You often hear me talk about how financial pundits and economic analysts are disconnected from Main Street. Today we get a prime example of that from the Wall Street Journal.
The topline of the WSJ article is essentially that people are not spending money on anything except essential goods (housing, energy, fuel, food, etc), which is somewhat of a ‘duh tell us something we don’t know‘ type article. However, the analytical part of the article is where you find the insufferable disconnect. Here’s one example:
[Data Point 1] “Gasoline prices dropped in September for the third month in a row, falling 4.9% from August.” [Data Point 2] Sales at gasoline stations, a proxy for spending by car owners, declined 1.4% last month.”
If gasoline dropped 4.9% in price, but sales only declined 1.4% that would indicate more physical gasoline was purchased at a lower price than the month before. It’s not a hard concept to understand.
This is a retail sales reality even identified in the article itself, “Unlike many government reports, retail sales aren’t adjusted for inflation, so some swings reflect price changes rather than shifts in the amounts purchased.”
However, now look at this: “Spending at restaurants and bars grew 0.5% in September from the prior month. But prices at restaurants grew 0.9% in the same month, according to a separate Labor Department report released Thursday, meaning that consumers are getting less for their spending.”
No, that’s not what this means.
If restaurant prices increase 0.9%, but restaurant sales only increase 0.5% it means you are selling/serving fewer customers. It doesn’t mean consumers getting less food, it means fewer consumers are eating at restaurants…. Which is caused by consumers having to prioritize their spending.
(WSJ) – […] Spending declined in categories linked to big purchases like cars, televisions, beds and golf clubs. Purchases at electronics and appliance stores declined 0.8% in September while spending at furniture stores fell 0.7%.
[…] Scott Brave, the head of economic analytics for Morning Consult, said consumers have started to pull back on optional purchases while still spending on the essentials. “They are having to make tough decisions,” he said. (more)
Energy independence with President Trump’s re-election in 2024 will cure all of the Nation’s economic woes!
On the tail end of 2 years of “pandemic” shutdowns & mandates, many will not recover from this & some will not survive it.
No, fourteen years of easy money (QE) must be wrung out of the economy. It is going to be ugly regardless of who is living at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
I’m sure that accomplishing that will make the people that had nothing to do with it feel better about their life & death sentences. 🤦♀️
Collapsing the Fed and ending fiat currency will do the job quicker. And likely sooner.
This is closer than you think– and it’s not just the US PetroDollar. The entire west is about to go down.
Saudi Arabia refusing to play games with Biden over delaying oil production cuts and then cozying up to Russia is a mighty big indicator our petrodollar is on life support.
Not just the Petrodollar, no. U.S. Treasuries as RESERVE Currency, is going away.
THATS whats ‘allowed’ the Fed Gov to spend unending $, and finance unending wars, etc.
Without that, the U.S. Government, as currently configured, and bloated as hell, can not continue.
Lots of changes coming…
Bingo. You nailed it.
Most people do not unstand that aspect of how our corrupt government works today. This is why our Congress refuses to operate within a budget.
The US Dollar has no real value. It is all imagined, a fantasy.
The more US Dollars the Fed prints, the more the American dream becomes a nightmare.
If the US can survive another 27 months without imploding.
I think auto-correct might have removed “further” from the end of that sentence.
We’re already in the collapse. And things are picking up speed now. Hence the FBI turning into a modern day Gestapo.
The Government Party is turning to terror to maintain its grip on power.
We DON’T have to allow this to happen, you know.
Yes, but the economy will collapse and become the Great, Great Depression because it will be followed by the collapse of the Dollar. The damage will be done and there will be significant work to do to right the ship. Trump is the best to be at the helm to do so but it will take a super-majority of Republicans in the House/Senate to make it happen.
That would take a Supermajority of MAGA Republicans, at the helm of the Republican caucus, in both the Senate and House.
And that is unlikely. However, we are a United STATES; State Governments are comparitively easier to gain MAGA Governorships, AND to gain MAGA Majorities in both Houses of the State legislature.
STATES can do MUCH to cut back on the Federal Governments overreach.
So, a PDJT in the WH, …a growing “rump” party of MAGA Republicans in the House, and finally SOME in the Senate, to toss turds in the punchbowl of the Uniparty ,…..AND State Governors, A.G., s SoS’s pursueing the MAGA agenda, legislatively and in aggresive Federalism in the Courts.
Parental Rights.
National School Choice, with a 10th grade option of College or Trade Skill training/prep.
Election integrity and transparency.
MAGA by attacking both from the top down, and from the bottom, up.
I agree…the power lies in the States. Some States will be making corrections gung-ho in January, and other States, like California, will keep pushing themselves into the abyssal of hell. I feel sorry for California; it was a beautiful State.
I’m a 4th generation Californian … and when I think about what my State was in 1961 (I was born here in 1955) … I weep. The supermajority leftist government and public utilities in this State … have simply ruined the place. CA is a third world country … where the ultra rich live in secluded suburban compounds … far from the multi-culti collapsing urban hellscapes
With you there (5th generation), my great great grandfather settled in Santa Rosa, CA in 1847. It’s been in a serious decline since the 1960’s with no signs of improvement. Most people I know have left or are in the process of leaving.
Yep, my family came to CA after escaping the Bolsheviks and continued their modest farming lifestyle. Now the Bolsheviks are inside the gate again.
More topically, I guess it’s easy to discuss numbers dispassionately without the context of the real devastation the Commies have inflicted on society; the sickness, the death, the violence, the poverty, the attacks on liberty and freedom.
I won’t be discussing the numbers dispassionately and I’m not interested in clever financial strategies for surviving. BTDT plenty of times over the decades. The Bolsheviks have got to go, one way or another.
The ship needs to be righted in Texas also. Abbott is no better than Pence.
Agreed!!!!
For all you people in Wis, Mich, Georga, and Penn, I found this little item you might find useful.
https://www.totalboat.com/product/totalboat-flotation-foam/?attribute_pa_typesize=2lb2glkit&gclid=CjwKCAjwkaSaBhA4EiwALBgQaOb3KtAvzJXUcu5EBy4XsxYko9Luiq7BKiJu5Dj1aJVJEisti4AUoRoCAB0QAvD_BwE&gclid=CjwKCAjwkaSaBhA4EiwALBgQaOb3KtAvzJXUcu5EBy4XsxYko9Luiq7BKiJu5Dj1aJVJEisti4AUoRoCAB0QAvD_BwE
It’s going to require States to start arresting Feds…
So?
That is it in a nutshell. First they choked energy supply and transport, that resulted in percolating inflation in every economic sector. Then they attempted to correct a self created supply problem by reducing demand by raising interest rates. They have a shot of collapsing the whole economy.
Bic, or Zippo?
A subtle question, to ask a stranger, to detirmine “friend or foe”,…along with
“Doing a cross word puzzle,….”Is ‘Center Body Mass’ a term of PHYSICS, or ASTROPHYSICS?”
Only thing that fits, is NEITHER, does thatsound right, to you?
Anyway, occurs to me, if they eliminate petroleum,….HOW will we light a fire?
Butane or lighter fluid, both are petroleum base.
So what,…matches or perhaps FLINTS?
SOLOR cigarette lighters are starting to look attractive!
Those would be magnifying glasses Dutch.
Beautiful Chocolate lab, there.
For a Kitty, that’s kute.
Not much good in a Midwest winter. We don’t see a lot of sun…
Actually, they DO have “solar cigarette lighters”, I owned one years ago, as a novelty, like the nasa pens that write upside down.
