Less expensive than ever!

[bolt]

In the same theme: I see inflationary red flags everywhere.

These guys, particularly Jeremy Seigel, recent info is noise as we all know, but I too see excess inflationary red flags ahead!

Good luck & Best wishes......

 

[NW-Bound]

When it comes to cheaper items, most people name computers or electronic items. Yes, these have benefited the most from technology advances.

But there are many other smaller household items that have gotten so cheap, but because they were never big-ticket items, we tend to forget about them. Among these are small plastic molded articles.

Somehow, I still remember back in 1980, we had to drive quite a few miles to a FedMart (defunct in 1982) to buy plastic clothes hangers, because they were on sale. I could not remember how much they were, except that they were more expensive than wire clothes hangers, and more desirable.

Chinese manufacturers have flooded the market with things made from plastic. And although we take these inexpensive things for granted, it's not easy to mold plastic, and it took people a while to know how to do it cheaply.

 

[MRG]

Yep. Our health insurance cost has more than doubled in 4 years. Huge premium, high deductibles and OOP max, but a lot of choice which is why we keep it. And we are fortunate not to have any chronic conditions.

Last year my unsubsidized premium was 50% lower. State wide if was closer to a 20% cut with rural areas seeing larger decreases.

 

[sengsational]

Chinese manufacturers have flooded the market with things made from plastic. And although we take these inexpensive things for granted, it's not easy to mold plastic, and it took people a while to know how to do it cheaply.

You will find me repeating on this board and IRL how much value I derive from Chinese imports, usually eBay, but they're making their way to Amazon, and of course big box stores. And it's not just plastic stuff. Below is a drill I got an hour ago at Harbor Freight for $25. I'm amazed by the utility per dollar of this kind of thing compared to the old days. And even if you don't shop Chinese, you benefit because having these items available at these prices keep the prices down on non-imports. I was, at one point, wringing my hands about offshoring manufacturing capabilities, but we've been doing that a long time, and still managing pretty well. But I digress. "These are the good old days", enjoy them!

 

[NW-Bound]

You will find me repeating on this board and IRL how much value I derive from Chinese imports, usually eBay, but they're making their way to Amazon, and of course big box stores. And it's not just plastic stuff. Below is a drill I got an hour ago at Harbor Freight for $25. I'm amazed by the utility per dollar of this kind of thing compared to the old days. And even if you don't shop Chinese, you benefit because having these items available at these prices keep the prices down on non-imports. I was, at one point, wringing my hands about offshoring manufacturing capabilities, but we've been doing that a long time, and still managing pretty well. But I digress. "These are the good old days", enjoy them!

Dang! $25 for a cordless drill, with lithium battery too!

And I still have not gotten around to see how I can retrofit lithium cells into my NiCad cordless drills. I have 3 of them.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Vehicles are so much better than when I grew up, for $3500 my son has a Civic with 110k miles it's very reliable plus it's good on gas. Gas is expensive much more than the $1 I paid when I first started driving but I was getting 10-12mpg now 32-39mpg.

One of our adult kids also bought a used car with around 100K miles on it and it has been a great buy. Cars may be more expensive these days, but the per mile lifetime cost seems to have improved, between lower gas prices, less repairs and 200K lifetime miles, instead of under 100K.

 

[Markola]

5/mo is on the Hello Mobile website. It is their regular price just needs to list all their plans.

The only thing that is unattractive is they charge hotspot feature separately for $15/mo.

We went with Visible, which uses the Verizon network and includes the hotspot. Since we formed a group of 3 users, it’s $25 each for unlimited everything. I’ve been as happy with it as I was paying full freight at Verizon.

 

[SmallCityDave]

One of our adult kids also bought a used car with around 100K miles on it and it has been a great buy. Cars may be more expensive these days, but the per mile lifetime cost seems to have improved, between lower gas prices, less repairs and 200K lifetime miles, instead of under 100K.

I remember the good ol days when it was tough to get a 100k miles out of a car and you would be replacing the alternator, starter and spark plugs very other year.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I remember the good ol days when it was tough to get a 100k miles out of a car and you would be replacing the alternator, starter and spark plugs very other year.

It has taken me some time to get my head around the fact that buying a used car with 100k miles these days can be a good deal. But we had our mechanic check out the car one of our kids bought and they said it was in good shape. It probably has another 20K miles on it by now, with no major repair issues.

 

[NW-Bound]

I remember the good ol days when it was tough to get a 100k miles out of a car and you would be replacing the alternator, starter and spark plugs very other year.

I still remember replacing stuck thermostats routinely, and even water pumps by the side of the street.

 

[Major Tom]

We went with Visible, which uses the Verizon network and includes the hotspot. Since we formed a group of 3 users, it’s $25 each for unlimited everything. I’ve been as happy with it as I was paying full freight at Verizon.

You mean 4 users, I think (3 in addition to yourself). I use a Visible phone as my hotspot, for all my home and mobile internet needs. Great value for $25/month including all taxes and fees.

 

[Jerry1]

I remember the good ol days when it was tough to get a 100k miles out of a car and you would be replacing the alternator, starter and spark plugs very other year.

Even the manufacturers didn't expect you to get 100K miles out of their cars. Remember the analog miles driven gage that only had 5 digits? When (if) you hit 100K miles, you'd start over. The only indication on the gage that it turned over was that the digits didn't line up.

