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Scary part is the cost. I doubt many households can manage a balanced diet cooked from scratch. Many are struggling on cost of living even while eating all thi

• bamboozled 2y ago
  So I often read on here that tech is just making things better and cheaper. We’re surrounded by praises for progress. It might be true that tech is important to making things accessible for all however, we seem to have more tech than ever yet the prices of everything are skyrocketing. So what’s the cause? Corruption ? Climate change ? Is it a misapplication of technology at a scale where we’ve damaged soil and the climate so food is just too hard to produce ? A combination of everything perhaps ? Last night I turned the A/C and I felt bad for two reasons, the climate and then mostly, the cost, why is it more expensive to run my heater now than ten years ago? What went wrong ?
  • theamk 2y ago
    Re costs rising: it's called inflation. It is mostly dependent on government decisions, and is not directly affected by the technology and progress. For your specific home heating/cooling example: in general, if you adjust for inflation, the electricity is cheaper than 10 years ago [0]. Gas is much more variable, but right now it's slightly cheaper than 10 years ago [1]. That's national averages. Your particular case might be more complex - your state might have added new taxes, that'd increase price. Or your home might be more efficiently insulated and your A/C system could be more efficient too - this will decrease price. [0] https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/electricity-prices-adjusted-for-inflation/ https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/electricity-... [1] https://www.aga.org/research-policy/resource-library/energy-insights-residential-natural-gas-prices-expected-to-drop/ https://www.aga.org/research-policy/resource-library/energy-...
  • Supermancho 2y ago
    Capitalism captures savings from automation as fast as it is enacted, for the most part (jevons paradox also applies). Funny enough, shortages are priced in before they occur, due to traditional financial planning. Inflation is a separate pressure, which rises more-or-less evenly, regardless of automation savings.
• staplers 2y ago
  To be clear, the time cost not the financial cost. Beans, rice, vegetables, and fruit can usually be found for dirt cheap but it requires significant time to prep and make. It'll only get worse as people become more addicted to/distracted by screens and entertainment.
  • SamoyedFurFluff 2y ago
    I actually find vegetables to be a little expensive now. Particularly leafy greens can be expensive if you want to consume or cook a volume that’s actually satisfying and significant. A curry spinach can run you 4-6$ for just the spinach.
    • staplers 2y ago
      Definitely depends on your location and which vegetables but you can often find root veggies for cheap (carrots, potatoes, celery, etc).
      • SamoyedFurFluff 2y ago
        I agree root veggies are cheap, but root veggies aren’t necessarily healthy! They’re obviously healthier than straight white bread but if your diet is primarily root vegetables you run into high carbs and the like still. Roasted carrots and onions can be very sugary. Edited to add I don’t find fruits particularly cheap either. For example I love white peaches, but dear god are white peaches expensive even in peak season.
        • galleywest200 2y ago
          Farmer's markets tend to have very cheap vegetables. Factory second stores like Grocery Outlet often have great deals on vegetables. As well Food Banks generally do not means test if you need to get something _very_ cheap or free.
          • magicalhippo 2y ago