Daily Strife in Venezuela
Source: theorganicprepper.com
In Venezuela, it has gotten worse if that could be possible. Currently their national currency, the Bolivar is equivalent to .00002 USD and the minimum wage is about $5.21 per month. This equals 1,800,000 Bolivars, even though this seems like a lot of money, the large number of Bolivars is deceptive.
When one considers the price of goods, this amount is far from a living wage. Just as an example which people can relate to, a kilogram of cheese will cost 2,160,950 Bolivars. A kilogram is about 2.2 pounds. So one month's wage will not even buy a kilogram of cheese, if you break this down to a daily amount it would be just over an ounce of cheese a day.
Here's a list of commonly used items and their costs:
Vegetable oil 900ml. Bottle: 748.367 Bs
Cereal mixture for milkshakes: 900Grs can: 1.057.057 Bs
Wheat flour, 1 kg: 398.750 Bs
Cheese, 1 kg: 2.160.950 Bs (yes, TWO MILLION)
Chicken and Bacon: 2.299.500 Bs
395Grs Condensed milk w/sugar: 566.144 Bs
Oatmeal 400 Grs: 550.000 Bs
1 kg. Margarine: 747.000 Bs
1Kg Chocolate mixture for milkshakes: 2.060.000 Bs
Cheese (melted-for spreading) 300 Grs: 1.097.230 Bs
Black Olives 235Grs: 1.677.120 Bs
Ladies deodorant: 890.000 Bs
Insecticide 1 can: 900.000 Bs
Mayonnaise 910 Grs.: 955.000 Bs
2 toilet paper rolls: 399.974 Bs
1 Kg. avocados: 500.000 Bs
30 Eggs: 650.000 Bs.
Dog food, dry, bulk 20Kg: 6.060.000 Bs
Dishwashing soap, cream 500 Grs: 440.000 Bs
2 door fridge: 627.900.000 Bs (yes, six hundred MILLION)
400ML. Shampoo: 2.052.050 Bs (2 million)
4 small ice cream cups: 2.072.691 Bs
Rice 500 Grs: 115.277 Bs
TV 65 inches: 329.999.990 Bs
2Lt soda: 298.000 Bs
Lemon Juice, 500ml bottle: 731.881 Bs
Light bulb, power saving: 935.000 Bs
Shoes: 5.986.825 Bs
Catfish: 465.300 Bs
Sweet corn 400Grs: 466.480 Bs
Ground meat: 1.150.000 Bs.
Steak: 1.300.000 Bs (depending on the region, usually cheaper in cattle-producing states)
Pork chops: over 1.000.000 Bs
Corn flour, 1 kg: 265.000 Bs
Food stuff is so valuable that the military has taken control over the supply chain. Armed gang members are protecting retail establishments. As on would suspect, the black market is thriving and it is rumored that the military personnel is involved in the black market.
Due to the value of the Bolivar being next to worthless, certain commodities have taken over as a medium of exchange. Cigarettes and chocolates are the most common but surely alcohol is being used. The people with some type of viable skill are surviving the economic fiasco better than the unskilled.