Was a polished aluminum parabola, small enough to fit in a shirt pocket, with an arm coming out of the middle, but hinged with a pivot, so you could fold it flat.
Open the arm, and it had a little fork end, with two prongs. Stick the end of the cigarette on it, point at the sun and after a few seconds, the cigarette starts to smolder. Give it a puff, and “bobs yer uncle”!
Used it once, just to see it really worked, and lost it years ago,…
? “SOLOR cigarette lighters” I’m ignorant of that.
They have plasma arc lighters that are charged via usb. Good for over three hundred lights before recharging is required. (Mypatriotsupply.com)
https://mypatriotsupply.com/collections/instafire-stoves-fuel-and-lighters/products/instafire-pocket-plasma-lighter-with-flashlight.
Currently around 20 bucks.
Charged via solar panel, once petroleum is obscoleted, I guess?
Rocks.
Flint.
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.cFAKT_n9zLhz-pJTrDPexAHaLH%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=3ac0aa14a354199514532fb5dada25ae10ff57735b76e7ebca8e6fcfd790546a&ipo=images
We have flint. Our family is trying to learn how people lit fires two hundred years ago. (We have a lot of practicing to do.)
Bic lighters, after they have run out of fluid, and are discarded everywhere,…still have a piece of flint TWICE the size, if the ones I buy for my Zippo, at about $5/5 flints.
So, I take the Bic apart, which I get for FREE, cutthe flint in two, carefully with wire cutters,…and I just ‘made’ two bucks, for 5 minutes work.
And yes, you COULD use that piece of flint from a discarded bic lighter, as a fire starter. No need to rub sticks together!
“Anyway, occurs to me, if they eliminate petroleum,….HOW will we light a fire?”
The simple concept that later became the diesel engine makes for a very effective fire starter. All natural materials. Practice it. Easy to haul around in a little pouch if one doesn’t have a flint and steel.
I don’t think petroleum is going away anytime soon but still it’s worthwhile to build in redundancies for survival.
Forex, when the power goes out, I practice lighting the oil/paraffin lamps with a flint and steel instead of a lighter. It’s not as easy, to be sure.
Yeah, and they’re taking that shot at ten feet from target.
And explosions in food production facilities, deliberate seaport backups in the port of LA, exec orders to halt oil exploration in the US, destruction of NS 1&2, damage to Turkstream pipeline, oil refinery in U.S. exploded, food prices/Heating Oil increases, rents and mortgage rate increases, a laboratory gain of function virus released onto the world with mandatory chemical injections to deliberately sicken and injure the population. A stolen election, endless suffering and limitless funding for Zelensky and the Ukraine.
Folks, we are in the midst of the Great Reset.
And we sit back watching it happen instead of getting off our asses and DOING something about it. Sad isnt it?
Treepers aren’t sit-back types.
Who’s this “We” of couch potatos you speak of?
They thought they could inflate and tax their way out of this self created problem and only made it worse.
The real danger is that now a collapsing economy is no problem for the Dems during an election year because they get to count the votes.
Medical and educational freedom are important too.
If our Constitutional Republic survives that long. They have set up so many ways for our country to collapse I don’t think we can repair it soon enough. They definitely want us all dead or enslaved! All government’s and the global/political elites! In their own words we are ‘useless eaters’.
Destroying the Deep State would be the other.
Not going to happen even with a sensible administration unless we start drilling ANWAR, and get lucky…There isn’t that much oil left in the lower 48…
Conventional oil maybe, but I am sure there’s plenty more to be had within those oil shale deposits with fracturing techniques.
I will defer to someone with more firsthand knowledge of the industry for those details.
B.S.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/oil-production-by-state
From the article.
Thirty-two U.S. states produce oil. About 69% of total U.S. crude oil production in 2019 came from five states: Texas (41.4%), North Dakota (11.6%), New Mexico (7.4%), Oklahoma (4.7%), and Colorado (4.2%). Texas is the largest producer of crude oil in the United States. In 2019, Texas produced 5,070,450 barrels per day. This is more than double what the entire Gulf of Mexico produced, which is 1,896,920 barrels per day. The United States’ smallest oil producers are Arizona and Virginia, which produced about 20 barrels of oil per day in 2019. Oil production in the United States, especially in Texas, is expected to rise, causing crude oil imports to fall.
Part of our rising prices in oil and gas is that we are also selling to Europe at even higher prices for more profit. Ergo, less supply in the US to go around driving prices here even higher.
Oil and gas companies don’t want to do any more investment because there is no future in it with the push to so called green energies. Because of the lack of investment, drilling and exploration, things will be getting exponentially worse over time. The die is cast. The lack of energy and the increasing prices will continue to deteriorate the economy, jobs and wages.
Not True
The USGS estimates there are 373.1 billion barrels of technically recoverable reserves of crude oil in the United States. The figures for Alaska are all over the place from 2.4 to 22 billion barrels of oil with the USGS pegging it at 11 billion barrels.
Sad you still truly believe that’s possible.
The manipulation, narrative engineering and lies have passed being insufferable. This pertains to everything coming out of government and media. Purposely pretending is lying in my mind.
Outright seditious imho.
https://ncrenegade.com/sounds-right-to-me/
Is it lying if they believe it?
Yes. Truth is not subjective.
The definition of a lie
is the deliberate withholding of the truth from the person who has the right to know.
‘Our Government works for us, not the other way around.
I don’t think it’s too much to ask that every politician and media have to take this oath every morning: “May the blood flow from every vein in my body; May the lightning cut me in two parts; May the crocodiles eat me; May I be condemned to carry water towards the flames of hell in panniers without bottoms; May I pass after my death into the body of a slave; May I suffer the most dire treatment during years as numerous as the grains of sand in the four seas; May I be born again deaf, dumb and blind, my body covered with wounds most repulsive; May I also be cast to Narok and tortured excruciatingly by the devil if I shall ever break my oath.” 1910 oath given in Siam (Thailand) 😏
Omission/(C) omission, you c. I’ve had to tell myself numerous times to put down the heavy object in my hand because I can’t afford a new TV! 😂
I simply chose to have a love affair with the Mute button and then laugh at stupid facial expressions.
Ok, if this morning is any indication of things to come, even generally upper middle class people are going to suffer. Went to ship a shoebox sized package weighing under 2lbs 200 miles. Cost $52. The same shipment 2 years ago was $16. Then needed gas. 10 gals was $55. It was $4.10 about 6 weeks ago. Then found out after spending 3 years restoring a classic car and pricing it around half of what every market indicator says it’s worth, there is zero market for it. We’re in deep shit
Really…$52
Need better info on that claim!
UPS, zip code 99006 to 98926 weight 1.7 lbs. That’s right off my sales slip
Was it overnight?
No. The price was the same for “ground” vs “2nd Day” according to the UPS lady. She also told me that as of October 1st, their minimum charge for anything is $25
What,😳.
I’ve worked rked there for 31 years, sounds crazy !
I understand the more rural the shipping location, the more expensive it gets. Been there, done that.
Both are rural areas and do cost more. I could have driven maybe 30 miles and saved some
You did precisely what most people would have done. You needed to mail that package so you did w/o wasting gas driving 30 miles to mail it a bit cheaper. SMH.
My take? What does it matter. It seems we are on the cliff and FJB is trying to push us over it. The doom and gloom here tonight has been suffocating.
