How Are YOU Successfully Beating Inflation?

[EchoStache]

How we were affected by inflation:

We bought a new house in June.  We bought a lot of furniture and stuff to furnish the house, but purposely kept the amount of "stuff" we bought to furnish and decorate at a minimum.

How we are minimizing the effect of inflation:

-For our family of five, all 18+, we are keeping the same weekly grocery budget as we have in the past but sticking to a CASH budget each week, and making more frugal choices at the grocery store.  It's working fine and we are eating well; don't feel like we are sacrificing. 
For example:
Sams's Club(free membership as veteran); 85% lean hamburger $4.18 lb for 18 frozen patties.  We live in Amish country in PA so we have access to numerous roadside fresh produce stands.  Just got 5 lbs of potatoes for $3!!

-We are sticking to the same monthly "eat out" budget that we always have.  Again, we use cash.  It doesn't mean we HAVE to spend all the money($200), but we do so without guilt if we do.  And it makes it easy to not go over budget by having cash.  When it's gone, it's gone.

-We bought an EV at MSRP earlier in the year.  So instead of spending $4 in gas to drive 30 miles, we spend $4 in electricity to drive 100 miles.(As traveling healthcare workers, we drive A LOT of miles, driving an old beater isn't the best option)...also $8250 tax credit, sold my Diesel car for $14k, and got 0.9% financing.

-We bought a heat pump water heater; net cost with installation $500.

-Practising energy and water conservation around the house

-2% interest on cash savings(losing to inflation but its as good as it gets)

-$20,000 of savings in Ibonds so far.  Will but another $10-$20k before rate change

-Investing 50% of our gross earnings into the S&P 500.

[bryan995]

We’ve had solar and EVs for almost three years now. Recently added the second EV (F150 Lightning) so gas consumption has dropped to 0. Hauling things from Home Depot to the house in a 8000lb fully electric pickup truck that costs $0 to operate is quite something. Yes .. it was not cheap (paid MSRP), but it also seemed to be a reasonable value play given the high demand / low supply. We shall see.

We have no utility bill now (<$20). The vehicles also cost nothing (extra) to charge.  Solar offsets everything. Even through the recent CA heatwave, cooling was not a problem.  Cost for solar is $220/mo @ 0.99% for 10 years. After that we fully own the system and should enjoy an additional 15 years of $0 cost operation.

The idea was to trade a monthly bill to the utility company for a fixed loan to Tesla for 10 years. So far so good. The hedge is working.

However you can’t hedge everything. We  have 3 in daycare. Even though the kids are getting older, which reduces their fee, overall costs are still increasing …

 $1060/week now - even with their sibling discount …

Stopped at McDonald’s for them the other day. They wanted happy meals. Sure .. once in awhile what a treat !

$22.47 … for 3 happy meals. That’s just wild.

Taking it all together - we are now losing the inflation fight. Really not sure what is worse.  A worldwide recession with widespread job loss and a 50% hair cut to retirement / investments  … all to only slow inflation. Or modest lingering inflation over the course of 2-7 years that everyone does their best to absorb and adjust to.

 Seems we will likely get both - so all screwed no matter what.

[EchoStache]

We’ve had solar and EVs for almost three years now. Recently added the second EV (F150 Lightning) so gas consumption has dropped to 0. Hauling things from Home Depot to the house in a 8000lb fully electric pickup truck that costs $0 to operate is quite something. Yes .. it was not cheap (paid MSRP), but it also seemed to be a reasonable value play given the high demand / low supply. We shall see.

We have no utility bill now (<$20). The vehicles also cost nothing (extra) to charge.  Solar offsets everything. Even through the recent CA heatwave, cooling was not a problem.  Cost for solar is $220/mo @ 0.99% for 10 years. After that we fully own the system and should enjoy an additional 15 years of $0 cost operation.

The idea was to trade a monthly bill to the utility company for a fixed loan to Tesla for 10 years. So far so good. The hedge is working.

However you can’t hedge everything. We  have 3 in daycare. Even though the kids are getting older, which reduces their fee, overall costs are still increasing …

 $1060/week now - even with their sibling discount …

Stopped at McDonald’s for them the other day. They wanted happy meals. Sure .. once in awhile what a treat !

$22.47 … for 3 happy meals. That’s just wild.

Taking it all together - we are now losing the inflation fight. Really not sure what is worse.  A worldwide recession with widespread job loss and a 50% hair cut to retirement / investments  … all to only slow inflation. Or modest lingering inflation over the course of 2-7 years that everyone does their best to absorb and adjust to.

 Seems we will likely get both - so all screwed no matter what.

