Concerns About Inflation?

[kgtest]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ivinsfan Robbie you know this from personal experience. And inflation is a group problem not something that comes along and whacks you on the head causing personal loss. OP you are in a much better position then a lot of people if inflation comes along.

We are all in the same inflation boat. It basically means less for more.

Food prices are up.
Gas prices are up.
Home prices are up.

Eat less, travel less, live less...or spend more. Inflation hit our family hard...so I am out there battling it by earning more...with a better paying job, and side-hustle income. I could do the opposite and do less, eat less, travel less but that seems less than desirable so I make changes on the income side instead of the budget cutting side.

[ERObjd]

inflation is certainly noticeable and will likely mean that many of us poorer investers will not invest as much. $$ earmarked for investing will likely go to pay for food, utilities fuel and other consumer staples. we try and invest about $1000 per month but will likely cut that down to $700 or $800 for a while untill hopefully this inflation recedes and sadly that could be many months or even years.
heating fuels propane heating oil and natural gas are really going to increase from 30 to 50% . I was lucky that I read an email I got from black hill energy (company that provides natural gas to our house here in Lincoln Ne. It was on 8 Oct.. the very last day to lock in a price for natural gas for the season. most years we don't but I have a feeling I wont regret locking in a price this winter.

Anyone else on this forum take the option to lock in heating fuel price natural gas,heating oil or propane??

[razztazz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERObjd inflation is certainly noticeable and will likely mean that many of us poorer investers will not invest as much. $$ earmarked for investing will likely go to pay for food, utilities fuel and other consumer staples. we try and invest about $1000 per month but will likely cut that down to $700 or $800 for a while untill hopefully this inflation recedes and sadly that could be many months or even years. heating fuels propane heating oil and natural gas are really going to increase from 30 to 50% . I was lucky that I read an email I got from black hill energy (company that provides natural gas to our house here in Lincoln Ne. It was on 8 Oct.. the very last day to lock in a price for natural gas for the season. most years we don't but I have a feeling I wont regret locking in a price this winter. Anyone else on this forum take the option to lock in heating fuel price natural gas,heating oil or propane??

I have Black Hills in Iowa. I was not given any kind of choice to lock-in anything. I got a letter saying gas prices "could go up by as much as 94%"

[Lakedog]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERObjd Anyone else on this forum take the option to lock in heating fuel price natural gas,heating oil or propane??

One local propane company offers a sale price on propane every September so I usually buy my estimated annual usage at that time as they will deliver as needed as long as delivery is within 12 months.

[ivinsfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lakedog One local propane company offers a sale price on propane every September so I usually buy my estimated annual usage at that time as they will deliver as needed as long as delivery is within 12 months.

We do that as well, I think maybe one time in the last 25 years we could have filled cheaper in winter.


As far sale price they just call winter fill, so IDK if ours is really a sale.


Lots of grain dryers around here so demand is high from Sept to Spring.

[Mr._Graybeard]

DW and I took a 200-mile road trip over the long weekend on Interstates and arterial highways. I noticed that the volume of 18-wheeler traffic was down significantly. It made the drive a lot more pleasant, but I think it was probably a sign of the country's supply-chain glitches. Trucks belonging to our region's biggest carrier, Schneider National, were nowhere to be seen. We were driving on a Thursday and a Saturday.

While stocking up for the trip at our local Kroger store, I considered buying a gallon of distilled vinegar, which we use to clean out the coffeepot. The price was over $2 (vs. the $1 I've paid in the past). On the other hand, I bought several cans of diced tomatoes for 59 cents each.

[ERObjd]

Had I not noticed the email on the last day to do a price lock I would not have known.ussualy I delete most emails as junk spam. Wife said we got a postcard about lock in price last summer from black hill. W e more than likely shredded it. It was sheer luck that I looked at the email and locked in price online at the black hill energy web site only a few hours before midnight on 8 Oct.it expired at midnight on that date.

