By Lauren Parfidio
Everyone has to start digging deeper in their pockets.
Prices are ready to rise in New York. Food, clothes, and gas prices are expected to rise very soon, and some have already started.
“I don’t mind the food and clothes prices rising so much, but the gas prices I do,” says student Ronnie Barone.
Gas prices have increased 28 cents a gallon in the last couple of weeks. Gasoline is now at or near $4 a gallon. On Monday, March 7, gas went to $3.57 a gallon nationwide. The price is not settling there; it will continue to rise.
“Gas is way too high,” says Barone. “It’s making it difficult for people to commute.”
Gas prices are already having some people change their habits. People are driving less and are planning what they have to do instead of driving around and wasting gas.
“Every time I get in my brother’s car, we always have to fill up the tank,” says student Sassette Christian.
The increase of gasoline is making traveling to work or school for commuters even more difficult.
Oil costs more than $100 a barrel. This is the first time in more than two years oil has cost that much.
Food prices have increased too. Food prices such as wheat, corn, sugar, and meats have started to rise, raising the price of restaurant meals, sweets, and pizza.
Prices have gradually risen in the last six months because of serve weather in other countries. It began last July, when there were summer floods in Pakistan and droughts in Australia and Canada.
Most foods such as cereal, meats, and dairy have gone up three to four percent.
Clothing is on its way up as well. Starting in the spring, consumers will see a rise in prices, according to price analysts at the Wall Street Journal.
Clothing prices haven’t risen in over a decade since overseas labor was cheap, which was holding the prices down. Not for long: Starting this spring, things will change.
Clothing prices are expected to rise about 10 percent. The biggest increase will happen the second half of the year.
Cotton has more than doubled in price in the last year.
Clothing stores such as JC Penney, Nike, Steve Madden and Levi Strauss & Company are also planning on increasing their prices soon.
Companies were hoping to weather the storm and hold fast with prices, but now it appears they will all succumb to rising prices.
“Being a college student with limited funds makes it hard to keep up with the rising prices of clothes, food, and gas. I have a certain amount of money to spend and a rise in price makes it hard to keep up. This will force me to cut back in certain areas such as not going out with friends as much, forcing me to eat at home,” says student Lisa D’Estrada. “It’s nice to just splurge every once in awhile.”