Wow $55,000/year in daycare.....one of you has to earn at least $80,000/year to fund daycare, not including all the other expenses of working.  If you both earn more than that, how much would it be worth to stay home and raise the kids?  In other words, even if one of you makes $120k, you're really only making $40k........

And Happy Meals, haha that's absurd!  My son works at a sub shop so we stopped in to visit him at his new job and grab a sub.  ONE sub, 2 small bags of chips was $23!  Our "norm" for eating out is a taco place near work that runs a special on Tuesdays.  We each get two tacos and share the best Pina Colada we've ever had.....$14.  We feel like we are beating inflation with that kind of deal.

Also, totally jealous of your solar setup!  I'll be getting quotes soon for our house, and eager to find out about getting a heat pump installed in our brand new natural gas heated home if the new incentives work for us.

[bryan995]

Wow $55,000/year in daycare.....one of you has to earn at least $80,000/year to fund daycare, not including all the other expenses of working.  If you both earn more than that, how much would it be worth to stay home and raise the kids?  In other words, even if one of you makes $120k, you're really only making $40k........

And Happy Meals, haha that's absurd!  My son works at a sub shop so we stopped in to visit him at his new job and grab a sub.  ONE sub, 2 small bags of chips was $23!  Our "norm" for eating out is a taco place near work that runs a special on Tuesdays.  We each get two tacos and share the best Pina Colada we've ever had.....$14.  We feel like we are beating inflation with that kind of deal.

Also, totally jealous of your solar setup!  I'll be getting quotes soon for our house, and eager to find out about getting a heat pump installed in our brand new natural gas heated home if the new incentives work for us.

11 months 6 days and 2 hours remain until daycare costs can begin to unwind. First child into TK !  We both earn >150k  so we sadly view the expense as justifiable. But agreed with your analysis - it’s wild to think about.

This center allows for 6am-6pm should a parent need it, and supplies all food/meals etc, so they do make it easy. But even if the numbers were closer - it may still be worthwhile just to keep your job/career momentum up. Or to maintain your adult brain.  I think we’d pay it no matter what. The days are so very peaceful :) It’s just a temporary 5-year diversion of $55,500/yr … /cry

Last time my brother visited he wanted to try DoorDash from his favorite sub shop. That $23 sub you mentioned turned into a $35 bill with tip..  Incredible.

Our new home is also heated by natural gas so I as well need to look into replacing it with a heat pump system. Please share what you find re pricing !

My wife and I tend to like to sleep at <62. Kids, not so much. So last year we added some small electric heaters in their rooms which helped to use up the excess electricity and balance out the individual heating preferences. The baby likes it hot. 72-74!

[Gerard]

I guess most of our recent inflation "beating" can be summed up as "do things that were always possible, but now more worth the effort." The end of covid restrictions means we can hit more stores for food, and I like cooking and nerdy food science, so we can play with the stuff we end up with.

Examples:
- "enjoy soon" produce from Chinatown, roasted or blanched and frozen, or eaten fresh in huge volumes
- stocks and chicharon and lard and stews made from odd meat cuts (pork skin/fat, chicken carcasses) from the same stores
- caseloads or big bags of produce from discount supermarkets, helped by the oven and instant pot
- MMM-style "freeze the cheeze" weeks (for deeply discounted dairy or meat)
- buying some food (dairy, GF pasta) at the drugstore on 20%-off seniors day

Many of our non-food costs are fixed-ish (rent, transit), or susceptible to savings through extra research or flexibility (travel, entertainment, toiletries).

Also, man, have we exploited the crap out of our library system!

[engineerjourney]

Went from two kids in daycare ($576/week) to only one kid in daycare ($335/week)... but then my electric bill this month was DOUBLE what my highest bill had ever been previously... between high temps and increased rates.. yeah brutal.  Also just filled our home heating oil tank for just under $900.... rough month for utility bills here.. no longer going to pretend we are beating inflation.  Just going to deal with it and try to reduce what we can.

Holy SHIT @engineerjourney get rid of your home heating oil system ASAP - the Inflation Reduction Act wants you to buy a heat pump and solar panels.

hahah you are funny.  There is no natural gas hook up in my area and natural gas can price fluctuate just as bad as heating oil from the delivery places once you get a tank.  You can also get screwed by not owning your own tank.   Plus from what I can find I dont think we will qualify for heat pump rebates because of our income.   As for solar... every time I run the numbers it just doesn't make sense.  The payback is over a decade away, especially since a bulk of my charges are hookup charges and I won't be able to eliminate those.  Though this comment did make me google CT's net metering and it looks like they changed the program, maybe for the better, so maybe I'll run the numbers again. 

