How Do You Keep Up With Inflation?

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HappyDaze
Posts: 4186
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2019 11:11 am

Re: How Do You Keep Up With Inflation?

Post by HappyDaze »

ChristmasTrees wrote: Tue Jan 12, 2021 9:07 pm This topic is going to be so interesting. Sheila....you ROCK! I would however be REALLY cold in your house. I am much better in the cold than in the heat..but as I get older..I find I get cold at night.

I also use my credit card and pay it off in full every month. It used to be that the rewards were a better deal if you opted for a gift card..but now with my card it is equal so I just apply the dollar amount to my balance.

I am trying so hard to not waste a single scrap of food..but it gets away from me sometimes. The wasted food bothers me more than the money I spent on it.
Trees, it was cold in the house today. I'm working from home as a precaution due to having very mild cold symptoms. I wore two sweaters, socks and slippers and was still cold so I brought the portable heater into the living room where I was working and put it right next to me.

I went into my daughter's part of the house at one point (by invitation, lol) and noticed she has bubble wrap on some of her windows and heavy curtains. She was also wearing a sweater, scarf and slippers with socks. Good kid!
"All his life he tried to be a good person. Many times, however, he failed. After all, he was only human. He wasn't a dog."

Charles M. Schultz
ChristmasTrees
Posts: 3982
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 12:53 am

Re: How Do You Keep Up With Inflation?

Post by ChristmasTrees »

HappyDaze wrote: Wed Jan 13, 2021 7:44 pm Trees, it was cold in the house today. I'm working from home as a precaution due to having very mild cold symptoms. I wore two sweaters, socks and slippers and was still cold so I brought the portable heater into the living room where I was working and put it right next to me.

I went into my daughter's part of the house at one point (by invitation, lol) and noticed she has bubble wrap on some of her windows and heavy curtains. She was also wearing a sweater, scarf and slippers with socks. Good kid!
You should see me at night too. Socks..slippers...pajamas...fleece...and a blanket...:)
Happychoice
Posts: 112
Joined: Sat May 06, 2017 3:15 pm
Location: Ontario, Canada

Re: How Do You Keep Up With Inflation?

Post by Happychoice »

How Do You Keep Up With Inflation?
In a couple of harsh words..... I don't.

Hard example here. My home is an apartment style condo. The monthly maintenance fee for 2021 increased by 11%. My income has not nor will it increase by that much, maybe not even by the rate of inflation. I don't have a mortgage, so living here is still much less than renting an apartment. I love my home, and I am comfortable and cozy in it.

I will cope with this increase by being very aware of choices I make. By making well thought out purchases, I won't have to use retirement investments. At least that's how it looks right now, but who knows what might pop up to derail this point. One never knows.

The choices I make will be different from yours and everyone else's but are the ones I can live with that make me happy. ie, I subscribed to Netflix and have paid for it two times, but I think that I'm not getting the value/enjoyment out of it that I think I should, but I do love watching hockey and the season has started again, so I've subscribed to it because it will bring loads of entertainment until July. Netflix will be cancelled before the next payment is due. My library, through the Hoopla app, gives me a large selection of movies for entertainment. I also do periodic assessment of all expenditures.

This year of dealing with a pandemic has given me good lessons. Lessons about what has value to me and what doesn't. Lessons about what I need or don't. I say "no" to MYSELF more often than I used to. Being vigilant about stretching cash is important.
Happiness is a choice!
rinty
Posts: 1919
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 3:54 am

Re: How Do You Keep Up With Inflation?

Post by rinty »

Ditto, we have saved thousands in lockdown. I see a tour of the Canadian Rockies when travelling is actually safe . Right now, expenses this weekend will be.................NIL

No petrol as we can't travel more than 5 miles . no need to food shop. I would rather die than use Deliveroo/just eat for COLD takeaway food so never any expense there.

I'll craft and walk x And phone and zoom x
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MackerelCat
Posts: 7257
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 9:44 pm

Re: How Do You Keep Up With Inflation?

Post by MackerelCat »

I think DH being sent home to work as a result of Covid really saved us when I wasn't working. He used to spend so much money at work: snacks and drinks from the vending machines, eating lunch out every day, and $100 a month on gas. It turned out that work was costing him about $600 a month (seriously!), and suddenly that expense was gone. Our grocery costs went up some due to him eating more at home, but it was a pittance compared to what he'd been spending.
Mackie
HappyDaze
Posts: 4186
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2019 11:11 am

Re: How Do You Keep Up With Inflation?

Post by HappyDaze »

UGHHHHH...after doing a lot of research and crunching my numbers, I reduced my retirement contribution by a couple of percentage points. "They" say - it's better if you have debt to aggressively pay off the debt and THEN increase your retirement contributions - so I'm sticking with that.

I'm comfortable with what I'm contributing and my employer is generously contributing - so it's okay. When/if we finally get our pay increase in the spring, I will likely increase it again - which is what I usually do when I get a pay increase.
"All his life he tried to be a good person. Many times, however, he failed. After all, he was only human. He wasn't a dog."

Charles M. Schultz
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