October Frugals

[catherine]

I can't find mine on Amazon but it's this style: it's thermal, but not as thermal as Thermos
https://www.amazon.com/Large-French-...garden&sr=1-17

nswef: One of the things that I do that gives me great tasting French press coffee is I use an electric kettle with pre-sets to heat the water to the right temperature. You shouldn't use boiling water for coffee. It doesn't seem messy to me--I usually give it a couple of quick stirs before plunging to break the vacuum that sometimes is caused by the grounds floating to the top. And I think it's a lot easier to clean than more sophisticated machines and pots. I just rinse out the plunger, and the pot is very easy to wash.

You brought up a good point about the coffee--I try to buy shade-grown coffee, but it's not easy to find. Sometimes Costco has it, but it doesn't always. I once ordered it from a company, but I didn't like the coffee enough to start a subscription. Maybe I'll look around more.

[mschrisgo2]

AC was off all day, for the first time since the end of April, though I did run a fan in my office for a couple hours this afternoon.
hopefully it will be at least a couple of weeks before we have to turn the heat on in the early mornings.

new refrigerator is an Energy Saver, estimates $53/year. That will be nice.

[Yppej]

Is anyone else trying to delay purchases in the hopes that we move from inflation to deflation down the road? Or are you too concerned about shortages and not being able to get what you want?

[rosarugosa]

We usually buy Kirkland Colombian whole beans, which are currently at 17.99/3lbs, but we've been trying some others recently. There is a shade-grown bird friendly line at our local Wild Birds Unlimited that is good, and we got some excellent David Lynch organic beans at a local shop. We tried a couple of different types from some roasters in the Berkshires while we were out there. These boutique beans seem to run in the 15.00 - 18.00 range for 12 oz bags, so a bit pricey. Most recently, we got a 2-lb bag or organic dark roast from the Vermont Coffee Company at Costco. It was 15.99 for 2 lbs, so a very affordable luxury compared to some of the boutique beans we've been using. I don't know if it's going to be a regular at Costco, so maybe I should pick up some more while they have it.
Jeppy: my concerns definitely run more to shortages, although I'll admit that I haven't made any significant changes in my shopping patterns other than trying to make a Costco run every other month instead of monthly.

[catherine]

Is anyone else trying to delay purchases in the hopes that we move from inflation to deflation down the road? Or are you too concerned about shortages and not being able to get what you want?

I don't have a scarcity mentality in general. My expectations are that moving forward, I'll get what I need when I can afford it when it comes to the big stuff like roof repair. When it comes to the small stuff, I'm trying to think of a purchase I plan to make that will be driven by thoughts of inflation v. deflation and nothing comes to mind. My DH's truck will probably have to be replaced at some point, but I think, again, we'll wait until that time comes. When the thing breaks down for good, we'll have to replace it, no matter what the economic trends are looking like.

[SteveinMN]

Is anyone else trying to delay purchases in the hopes that we move from inflation to deflation down the road? Or are you too concerned about shortages and not being able to get what you want?

Kind of ... neither?

I expect "market corrections" on prices for things like used houses and cars, for which scarcity drove up the price and for which ready availability (getting chips installed in cars, people finishing their remodels, etc.) will either cause prices to go back to where they were or just flatten the curve.

I don't expect deflation. Materials costs may go down but labor costs are going to go up. Restaurant workers and personal care assistants and truckers and school bus drivers and many other jobs are going to remain empty until wages increase enough to make it economically viable for people to take those jobs. If you want to pay just $1200 and no benefits for a job that requires a worker to pay $1200 in day care, there's little point to them going to work.

[ETA] I also expect many prices to follow the "for your convenience" model (which never is for your convenience). If people were willing to pay X for something at its highest price, why not find out how much extra they'll pay under less stressful circumstances? As 9/11 did, the pandemic will provide cover for companies no longer doing things they wanted to quit doing anyway.

We're being strategic in buying before shortages make things unavailable or just too expensive. I've read a couple of stories about paint shortages looming; painting is one of the home improvement tasks that hasn't yet fallen off our list for this year so we're thinking of getting the base paint now and tinting it once we're ready to actually put the stuff on the walls. I will be buying ahead on meat as I shop for groceries, as I did before the pandemic, mostly to pick up sales rather than avoid shortages. We may get our holiday turkey early, though our preferred vendors offer frozen turkeys only seasonally and I don't want to freeze a big fresh turkey on my own. But when I see a sale on beef roasts or chickens, I'll buy extra and stash them in the freezer.

[Yppej]

I have a stash of some toilet paper but could use more, but have not wanted to buy at current prices. There are other similar things.

[catherine]

I have a stash of some toilet paper but could use more, but have not wanted to buy at current prices. There are other similar things.

Got it. Well, as far as TP goes, I have been so thankful for my "price protected" subscription of it. I would love to see higher meat prices incentivize DH to eat less of it and more plants.

[JaneV2.0]

I generally don't pay too much attention to prices--I'm always amused at friends who parse gas prices to the penny. If something seems outrageously expensive, I'll do a workaround. Aside from my obscene property taxes, my basic needs are very reasonable--housing, fuel, food. I'm having to pay more attention to food spoilage since I seem to be eating less of it. I'm not sure why you're keen on restricting your husband's meat-eating, but the longest-lived men in my family were inveterate carnivores, if that's any consolation.

[catherine]

I'm not sure why you're keen on restricting your husband's meat-eating, but the longest-lived men in my family were inveterate carnivores, if that's any consolation.

I'm not against his eating meat at all. It's what he does and that's fine. I'd like to see a little more diversity in his diet, that's all.