[nereo]

Went from two kids in daycare ($576/week) to only one kid in daycare ($335/week)... but then my electric bill this month was DOUBLE what my highest bill had ever been previously... between high temps and increased rates.. yeah brutal.  Also just filled our home heating oil tank for just under $900.... rough month for utility bills here.. no longer going to pretend we are beating inflation.  Just going to deal with it and try to reduce what we can.

Holy SHIT @engineerjourney get rid of your home heating oil system ASAP - the Inflation Reduction Act wants you to buy a heat pump and solar panels.

hahah you are funny.  There is no natural gas hook up in my area and natural gas can price fluctuate just as bad as heating oil from the delivery places once you get a tank.  You can also get screwed by not owning your own tank.   Plus from what I can find I dont think we will qualify for heat pump rebates because of our income.   As for solar... every time I run the numbers it just doesn't make sense.  The payback is over a decade away, especially since a bulk of my charges are hookup charges and I won't be able to eliminate those.  Though this comment did make me google CT's net metering and it looks like they changed the program, maybe for the better, so maybe I'll run the numbers again.

I don’t understand why you are focusing on natural gas hookups

[engineerjourney]

Went from two kids in daycare ($576/week) to only one kid in daycare ($335/week)... but then my electric bill this month was DOUBLE what my highest bill had ever been previously... between high temps and increased rates.. yeah brutal.  Also just filled our home heating oil tank for just under $900.... rough month for utility bills here.. no longer going to pretend we are beating inflation.  Just going to deal with it and try to reduce what we can.

Holy SHIT @engineerjourney get rid of your home heating oil system ASAP - the Inflation Reduction Act wants you to buy a heat pump and solar panels.

hahah you are funny.  There is no natural gas hook up in my area and natural gas can price fluctuate just as bad as heating oil from the delivery places once you get a tank.  You can also get screwed by not owning your own tank.   Plus from what I can find I dont think we will qualify for heat pump rebates because of our income.   As for solar... every time I run the numbers it just doesn't make sense.  The payback is over a decade away, especially since a bulk of my charges are hookup charges and I won't be able to eliminate those.  Though this comment did make me google CT's net metering and it looks like they changed the program, maybe for the better, so maybe I'll run the numbers again.

I don’t understand why you are focusing on natural gas hookups

Because the expense of natural gas is a lot higher without a pipeline attaching to your house? I wanted to include that information since a lot of discussions I've had with people from other states has this assumption about natural gas being available in the street. 

[engineerjourney]

Went from two kids in daycare ($576/week) to only one kid in daycare ($335/week)... but then my electric bill this month was DOUBLE what my highest bill had ever been previously... between high temps and increased rates.. yeah brutal.  Also just filled our home heating oil tank for just under $900.... rough month for utility bills here.. no longer going to pretend we are beating inflation.  Just going to deal with it and try to reduce what we can.

Holy SHIT @engineerjourney get rid of your home heating oil system ASAP - the Inflation Reduction Act wants you to buy a heat pump and solar panels.

hahah you are funny.  There is no natural gas hook up in my area and natural gas can price fluctuate just as bad as heating oil from the delivery places once you get a tank.  You can also get screwed by not owning your own tank.   Plus from what I can find I dont think we will qualify for heat pump rebates because of our income.   As for solar... every time I run the numbers it just doesn't make sense.  The payback is over a decade away, especially since a bulk of my charges are hookup charges and I won't be able to eliminate those.  Though this comment did make me google CT's net metering and it looks like they changed the program, maybe for the better, so maybe I'll run the numbers again.

I don’t understand why you are focusing on natural gas hookups

Because the expense of natural gas is a lot higher without a pipeline attaching to your house? I wanted to include that information since a lot of discussions I've had with people from other states has this assumption about natural gas being available in the street. 

ommmmgggg heat pumps use electricity, not gas, what the hell was I thinking of! hahahaha, maybe gas as the backup source? Electric heat has a bad rap here but I'm guessing thats the electric baseboards not a heat pump so I'll look into this further :) Sorry for the confusion!

[ChpBstrd]

Went from two kids in daycare ($576/week) to only one kid in daycare ($335/week)... but then my electric bill this month was DOUBLE what my highest bill had ever been previously... between high temps and increased rates.. yeah brutal.  Also just filled our home heating oil tank for just under $900.... rough month for utility bills here.. no longer going to pretend we are beating inflation.  Just going to deal with it and try to reduce what we can.

