Have you stopped buying certain things because of price?

[silentg]

Ice cream has increased significantly over the last few years.

I was looking at Food Lion for ice cream treats for the kids here at Myrtle Beach. The prices were very high on the various ice cream bars and Klondike brands. The kids are little and wouldn't eat an entire large ice cream bar, but there were ice cream sandwiches, store brand, $2.99/ 12. That was the regular price. The grandkids loved them last night after a walk around the resort to feed turtles and play on the playground.

We had an incident last night at the playground. Olivia fell five feet from the platform of the slide.

Is she ok?

 

[clifffaith]

What I didn’t notice until I picked up the new terms again to quote it for this post was that the effers will start charging me $1.50 per paper statement starting August 20th. Nope! My Amazon Visa card works just fine at Home Goods. I will call to cancel my TJX/HG card (but let them give me the “old lady waived fee” if offered).

Never had anyone not ask why I wasn’t canceling something in order to talk me into/offer incentives for staying on. Apparently Synchrony bank doesn’t care. They didn’t ask and I didn’t offer an explanation. Macy’s “fine print” documents came today. 34.49% and no mention of charging for paper statements.

 

[PamMo]

@clifffaith, that doesn’t surprise me. Synchrony Bank has a pretty bad rep for customer service. And 34.49% interest on a credit card is really awful, and seems like predatory lending. I’m glad you dumped the card!

 

[Snazzylass]

Never had anyone not ask why I wasn’t canceling something in order to talk me into/offer incentives for staying on. Apparently Synchrony bank doesn’t care. They didn’t ask and I didn’t offer an explanation. Macy’s “fine print” documents came today. 34.49% and no mention of charging for paper statements.

So, the interest rate is just as high for Macy's? I haven't used my card in years. I doubt if it works.

Truly, if credit cards are not used responsibly (a la the old-fashioned charge card where you pay your bill in full at the end of the month), it's close to impossible to payoff a large balance. On the other hand, I do like to work the perks and TJX has some good ones! I definitely don't need or want a paper bill.

 

[AnnaS]

Never had anyone not ask why I wasn’t canceling something in order to talk me into/offer incentives for staying on. Apparently Synchrony bank doesn’t care. They didn’t ask and I didn’t offer an explanation. Macy’s “fine print” documents came today. 34.49% and no mention of charging for paper statements.

I received my Macy's document also. I thought, "wow....absolutely insane".

I usually charge (for the discount/coupon/reward) and then make a payment/pay the bill right after making the initial charge transaction.

 

[Tia]

The interest rates never went down on credit cards when interest rates were near 0, it's just robbery now imo.

 

[dioxide45]

Many major credit card (Visa, MC) rates are Prime +. For store branded cards, from financial companies like Synchrony, they are usually a fixed rate but when rates went up they increased the fixed rates as their cost to borrow went up. If prime ever comes back down, I doubt they will decrease their rates.

 

[x3 skier]

I usually charge (for the discount/coupon/reward) and then make a payment/pay the bill right after making the initial charge transaction.

Me too.

 

[WaikikiFirst]

inflation was negative last month thanks to gas I guess and if you look at it just right, so I'm buying everything like crazy again.
That could mark a top in the $USD, so you might want to get that foreign travel done this summer. Or not. FX. Go figure.

Being back in the US, I think the best trade last month wasn't buying the MAG 7 or 6 or whatever, it was buying good chocolate in Japan, with awesome FX rate and some places not seeming to have raised prices yet cuz hadn't run out of old inventory. I shoulda coulda brought back so much more.

 

[rapmarks]

My frugality checked in again. Needed a Handiman to change my outdoor light Fixture. one guy wanted $200. my friends husband did it in twenty minutes. I would have paid the Handiman $100, I had paid one in Florida about $50 this spring, but $200 was too much, and he also lost out on a job at my daughter’s house.

 

[Passepartout]

Earlier this Spring, we got notice that our 20+ year lawn service raised his rate by 1/3. Following a healthy raise 2 years ago. So we cancelled him and entertained bids. Paula found a guy on Next Door that matched the previous price. But EVERY week it was a new issue. 'It was raining, so I'll do it Saturday'. 'Well,, my riding mower is broken and your lawn is too big for the walk-behind.' Another bid was higher yet. So we decided that the original guys' bid was the best one and the service was the best.

Sometimes one can be just too cheapskate.

Jim

 

[Talent312]

I typically only hire peep to do something if it requires a pro (AC repair), or simply more than what I'm willing to put myself through (fence building). However, these days, I find that I'm more willing to relax in my recliner (with the AC on), and pay someone else.
.

 

[jackio]

Our township has a wonderful program that sends a handyman to a senior’s home at no charge, regardless of income. We have had them in to change out a faucet, install 2 vanity light fixtures and 2 towel racks.
we gave them a tip each time, but it is not expected.

 

[rapmarks]

Our township has a wonderful program that sends a handyman to a senior’s home at no charge, regardless of income. We have had them in to change out a faucet, install 2 vanity light fixtures and 2 towel racks.
we gave them a tip each time, but it is not expected.

They couldn’t do this where I live in Florida, everyone is a senior!

