Since April, I feel like I am cruising right through my yen. I’ll take a few man, and before I know it, I need more. I did get a raise of 1.9% in April and I don’t really record what I buy necessarily so I can’t pinpoint it. Just feels different. I suppose it could be a combination of many companies putting up their prices from April?
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I’ve noticed my food expenses have gone up, but that’s about it.
Well certainly prices have gone up, and if they haven’t gone up on products then those products have become smaller. In many cases it’s both.
People trying to save money should cut back on unnecessary things, and redirect that money to staples.
Go to stores like Hanamasa/Gyomu/OK and buy in bulk (freeze and use as necessary)
Think about cheaper substitutes (brewing coffee at home and bringing it in a thermos as opposed to buying it somewhere)
Cook at home instead of eating out regularly
Personally I am fortunate not to have to worry about it, nevertheless I keep a monthly record of every yen I spend in various categories and enter them on an Excel spreadsheet. It’s good to know where your money is going
Grocery bills are up around 10~15%. Utils are up around 40%. I’m feeling it to the tune of around 15,000yenines per month?
Yes it’s here, thank you Abenomics.
That being said, it’s mostly visible in the discretionary expenses, like restaurants, where… I think I see 10%-ish rise?
Most of my income goes strait into rent, so I’m pretty happy that landlords can’t hike the rent because they feel like it; I’m staying put until I’m gray and old, take that, you corporations, you!
Egg price is obvious. I can’t find any lower than 200 yen in supermarket near my place.
Food is getting expensive. So I’m looking for a new job that pays better lol
Yes and no. Food prices have gone up a bit and gas/electric bills have almost doubled. However, I was lucky enough to lock in a fixed rate mortgage about 18mths ago, and as housing budget eclipses everything else, it’s not as difficult to absorb food price hikes with a couple of lifestyle changes. Don’t go out anymore (night life in Japan is pretty average anyway) and a few less weekend trips around the country (I prefer my garden) and I could still save the same, if not more, as pre-inflation
It’s greedflation. Corporate profits are at an all-time high. Many CEOs are actually on record saying “We’re increasing prices because we can.”
Family mart/seven have been best indicators to me.
2021: egg roll was 108 yen in family mart. 320 calories.
Last year in spring it got put up to 128 yen, and shrunk to 280calories (i think less bread).
Then a few months ago they did s big campaign for new formula. 138yen, and still 280 calories(it does taste better/more egg though).
Thats 30% change in just over a year!
7-11 was worse. Starting at 350 calories for 120 yen. Changed to 320 calories for 128 yen.
Now its 160 yen for a small one with 280 calories!! I dont even buy their one anymore its a huge rip off.
If you want to save energy costs this summer, try not to use aircon so much. Its so tempting to use it and once you do you have to keep using it.
Instead try use a strong fan till you cant take it anymore. Its way, way, way cheaper, and if its strong and near you will be just as nice till it gets to ridiculous levels of heat.
I sleep with it blasting me. Added benefit of mosquitos being unable to bite me, and feels a little cool so even put blanket on despite hot August temperatures.
I started it last year because i moved and had no aircon in my bedroom but ended up just staying that way
Energy and food, yes.
Everywhere else? Not especially.
Prices definitely have gone up…. Particularly eggs, but that’s because of the bird flu outbreak, and utilities, which is largely due to global gas prices.
Thankfully my company has raised my salary well above the inflation rate though, so at least for me I’m definitely better off overall. Very glad I’m not living in the UK where inflation is at like 11% or something crazy, Japan’s 4% is quite enough.
Coffee in famima went up 30% around january from 150 to 180
Its not a lot but its a lot
If you only got 1.9%, then you didn’t get a raise
But yeah, shit is getting expensive
Inflation? Why hasn’t anyone told me about this?
I did notice the price of my favorite pizza restaurant increased. That was annoying.
I think Hub are up to about 850 for a “pint” of Kirin Ichiban now.
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End of days.
The OK chicken katsu was 299 yen until last years and now its 389 yen
My favorite Arabic food place served four falafel in their Arabic set in 2020.
In 2021 I noticed it had been reduced to three.
I ordered again last night and got two. The number of tortillas had also gone down to one from what was once three.
I made the smart choice of using my entire furusato nozei quota/allocation to buy a bunch of (mostly) non-perishable food/drink items I use on a daily basis, so I kinda feel like I’m actually “up” this year.
Only annoying thing is that my local supermarket’s pack of four bananas for 100 yen went up in price but now there are only three per pack. **Bastards.**
As a result, we just stopped eating bananas (moved onto yoghurts instead, cheaper).
My gas bill has almost doubled, and the cost of eggs has become insane. Definitely feeling the inflation at the grocery store checkout.
While talking about food prices, why do prices change literally every day? Like the same pack of rice in the same super would be anywhere between 1480¥ and 1780¥ depending on the day. For fresh products I can kind of make sense of how many lettuces they have to sell that day (although that’s dubious too honestly) but even cup ramen or ice creams jump up and down by 10-30¥ (for a 100¥ product that’s 30% difference depending on the day).
Pretty much all food’s gone up 20-30% this year. Very hard to miss. I track everything I buy and have noticed it. Conbini Protein milk used to be 170¥, now 205¥. Cheese was 450¥ at aeon, now 512¥. Etc.
In my grocery store, they actually highlight which products have changed price due to inflation so it’s super easy to actually see before and after.