 

[brett]

We travel quite a bit. Well, at least pre covid and hopefully post covid.

We think air fares, especially international, are an absolute bargain. It seems we pay less than we did 15 years ago.

Low cost carriers in Europe, Asia, and Australia are an even bigger bargain in a space that used to be left to the nationals.

 

[NW-Bound]

Well, the earth circumference is only 24,000 miles. If you drive a car an equivalent distance of 4 times around the earth, it was already pretty good, come to think of it.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

Remember the analog miles driven gage that only had 5 digits?

Yes!

I don't know exactly what to call those gauges, but I don't think I would call them "analog." Well, maybe the tenths digit was "analog," but the rest were not.

 

[Car-Guy]

I remember the good ol days when it was tough to get a 100k miles out of a car and you would be replacing the alternator, starter and spark plugs very other year.

I remember them very well.

Add water pumps, fuel pumps, belts/hoses, points/condensers, various lights and drum brakes shoes to your lists of "frequently" changed parts. The list goes on and on... YMMV

But those were also the days when a hammer, screwdriver, pliers and a roll of electrical tape could fix (at least temporarily) a bunch of problems while on the road.

 

[Nick12]

I remember them very well.

Add water pumps, fuel pumps, belts/hoses, points/condensers, various lights and drum brakes shoes to your lists of "frequently" changed parts. The list goes on and on... YMMV

But those were also the days when a hammer, screwdriver, pliers and a roll of electrical tape could fix (at least temporarily) a bunch of problems while on the road.

There was a 1980s movie called Gung Ho about a Japanese car company sending their execs to the USA to train US workers at a car plant. In our experience Dodge and Olds were made like crap and ran like it, falling apart in a few years. The Toyotas and Hondas were bulletproof and this was 35-40 years ago.

 

[Car-Guy]

^^^^^^]
That was my view too back in the 70's and 80's... The Japaneses had the US car industry beat, at least for quality and reliability.... Was that true? Probably!... But things have changed a lot since the late 90's.. Of course Olds is out of the picture now but Dodge (FCA) has come a long way... The last five new vehicles I've own have been FCA products and I have never had to put any of them in the shop for anything. Before that I had several Toyota's. Never had any problems with them either... BTW, the Toyota's I bought were all made here in the US too.. So I think the US car industry has come back....

 

[SecondCor521]

Yes!

I don't know exactly what to call those gauges, but I don't think I would call them "analog." Well, maybe the tenths digit was "analog," but the rest were not.

If you go back far enough, the odometers were completely analog. Little toothed gears with the appropriate ratios.

https://www.123rf.com/photo_27464513_automobile-analogue-speedometer-and-odometer.html

 

[Golden sunsets]

Clothes and, to some extent, electronics, are examples of "you get what you pay for". Cheaper materials, manufactured in countries less diligent about pollution and worker safety, thrown way too soon into landfills where synthetic materials don't biodegrade and some of the chemicals in electronics pollute the groundwater (typically in developing countries that accept our waste). Things fall apart faster and new ones are cheap so- why not? I'd like to see some things made to last longer and be repairable and I'd be willing to pay more.

Telecommunications- absolutely. I remember my first "brick" cell phone- I really had to be diligent to keep it under $100/month and that was 1995. And I practically giggle when I switch out my SIM card to one I buy somewhere in Europe and it's up and running.

My cell phone bill in 1996 ran about $1,300/mo. Once the new era of cell phone service became available, around 1998. my bill dropped to $100/mo. Now it's $36/mo for unlimited calling/texting/data.

 

[Chuckanut]

I still remember replacing stuck thermostats routinely, and even water pumps by the side of the street.

I remember 'static tuning' my old VW using a 12 volt bulb with a couple of wires attached to it, and turning the engine with a socket wrench.

My 2004 Camry which I sold to my kid for a pittance, is still running strong at nearly 200,000 miles, though it looks like it should be hauled to the junkyard. But, that is mainly due to the high cost of body repair these days. $2000+ to replace a dented rear quarter panel!! No way.

 

[tryan]

Flat screen TVs ... used to be you hd to mortgage your house to get a 50" .... now $300

 

[Sunset]

We are still driving our 1998 Camry !

I don't even think about fixing our new cars. But in the past I once used a knife to get my rough running Lada (Russian Car) back on the road, because the dealer couldn't get to it for 4 days!
I scraped clean the distributor cap and points with the knife and it ran fine

 

[brett]

Even the manufacturers didn't expect you to get 100K miles out of their cars. Remember the analog miles driven gage that only had 5 digits? When (if) you hit 100K miles, you'd start over. The only indication on the gage that it turned over was that the digits didn't line up.

The cars of today are so much safer. As per above, they are much better built, less mtce, and they last longer. l

 

[NW-Bound]

I remember 'static tuning' my old VW using a 12 volt bulb with a couple of wires attached to it, and turning the engine with a socket wrench.

My 2004 Camry which I sold to my kid for a pittance, is still running strong at nearly 200,000 miles, though it looks like it should be hauled to the junkyard. But, that is mainly due to the high cost of body repair these days. $2000+ to replace a dented rear quarter panel!! No way.

The other day, I took out my timing strobe light to check the timing on my 2000 car. Yes, I can change the timing by rotating the distributor body, although the ignition is electronic and point-less.

My son, a mechanical engineer, had not seen one in use. He said, "It's so cool".