# Americans start to feel price hikes



## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Apartment rents are up. So are prices for restaurant meals, haircuts, gym memberships and a cup of coffee, so I must not be an American, well actually I was born in Cuba but I do feel very patriotic and red blooded,:teehee: this morning buttermilk biscuits came out of the oven next to fresh sausage patties for ready frozen biscuits and sausages, roasted turkey out of the Crockpot and Cuban style Picadillo or ground meat with herbs and tomato paste for a nice rice and beans meal for dinner tonight, breakfast was a spicy SOS and biscuits over eggs with boil coffee, WOW and that was this morning only folks. Plan to give myself a nice military hair cut and shave and the girls will be going to the beauty school for a free hair do, what I like to call the porcupine style cut. Anyway many Americans or fellow citizens are suffering for lack of common sense or trying to maintain an image that is only seen on TV, pound of coffee is about 3-4 dollars and will make many pots of the brew, 5 pounds of flour will turn into many biscuits and breads, and what's wrong with a good diet and a daily walk or a rusted old bike instead of a air condition gym, and since I`m paying rent why not use the stove once in a while to save some money on food,ok so many today have no cooking brain cells left over from the over use of cell phones , many drive those brand new cars on the recall list and can`t afford food at home ,many want a swimming pool in their building vs a swim at the local park pool or lake ,anyway that image is only the reflection in the mirror the real facts are in the bank or rear end pocket that holds the wallet and if we don`t change our habits we have no right to complain or bicker or take it out on the poor homeless or local drunk begging for a dime.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/rents-haircuts-americans-start-feel-165500571.html


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## bkt (Oct 10, 2008)

Well said! It sure seems Mr. Janet Yellen can't get his/her act together and decide on whether or not to hike rates. Of course, if the Fed does then everything breaks. If not, then everything breaks a little later. People are in for an interesting ride, but being a prepper certainly takes the edge off. Knowing how to cook and having the raw ingredients certainly is key to saving a lot of money and eating well.


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

*get off the gravy train..............*

Like many have stated here on this forum, we just don`t prepared for a shtf moment, we must live in the present, like a good driver we must anticipate the other driver`s move and keep a safe following distance we have to stop buying at the drop of a hat, how many things do we need anyway?, at the end of the day is your trash can full of food?, think about that for a moment, the blender is old, so what it works, I found me a bbq by the railroad tracks, a 300$ bbq ,it works find but I still use my grate and bricks, the 400$ micro needed a fuse, my Mr. Coffee came from a Goodwill, I'm trying to teach my kids simple common sense and simple common sense is what survival is all about and I don`t need a book to tell me that, we in this country are very lucky we just don`t appreciated what we have and the gravy train is full of people who just have forgotten history or fail to listen to their elders, we sit in front of the TV after work and the kids are in their rooms playing with their I-phones or you tube and nobody is learning a damn thing, take the kids shopping ,teach them how to make a meal or menu , show them how to save and show them the house bills and the budget ,if you have one ,my grandmother show me what to do with old bread ,well I pass that on to my kids ,best bread pudding around, old rice is fried rice and bananas go into bread or pancakes. Folks we just need to slow down some and stop depending so much in prepackage junk or frozen ones ,a bucket can produce a bunch of potatoes ,or tomatoes ,or carrots ,teach that to the kids ,they will eat better.


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## bigg777 (Mar 18, 2013)

rtg, you are spot on!

It seems that everyone in the U.S. today expects to start on their job, day one in the exec. suite, have endless fun and not have to pay the piper when the bills come due.

Maybe we should start every tale of modern day life with, "Once upon a time . . ."

K.I.S.S. is something we seem to have forgotten in our societal rush to be the first to have this, that and th'other. This & that cost money but, if you use your mind and muscles, with some traning, patience and time, a lot of this & that can be had inexpensively

Let's hope that we never actually have to start all of our tales of these days with"Once . . . . . .


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## Jim1590 (Jul 11, 2012)

I haven't paid for a haircut more than 3 times in the past 12 years. I got myself a decent beard trimmer that runs on batteries (easier to move around the head) and cut it short. In addition to being easy to maintain, the short hair hides any grey without the need for coloring! Like I am really that vain...

We did buy a 300+ grill on craigslist for 50 bucks, put another 50 into it with new burners and those fancy grill mats to avoid rust from the grill itself and it works great. Wanted a dishwasher but no place to put it under counter. Bought a used one on craigslist for cheap and built a counter top enclosure for it. Saved some $ right there just by making my own.

Car repairs? You can do a quick pad only brake job for 20 bucks. I usually replace the rotors at the same time so 60-80 for the front on a SUV. Last time I checked, it was several hundred at a shop. Oil changes? I do them for 15-20 depending on car and how much oil is on hand already. Walmart wants 30, Jiffy Lube I think is about 35-40.

There are plenty of places to be frugal and smart about it. Heck even my kids are alternating between reusable and disposible diapers based on the weather and such. My 1 year old gets to eat the same solids we do, none of that gerber graduate stuff. He loves a good hot dog. In tiny pieces of course.