[razztazz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERObjd Had I not noticed the email on the last day to do a price lock I would not have known.ussualy I delete most emails as junk spam. Wife said we got a postcard about lock in price last summer from black hill. W e more than likely shredded it. It was sheer luck that I looked at the email and locked in price online at the black hill energy web site only a few hours before midnight on 8 Oct.it expired at midnight on that date.

Ok makes sense. I probably got the same thing but blew it off as BLACK HILLS ENERGY saying something about THEM locking in prices because I have never been involved with "locking in prices" with any utility. Moons and moons ago when I lived in Upstate NY and bought propane and #2 oil, that was part of the game every August or so, but not on city gas lines.

[VFK57]

My old 4Runner (18.5 years) was running great but with years and mileage going up so was gas (averaging 16-16.5 m p g) so I decided to replace it with my last new, more gas saving car. It was very easy to get a good price for my 4Runner but a new Toyota RAV4 Prime was not so. I was shocked when I got bids from local dealers. All of offers for a very few available cars were with the dealers "Mark Up". The most fair, San Francisco Toyota, offered only $2,000 mark up on a ballooned manufacturer MSRP but no cars in stock, all of the buyers were on a waiting list from 6 to 12 + months and no guarantee for the current MSRP price. The rest of the dealers offered $6,000 for only Black color cars and up to $21,000 for preferred colors of XSE model. I ended up overpaying current average Mark up. The only good deal from it was that I will return the $7,500 of what I overpaid with 2021 Federal Tax return what will almost cover the "mark up" (of course if the IRS would not end up with premature cancellation on those "electric vehicles refund"). Surely these are signs of what is coming.

[Koolau]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VFK57 My old 4Runner (18.5 years) was running great but with years and mileage going up so was gas (averaging 16-16.5 m p g) so I decided to replace it with my last new, more gas saving car. It was very easy to get a good price for my 4Runner but a new Toyota RAV4 Prime was not so. I was shocked when I got bids from local dealers. All of offers for a very few available cars were with the dealers "Mark Up". The most fair, San Francisco Toyota, offered only $2,000 mark up on a ballooned manufacturer MSRP but no cars in stock, all of the buyers were on a waiting list from 6 to 12 + months and no guarantee for the current MSRP price. The rest of the dealers offered $6,000 for only Black color cars and up to $21,000 for preferred colors of XSE model. I ended up overpaying current average Mark up. The only good deal from it was that I will return the $7,500 of what I overpaid with 2021 Federal Tax return what will almost cover the "mark up" (of course if the IRS would not end up with premature cancellation on those "electric vehicles refund"). Surely these are signs of what is coming.

I've come to the sad conclusion that the old, less efficient vehicle I own (RAV 4 - which only gets about 25 mpg) will have to do for a while longer. Unless it croaks, I will NOT buy a new car until the prices stabilize and the dealers stop gauging. I can buy a lot of gas for the extra "dealer profit" add-on. In any case, right now, I'd probably look for a 5 or 6 year old Toyota sedan (Corolla or Camry). Not "great" milage, but decent. And the cost would be 1/3 of the new cars. Just my personal preference. I certainly understand the lure of a new car - especially with stunningly good fuel mileage. YMMV

[VFK57]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koolau I've come to the sad conclusion that the old, less efficient vehicle I own (RAV 4 - which only gets about 25 mpg) will have to do for a while longer. Unless it croaks, I will NOT buy a new car until the prices stabilize and the dealers stop gauging. I can buy a lot of gas for the extra "dealer profit" add-on. In any case, right now, I'd probably look for a 5 or 6 year old Toyota sedan (Corolla or Camry). Not "great" milage, but decent. And the cost would be 1/3 of the new cars. Just my personal preference. I certainly understand the lure of a new car - especially with stunningly good fuel mileage. YMMV

I think that inflation is not easily subsided and here to stay. If it is to stay, I do not see the reason to wait since if within a year I would go car shopping instead of 2 weeks ago, who knows what that car would cost.

