What are people cutting back on?

[ls99]

I wash my car once a year whether it needs it or not.

I just washed my car, it was raining on the way back from the coffee shop.

 

[Koolau]

I've always wondered, if I wash my car before driving on a long trip, will it get a measurable better gas mileage than if I leave the year's worth of dust/dirt on it ?

Maybe I'd be better off just waiting for the wind to be blowing in the direction I'm driving

I noticed it made a difference on an aircraft. Washing off the accumulated dirt/grime and pigeon droppings and then waxing the thing added a couple of Knots to my C-150 at same power setting. So, whether washing/waxing a car would be noticeable - I don't know. It couldn't hurt.

Taking advantage of a tail wind in an aircraft is even more amazing. It's literally mph tailwind added to air speed = ground speed. Heh, heh, YMMV.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I do think most folks on ER can handle the turmoil and costs created by the current inflation, and really do not cut back on many things.

However, I do feel for those pensioners (Yes, hard to admit it sometimes but a lot of us are pensioners) on a "limited" lower fixed income, like those who have to survive on SS only. I also feel for the homeless shelters that are having to deal with higher food prices. I do try to help them offset those higher costs so those in need do not need to cut back on their meals.

 

[grasshopper]

Ms G commented about the price of organic foods. It is all I can do to help the critters and birds in South America and all over. Coffee and bananas grown organically are better for the workers too.

 

[SecondCor521]

Taking advantage of a tail wind in an aircraft is even more amazing. It's literally mph tailwind added to air speed = ground speed. Heh, heh, YMMV.

Yeah, but then most of the time you have to turn around and fly back

 

[Montecfo]

Not really cutting back but continuing to be value oriented. But we are retired, in our go-go years, so we travel a lot but when home we just relax and enjoy ourselves and friends.

Shop around for groceries. Spend little on gas.

 

[Ian S]

Not really cutting back but continuing to be value oriented. But we are retired, in our go-go years, so we travel a lot but when home we just relax and enjoy ourselves and friends.

Shop around for groceries. Spend little on gas.

Kind of our situation too, certainly not cutting back and keeping to our existing ways of always shopping the good deals.

We just returned from a trip to Maui and Kauai. Just plain hotels - no resorts - Southwest non-stop flights and several tours with everything adding up to around $10K. Next year we plan on Europe again - essentially the same trip we had all planned for May 2020. This time we will plan on non-stop flights and are looking at the worth of premium economy vs business class seats.

We just replaced DH's 18 y.o. Camry with a brand new one but with a few more bells and whistles. It doesn't hurt that DM's estate is in probate so we will be getting a nice six figure inheritance sometime this year. No debts but some upcoming maintenace on our home. I'll soon be 71 so want to do as much international travel as we can in the next few years. Life is short as they say.

 

[zaqxsw]

Not cutting back on much. Luckily, we're still in the "blow that dough" category. But we eat out a lot and I do notice dining places are not as full as they use to be. Especially in bubba areas with big trucks. The positive side is that it sure is quieter!

I hate the surprise "added fee for inflation" in a restaurant. What an insult. Just build it into your prices. I've only seen it once.

I really over tip. I've got it and they don't. It's hitting the lower earners a lot!

 

[corn18]

Stopped DoorDash

Quit smoking

Stopped paying for the person behind me in the fast food drive through

 

[braumeister]

Stopped paying for the person behind me in the fast food drive through

Ah, now I understand how some people get all those "followers" on Twitter.

 

[aja8888]

Ah, now I understand how some people get all those "followers" on Twitter.

Facebook too!

 

[Koolau]

Yeah, but then most of the time you have to turn around and fly back

Heh, heh, only fly WITH the wind or don't go.

Seriously, one time we flew to a fly-in restaurant against quite a wind. It took 45 minutes to fly about 60 miles or so. On the way back it took about 20 minutes. That was unusual but not unheard of.

 

[Chuckanut]

I will take my cues from James Bond when it comes to eliminating things from my life.

 

[bclover]

haven't really cut back yet but I am painfully aware that it cost 10% more to come home with the same amount of groceries. ouch.

If anything right now I'm probably stocking up, memorial day grocery stores around here had beef burgers and rib eyes on sale so I brought a few extra

 

[RobbieB]

Nothing yet. I'll try again next month.

 

[Koolau]

haven't really cut back yet but I am painfully aware that it cost 10% more to come home with the same amount of groceries. ouch.

If anything right now I'm probably stocking up, memorial day grocery stores around here had beef burgers and rib eyes on sale so I brought a few extra

So far, I haven't really checked a batch of groceries. I just see individual prices rising from time to time. I know it adds up but maybe I just don't want to know how bad it is.

 

[athena53]

Not much. I withdraw $X/year, which is a sustainable amount and it's more than I need. What's left over goes to charity and the grandkids' 529s. I've also written out checks to DS and DDIL for $15K each of the past 3 years because I didn't need it. So, I may cut back on some of that if things get really bad.

I don't buy meat, rarely buy fish and won't cut back on the quality of my other groceries.

My car gets over 40 mpg. It's not gonna save me a ton of money if I turn on the A/C for a 10-mile trip. I don't get BF- he drives a Kia, so also low-mileage but every weekday he drives around town and does errands- pays his rent and cable bill in person, stops at the bank and checks his balance at the ATM (yes, he knows you can do that on-line), doesn't consolidate errands. He just likes to get out.