Might add, this was a box of feathers I’d been collecting for over 30 years used to tie fishing Flys. Sent to one of my grandsons who’s starting that hobby. That’s why the low weight vs the cost was shocking
The market for classic cars can be quite tricky. The paint color of a car can increase or lower the price 20% or more. In three years a classic car can go from desired to ignored. A car having matching numbers can be huge for some folks. Highly customized cars can be quite difficult to sell. I am currently restoring two 1969 Charger RTs. One is a restomod and the other is a #s matching RT/SE. The market for Chargers is white hot due to lack of supply and huge demand.
Right now the upper end of the classic car market is humming along. The middle and lower ends are going to suffer greatly as the middle class is crushed by inflation.
I’m restoring a 71 road runner and a 1969 superbee
and I’m not worried very much about value
as I have owned them a long time and bought low
if they become worthless
I will just drive them.
Thinking the same thing but 92 octane is pricey. It’s also a bad time of the year for these in the northern areas
I do work on both the number matching and as Weylan called a restomod but we just call them drivers as you make them what you want.
Mopars went crazy for a while and still high but now Bronco’s have gone that route.
I’m lucky as I have most of what I need to finish them up.
I went and bought the last few big ticket Items I needed last year
and I stashed them away ahead of time after reading
the warnings of inflation on here.
I could only imagine how much more money I would be flushing away
paying todays shipping rates if I had to start from square one.
I probably wouldn’t start out.
I like your style, OJF. Mopar or No Car.
65 gto fully restored here.
I’m in the market for a vehicle I can work on myself.
You’re exactly correct. Just got a 70 Challenger that will the next restoration, maybe. Those mopars are hot right now. The mid range 60s-70s gms are pretty stagnate from what I’m seeing unless they’re top end
One of or quite possibly the biggest factor in the classic car market is a majority of the purchasers that drove the market have gone on to their final reward.
The amount of yutes that have an interest in the older cars is very limited.
Had friend that passed a few years back, was a 60’s era Ford guy, mostly FE SOHC stuff. Had a 500 ci FE cobra with Shelby’s signature, Dyno Don 70 Maverick, and much more. The biggest wow was the 05 Ford GT BIG FUN. He had multiple cammer motors that he thought were worth big $$$, problem with those motors is they were never in a production car, so there was no need for them in a resto. I stated that in the beginning when we liquidating the estate was told that wasn’t the case, they’d bring good money, I was right. Didn’t care still got to drive the GT.
http://www.cruisenewsonline.com/64FordFairlaneSOHC/64FordFairlaneFeature2.jpg
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRJ1laO5Xpjr2ghOr4DG2iZYZqr4K_-3DIBXg&usqp=CAU
Locally we had a gentleman with an enviable collection of cars and motorcycles, was still racing Porches into his 60’s then he started not feeling himself, was found to have “oldtimers” whole collection and building is gone kids didn’t want it.
Last one I did was a 53 Stude champion with blue oval 514 ci for power that was in mid 90’s.
Now the fun is doing motorcycles, much easier and the money is good.
Just did an 84 Yamaha RZ 350, last street legal 2 stroke, made some nice bank & was big fun.
First person bought it on the spot, took it to Road Atlanta the next weekend to race.
Next car project is to be 2019 eco boost Mustang, eco boost can make over 400 hp pretty easy, have had 4 Mustangs thru the years the crown till now was a 70 Boss 302. The new ones are way nicer and quicker.
Enjoy what you do, the real reward for the fruits of your labor of love is when you turn around and look at your project, big smile, then switch off the lights for the night.
Always remember— Above ground and breathing all the rest is a bonus.
Put this in a 66 mustang
Maybe, but they will all be worth their weight in gold if an EMP is the commies choice of destruction.
Sad
I went to ship a package to S. Korea last year and the Fed Ex quote was something on the order of 100 grand. Not kidding. Clerk said come back tomorrow, there must be something wrong with the system. Cam back the next day and we managed to get it down to about 69 grand with some tweaking. Needless to say they didn’t get their package that had an actual value of about 12 dollars.
Wow, it’s now wonder they’re going broke
Next time, try using one rate priority mail at the post office (if it fits). They have rectangular boxes and square boxes that range from about $11 to $23 (the boxes are free) small, medium and large.
The wealthy can easily afford the higher prices. That’s why the wealthy aren’t complaining. Movie actors, sports celebrities, politicians, the oligarchs and the like.
The wealthy will have their voices silenced just like the rest of us. There will never be enough warning for them to get to their bunkers.
Traditionally, once the Conmunists truly take power, they execute all the opinion makers and shapers, that enabled them to take power.
If you have enough influence to benefit them, you are a threat because you could use that influence to depose them.
Hence, up against the wall, and bullet to the head.
Thats traditional. This new packaging is still of an old, classic con and so I doubt that basic part of the con will change.
Why haven’t a seen a 4.9% drop in my gas prices? Oh- it’s cuz I live in Cali 😭
They are going back up everywhere. I paid $3.03 on September 28 and $3.29 on 10/12, both at Walmart but in different locations. The $3.03 is $3.27 today, per GasBuddy.
Creeping up … Regular now $3.75 /gal in central MD
we are upwards of $6 for cali in san mateo county…but some local are 7.5+
The real killer is diesel. EVERYTHING in this country moves by diesel. By truck, by train, by boat. Most farm equipment is run on diesel. The fact that home heating oil is just an ugly sister away from diesel doesn’t help either.
$4.79 in phoenix today
5.60 something in Communist Oregon.
3.05 suburbs of Austin TX
$3.049 here in The Woodlands, TX today. However, I have noticed recently that regular unleaded causes my car to ping like crazy lately. I believe it is the 15% ethanol Biden gas. My car manual recommends Super but this is the first time since 2015 when I bought the car that it has behaved badly on regular. Super does give better mileage, and it doesn’t ping, but it is much more expensive.
Get some octane booster in the tank a.s.a.p. to stop the pinging. Pinging is premature combustion in each cylinder in a 4 cycle engine (4 cylinder, 6 cylinder, or 8 cylinder doesn’t matter)
The abnormal combustion (explosion of fuel-air mixture) that happens before the point at which the engine was designed to fire (ignition of fuel) causes excess wear on critical engine components. Eventually, this could lead to a blown head gasket, broken rings, cracked piston lands; and/or flatten your rod bearings.
What causes it is putting too-low of an octane rated fuel in the vehicle. Low octane (87-) combusts at lower pressure/ heat than higher octane fuel. If your vehicle was designed for 89 or 92+ octane, using 87 will eventually cause expensive damage in your engine – UNLESS you make mechanical modifications to the engine to accommodate the lower octane fuel.
Put “plainly”, gasoline, which we use cause its combustible, and combusting it is how we use it for energy.
And, we put addititives in it, to make it LESS Combustible, and THATD the gas thats called “Premium” and that costs MORE than the gasoline that is more combustible, and doesn’t have the additives.
Octane means LESS combustible. Does this make any sense?
The gasoline that has less energy in it, per gallon costs MORE.
And yes, its because engines have a higher “compression ratio”, but thats another conversation.
Nonetheless, many vehicles will get slightly greater fuel mileage with higher octane fuel (“less combustible”).
High performance engines with 10:1 or higher compression ratios need it.
Standard engines had about 8:1 ratios which is meant for regular gasoline.
Smoother burning of higher octane fuels often makes the engine burn more of the fuel mixture and thus get more energy out of each combustion (power) stroke. But different, newer head designs and valve configurations can maximize their efficiency with regular 87 fuel.
Maybe mix it half tank with super? Alternate if possible.
The RaceTrack station up towards Conroe has ethanol-free.
Our son has a few specialists in Houston, LA, and Memphis. So, we have made it a priority to find all the ethanol-free stations during my routine travels to doctors.
