What would you do faced with 50% inflation?

[angie_nrs]

I suggest that if you have building projects to do, get your supplies NOW.

I heard through a very reliable source that the big wood mills just increased what they are paying for wood by a large amount. That means they are running low on supply. It also means that they will be sucking up the wood supply and the outsiders (those who rely on unprocessed wood) will be paying lots more for their wood. Around here a lot of people burn firewood by the truck loads. Those folks are going to get hit hard with increases. If the big mills are paying more for their wood, guess what's coming down the pike in prices for products like plywood, lumber, TP, etc. Those prices are not going anywhere but UP from here.

 

[elkhound]

https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-...-and-comfort-inflation-lowers-standard-living

 

[Cascadian]

I hear you on wood prices. We are building a bigger chicken coop. 2x4s are a dollar a foot. It used to be under 50 cents.

 

[Magus]

These prices will likely be in effect for quite some time, I suggest finding a Mom n pop sawmill.

 

[elkhound]

https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-...g-plastic-make-ends-meet-prices-continue-rise

They’re charging it.

Consumer debt continues to climb at a staggering rate.

Total consumer debt rose by $52.4 billion in March, a 14% increase according to the latest data released by the Federal Reserve. Outstanding consumer debt now stands at $4.54 trillion.

 

[Tootsie]

I had a chat with my neighbor yesterday. Or rather, I listened. No worries about anything, and no plans for a garden. Food stamps cover a lot, you know, and then there’s this program, and that program, and the government will provide blah, blah, blah.
I am aware of these neighbors, but wow! I had no words. My neighbors will be my biggest threat.
once upon a time, I thought they could be allies. I regret many connections and comments now.

 

[Magus]

Move.

 

[angie_nrs]

Here we go with the increase fuel prices......AGAIN! Gee, who would've seen that coming? It will just push inflation further up up up up. IMHO, this is the biggest catalyst to inflation b/c it affects everything and you can't escape it!

In my area, which doesn't keep up with the bigger towns, our fast food restaurant is posting $17 per hour to start on the front windows in HUGE letters. The federal push to raise minimum wage to $15 per hour is a joke. Nobody is going to get out of bed for $15 per hour around here.

I ordered some appliances recently that we will need soon. I just want to have them ready to go before we need them. I don't like to do that b/c the warranty will run out before we need it, but in this climate I have to pick and choose what purchases need to be made now. Plus, I've never used a warranty before, so it's not that big of a deal. In addition, there was 'free' shipping, which is something that I think is going to come to a halt very soon.

 

[ClemKadiddlehopper]

I have replacements for anything I don't want to do without until the electricity disappears. I bought the simplest chip free dust covered stuff I could find. No electronic mother boards. Warranties are less of an issue. I have never used one either.

 

[Magus]

I bought a few crappy laptops for cheap. and had them refurbished.
Made a killing when computers dried up. LOL

 

[Cascadian]

Man, I just bought a $70 tractor part and paid $40 in shipping!

 

[LadyLocust]

Hubby likes the little grapefruits that come in quarts? in the refrigerator section. I used to get them for $8something from Wmart. They have been out for a couple months. There is a restaurant supply place that used to have them for $10ish so I went there today to see if they had any. They sure did @ $13.79!!! 7% inflation my hiney.

 

[ladycat]

The apples I get at Walmart had gone up to $5.78 from $4.38 last month, and now they're $6.18.
How's that 9% inflation working out for the rest of you?

 

[ladycat]

I'm beating inflation with a lot of deals like this and loving it!
6 twin packs of pizza kits for $3.08! That's 12 pizzas for 51¢ each!
Of course I'll be adding a few veggie toppings to them.

 

[Chaosdawn]

I'm beating inflation with a lot of deals like this and loving it!
6 twin packs of pizza kits for $3.08! That's 12 pizzas for 51¢ each!
Of course I'll be adding a few veggie toppings to them.

Wow, I haven't seen those in years! Hubby and his brother loved those mixes.

 

[ladycat]

Well, it happened.
Chef Boyardee canned pasta products had gone from 94¢ to 98¢ a can at Walmart last year, then sat on 98¢ since then. I knew it would go up sooner or later, and they were still 98¢ in the last week or so when I posted several Chef Boyardee deals.
Today, they are $1.24.

I use these products extremely seldom, but they are staples in so many households. How are lower income people going to feed their children? Not everyone can grow their own food.

 

[Chaosdawn]

How are lower income people going to feed their children? Not everyone can grow their own food.

This makes me crazy. It is so much more expensive to eat healthy than it is to get fast food and not everyone can grow enough of their own to offset it. Healthy food should be easily accessible for everyone, but especially children. If it was, we would see a significant drop in obesity & related diseases. Which would save on healthcare and assistance programs, etc.

Sorry, don't mean to go off topic, the high prices of healthy food just infuriates me. Even before the inflation increases. I'm finally at a point in my life where I can buy healthy food without thinking too much about it, but I remember what it was like eating crap and feeling like crap because of it.

 

[ladycat]

This makes me crazy. It is so much more expensive to eat healthy than it is to get fast food and not everyone can grow enough of their own to offset it. Healthy food should be easily accessible for everyone, but especially children. If it was, we would see a significant drop in obesity & related diseases. Which would save on healthcare and assistance programs, etc.

Sorry, don't mean to go off topic, the high prices of healthy food just infuriates me. Even before the inflation increases. I'm finally at a point in my life where I can buy healthy food without thinking too much about it, but I remember what it was like eating crap and feeling like crap because of it.