 

[PigsDad]

We were just at a Mexican restaurant and I couldn't hardly believe my eyes. Not a fancy place at all -- in fact, it started as a taco truck and within the last few years they upgraded to a restaurant.

Was looking for some chips and salsa to start out, which at 80%+ of the Mexican restaurants around here are just included for free when you sit down. This place wanted $9 for them! Even the places that do charge only charge $3-$5 at the most. No chips for us, I guess.

Kurt

 

[CalGalTraveler]

We were just at a Mexican restaurant and I couldn't hardly believe my eyes. Not a fancy place at all -- in fact, it started as a taco truck and within the last few years they upgraded to a restaurant.

Was looking for some chips and salsa to start out, which at 80%+ of the Mexican restaurants around here are just included for free when you sit down. This place wanted $9 for them! Even the places that do charge only charge $3-$5 at the most. No chips for us, I guess.

Kurt

Yep. And chips were free to make you thirsty for that $17 margarita...but I guess people have cut back on those too at those prices. I am doing a lot more takeout to make my own skinny margarita at home, use my own guac and nonfat yogurt instead of sour cream to avoid calories and cost.

 

[clifffaith]

We were just at a Mexican restaurant and I couldn't hardly believe my eyes. Not a fancy place at all -- in fact, it started as a taco truck and within the last few years they upgraded to a restaurant.

Was looking for some chips and salsa to start out, which at 80%+ of the Mexican restaurants around here are just included for free when you sit down. This place wanted $9 for them! Even the places that do charge only charge $3-$5 at the most. No chips for us, I guess.

Kurt

I’ve only come across one Mexican restaurant in CA that charged for chips. This was thirty years ago and they tried to put on fancy airs and supposedly upscale cuisine. Think they only lasted 15 months. It always chaps my behind to pay for chips in Santa Fe, but ya gotta have chips with Mexican/southwest food. In Scotland we passed on the paid for rolls with dinner after we figured out that was the norm there.

 

[WaikikiFirst]

Murcins seem to have stopped upgrading their wireless plans/phones
"Verizon, saw nearly 13% decline in wireless upgrades in Q2 on top of a 21% decline in the same period last year."
or just waiting for those revolutionary AI phones

 

[jp10558]

Murcins seem to have stopped upgrading their wireless plans/phones
"Verizon, saw nearly 13% decline in wireless upgrades in Q2 on top of a 21% decline in the same period last year."
or just waiting for those revolutionary AI phones

Oh, I stopped doing that because of price well before COVID. I use Android, so there's a lot of options, especially if you're tech savvy to figure out the LTE /5G bands. Buying an unlocked phone for $250 and drop the proper SIM in it. I get my SIMs from MVNOs that are very inexpensive. Has worked probably 80% as good as paying $70+ a month per line to Verizon for more like $20 a month. Also made it easy to just grab a SIM when I went to Europe. You do have to use AT&T, but TBH their stuff is again, very close to Verizon where I am and travel, so losing 2% or so of coverage hasn't bothered me at all.

 

[AnnaS]

I received my Macy's document also. I thought, "wow....absolutely insane".

I usually charge (for the discount/coupon/reward) and then make a payment/pay the bill right after making the initial charge transaction.

Replying to my own post........and now JC Penney came - same interest rate of 34.49% interest rate.

 

[wackymother]

I just started buying Kerrygold butter. Because what the hell.

 

[WaikikiFirst]

inflation was negative last month thanks to gas I guess and if you look at it just right, so I'm buying everything like crazy again.
That could mark a top in the $USD, so you might want to get that foreign travel done this summer. Or not. FX. Go figure.

Being back in the US, I think the best trade last month wasn't buying the MAG 7 or 6 or whatever, it was buying good chocolate in Japan, with awesome FX rate and some places not seeming to have raised prices yet cuz hadn't run out of old inventory. I shoulda coulda brought back so much more.

BoJ raising rates. The Fed about to cut. Japanese yen up 10% in 1 month. This is the summer to go. I knew those US$ versions of the prices were too good to last

 

[WaikikiFirst]

Furniture:
Wayfair CFO Kate Gulliver warned, "We see declines that are similar to the declines that we saw in that 2008 to 2010 period and I think what that speaks to is that the category has been going through just a massive correction, a correction that we've previously only seen during a GDP recession.

 

[dioxide45]

Furniture:
Wayfair CFO Kate Gulliver warned, "We see declines that are similar to the declines that we saw in that 2008 to 2010 period and I think what that speaks to is that the category has been going through just a massive correction, a correction that we've previously only seen during a GDP recession.

I think a lot of home improvement places got high on the hog during covid when everyone was at home opting to fic things up with their "free" money. That continued even post covid. That has now dried up. Shoot, we even got used to it with all the cheap getaways and glut of inventory in II during the pandemic as well as empty resorts. It doesn't take long to get used to that. Then you have people who say why they can't get a certain exchange or why has inventory direct up. They forget that a good portion of recent history is an outlier and not the norm.

 

[rapmarks]

Sticker shock today
took my grandson on a touristy thing, he wanted a coke. Four dollars in the coke machine. Then we stopped for a hamburger in the bowling alley. The soft drink was 4,48!
then the bartender said hello to him and called him by name. He will start high school next month, bartender should not know him