From Groceries To College Tuition. Why Are They Getting So Costly? Why? Why? Why?

1. Eggs  Ethanol (made from corn)–otherwise known as chicken feed results in egg producers having to reduce their number of birds because they can’t afford to feed them. Annualized rate of price increase between December 2004 and December 2007: 15%
2. Coffee   Much of the coffee swilled in the U.S. comes from Brazil, and bumper crops have been hard to come by in recent years. Annualized Rate Of Price Increase: 6%
3. College Tuition and Fees   Rising high school graduation rates translate to a crush on college campuses which leads to outstripping capacity. Annualized Rate Of Price Increase: 6%
4. Milk  As global demand for protein products spikes (especially in China and India), so too have prices for all dairy products. Annualized rate of price increase: 6%
5. White Bread  Less supply and same demand equals higher bread prices. Annualized rate of price increase: 6%
6. Admission to Sporting Events  Baby boomers have money to burn on recreational activities like a day at the ballpark. Consequence of all that demand: higher ticker prices. Annualized rate of price increase: 5%
7. Tobacco and Smoking Products   Both higher taxes and federal laws compelling Big Tobacco to cover tobacco-related health care costs have jacked up the prices.  Annualized Rate Of Price Increase: 5%

Here’s the rest of the list.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 21st, 2008 at 8:03 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.