This is like the old “SALE SALE SALE”! bit where they raise the price about 100%, then tell you lowering it 4.9% makes it a good deal.
I actually know people who fall for the $99.99 thing and don’t realize they’re spending over $100.
But then again I live in blueMA.
Why???
In Orlando, diesel crept back up to 4.99 with little fanfare the last week or so. A couple of days later, 5.19.
Perhaps we should once again post our best saving money tips to survive the coming storm. Some of mine:
😂 last week I replaced the spark plugs & wires in my truck. For the 1st time in 4 decades, I did it myself.
I may have to replace my ignition coils next… the truck is 17 years old now. My eldest grandchild is also 17!
Sounds like a great training opportunity for your eldest grandchild!
Alas she moved 2 states or 4 hours away 3 years ago & I really, really miss her & her little sister.
But my soldier’s oldest daughter is 13 now & she wants to be a mechanic like her dad was so I’ll bring her into the loop.
That’s inspiring!
Women who drive trucks and work on them themselves….are cool.
I’m impressed SMom. I’ve been telling my husband for years I want a truck..
He bought me a Mercedes instead, so I can’t complain.
God bless you all.
Love my old, beat-up truck but I’ll be honest, I loved my former luxury car too! I got the truck after the car crapped out & I decided I wanted to be tall enough to see around huge SUV’s & pickup trucks.
I was more than willing not to do the maintenance myself for many years but I’m willing to reform & teach my granddaughters self sufficiency at the same time.
Buy the coils, put them IN the truck, and wait for the current ones to fail; they may last many years yet.
I have had working ignition coils, 25-30 years old!
Good advice, thank you. 25-30 years is astonishing btw!
At least I got direction to a specific cylinder & a list of potential causes starting with plugs & wires. Ignition coils were on the list too so I hedged my bet & bought 1, not 8. Plugs & wires seem to have resolved the issue but I kept the coil.
There was plenty of angst & a few unprintable words… some anger that I landed there at this stage of life but I got it done. Seems rather trivial after watching what Floridians are dealing with… may God bless them in greater measure than their need.
Or figure out how to make more money and continue doing the things you enjoy.
Or change of address!
I have been all for stopping spending on anything but the basics for some time now as a protest on the Fraudulent 2020 election. The problem is that no one will do it because if they did so including what your suggested the economy would collapse but while Biden would get the blame then that would end up making the Installed One even more authoritarian to excise powers he doesn’t really have.
I seriously doubt cooking from scratch rather than eating out and curbing the indulgence of vacations would collapse the economy. Unless perhaps if you included the benefit of getting healthier and spending less $ on medical, they are ripples I guess.
Well, bargeopalypse is here
https://www.naturalnews.com/2022-10-14-barge-pocalypse-unfolding-as-rivers-dry-up.html
Buy used. Broken-in jeans are better than new. Many household items are available in excellent condition.
Forgot to say: If you’re shopping flea markets and yard sales, bring folding money. Mr. & Mrs. I.C. Cash walk away with the best buys.
Estate sales.
In my town full of retirees, there is at least one a week.
Sometimes 3 or 4.
Bring the cash. Buy the appliances.
Hey, that’s my lifestyle and has been for years and no I’m not in debt or poor. My depression raised Grandmother always said “save your money” as I was growing up and observed what she did to cut corners. Very impressionable Godly lady she was.
May I add to your suggestions Liqueda.
Buy dry beans in bulk. 20 lb bags. Stores for 20 yrs if stored properly.
I grew up on potatoes but a 20 lb bag of rice goes a long way. Eat rice in 100 different ways. Then when you eat potatoes they’re a treat lol.
Garden, garden, you can grow alot of vegetables in a tiny place. If you are stuck in an apt. and have a balcony get busy and transform it into a vertical garden.
Save glass jars. Almost everything is plastic nowadays. Who wants to drink water from a plastic bottle that’s a year old?
And lastly buy local, local if possible. Get your meat from a meat locker. Produce from locals as well and trade if you can.
We have lived much the same “bom”.
Our whole married life we have bought mostly used and shopped for simple food.
The life style so many are just discovering is what we have been doing for decades.
The $ savings IS considerable,… as I figure on average we pay a 1000 percent ‘surtax’ for the illusion of convenience, and the illusion of efficiency.
But the Peace of mind,….?
PRICELESS!
Excellent suggestions Bom and Billy
Lol.. Love how you slipped #7 in there!
Budget till it hurts. Being debt free allows room for us to travel and explore parts of the US.
1. Consider if the cost is worth it. I’m skipping my weekly lunch next week because the restaurant isn’t anything special and is a 25-30 mile round trip. I don’t need to spend a gallon of gas on this place.
2. When you do buy, purchase quality even if it initially costs more. The two pairs of American made sandals I purchased from
https://www.sasshoes.com/ in February of 2021 have lasted 2 full seasons now with very little wear showing on the bottom and the leather on top still looking great. I wear them from about mid-March until well into November but not every day because I’m retired and don’t go out every day. Definitely worth every penny.
3. Take care of what you have. Preventive maintenance is worth it.
4. If it’s on sale and you can afford to pay for it now, buy it. A certain makeup product was more that 50% off. I bought 8 and now have at least a 2 year supply.
Best advice I can give besides stacking silver/gold, is get a freeze dryer. The food you get out will last 30 years. That is serious inflation busting, and power saving. Just needs boiling water to reheat and eat!
I was converted by this gent
0. Pay off debt.
People who own their home and car sleep a lot easier at night.
Your tips are great though. I make a mean gourmet tomato sauce that works with everything and it requires a $2 can of stewed tomatoes, a clove of garlic, olive oil, and a bit of seasoning. Better than any jarred sauce at the store. My wife makes her own bread.
We have trouble eating out any more because we simply eat better at home.
Home baked bread is the best!
Thank goodness that the weather is cooling; time for cinnamon rolls!
It tells me what I already know.
“FED rate hikes can only impact the demand side of the inflation issue. U.S (and global) inflation is NOT the result of excess demand.”
Another manufactured crisis artificially and purposefully created for the purpose of creating real crisis.
Thats what I mean when I say the war in Ukraine is Fake.
The part where I say Putin and BRICS are willing partners and participants in it is still a bit too much for most to swallow.
Been saying the same thing from the beginning – you don’t transfer things from the old house to another new house without building the new house first.
Brics replaces petrodollar – at least for now.
Given the way the democrats and pundits like to peg allot of their commentary to the most visible gasoline and diesel prices … the pundits and government can even be proven to be liars related to gasoline and diesel prices DROPPING at all as well as any impact of Sock Puppet JoeBam’s National Fuel Reserve actions have on on inflation..
Take the 10+ gas stations I see in Collin County, Texas while going to the store, to the gym or up to McKinney to see the grand kids. The cost of gasoline swings 20-30+ cents per gallon in exact alignment with Sock Puppet JoeBama’s National Oil Reserve releases hitting the pumps. Given the finite size of the national Fuel Reserve, that is the reason the prices have been on a yo-yo for the past few weeks and will continue that way through November … the fuel has to be released in periodic drips to help the headlines…it is also the reason the is NO signs of declining inflation … the yo-yo fuel costs have NO impact.
There is one other phenomenon I noticed related to Valero Gas Stations … they run a consistent 10 cents per gallon cheaper. A little digging shows that Valero holds the US Government Fuel Supply Contract. I suspect they are subsidized and get to siphon government fuel off to their stations.
Prices are going back up after the election.
I think you spelled “necessarily skyrocketing” as “going.”
Then you have companies stuck on stupid.