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## Genevieve (Sep 21, 2009)

We invested in a pair of hair clippers and I cut hubby's hair for him when he wants it done. I haven't had a hair cut in about.....4 years (?) I think (?). Can't remember. I plan on donating my hair soon tho so I'll be getting one here directly.

I don't know where the OP can get a full pound of coffee for only 3-4 dollars! lol I can get 12 ounces for $2 at the local dollar tree store but a full pound will cost me anywhere from 6-8 dollars depending on the brand here in my area.

I have to say and I know some folks will say I'm being "mean" but I look forward to watching all the idiots try to figure out how to live without money or items. I'm thinking there will be some big epiphanies going on soon.
Yea I know watch out for karma but I've been so poor that I sold my plasma just to buy bread and peanut butter so I could eat.
People now have no idea how bad it can get and they just are not prepared for it


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## Elinor0987 (May 28, 2010)

Genevieve said:


> I have to say and I know some folks will say I'm being "mean" but I look forward to watching all the idiots try to figure out how to live without money or items. I'm thinking there will be some big epiphanies going on soon.


Aren't you the least bit concerned about the withdrawals people will be having when their gadgets no longer work and they can't use them anymore? It's bizarre how people seem to be more and more in a trance-like state when they use them. A co-worker of mine almost got hit by a car the other night because she didn't realize there was a car coming in her direction and she was texting somebody while she was walking. Not once did she bother to look up or around her until it was only a few feet away from her.


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## Genevieve (Sep 21, 2009)

Elinor0987 said:


> Aren't you the least bit concerned about the withdrawals people will be having when their gadgets no longer work and they can't use them anymore? It's bizarre how people seem to be more and more in a trance-like state when they use them. A co-worker of mine almost got hit by a car the other night because she didn't realize there was a car coming in her direction and she was texting somebody while she was walking. Not once did she bother to look up or around her until it was only a few feet away from her.


cleans out the gene pool hun! :sarcasm1:


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## emilysometimes (Oct 6, 2011)

http://www.fox4news.com/story/29631329/pedestrian-killed-while-talking-on-phone I bet this will happen more and more.

I cut everyone's hair in our family- my daughter and I have been blessed with naturally curly hair, so it looks the same whether a professional does it or Mommy does. I do like to cover my grey, but I can do that for less than $10.00 a pop by going to a beauty supply store and then doing it myself rather than having it done. That's a luxury I have paid for once, and the color didn't last any longer than it does when I do it myself.


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## notyermomma (Feb 11, 2014)

Its all about the learning curve. We all have things we're great at, and we all have things that leave us :factor10:'ing. Its not about being perfect so much as making a consistent effort to improve.

That, and there are things that are worth paying top dollar for. Its an investment at the lower level to avoid larger expenses later on. Like routine maintenance on the car, or eating organic, or maintaining good relationships with the neighbors. Some of those actions are guaranteed to pay off. Some of them might pay off. All of them are good ideas on principle.


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## pawpaw (Dec 21, 2011)

Elinor0987 said:


> Aren't you the least bit concerned about the withdrawals people will be having when their gadgets no longer work and they can't use them anymore? It's bizarre how people seem to be more and more in a trance-like state when they use them. A co-worker of mine almost got hit by a car the other night because she didn't realize there was a car coming in her direction and she was texting somebody while she was walking. Not once did she bother to look up or around her until it was only a few feet away from her.


I believe that the _'After Shock'* of SHTF for these types*_ will be very pronounced for at least days. Confusion & real disbelief will paralyze many-at least for a time, allowing 'low tech's like me valuable time to evaluate & react to events unfolding more effectively.


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## Marcus (May 13, 2012)

When most of my hair decided to emigrate to my ears and nose, I decided to get rid of the rest. So I haven't paid for a haircut in years and even then I was getting a #2 cut.


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

Money has a value but so does the sweat and backaches after a long day, some make more than others some spend more than others, that is not the problem the problem is that we vent and complain about it and is our fault, we have control of all our purchases or waste, the guy at the meat display complaining about the prices but his cart was full of beer and wine and chips and noting for his child, I don`t consider myself cheap or frugal I consider myself smart, and don`t live in your house nor care how much you spend or how you dress or what you drive ,I`m comfortable with my own life and diet and the fact that I`m preparing for an emergency and teaching my children a thing or two about what real life is all about ,not a life of credit and stress.


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

We first noticed price hikes in food 3 years ago. Since then we see food box and can sizes continue to shrink. I've seen 11.5 oz cans of corn in the store when you never used to see anything smaller than 16 oz.

I sold my Mac Mini for $250 and my MacBook for $340 on craigslist. I still need a Mac for my business sometimes so I found an older Mac Mini dual core 1.66 on eBay for $90. Nothing fancy but it does what I need it to do.


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

Nothing fancy but it does what I need it to do. BILLS ,my words exactly wow everybody should read this, many fail to understand the meaning, in todays society we tend to buy and waste more than any nation and them we complain ,take the case of this idiot.
https://homes.yahoo.com/blogs/space...gantic-ct-mansion-up-for-lease-083106767.html
and like him there are many more.........


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