When we would all gather together and vow to not buy anything unnecessarily, it MIGHT help. I remember about 10 years ago when people protested cereal going above $3 a box. They stopped buying it and went to eggs and there was indeed a change. Of course, now it's gone back to the higher prices. We have a lot of power; we just don't use it.

I recently wrote to a company in snail mail and complained about a defect in the yarn I got. Just about 1/2 an hour ago, I received a box with 8 skeins of beautiful yarn with their apology. I only complained about the two skeins I had. It PAYS to complain in a constructive way. I got a blessing I never expected. Try it!!

I can remember buying a weeks worth of groceries for $12 which included stuff for lunches. I also remember my salary being $145 a MONTH and it was considered good money for an 18 year old fresh out of high school. And, I had to wear heels, hose and a girdle!!!!!

We only got a 2.9% raise. It *might* cover the cost of the insurance premium raise but it probably won't cover the increase in taxes.

It's all more of a reason for me to shop from my stash. ;)

Once our industries were allowed to go off shore, once foreign competition was permitted to glut the market with goods made by people receiving sub-standard wages, once "American" corporations found they could circumvent safety rules and get away with exploiting third-world people desperate for any kind of job under any kind of miserable conditions and "American Made" and "Union Made" labels are as rare as hens' teeth, this was bound to happen. Taxes, red tape and sometimes ridiculous rules deter American entrepreneurs. And I'll spare you a rant about gov't subsidies to the big guys which makes it even smaller for the little guy--farmer, manufacturer, whatever. Monopolies and cartels charge whatever they can squeeze out of people.

you guys are cute... all upset over $12 /yd. I'm in Canada its near impossible to find anything under $15CAD/meter. and Warm and Natural is the same way, its a lot more here. I know that I actually quilted for someone recently and the LQS owner told her that since she was trying to save money to use a polar fleece instead of a batting. It quilted up just as nicely and it goes on sale more often.

I have seen cotton fabric at some quilt shops years ago that were 12.95 so really it isn't up that much. I wouldn't pay that price however. I think by being careful you can still get good fabrics on sale for a good price to keep us going. They may not be the "new fabrics" of the year but good fabrics none the less. Shopping in our stashes for a while is a good thing, but what happens when we run out, by then the prices may be higher or lower, kind of a speculation thing.

I remember to when you could buy a whole weeks of grocries for under $30. Now one shopping bag is that much. Of course, if we looked at our wages they were much less also. I was making less than a $1.00 an hour at my first job and thought I was doing good. I do agree prices seem to be going up faster but wages have gone up also.

I remember
 

We bought a new VW bug for $1800. Times sure have changed.