And I don't get the people idling in the drive-through line at Starbucks, either.

 

[Koolau]

Not much.

And I don't get the people idling in the drive-through line at Starbucks, either.

Actually, idling takes relatively little fuel. Even though gas has doubled in price, to me the main thing is paying $3 or more for a cup of coffee. A couple ounces of fuel, I can still afford. 16 ounces of coffee - not so much.

This site would suggest it's unlikely you would spend a dollar at today's prices idling for an hour but YMMV.

https://www.energy.gov/eere/vehicle...umption-selected-gasoline-and-diesel-vehicles

 

[ncbill]

Will be selling the thirsty diesel truck one of my kids just "had to have" a few years ago since diesel is nearing $6/gallon even here in flyover country.

Will then have him drive my ancient (3rd generation) Camry instead.

 

[rk911]

don’t know if we qualify as “really rich” but we lead a simple life and
have been living beneath our means for 25-30 years. we have a positive cash flow each month so from our perspective not much has changed.

 

[ElizabethT]

Two things come to mind, and if relevant, I think we'd be considered Fat Fire'd:

- The rise in gas prices is doing a real number on me mentally, so I'm trying to stay at one tank fill a month with our SUV, the car I drive primarily, meaning I'm weighing any trip against what it will cost in gas. This does seem really silly in that a rise in cost of $40 a tank (it's risen from $80 to $120) is still a drop in the bucket of our overall budget. And yet, it is something I'm thinking of. I'm also driving our 60 mpg Prius more often than I used to (I generally prefer our SUV for a variety of reasons).

- The rise in restaurant pricing has altered where we elect to go, and when. We very much enjoy dining out, but have recalibrated our circle of go-to places to include some terrific micro breweries and wineries that serve really good (and relatively inexpensive) food, Happy Hours at some of our area's nicer restaurants, and upscale fast casual (meaning they have a full bar in addition to food). We're also frequenting local coffee houses more often, many of which also have extensive and interesting lunch offerings.

None of the above are cut backs per se, but they do represent altered inflation behavior.

 

[jollystomper]

We have not cut back much, except perhaps for planning our daily car errands a little better. Playing a round of golf where I have a membership costs me about $6.50 in gas at the current prices, so that might be an area for future consideration. While takeout/dining out prices have gone up, 99% of the time we are getting 2+ meals out of an order so the impact is not that noticeable.

We focus on cash flow now instead of specific budget areas. YTD our cash flow is positive, about $25K ahead of the spending plan.

Several nearby towns offer free outdoor concerts/plays/dancing during the summer, we will take more advantage of that, and perhaps reduce going to paid entertainment.

Even the somewhat unplanned need (well, really desire to get back to 3 cars) to add a car sometime this year should still keep us ahead, but I will monitor and see.

 

[aaronc879]

I won't be reducing my car AC usage at all. The very small savings isn't worth it. I will however start sleeping in the basement when the summer heat starts next week so I can use a lot less AC at home. My central air unit is around 15 years old and I don't want to spend $5K for a new one any earlier than needed. Gas costs haven't seemed like a big deal to me since I drive very little. Food has been a bigger deal. I have found myself eating less while waiting for sales on the stuff I want to buy rather than paying the full price which has gone up WAY too much. I am 6'6" 175 pounds so I probably shouldn't be eating less but I have been. I'm between jobs and have only made around $3K so far this year so I have to try to keep costs down. Hopefully I am starting a new job on June 20th which will pay me enough to eat whatever I want sale or no sale. Not big money but plenty for me.

 

[easysurfer]

Being a LBYM type of person, not much to cut back on for day to day stuff.

I did cut down on traveling. Was asked by a friend to fly out for a couple of days, but after estimating airfare, plus hotel and car rental, had to pass up. It wasn't a never get to see friend again situation so I just couldn't justify the trip.

I do notice shopping wiser for groceries and been more of a bargain shopper. Plus, no way would I pay about $15/lb or so for a steak.

 

[scrabbler1]

I don't spend much anyway, so there isn't much to cut back on, except at the very margins.

Several years ago, I switched to buying exclusively Ground Chuck for chopped meat. Before, I sometimes bought the more expensive types of that. Even today, it's rarely below $5 per pound. More recently, I stopped buying the more expensive organic brown rice, sometimes from health food stores before it became more readily available from the local supermarket. A 2-pound bag cost $8 but I recently found a 5-pound bag on sale for $4. When I finish that big bag, I expect to pay something between those 2 prices per pound.

My favorite junk snack foods, potato chips and pretzels, have risen a lot in price the last few years, even pre-covid. I had been able to find the chips for $4 per pound. But nowadays, it's nearly impossible to find it that cheap. Only if it's on sale, and really marked down. Often, those $7-per-pound bags get marked down......to $6! I mutter to myself, "That's NO bargain!" Pretzels are hardly better but are more often available for $4 per pound. If I can find either below $4.50 per pound these days, I may get them.

Boneless chicken breasts used to be on sale more often, anything below $3.50 per pound was good. These days, I'm happy to find it at $4.50 per pound.

My ladyfriend seems to find bargains for my snacks and chicken at Aldi's (and milk, amazingly, for $2 per gallon, less than half what I pay at my store), so she gets some for me. It is such a PITA to get there and deal with the awful parking and crowds that I can't bother with that, even on weekdays at 10:30 AM. I have to drive her around, so on her monthly shopping sprees there I have to deal with that awful parking lot - twice!