GM just launched their electric Hummer in July 2022. “Car and Driver” magazine just reported yesterday that if you need new tail lights – a pair – that will cost over $7,000 – installed.
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a41611379/gmc-hummer-ev-taillights-expensive/
In 1970 after 4 years in the military I mustered out in West Germany and had saved for (4) Years for a BMW 2800 CS – 4 speed transmission, disc brakes, radial tires, fuel injection, independent suspension – there was no car like it in America at that time – price $5,200 with my GI discount – no German taxes, etc.. Now here we are 52 years later and $7,000 buys you (2) tail lights for an electric vehicle it takes hours to charge?
What the hell is going on?
Its crazy expensive. Further, I prefer the traditional to the the electric Hummer
That is an absolutely awesome car! But you already know that.
Depressing
Whip Inflation Now
I am pretty sure many people are stocking up and prepping with whatever spare money they have. If you could subtract those dollars from the totals, I think you’d find spending has dropped a LOT.
Precisely!
Everyone in government and Wall Street is lying
It takes time to move to cash without crashing the market with sell pressure. TPTB will go long treasuries and the dollar cost averagers will price support the market. When the monied interests are long cash, then they trigger the crash and switch back to equities.
So, does that mean that those of us with most of our money in a 401K should stay put or take the hit and move it all to cash right now? Please explain it to me like I’m a 5th grader….
I keep hearing all of the “smart people” saying that the market is about to crash and even bonds aren’t a safe option but no one says WHERE people should park their money…the tax hit to withdraw it all at once would be crippling!
I have been in 90% cash for months.
Okay -thanks! I was in cash/bonds/supposedly safe asset funds but everything is tanking right now and I am kind of freaking out. I spent years in banking and thought I had a pretty good handle on how to diversify and adjust but there are NO rules any more! We are retired and living on a fixed income and our assets are dropping more every day…
Think of it this way:
You sell the assests and allow the cash to sit in the broderage account. Watch and wait until the debris of the crash is removed and you discover who the quality companies are and then buy in when the price discovery shows true value.
Kinda like getting in on the ground floor…. sort of my plan.
I understand that holding USTreasuries/bonds is not reliable: foreign money is already vacating the holdings.
Consider visiting Zerohedge website. It is a conglomerate of financially related articles that even just a perusal of the headlines will keep you in the loop of where things stand.
All the best.
Asset reallocation within a 401K is not a tax recognition event.
Move to all cash or short term treasuries now, wait until TPTB crash the rest of the market, either because they can’t hold it together any longer or on purpose (right now the pattern looks very controlled as they step down while stepping out to cash).
Then when the market has reached capitulation (volatility index exceeds 45), and when you hear the screams as middle class people who were lured into retirement account “all eggs in the casino basket” are wiped out, that’s when you go back in with purchases of stock in companies that have value in real economies. YMMV, not financial advice to as my one person, just my view of the best way to proceed at the moment.
40 percent or more downside still to go, probably.
I keep thinking about the Trump curse and reversals. In 2008, I was the only one of a group composed of liberals to predict the Obama win. They all believed the country was “too racist to elect a black President. ” I on the other hand, could see the emotional fear reaction from retirees impacted by the financial crisis, as they saw their retirement accounts shrink.
Looking back, probably Dominion was already in play, but the stock market gut punch helped Obama get over the finish line.
Reversal now? TPTB lose control of the timing?
That Credit Suisse and Bank of England are the ones suffering near death events right now, that smells like this all came on faster than planned, and things are careening out of globalist control.
We will see.
I like you, smart person, and kind to share these insights
I hesitate to give advice but I have been an active investor since 1964 and have done very well. This is worth what it cost you. If the blue chip dividend aristocrats (stocks that have increased dividends annually for at least 25 years) go bad it’s all gone except for your guns, gold and canned goods. think years of winter.
Things are never as good as they at first seem, nor are they ever as bad as at first it may seem. I have never sold the market. As a rule, market timers end up with patches on their britches. That’s where dividend aristocrats come in – if things are off you enjoy the dividends and praise The Lord – if market is up increase your tithe and praise The Lord.
Dogs of the dow info is all over the internet. Similar to DA div stocks but not as exclusive a club. Jist is to buy a basket of 10 dow stocks that are paying the highest div. When share price catches up and brings div down you have a share price gain. Div is same amount. Oversimplified but info is plentiful, you do have to pay attention – not hard but you got to do it.
I like sin stocks in bad times Altria (Phillip Morris MO) is at $45 and paying over 8%. Last week you could have bought at a 52 week low near $40. Walgreens WBA is a buy right now @ $33 but last week it was $30. Duke energy pays good div and is on sale. I like TD Ameritrade for an online brokerage but there are other good ones. No financial advisors for me nor do I buy mutual funds. Not putting them down, just not for me – don’t fix what isn’t broken. Good Luck
Something to think about. Add up 1930, 1931, and 1932:
https://truthsocial.com/@KanekoaTheGreat/posts/109168600597906950
We all talk about the 1929 crash, but that was a one day shock drop.
Over the next three years, stocks lost continually.
Since the chart is broken up over 3 years, the total is not a full 90 percent loss, because the subsequent years are a percentage down on already devalued assets. Still, that three year loss from 1929 through 1932 had to be devastating to anyone waiting for a bottom.
This could be a market crash followed by two to three years of yet more losses on losses.
As Americans, we are trained to think in a short term timeline.
Worse for retirees, if you stay in stocks, you are going to have to sell at the lows to meet the required minimum distribution on the previous year’s inflated stock valuations.
Even worse, if things go badly in November, don’t rule out tax increases on both income and retirement accounts because of the need to finance the bread lines. So you might have to sell at a low, recognize the income, and get punched again on inflated income taxes.
Winter is coming and it may last years. Plan accordingly.
And remember, after a 50% drop, it takes 23 years to get back where you were at 3% growth rates. The swine in charge aim to cut us down, then brag about growth of 3-4%. If you can avoid the reset, you will be fine. You can bet your backside the monied interests are getting into short duration cash. The massive treasury issuances for deficit spending is actually cover for the black rocks and van guards to buy new higher yield issuances. It is totally corrupt. This is a total setup to rob the middle class. If the middle class flinched and bailed from long duration bond funds and equities, the black rocks would get slaughtered. Alas, it doesn’t work that way.
Avoid equities. Bond funds are not safe: Make sure you understand the duration of the fund. Basically what is the average term of the bonds in your fund? If 2 years ago your bond fund bought 10 year bonds at 4%, and 3 month treasuries are now yielding 4%, then this bonds will be worth not as much, so your bond fund gets killed. There is few safe havens now. Cash equivalent funds, short term treasuries, will weather the storm.
Remember greed for more should be tempered. Everyone talks returns, but a 30% loss avoidance is better than a 5% return. The key is capital preservation that you can redeploy your funds after a price adjustment in the market.
Good luck
“meaning that consumers are getting less for their spending.”
To be fair, it is possible consumers are getting less for their spending while also spending less.
I don’t know about restaurants but I have started to notice shrink-flation at the supermarket.
I noticed they can’t give away the fake meat but Kroger is still constantly promoting the jab.
One of the New England regional chains is running a promotion: 10% off at checkout if you get any shots at the store pharmacy.
Freakin’ ghouls.
And Kroger is trying to purchase Albertson’s. More consolidation. Scary.
Our food supply and food pricing will be controlled in fewer hands. Good for globalism.
Website has been down in Louisville division for almost a week. I emailed Kroger and cs rep said it was all good – I sent the screen shot of all the complainers on Next Door and asked “All good for who, the Meijer and Aldi across the street?”
