Inflation

A couple months ago, the cost of my medical insurance went up 22%. A couple weeks ago, I went to the doctor with a dreadful case of allergic contact dermatitis. A couple hours ago, I was thinking how I really need to not spend on anything unnecessary for a few months because I'm having what's known as a "cash flow problem." Then I opened a statement from my insurance company and, lo and behold, my recent visit to the doctor is my bill to pay because I have not yet met my deductible this year. I thought, "With what I'm paying for insurance, they not only should pay every penny of any cost I incur, they should also come to my house and put a mint on my pillow."

Today on my lunch break I went to a grocery store in Fairhaven because it was fairly handy to where I work and I needed a few things. I paid $5 for a loaf of whole wheat bread. Not a special loaf, not from the bakery or anything, just a loaf in a plastic wrapper. I don't pay a lot of attention to prices but it does seem to me that $5 is a lot for a loaf of bread.

I even had to pay for air today. Did I mention my car is in the shop? (Most likely a deductible to pay there, too, ka-ching, unless somebody waives it.) So I'm driving my mom's car and the front tire looked a little low. I drove to the nearest gas station after work and bought a tire pressure gauge ($2). Sure enough, the pressure was down around 24 psi, while most tires should be around 30 psi. So I drove over to the air hose, and I had to put in four quarters to get air through the hose. The machine that accepted money and dispensed air had a sign on it about feeding hungry people, and a sign said that "a portion" of the money put in the machine will go to feed the hungry. I'm just not sure I believe that. And how chintzy to charge for air.

Everything costs.