General question about your everyday purchases

[dieselguy]

We're all getting price shock almost every other week now days on about anything we are buying. Are any of you buying say double or triple of what you normally buy so you won't have to pay the "new " price at least the next time or two you need that particular product? We're getting guilty of that very practice at the grocery store as well as Wally World, Lowes, Kohls, or Target. I'm not paying $4 for a bag of chips, so we've for some time been buying an off brand that was $2 ... then $2.29 ... now $2.49. We now buy several bags and endure the price hike farther on down the road ... small purchase example, but an example. Also ... for the products that "seem" to stay near the same price have you realized the content weight, or the actual size of the box is ever so slowly getting smaller???

[AZ Traveler]

I am an optimist waiting for prices to go down some - probably not going to happen. I refuse to lose sleep over our current inflation - it is the way of the world.

Who wants an old bag of chips?

[dieselguy]

We don't necessarily lose sleep over what we can't control, but apparently you have a much bigger jar of money buried in your backyard than we do, so for us ... every little bit helps. We go thru chips like Custer thru the Indians, so they don't get too old ... a little bit of Picante freshens them right up. How bout a bigger example? My son's pickup has 4 oxygen sensors, one went bad last fall and it was $79 at local parts store ... another one went out in June and same sensor was $104 at same parts store. We got 2 figuring another one is in our future. I could put out more examples, but surely that blows the smoke away from the campfire.

[mlh]

We live very simple. No payments on anything. We could live on our SS. Of course we couldn’t buy all the big items. We bought a new sliding glass door $5000 a new refrigerator $4500 this summer. We didn’t really need either one so they would haft to go. Other than stuff we don’t haft to have our lives haven’t changed much.
Lynwood

[AZ Traveler]

Originally Posted by dieselguy

We don't necessarily lose sleep over what we can't control, but apparently you have a much bigger jar of money buried in your backyard than we do, so for us ... every little bit helps. We go thru chips like Custer thru the Indians, so they don't get too old ... a little bit of Picante freshens them right up. How bout a bigger example? My son's pickup has 4 oxygen sensors, one went bad last fall and it was $79 at local parts store ... another one went out in June and same sensor was $104 at same parts store. We got 2 figuring another one is in our future. I could put out more examples, but surely that blows the smoke away from the campfire.

I use a just in time supply mindset. If I know something may be needed in the future I might buy it. For instance a fuel filter kit - I might keep one spare. Parts for something that might fail - not likely. We have a spare vehicle so if one sits for awhile, no big deal. Spare parts that never get used will cost more in the long run.

As prices rise we all naturally work harder to differentiate between what we want and what we need. Truth be told we need very little.

I rarely buy groceries more than 2-3 days out of planned use.

[DQDick]

We split the difference, but when we go back and forth between home bases we ussually stock up at Sam's club upon arrival on things that will keep until we use them. Didn't work that great on Jiff peanut butter this spring, however.

[MandK]

Yes and no. I did buy enough rotella 15-40 earlier this spring for the boat engines oil change this fall. I did it as I could find it over a few week period. Also got the motorcraft super duty 10-30 for the truck. Had to order the truck filters online because nobody had them. So between the boat and truck I have had 20 gallons of oil on the racks taking up space. Was in Wally World 2 days ago and they now had plenty of everything so I didn’t need to hoard it, but the rotella was almost $5 more and the superduty $4 more per gallon (actually 5 qts). So that was some real savings by getting it early. We don’t really do it on many other things, but maybe we should?

[DutchmenSport]

Over the last couple years, it's been very, very obvious the price hikes going on. The items we routinely purchased from Wall Mart was a total of $50. Then the same items crept up to $100. Now, those same items, about $200.

I'm a craft carpenter by hobby (and necessity) all my life. Two years ago I quit purchasing ANY lumber from Lowes, Home Depot, Menards, any of the big box, or small box home improvement stores. I purchase from these stores ONLY what I absolutely have to buy. A rubber boot for a water pipe drain use to cost ... maybe 95 cents. Now, almost $10.00 for the same item (which I actually did have to buy 2 weeks ago).

It has gotten down to buying items that are absolutely essential and nothing more. We have not done any "luxury" spending in over 2 years now for the very reason prices were starting to get insane then, and are even now more insane.

Nope, keeping my money for camping fees and diesel fuel. I can live without a lot of "fluff". We have not eaten out at any kind of restaurant in the last 2 or 3 years either. Their prices have gone insane too. I noticed just a couple days ago, Diet Coke 12 packs are now over $7.00. I clearly remember it wasn't THAT long ago it was less than $2.50. Buying "selectively" from the grocery store means skipping things with a price that's just too high and not willing to pay for anything.

We purchase our meats from real Mom & Pop butcher shops. Never from a big box grocery store. Wherever we travel, we search them out. The quality of the meat is better and prices are usually lower than what's going on at Wall Mart.

Yes, it does mean giving up store bought potato chips and making our own (which is actually better).

Take a potato. Use a potato peeler. Peal it to get the skin off (or leave it if you like potato skins). Use the potato peeler and continue slicing thin slivers of potatoes off. Put all those "chips" in water and let them soak for a few moments. Drain them, dry them off with a paper towel and then simply drop a few into a deep frier. About 6 minutes later, you've got potato chips and after eating them, you'll never buy store bought again! And a 10 pound bag of potatoes is a LOT cheaper than a $6 or $7 bag of air. And healthier. No additives, preservatives, coloring, or chemicals in them either.

So yea, the food pandemic has gone insane. But because of the food pandemic, we are eating much-much more healthy and much, much more wise. Actually, because of the high prices of absolutely everything, we are purchasing less, and actually saving money more!

Shop smart ... you CAN survive the food pandemic!

And oh ... about hording or bulk buying? No, we don't do that. There is simply NOT enough room in the camper to store it anywhere. We purchase everything as we go. No stockpiling. Who wants another toilet paper shortage anyway?

[Camp CA]

Originally Posted by dieselguy

..........Are any of you buying say double or triple of what you normally buy so you won't have to pay the "new " price at least the next time or two you need that particular product?.....

Never buy exta stuff.

[Mark7]

I have really changed my buying habits over the last couple of years.

Canceled vacation this year (I'm still working full time) because i wasn't going to buy $5+ diesel fuel to go sit in a campground for a week. Stayed home and did some much needed maintenance on my Montana and worked around the house instead.

Also quit eating lunch on the road when my favorite truck stop raised deli prices 40% across the board and now I bring my lunch from home.

I can afford this things, and almost anything I want (I don't need a lot) but I choose to vote with my wallet and try to send a message to those in charge that I have limits. If everyone did the same the problems would subside quickly!

Great time to buy stock tho...!