the nation’s inflation rate declined to its lowest level since 2003. But now, economists are wondering if the 2.6 percent rate may be about as low as it’s going to get for a while.

So if the inflation rate in Q1 2008 still is 2.6 percent, it also means that, despite all the increases in the price of crude oil, gas, food and a whole range of other commodities, the rate also still is at its lowest level since 2003! Amazing!

Just for example, the price for potash, a vital fertilizer, rose 29% in Q4 207 alone and it had no impact on inflation at all. Downright eerie!

This is especially welcome news because if inflation had been any higher, GDP growth in Q1 2008 would have actually have been negative. Whew, I am so relieved!