That's why I love Amazon!
I stock up on anything I use when it hits rock bottom. That's how I afford to primarily eat natural and organic (without food stamps, which I qualify for but don't get).
I also get stocked up ahead, and yes, that includes some not-so-healthy processed foods, but they keep good, and provide a bit of variety, plus help stretch things out.
By saving massively on the shelf stable foods at Amazon (and all my non-food groceries), I'm able to get my fresh and frozen veggies, whole grain bread etc at Walmart, some of it even organic!

And before someone says it, a garden isn't an option for me. Even if it didn't drive my water bill so high I wouldn't be able to pay it, I have physical limitations.

 

[LadyLocust]

This makes me crazy. It is so much more expensive to eat healthy than it is to get fast food and not everyone can grow enough of their own to offset it. Healthy food should be easily accessible for everyone, but especially children. If it was, we would see a significant drop in obesity & related diseases. Which would save on healthcare and assistance programs, etc.

Sorry, don't mean to go off topic, the high prices of healthy food just infuriates me. Even before the inflation increases. I'm finally at a point in my life where I can buy healthy food without thinking too much about it, but I remember what it was like eating crap and feeling like crap because of it.

I guess I don't totally agree. What I see is prepackaged vs. homemade being the cost difference. We eat 'almost' all organic and spend far less on groceries than the average 2 person household. But, I buy in bulk and cook our own food. We do eat out on occasion, but it's if we are traveling or as a treat. We have no "premade" anything in our cupboards. It is a choice, it's just that many don't know the options - sad part is so many don't even know how to cook.

 

[Chaosdawn]

I guess I don't totally agree. What I see is prepackaged vs. homemade being the cost difference. We eat 'almost' all organic and spend far less on groceries than the average 2 person household. But, I buy in bulk and cook our own food. We do eat out on occasion, but it's if we are traveling or as a treat. We have no "premade" anything in our cupboards. It is a choice, it's just that many don't know the options - sad part is so many don't even know how to cook.

I do agree that part of the problem is education, I wasn't taught much about cooking and had to learn how to make things from scratch on my own. But there's also time/energy constrains with that. DH and I both have to work full time to pay our bills, I am out of the house from 6:45am until 5:15pm M-F. If I still had a young child(ren) at home, I wouldn't have the time or energy to cook. And weekends wouldn't be much better.

But what I mean is more that some have to choose the cheapest option at that moment because they're living paycheck to paycheck. If someone only has a couple bucks for dinner that night, odds are they'll opt for McD or the like. My point is not everyone has money to buy in bulk, it's an 'investment' that not everyone can afford. I sure couldn't when I was young. I was flipping couch cushions looking for change to buy milk when I was first married.

I just believe that dependence on cheap fast food and the health crises it causes could be mitigated by good actual food being cheaper to give people more options. That's all.

 

[elkhound]

 

[snappy1]

I just believe that dependence on cheap fast food and the health crises it causes could be mitigated by good actual food being cheaper to give people more options. That's all.

I believe that better prices would help, but with the media pushing fast and processed food and so many young people spending plenty of time in medialand, it's an uphill battle! That's my 2 cents worth.

 

[angie_nrs]

Well, they have gender studies in school now, but no home economics. Our home ec classes back in the day were held in a room full of stoves so that the teacher could teach how to cook/bake and how to buy products in order to cook at home. How many schools have you seen with a room that has 6 stoves and a frig in it? Not only does this go back on the parents with not teaching kids how to cook, but it also goes back on the schools too. Surprise, surprise.

In my local grocery store today (which is usually higher than average) a can of Campbells soup was $2.55. I bought over 2 cases of cream soups last week on sale for $1 each. I didn't really need them, but I know those sales will likely be a thing of the past very soon, even though that's what I'm used to paying for Campbells soup.

I also got the garden in. I'm hoping to be able to can or freeze some veges out of that that we can eat over the winter. A simple gardening class in high school should be mandatory. It's a skill that could be used throughout life. Yet, gender studies is more important I guess. I suppose I'm getting a bit off topic here, but faced with this inflation (as posed by the OP) I would buy when the deals are good and provide my own food whenever possible, while still stocking away what I can't produce myself.

 

[Amish Heart]

Wise advice to buy when the sales are good. I'm at that point, have a very good storage of food, so now I just seek out buys to add, until I can't afford to buy anything anymore. And unfortunately, I think we will all see that time. I missed Home Ec in school. I went to school in California, and there wasn't that class, even 60 yrs ago. Our little granddaughter's charter school in our little town here has renewed their charter and changed it to an AG school. It is K thru 8th grade, 3/4 amish attending, and has maybe 50 students total. They raised meat chickens this year, then had a community barbeque to raise money thru donations to put into more animals/plants next school year. Hoping they'll also do cooking and other projects, but not sure. The amish girls that go there only go till 8th grade, then stay at home and learn to run a household. It is alot different here than the city we left.

 

[Magus]

When gas tops 5.00 a gallon nationwide, its on!

 

[Magus]

1$ to go here...

 

[jazzy]

my favorite goya 1lb hams, a case of 12 was $39 then $50, now its over $100, i was hoping to get another case but thats out im still getting an email from walmart telling me i have things in my cart and i should check out right away to ensure availability..

 

[Tommyice]

This past March I purchased a 10 pound bag of yellow potatoes at BJ's. It was $4.99. Today I picked up the same 10 pound bag of yellow potatoes. It was $7.49. It's gone up about a dollar a month. Interestingly butter was the same price. I expected that to be higher this trip.

 

[ladycat]

In case you haven't heard, Kraft-Heinz announced that they will be raising prices in August, some items as much as 30%.
Of course you know if they raise prices, their competitors will as well.
Grocery price increases are about to get a whole lot worse.

 

[LadyLocust]

When gas tops 5.00 a gallon nationwide, its on!

I just saw this - $5 was last weeks national average. Today the radio announced national average is $5.10. @Morgan101 mentioned the tracking of inflation at one point, but not sure which thread.