Since a lot of us here have expressed interest in not starving to death in a gutter, I figured I'd start a weekly thread to discuss financial matters.
Ground Rules
- Remember that we're all just Internet randos. Don't bet your life savings on a hot tip from this thread.
- Keep culture war in the culture war thread. Yes, global events may impact our personal finances, but that does not mean we have to incessantly harp on culture war aspects here. If you are going to discuss it, please stick to the practical impacts of it on an individual level.
- Be kind. Remember that everyone here comes from different circumstances. We all have different resources available and different risk tolerances.
- Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Better is better. Celebrate people when they take a step up and work to move their finances in the right direction. Don't flame out because they haven't followed what you consider the optimal path. Everybody has to start somewhere.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Notes -
US inflation numbers are looking pretty rough.
How do things feel on the ground around you? What are you doing to compensate?
Around me, I'm seeing price increases in groceries, but not as bad as some previous spikes over the last five years. I've scaled back my beef and seafood intake, and I'm buying more pork and chicken to pick up the slack.
The fuel shock has me driving less, and buying at my local Sam's Club instead of at whatever gas station happens to be nearby. It's not a huge part of my budget, but the fact that the price is highly visible as I go about my day makes the psychological aspect a lot more pressing.
3.8% rate translates to about 0.3% increase in a month, which is small enough that I haven't noticed anything in particular. However, I've certainly taken notice of the gasoline prices going up to $4+/gallon (I think I saw $6+/gallon for diesel). I'm in a fortunate enough situation that I barely drive and my public transportation costs are subsidized by my workplace, so this hasn't affected my life directly, but I can only imagine how much gig economy workers are suffering, along with everyone who actually commutes via driving their own vehicles.
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