Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
There are some wonderful wines on the list, but at the lower price points, there are wines that are $15 table wines (retail) for which you'll pay over $100. They have some wines on the list that are only good for washing engine parts.
Isn't it possible to cope with rising prices by just not eating out or not getting takeout? I guess I see these as "luxuries".
I know very few seniors who are really struggling to get by. I know only one person who's struggling to buy medications and who is in a real bind if she has an unexpected expense such as a tree falls down or the car breaks down. But even she is not as bad off as some others. She gets a lot of rebates and discounts due to her age and income, for instance, I think her cell phone is free and she gets breaks on her heating bill and taxes. Most seniors that I see around here (and this is a solid middle class area, not upper class) seem to enough money to spend on non-essentials such as luxury SUVs, vacations, eating out, non-essential upgrades to their homes, new furniture. If there's a struggle going on, I don't see it. If someone is struggling, then why are they buying new furniture, new fencing, or going out to eat?
Status:
"Smartened up and walked away!"
(set 23 days ago)
11,772 posts, read 5,785,673 times
Reputation: 14190
Quote:
Originally Posted by smt1111
Isn't it possible to cope with rising prices by just not eating out or not getting takeout? I guess I see these as "luxuries".
I know very few seniors who are really struggling to get by. I know only one person who's struggling to buy medications and who is in a real bind if she has an unexpected expense such as a tree falls down or the car breaks down. But even she is not as bad off as some others. She gets a lot of rebates and discounts due to her age and income, for instance, I think her cell phone is free and she gets breaks on her heating bill and taxes. Most seniors that I see around here (and this is a solid middle class area, not upper class) seem to enough money to spend on non-essentials such as luxury SUVs, vacations, eating out, non-essential upgrades to their homes, new furniture. If there's a struggle going on, I don't see it. If someone is struggling, then why are they buying new furniture, new fencing, or going out to eat?
Maybe look at those in HUD Senior Housing. I love to coupon shop as a hobby and give a good percentage of what I find to these seniors. Many of the older ones are living on less than $700 a month SS. I made gift baskets for their Christmas party and any who attended were asked to wrap something to exchange. Some of these people were fawning over a box of tissue. My baskets were the first to go if their numbers were called.
My baskets contained toothpaste, toothbrush, tissue, deodorant, shampoo, soap and body lotion or foil, dish soap, kitchen towels and potholders. The very items they would normally buy at the Dollar Tree in the plaza across the street. It just saved them a little money on everyday products they wouldn't have to buy for a month. Not everyone has money to even go to McDs.
We have a local restaurant chain that offers daily specials. Every Monday their special is a cheeseburger and fries. For the last ten years the price has been $5. But this year the price went up to $6.
Before the Plandemic we were going to the YMCA to swim laps on Mondays then after our swim we would go eat a cheeseburger. But the YMCA closed down during the plandemic. They just re-opened this month. Yesterday we went there and reinitiated our membership, we swam for 45 minutes and later ate some cheeseburgers.
The price has gone up [from $5 to $6] and I am on a no-carb diet [I ordered my cheeseburger with no bun and substituted string beans for the usual fries].
Salad makings (lettuce, avocados, croutons); peanuts (5 jars for $10); coffee, 2 @ $7 each, HEB brand (find I really don't like Forgers anyhow); milk, buttermilk, eggs; devil ham chicken spread, sardines, anchovies; Parmesan, 4 @ $2.29; the big killer: 8 things of shredded cheese, 32 oz, @$5.19 and 4 blocks of Swiss, 16oz, @$4.99. $12 for a twin pack of Sensodyne enamel restoring toothpaste.
It was a quick run in and out for I was at the end of my energy day. The peanuts tend to be necessary as fillers to go with my pills when I haven't eaten. Chicken spread as a lunch ration. Shredded cheese is about the best buy on cheese.
Milk and buttermilk I try to get at quart size because I don't drink it but just use it in baking. What I need to do is bake more, make pancakes (cornmeal) more because that can be frozen afterwards. I know milk can be frozen as well but the freezer is full with that already. Need learn to make those dishes that use eggs for when they are reaching the end of their lives.
One thing I want to get into is buying local eggs. It won't be cheaper than the store but they will have longer life and it will be establishing myself with my rural community.
We have a local restaurant chain that offers daily specials. Every Monday their special is a cheeseburger and fries. For the last ten years the price has been $5. But this year the price went up to $6.
Before the Plandemic we were going to the YMCA to swim laps on Mondays then after our swim we would go eat a cheeseburger. But the YMCA closed down during the plandemic. They just re-opened this month. Yesterday we went there and reinitiated our membership, we swam for 45 minutes and later ate some cheeseburgers.
The price has gone up [from $5 to $6] and I am on a no-carb diet [I ordered my cheeseburger with no bun and substituted string beans for the usual fries].
$5 or $6 for a cheeseburger and fries? My question is, how do you afford the YMCA membership? Unless you get it free through Silver Sneakers as part of your employers' health insurance -- and unfortunately (?), I'm not yet an old enough retiree to qualify for that -- the Y is hella expensive!
Where are the aforementioned seniors getting all these "discounts" including free cell service?
$6 is a steal, depending on the quality. We pay around $12, but it is a good quality burger.
__________________ ____________________________________________
My posts as a Mod will always be in red.
Be sure to review Terms of Service: TOS
And check this out: FAQ
Moderator: Relationships Forum / Hawaii Forum / Dogs / Pets / Current Events
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,550 posts, read 81,117,303 times
Reputation: 57755
We tried out a new Italian restaurant last Friday, and with tip it was $90 for two. Worth it for the great food, but we won't be going there often. The worst though, was ordering flower delivery. I always send them to my wife, on her birthday. In the past it's been as little as $39 delivered, and has gone up every couple of years, but when I ordered them this weekend it was $88, same kind of bouquet, same florist. I checked around and they are all that expensive now. I would grow my own but her birthday is too early in the year for our climate.
$5 or $6 for a cheeseburger and fries? My question is, how do you afford the YMCA membership? Unless you get it free through Silver Sneakers as part of your employers' health insurance -- and unfortunately (?), I'm not yet an old enough retiree to qualify for that -- the Y is hella expensive!
Where are the aforementioned seniors getting all these "discounts" including free cell service?
Since when did the Y become so expensive? I remember paying $10 a month when I was camping on my land in Vermont.
And yeah, I agree that going out to eat is the first budget cut to make. I listened to Dave Ramsey for about 2 minutes (all I could stand) haranguing some caller for going out to eat: "You can't do that anymore on your budget!" LOL.
Though I wish we had more cafe choices, I realize how much money we are saving since we don't.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