[Koolau]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VFK57 I think that inflation is not easily subsided and here to stay. If it is to stay, I do not see the reason to wait since if within a year I would go car shopping instead of 2 weeks ago, who knows what that car would cost.

I see your point. I too don't think inflation will soon subside. Having said that, one of the ways to deal with inflation is to "make do" with "less" (poorer cuts of meat, frozen fruits and vegetables, used cars instead of new, etc.) Just another point of view and definitely YMMV.

[Markola]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koolau I see your point. I too don't think inflation will soon subside. Having said that, one of the ways to deal with inflation is to "make do" with "less" (poorer cuts of meat, frozen fruits and vegetables, used cars instead of new, etc.) Just another point of view and definitely YMMV.

Yeah, there’s the inflation rate and then there’s one’s more manageable personal inflation rate, as described in the classic “Your Money or Your Life.”

[Chuckanut]

Here's an interesting artile from the WSJ on how some companies feel about continuig to raise prices:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-com...d=hp_lead_pos2

Some quotes for those who can't get around the paywall.

Quote:

Some of the world’s biggest companies are betting consumers will keep paying more for products from coffee to toilet paper.

Quote:

Many consumers accumulated savings amid the pandemic and are benefiting from higher wages, leaving them with extra cash as the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus keeps them home and lessens the appeal of dining out, staying in hotels and traveling by air.

Quote:

Both companies reiterated their confidence. Nestlé said its coffee category is its biggest contributor to growth, with its Nescafé, Nespresso and Starbucks brands all growing. P&G said investments the company has made over the years into higher-quality products with new features—such as new razorblades and handles and softer toilet paper—will keep consumers paying higher prices even if household budgets tighten.

Quote:

“As some of the stimulus fades and people start paying their rents, pricing is going to be more of an issue,” said Nik Modi, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets.

I recall reading that some economists believe once price increases hit 5%+ consumers wills start to luck on lower priced alternatives.

[Koolau]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Markola Yeah, there’s the inflation rate and then there’s one’s more manageable personal inflation rate, as described in the classic “Your Money or Your Life.”

Yes, up to a point, we can control our own inflation rates by substituting, delaying or doing without. We have already started that - not so much because we have to in order to survive financially. It's more about an ingrained defense mechanism that we've built up over the years. Just moving to a HCOL area made us alter our spending habits years ago. It become almost instinctive now.

At some point, we won't be able to escape the effects of inflation. I'm sure that will happen to all of us. YMMV

[cyber888]

When all companies increase prices - their revenues will go up - earnings will go up, and the Stock market will keep up with inflation. Still better to keep investing in stocks than putting money in cash

[Koolau]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cyber888 When all companies increase prices - their revenues will go up - earnings will go up, and the Stock market will keep up with inflation. Still better to keep investing in stocks than putting money in cash

Agreed. That's the way it should be. As long as you have some cash on the side to weather the times when what should be, isn't. YMMV

[Scuba]

If one of us needed a new car anytime soon, I’d argue strongly for cutting down to one vehicle. We live in an area where Uber, Lyft, and taxis are plentiful, and we can walk or bike many places. We haven’t cut down to one car yet because the cost of keeping two isn’t too onerous.

[RetiredHappy]

We went from 3 cars to 2 cars and then we had to get rid of 1 car when we bought a golf cart because we only have 2 parking spaces. Everything was fine until in April, when our car battery ran flat and had to get COVID tests done in order to get on a flight to Hawaii. We were in a panic and found a neighbor to take us to the testing place. We don't use Uber or Lyft because we oppose their business model. Taxis are hard to find.

[Sunset]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scuba If one of us needed a new car anytime soon, I’d argue strongly for cutting down to one vehicle. We live in an area where Uber, Lyft, and taxis are plentiful, and we can walk or bike many places. We haven’t cut down to one car yet because the cost of keeping two isn’t too onerous.

+1
I have thought this for years, we have 2 vehicles and I'm the pretty much the only driver. I alternate vehicles so the batteries will stay up.
But we only drive ~ 4,000 miles per year in total between the 2 vehicles !

I just need DW to agree