Petrol is now around $1.45 a litre, or $1.58 at Coles, a middy is $4.60, and the new Commodore from $35,990, all fairly hefty increases.

But next time you complain about the high cost of food, you’d be surprised prices haven’t gone up as much in the past 31 years as you might think.

A check on a range of items in the same Orange supermarket showed meat had probably the biggest increase, with rump selling for $6.99 a kilogram in 1987. This week it was $23.

T-bone steak was $7.59 a kilo back then, and this week was selling for $24. Sausages were $2.89 per kilogram, while this week you could pick them up for $4.44.

A leg of lamb cost $4.69 a kilogram in 1987, and this week almost triple at $12 per kilogram – up only $7.31 in 31 years, so it’s little wonder farmers aren’t millionaires.

And you can see why fruit and vegetable growers aren’t driving around in a Mercedes Benz or BMW either, with only small increases in their products, particularly carrots,  that went from $1.29 in 1987 to $2.20 this week, an increase of only 91 cents in 31 years.

Onions went from 99 cents a kilo to $2.90, tomatoes from $2.39 to $3.50, and potatoes $1.19 to $3 brushed or $4 washed.

Oranges were $2.99 a kilogram in 1987 and this week were $4, while bananas went from $1.79 to $3.50.

A tin of SPC peaches went up from $1.33 to $3.50, Fountain tomato sauce $1.39 to $2 on special, and a 125 gram packet of tea from $1.43 to $3.30 for a 180 gram packet.

So there you go – the 16 items that cost $55.16 back in 1987 now cost $91.34. We’re really doing well at the supermarket check-out.

DESTINATION NSW is good at putting out rubbery figures claiming that 2.5 million people in 12 months visited the Central NSW region that includes Orange, Bathurst, Dubbo, Parkes and Mudgee.

They were supposed to have spent $970 million in 2017, up 17 per cent on 2016.

Crunching the numbers that’s 48,077 visitors coming to the region every week, or 6,849 every day, for 365 days.

And as for the spend, Destination NSW’s figure of $970 million works out at $18 million every week or $2.65 million every day for 365 days.

That’s difficult to believe, so how are these figures worked out? Does Destination NSW cook the books to justify what it’s doing for the bush?

It all seems like wishful thinking.

THE ANZ Bank should have talked to Woolworths before beginning renovations of its Orange branch.

It will be closed for at least two months, inconveniencing lots of customers who have even been advised to use the Bathurst or Cowra branches, which must have cost it accounts.

Woolworths on the other hand has also been carrying out a complete renovation of its Anson Street supermarket and it’s been business as usual without the store closing for even one day.

The work has been done at night and shoppers haven’t worried other than needing a road map to find goods that have been put in different areas of the store.