In Louisville here as well
The only thing I’ve seen is we’re getting less, but spending more to get it. Since it cost more for less, I’m spending more, a lot more, and getting less.
I went to Sam’s Club in Bluffton SC to fill up my gas tank. About half of the pumps were not functioning, I assume because the underground gas tanks were half full. There was much jockeying to get in a line to fill up, maddening. After about 15 minutes I decided to try again later and proceeded to Sam’s. On a hunch that there may be shortages, I decided to get the house brand of toilet paper. Six large packages were available. With my purchase there were 5 left. Small stacks of National brands were available at $8.00 more.
I went back to the gas station, waited in line for about 15 min. and filled up my tank. Price per gallon, mid test was $3.49.9 per gallon up over .10 cents from last week.
Earlier in the week local grocery stores had eggs at $3.99, butter over $6.00 a pound, a gallon of milk at $4.00 plus, potatoes at over $6. for 5 lbs., high prices on salads, veggies,bread, ice cream, and a Cheesecake Factory cheesecake over $18. Fresh fish, chicken, bacon were more expensive too. Beer is more costly as well.. There are some good buys on beef roasts, great for future meals. Into the freezer they go. The Biden economy is a killer, deliberate BBB planning of course.
Our plans for purchasing clothing, electronics, etc. are needs, not wants. It will be a very lean Christmas.
Sams Club has Bar Mops cloths 24 for $14 . We bought a couple of packages and keep a stack of clean ones on the kitchen counter. All sorts of kitchen tasks we used paper towels we now use washable Bar Wipes.
I cut up old towels to use for that purpose
I get bulk packages of those small waxed paper sheets that bakeries use to pick up baked goods. They’re very handy – I eat many of my small meals and snacks off them instead of paper plates – no dishes to wash. Also wooden toothpicks for eating fruit instead of washing a fork.
I’ve definitely noticed restatement have either raised prices or shrunk meals. I know they must to survive but that means I eat out a little less
Around here they’ve done both.
yeah those 12 oz pounds of bacon/sausage and 48oz 1/2 gallons of ice cream are too short for me
Shrink-flation has been around for years – maybe a decade.
As the household shopper, I have watched the volume change to the point that not enough was in the box and I needed to acquire more or a larger size to have the original amount.
It was deceptive because the price remained the same.
I kept talking about the inflation but because the price stayed the same, people didn’t understand.
Yes I have noticed last two -three months or so once crowded restaurants I go to have less & less diners as time goes by( this is mid- Delaware – and not in the beach areas). Even Friday or Saturday nights no waiting lines. Much less families eating out too. Thank you Vegetable in the White House! Build back better -NOT!
Never ate at restaurants much or ordered pizza/Chinese. Now it is zero.
We live in a very rural area and have never eaten out much at all either.
When we “entertain” it is a family and friends get together with every one bringing a dish of something and a BBQ of some kind or a picnic in the back yard kind of dinner.
Lots of great food but cooked and prepared by us.
We still do those so I can not speak to the dinning out fading.
We live too far out to call for pizza or any other kind of home food delivery either.
Before 2008, the closest Outback was always crowded with a wait time. My daughter, who was about 10, went in one time to find it the wait time and came out, got in the car and said “150 minutes. I’m not even sure how long that is, Mom, but I know it’s too long. ” Around 2009, same time of day it was down to no wait to 15 minutes. I see the same thing happening now. However, we still have new restaurants and food trucks opening in our town of 50K in what I think it’s a very saturated market. I try to patronize the ones I want to survive.
Paid 5.49 for diesel this morning, west of Cape Cod, it was 4.49 about 2 weeks ago.
I wonder what it is east of Cape Cod.
The devil and the deep blue sea.
Hey Joey, you been hanging out with Dan Bongino?
Asking for a friend.
I paid a little under 8 per for 200 gallons of diesel las weekend in LA Marina. But the offshore tuna bite is epic right now.
How about this one:
“U.S. Stocks Surge In Sharp Reversal”
“U.S. stocks closed sharply higher in a head-spinning reversal, after investors decided fresh evidence of high inflation wasn’t as bad as it initially appeared.”
That was yesterday, today they dropped everything they gained yesterday.
Market manipulation.
Wait until this OPEC cut kicks in and little Joey has decimated the reserves. Have heard some Dems warn lately that if R’s take control they will deliberately tank the economy. That means it’s going to get rough next year. It’s not a ploy to win votes it’s them setting the narrative to cast blame.
“Decimated” is probably the wrong word to describe the SPR sell off.
Decimation (Latin: decimatio; decem = “ten”) was a form of Roman military discipline in which every tenth man in a group was executed by members of his cohort. The discipline was used by senior commanders in the Roman army to punish units or large groups guilty of capital offences, such as cowardice, mutiny, desertion, and insubordination, and for pacification of rebellious legions. The word decimation is derived from Latin meaning “removal of a tenth”.[1] The procedure was an attempt to balance the need to punish serious offences with the realities of managing a large group of offenders.
The SPR has been drained by far more than 10%.
Excellent response
Losing battle though – irregardless whether definition is correct or not. Like a lie, repeat the wrong usage long enough and it morphs into the truth. I know what I did there.
Irregardless is not a word.
Says Who?
Merriam-Webster raised the hackles of stodgy grammarians last week when it affirmed the lexical veracity of “irregardless.”
The word’s definition, when reading it, would seem to be: without without regard.
“Irregardless is included in our dictionary because it has been in widespread and near-constant use since 1795,” the dictionary’s staff wrote in a “Words of the Week” roundup on Friday. “We do not make the English language, we merely record it.”
Decimated:
Definition of decimated
1
: drastically reduced especially in number
I understand that the early Roman legion had ten men to a tent. Thus decimation randomly took one man from every tent–to encourage the rest, I suppose
Believe that PDJT topped it off before he left. Today it is the lowest it has been in years.
No it isn’t
Yes indeed, setting the blame on the Rs will make next year rough. One cannot be a weakling to live through it. Gird your loins, prepare yourself for difficult and challenging months ahead.
The media will pound out that narrative for the next two years – daily.
“Hey, where did all these homeless people come from overnight?”
At my local bakery this morning they now have 9 cnuts to a biden’s dozen. To keep the price down you get a half of what used to be a typical round donut and now called “cnuts”.
Be careful or you’ll be banned if someone misreads the cnuts. Maybe your local bakery named them in honor of Kamala?
No, he called them Cnuts because they are half a ROUND 🍩
she nuts?
🤭 😂 😂 😄
Might be a bit more subtle calling it a Kamala’s dozen.
Or Biden’s dozen.
Same/Same
LOL!!!!
I had to read your post twice. I thought you transposed the u and the n for a second.
“Hunters Inflation”, cause it keeps getting high, even as Joe denies it.”
Had to read it twice…yikes!
lol
Wait until we get deep into heating season. Things are going to get very ugly.
Retired Magistrate here: Well, we just got back from our Fall trip to Pataskala, Ohio to Lynd’s Fruit farm to purchase apples, apple cider, pumpkins and other Fall treats. The place was so packed (and things have gone up in price a lot: for example last year a gallon of cider was $7.00 and this year it was $10.00) that we just left. We stopped at another little shop, in Granville, Ohio and the owner stated that Lynd’s has been so busy that there have been traffic jams.
Lynd’s is a family owned business and has been in business since the 1920’s. I am happy to see them doing so well and in this area people are still spending money and if today is any indication, a lot of it.
I think it really depends on which area of the country you live. Some areas are doing OK; others not so much.
