Wednesday, December 03, 2008

 

Monopoly money

When I was younger I would hear people talk about the price of commodities in Guyana. I would hear some fantastically high figures quoted for bread and other basic items and I would wonder how on earth did people manage to survive. I recall my first trip to Jamaica where the price of a simple little doll had me dumbstruck. Back then, the price of a doll stood out because at the time those things were high on my agenda. Later on, I would join in with the rest of my peers in referring to the Jamaican and Guyanese currencies as monopoly money.

Imagine my distress when I went into a local supermarket and saw the price of a one litre bottle of cooking oil was now $10.00. I stared at the shelf for a couple seconds before yelling out to my friend who was in another aisle to come and see the horror. Not too long ago said cooking oil was retailing for little over $6.00. We had previously noted that a tin of Goya green peas had reached $6.00 pr tin and the prices on other food items had steadily crept up.

On our last trip to the Fish market,the price for red fish and other such types was now $9.00 pr lb. The price for the smaller fish was equally astronomical. I don't know when it happened but somewhere along the line our money has become monopoly money. Yet,I am positive I heard the PM say during the budget debate on Monday that cost of living is declining.

Comments:
When I was little I too used to be amazed when I heard the high figures for goods and commodities in Guyana. But, now the same thing has reached us here in Jamaica and we are basically in the same boat with Guyana!
 
cha looka you tryin to fool people dat you duz cook :-)

look try an leff off the tinned peas find somebody pea tree , pick de peas an shell dem, tek out the worms and the lil husks that get in between an cook that. i sure it going to be more tasty than any tinned peas,
 
It sticky bad. I've been cutting down my supermarket list every week and still cutting. It dread .. and we need to prepare for more of the same come 2009
 
Cha,you want people shoot me for their peas tree nah?:)

True words CD
 
girl... i spending in one week what, just a few years ago, my family would spend for the four of us...

and i can't resist expensive crap either... i know it's stupid... but i PREFER heinz to hunts!!!

ah well...
 
Yeah, sadly our money has indeed become that. I felt so ashamed when I was around some Antiguans making fun of the value of our currency.
 
I hear you Will. I am like that with certain product too..sigh
 
Oh no he di'int! Your P.M. had the belly to tell people the cost of living is going down?? Stone him with a couple cans of dem $6 peas.

The only relief we have had recently is the reduction in the price of gas, down to $11/gal from $16/gal, and a reduction in the cost of electricity since GRENLEC started purchasing fuel via some Petrocaribe deal.
 
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