What are you doing to protect yourself against inflation?

[asianflava]

Hey, what happened to my post? I thought it was relavant. Now you guys won't know what Packerz and I are talking about. Oh well, nevermind.

[toypusher]

Hey, what happened to my post? I thought it was relavant. Now you guys won't know what Packerz and I are talking about. Oh well, nevermind.

You sure that a post is missing?? Seems all there to me!!

[bobhenry]

The 2 full size vans and the Dakota pick up are gone replaced by a scion xb and a suzuki esteem both are used vehicles and are getting 35 and 45 mpg respectfully. Roofed and sided the house to protect what equity is left and maybe give it a boost. Turned off the furnace the last 2 years and replaced it with 2 free standing 99.6% effecient gas fireplaces. $350 a month heat bills went to $125. We keep the house sweater / sweatshirt comfortable 60 - 65. Also added a wood stove for the really bitter cold windy nights to help out on the gas bill.

3 years ago we added 320 sq ft to the house (big new kitchen) and by super insulating it we dropped our heating requirements. The last 10 years we have shopped yard sales and thrift shops for clothes and any other needed items that are a good buy. Retail stores are a last resort shopping adventure. Grocery shopping is around the outside then out. Fresh produce , Meat, dairy, skipping the inside isles with the exception of canned goods. The frozen and boxed goods are to expensive and not to my pallett. We are still struggling to maintain a standard of living but it gets more and more difficult. You skrimp and scrape to save a dime and taxes go up a dollar. I guess we may wind up living in the teardrop full time some day.

[caseydog]

Becca,

You should relook at Florescent lighting. They are always coming out with new and better ones. There is a type that is supposed to emulate sunlight pretty good now. I know that I have several types and some are way different that the others. Some come on really fast and are brighter.

Yeah, the different brands give different quality of light. I found that the "Bright Ideas" bulbs at Home Depot are better looking than the pricey Silvania brand bulbs, and the BI bulbs are in six-packs for 10 bucks.

Also, people can always use the CF bulbs for basic overall lighting, and incandescent bulbs for individual task lighting, such as a reading lamp. Just replacing MOST of your lights can help. I prefer Incandescent floods in my kitchen for cooking, but everywhere else, I use the CF bulbs.

[caseydog]

Hello Becca:

Yes we built it ourselves [still building it]. Sorry no pictures.

It is dome shaped. It sort of looks like a cartoon igloo, except the side opposite the entrance "tunnel" is cut off, so that side is flat. It is built into the top side of a hill. The south side is the cut off side of the igloo. It is all glass. The house is two stories. There is dirt on the roof. At the very top where it is the thinnest there is 2 feet.

We enter onto the top floor.. which is level with the driveway on that side. [there are retaining walls to hold back the dirt on the "roof"]

Upstairs is the Living spaces... kitchen, living, and dining rooms. Downstairs which opens to ground level on the south side.. is the bedroom, bathroom, laundry, and gym.

Every room has as much if not more light than a typical home, with the exception of a storage room under that entrance tunnel.

The house is quiet, quite storm proof. and easy to heat, and cool. In the summer the bedroom never gets above 70. With the structure of the house being made of concrete and steel. It has a lot of thermal mass. Without sufficient thermal mass passive solar houses overheat when the sun is shining and then cool of quickly once it is gone.

With good sunshine I can go several days in the middle of a Maine winter.. with no supplemental heat.

glenn

Here is a satellite shot of it.

[caseydog]

We have been talking of getting a camera.. but I don't know anything about them at all..

glenn

Too bad you don't know any professional photographers.

[asianflava]

Hey, what happened to my post? I thought it was relavant. Now you guys won't know what Packerz and I are talking about. Oh well, nevermind.

You sure that a post is missing?? Seems all there to me!!

Yeah, I guess it's on the other page. My bad.

[caseydog]

You skrimp and scrape to save a dime and taxes go up a dollar. I guess we may wind up living in the teardrop full time some day.

Taxes seem to be more of a problem in some areas than others. Where I live, they are not that bad, and not increasing much or quickly.

We are, however, seeing more and more toll roads in Texas. There are three in my county -- I can't get anywhere without paying a toll.

The other thing that is going up rapidly is insurance. Homeowner's insurance has really gone up fast, although my auto insurance has been pretty stable.

I buy my own health insurance, and it is going up by about 25-percent per year, on average. That is the expense I worry about most in the future.

[Micro469]

I put my son through University....Now he makes more money than me.....He can look after us for a while....

[Fenlason]

I put my son through University....Now he makes more money than me.....He can look after us for a while....

I knew we should have had kids..

[Fenlason]

We have been talking of getting a camera.. but I don't know anything about them at all..

glenn

Too bad you don't know any professional photographers.

any good ones anyways

I was thinking of asking you . but afraid it might be like asking Lance Armstrong.. what kind of bike do I buy to ride around the block?

not to take over this thread... I will start another thread.. or pm you.

glenn

[mikeschn]

I was referring to the excess currency/money being pumped into the system by the Fed, as indicated by M3... Let's see if I can link a pretty picture...




Mike...

Well, I'm not convinced that current inflation is caused by the rate cuts from the Fed.

[caseydog]

I was referring to the excess currency being pumped into the system by the Fed...

Mike...

Well, I'm not convinced that current inflation is caused by the rate cuts from the Fed.

I know. And, that should cause inflation, but it doesn't seem to be happening at this point. The inflation we are seeing now seems to be more due to energy prices than excess currency.

I wrote mostly about the rate cuts in my long-winded post earlier, but I knew what you meant. I kinda got on a roll in one direction, and well....

I'm not an economist, but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last week.

[mikeschn]

It does seem that way, doesn't it? But why are commodities like oil higher?

Mike...

The inflation we are seeing now seems to be more due to energy prices than excess currency.

[Aaron Coffee]

Plan on riding the scooter to work (15 miles) as often as possible, 65 mpg compared to 18 with the pickup. Will get my Dodge Omni fixed and drive it when I can't ride the scooter. Then all of the money I save will go into building td #2.