I could be wrong Marcia but I believe the spending continues because they have never heard or lived through a depression. The lies are consumed on a daily basis, people don’t want to know what is really happening. Covid invented sheep.
I think most folks believe that things will get back to normal, and I would usually agree with that. But knowing what I’ve learned from here, what this admin has stated, and the blatant go along to get along attitude by most repubs and their leadership, I believe that someday the lights just won’t turn on.
Retired Magistrate here: Yes, I think that is correct. We have tried to tell our neighbors what is really happening and some friends my husband plays golf with. People blame Putin that prices are high and as long as there are items to purchase and plastic to purchase it with, they will continue to do so.
Went to my local Kroger store yesterday to drop off a prescription and there was an older couple, masked up, looking terrified and waiting to be injected, yet again, with another covid “shot”.
My husband are I are living our best life, unmasked, stocked up, continuing to look for bargains, and preparing for the coming Winter.
Same here!!!!!
Then you could be a retired magistrate, too.
They are *hoping* –against all hope, that we somehow dodge the impending doom.
Also, some folks might just be tired of being afraid.
Many people I work with are in such financial despair that they spend as they please, knowing at some point the debt will overtake them but see no way to right their financial ship. He who does with the most debt wins, or so they seem to think.
Talked with a young man that we know and he is basically running up all of his credit cards in preparation for filing for bankruptcy…says he knows it “isn’t the right thing to do” but he figures everyone else does it, so why not him! THIS is the common mindset of far too many people, I am afraid, and when it all crashes down and they can no longer get credit, what will they do then?
Or they know that, as a last ditch effort, there is always bankruptcy. Bad, I know, but not as bad as suicide out of despair.
I had a great year this summer selling my carnivorus pitcher plants…I was pleasantly surprised but think people are looking for a little joy wherever they can find it….I did not raise my prices
They printed money and then shut down oil production which caused energy inflation along with regular inflation due to printing. So to fix the problem they created, they are going to crash the economy and wipe out the working class. Nothing causes price reduction like crashing wages of the plebes
The email address is at the top of the page.
Imho, you WILL find your answers there… not HERE!
Just sayin
Bro, everybody gets the bin or the moderator now and then.
Write a heart felt note to the mods and clear your desk.
You aint special, and no reason to be heart broke over it.
Exactly. We got bigger fish to fry. Write Ad Rem, they He/she? has always responded to me, but it’s been a while. I used to never have posts under review, but lately I have. No big, musta been something I said.
This economic reporter has shown she doesn’t know how inflation works or the real world consequences. She is a liar or a moron.
Moron. Just an actor regurgitating the lines they’re told to repeat. They might also be a liar, but isn’t that just acting anyway?
Both?
My non essential spending is becoming non existent. Once a month nights out, or special occasions is about it.
Call me stupid, but i don’t get your gasoline conclusion. Gas prices have fallen for 3 months, the last prices declining by 4.9% yet consumption continues to decline 1.4%.
So the rate of declining consumption may have slowed (i don’t have those numbers from previous months)
BUT Consumption continues to Decline, no Increases in consumption?
Even the Treehouse has it’s limits.
Instead of telling us about what you didn’t post, tell us about what you did post.
Also, sometimes mistakes are made, and you wind up in the bin.
Sometimes a rant simply goes on too long and is not constructive. Sundance has a very good record, so rather than speculate, take the suggestion to email rather than waste our time with a non-topic post. Sorry, but splintering us is a leftist tactic so turning against Treehouse is not something I am willing to consider for this. And a very little research can show you Jews like Soros are embedded in our banking, just as leftist pedos and globalist lunatics have embedded in all Christian denominations, not just Catholics….so before you trash him, watch the interviews and tell me why a ton of people have flipped to support him.
Sorry. not sorry.
My only post on this so if you want to rant, feel free to have the last word. I don’t have to make points.
I’m at an age where I don’t need all the extras because I’ve accumulated it over the years. I still eat out a couple times a week and buy perishables (already stocked the pantry, toiletries, cleaning supplies, etc.) but don’t spend on much else. In other words, there’s not much I need to buy. In a better economy with a brighter future, I may have bought some extras but I’m not willing to part with cash right now. I can’t be the only one like this.
No doubt the economic situation in the US is bad. What I don’t see talked about very much is the $ retired folks used to be able to earn up until 5 years ago on cds and treasuries. I just redeemed a 1 year cd that matured getting .40 On 200,000 I earned 800 $ I was able to get 2.5 for a
14 month cd ,which will bring me an extra 4200 for the year. Every little bit helps. Pray and help others
Look into Treasury bills. You can open your own account so you cut out the middle man. The rates are pretty good, even for a 6 month T-bill.
I did that also . Around 6 months ago. Bought a 1 year at 2.00 and unfortunately a 2 year @ 2.5. With rates now between 4 to 4.5 IF I sold now ,would take a loss of 3000. So I will wait to maturity. But TY for the reply. And that’s why laddering is also a smart idea. Pray and help others
Marc, I was just taught a little lesson by my broker, Taller Half. All I know is that the value goes down if the interest rates increase.
I do not know what laddering is, but T-Bills sound silly right now.
Laddering is a process of staggering out a bunch of CDs, T-bills or other instruments. The idea is that one will always mature every 30 days. Shortest term I believe is three or six months, therefore three or six steps of ladder.
If you have more money staggering every two weeks might be possible for a three month term.
So if there is a larger expense for that month. you can cash out the instrument and have a hopefully have the needed amount of cash.
Send the interest into a checking account to access money readily.
Oh, and bless you for trying. I am so upset that people just want to preserve what they make in life and they are being SCREWED!!!!!
The only thing you will be able to do is at the maturity of your bond is to get your money back. How does that work out for any of us?
I have a lot of my IRA sitting in cash right now and am looking at the 2 year CD ladder option listed in Fidelity’s website. The APY is about 4.25% if you roll the interest over into the CDs. I need to look at it more to make sure i understands any drawbacks before I commit but will likely do so this weekend.
2 yrs is a long time to be trapped in an interest rate…better to go short term investing til things stabilize imo
We have some savings in a CD, but with interest rates rising, at the moment we invest in 3-month ones in anticipation of the next Fed rate increase. When it appears there will be no more increases we’ll move it to a one year CD. At our age, even though we could get a better rate, we consider (for us) a two year one tempting fate…plus we like to sleep peacefully at night.
Biden and the democrats are preparing the ground to blame a republican congress for the inflation they have caused, because it ain’t going away any time soon.
Friday’s dinner is “heat up your own selection of the leftovers night” in my household.
And if no leftovers, cereal. Not feeling cereal, peanut butter on bread or crackers.
When restaurants agreed to the closures in 2020 and then agreed to be enforcers of the fear porn facemasks needed to keep us believing CV was a big deal they cut their own throats.
They imagined the masks would help the fearful masses come back, the imaginary protection they provided. When the opposite was true, they reinforced the fear campaign.
With decades in hospitality I knew it would be bad for business long term. If restaurants had resisted the pandemania would’ve subsided much sooner. But they dutifly played ball. And now their businesses, those that held on through the pandemic that is, face the consequences of scaring the population into submission to authority. And the ensuing destruction of our economy, including their establishments.
They were the most important line of defense from authoritarian dystopia. They are the “third places” that bond all strata of society together. And they failed.
http://www.steelcase.
[dot]com/research/articles/topics/design-q-a/q-ray-oldenburg/
I made a “C” in my two semesters of college economics and I didn’t need your analysis to instantly see that the WSJ needs smarter writers. Good grief.
I didn’t even take college economics and saw the same thing.
It’s all “fuzzy” math to Clueless Joe
The stores around me in VA are still busy, but I’ve noticed a lot of national retailers have already started Christmas sales with pre black Friday this or that. And some retailers that never used to do many sales are doing sales all the time now.
My workout bud and I used to go out for breakfast at least twice a month if not more, now it’s more like once every 3 months. I just can’t get over paying $12+ for an omelet. With coffee and tip that’s a $20 breakfast. Yeah, I’m a good tipper. But the result is fewer visits to my fav breakfast place.
If you’ve never heard of BBB (Big Bad Breakfast) it’s soooo good.
I noticed a lot restaurants closing earlier and even the 7/24 joints switching to carry out only after 9pm during the week. This is due to lack of customers, not the scamdemic.
Here in the Southwest, lack of good help is a cause for reduction in number of hours open, besides what you mention.
Firsthand, we are seeing flat customer counts in restaurants.
Some days are a little negative, but only a little.
Other days, we have a little positive guest count numbers.
In Oklahoma.
(The catch is that we are in our stores, everyday, and know many of our customers.)
Today I went to the Feed Store. I spent $156. The feed will take care of some of the animals for a month or two, but the feed for the other animals will only last a month. I whipped out the ol’ calculator. My feed costs in one year have gone up 80%. I already downsized the farm, giving away some animals that don’t contribute as much as the ones I kept. I belong to a group of similarly minded people and the big discussion today was how to cut feed costs without sacrificing the health of the animals and all they contribute (meat, eggs, dairy). We discussed how to grow everything the animals need (tall order for small farms). Even if I sell all they produce, I still don’t break even. I had a little discussion with myself about where I can cut costs so that I can keep the animals. The fact that there are food shortages everywhere, means that these animals are very valuable contributors. Without them, there’s no food. Scale that up to large family farms.
Let’s Go Brandon!
Could you get local people you know to be “investors?”
What I mean by this is: someone buys part of your cow/hen by giving money for feed and in exchange at the butcher time they get a portion of the meat/milk/eggs?
Maybe all the farmers could create a system like that as one group and work together for advertising locally, etc?
Just a shot in the dark….
Bless you, Born Free!
We are having a hard time finding Turkey for Thanksgiving in our restaurants.
Even though we will probably serve 1,000 people/restaurant on that single day, most are regulars –and dear to our hearts.
Farmers are sooo important! Bless you.
It tells me that I am not the only one who is curtailing my expenditures, consolidating my errands, and not going out to dinner except for very special occasions. I am sorry about all of the small businesses that will not survive but we are retirees on a fixed income and there is just too much month left at the end of our money right now… FJB!!
We have placed ourselves in what I’ll call “depression mode”… in our thinking and in our spending. We will not spend on anything except utilities and food and gas for the car. In fact we’ve made a sort of game out of it really….how little can we spend.
The only thing coming up is property taxes, a tax on ” wealth” in effect. That one is going to hurt. And every year, we resent it more and more.
Yes! We are in the same place – spent years living UNDER our means so that we could pay off our house early, but now, because we live in a “tech-friendly” area, our house value has shot up and our property taxes along with it! And although we are retired, the exemptions for reduced property taxes are so convoluted that we don’t qualify, even though the taxes are almost 15% of our net income after our medical premiums are deducted! (Those are close to 25% of our GROSS income!)
But hey, no mean tweets, right? /Sarc
For me, it goes:
Mortgage
Energy and Food
Kids
Everything Else
We are really trying to keep the kids expenses unchanged.
Everything else is taking the hit.
Diesel fuel national average rose 39 cents per gallon last week and no media even mentions it. It’s normal now.
Where I live consumesr are spending like crazy in stores like Old Navy, TJ Maxx, and Marshall’s. I have no idea why, but the stores are flooded with people spending money.
Also, my job is dependent on consumer spending and it has been really bad lately….ie, no one is spending but just in the past couple of weeks all of a sudden things are going up in volume and my company has actually hired more people (which is based on past patterns…sorry….they watch CNN and are all Dems).
Having to make tough decisions!? I’m not. I don’t want what they have to offer.
I know people who used to redecorate every year. New curtains, rugs, wreaths and ornaments. All products that last years with care, but because they viewed them as cheap, they were disposable.
Instead of buying crap, buy some mulberry, blueberry, strawberry plants, and enjoy eating the fruits of your labor
Duh!!!!!
We used to go out to eat three times a week. Now, maybe once in a week or every two. And will probably reduce that.
Lezgobrandon.
I remember the last time I ate out, for my best friend’s 34th anniversary. The mask rules were still in place then at restaurants and they had outside seating.
He’s dead now.
Every time I think about eating out, I’m reminded of that, both the Covid insanity and my dead friend. Nah, I’ll cook at home. However, God bless those who keep the restaurants going. We’re down to 2 now, hopefully we won’t lose them this winter. Winters are bad in rural Oregon.
America’s economy is going down fast, as DC continue to throw huge amounts of money on foreign adventures while ignoring our own citizens…
The volume and velocity of the lying means we’ve crossed over into societal collapse. We’re not at the precipice wondering when the collapse will happen.
It is already underway. Hence the Gestapo arresting abortion protesters and raiding political opponents.
No small business can survive unless we stop buying from Amazon and support them and USE CASH
Right.
Another thing to think about is to negotiate with the small business owners. Consider making an offer for ordering in bulk some of those things that they may not typically have in stock.
Such orders might help out both the customer and business get better deals in the long run.
Generally speaking, I do a big majority of my discretionary spending in thrift stores. Money spent locally and for a variety of charities.
Not only are prices generally very cheap, you often find unexpected great things. It’s like a treasure hunt. Even when you don’t find those unique items, it’s the fun of the chase
I’ve found so many rare books, antiques, art objects, records, sports and entertainment memorabilia, jewelry and so on. Over seventy signed books, a bunch of signed team jerseys, old sports cards and so on.
Just hours ago I found two books signed by Mark Steyn!
Even everyday needs and prosaic things are available at good prices. Clothing especially. But also still functioning electronics and household items. Condition of course is important in some things, but there often are many rarely used items.
I also donate a lot, but to places far away where I won’t be tempted to reacquire my donations!
There are many thrift stores everywhere, so local knowledge helps. I try to go mostly to independent places, but still peruse the chain ones. Around here, Value Village is the largest chain store, but they keep raising their prices.
From my visits to various states I know the U.S. has far more thrift stores than in Canada. But in both countries there are always people with their cell phones, checking values and only interested in reselling things. Personally I just look for items that I’m interested in, but have sold some items after I got bored or disinterested in them.
“…only interested in reselling things.”
They must be Dems, because sales on eBay are down drastically. At least mine are by 91%. Recently removed all of my listings when I realized I’ll do 20 minutes of tax paperwork next year to account for a profit of $2.36 on a single item:)
My 14 year old granddaughter went to the big Goodwill “store” near us, and came away with some incredible clothing. In perfect condition and very stylish as well. She was most excited about having spent so little of her money…
…that’s HER money…which she has made by crocheting all sorts of plush toys, the last a huge elephant for a woman whose daughter is at the University of Alabama. Looks just like their mascot, complete with an “A” on its hindquarter.
I think this girl is going places. I am very proud of her. She’s got her head on straight.
oh but but but gee the Governor of California is sending me $350 to “help” with inflation relief, guess I can go on a big shopping spree, SMFH
AddisonDeWitt: The exchange rate is $350 = One Vote
Out: Stagflation.
In: Starveflation.