Holy SHIT @engineerjourney get rid of your home heating oil system ASAP - the Inflation Reduction Act wants you to buy a heat pump and solar panels.

hahah you are funny.  There is no natural gas hook up in my area and natural gas can price fluctuate just as bad as heating oil from the delivery places once you get a tank.  You can also get screwed by not owning your own tank.   Plus from what I can find I dont think we will qualify for heat pump rebates because of our income.   As for solar... every time I run the numbers it just doesn't make sense.  The payback is over a decade away, especially since a bulk of my charges are hookup charges and I won't be able to eliminate those.  Though this comment did make me google CT's net metering and it looks like they changed the program, maybe for the better, so maybe I'll run the numbers again.

I don’t understand why you are focusing on natural gas hookups

Because the expense of natural gas is a lot higher without a pipeline attaching to your house? I wanted to include that information since a lot of discussions I've had with people from other states has this assumption about natural gas being available in the street. 

ommmmgggg heat pumps use electricity, not gas, what the hell was I thinking of! hahahaha, maybe gas as the backup source? Electric heat has a bad rap here but I'm guessing thats the electric baseboards not a heat pump so I'll look into this further :) Sorry for the confusion!

Useless information:
Some of the earliest house-sized air conditioners (e.g. 1960s) had internal combustion engines that ran on natural gas. A home inspector told me about that when I asked why there would be a gas line running to where the outside unit sits. Maybe it was justified by the lack of high amperage wiring in homes during that era, or a very high spread between NG and electricity bills?

[Arbitrage]

Went from two kids in daycare ($576/week) to only one kid in daycare ($335/week)... but then my electric bill this month was DOUBLE what my highest bill had ever been previously... between high temps and increased rates.. yeah brutal.  Also just filled our home heating oil tank for just under $900.... rough month for utility bills here.. no longer going to pretend we are beating inflation.  Just going to deal with it and try to reduce what we can.

Holy SHIT @engineerjourney get rid of your home heating oil system ASAP - the Inflation Reduction Act wants you to buy a heat pump and solar panels.

hahah you are funny.  There is no natural gas hook up in my area and natural gas can price fluctuate just as bad as heating oil from the delivery places once you get a tank.  You can also get screwed by not owning your own tank.   Plus from what I can find I dont think we will qualify for heat pump rebates because of our income.   As for solar... every time I run the numbers it just doesn't make sense.  The payback is over a decade away, especially since a bulk of my charges are hookup charges and I won't be able to eliminate those.  Though this comment did make me google CT's net metering and it looks like they changed the program, maybe for the better, so maybe I'll run the numbers again.

I don’t understand why you are focusing on natural gas hookups

Because the expense of natural gas is a lot higher without a pipeline attaching to your house? I wanted to include that information since a lot of discussions I've had with people from other states has this assumption about natural gas being available in the street. 

ommmmgggg heat pumps use electricity, not gas, what the hell was I thinking of! hahahaha, maybe gas as the backup source? Electric heat has a bad rap here but I'm guessing thats the electric baseboards not a heat pump so I'll look into this further :) Sorry for the confusion!

Straight electric resistive heating is terribly inefficient and deserves a bad rap.  Heat pumps tend to be about ~4 times more efficient, unless they are forced to run in backup mode.  The idea should be to have a heat pump that very rarely runs in backup (which could be natural gas, but also electric resistive).  Nowadays they seem to have models that can operate in heat pump mode down to pretty cold temps, even if they’re air-sourced.  I believe that geothermal heat pumps basically wouldn’t need backup heat.

[Missy B]

Well. I'm not.
My home energy costs are relatively controlled because one-bedroom apt and because regulation. I don't have a car so I'm buffered to the recent ridiculous gas prices, though I'll get transit increases and surcharges on the ferry. But food prices I'm just paying.
It does concern me that the drought in Europe is going to have significant long term impact on food prices and that no one is forecasting that publicly.

[2Birds1Stone]

Shedding out biggest fixed cost, a rented apartment in a HCOL area. Using geoarbitrage to lower the costs considerably over the coming year.

[elysianfields]

Continuing *NOT* to pay down our mortgage (a 30-year fixed at 3.5%)  as inflation allows us to repay loans with depreciated dollars.

Taking out 0% credit card loans to repay some HELOC debt (5.75% variable) also permits sticking it to the man.

[Telecaster]

I've never played any of the fancy PRSs . . . they sure look pretty, but I've been scared I might grow enamored of one.  :P

I haven't either, but I own a Korean made Zach Meyers SE.   Holy crap!  That thing rocks.  Best $650 I ever spent.  Been my favorite guitar for like two years now.  The thing just shreds.  Kinda been thinking about picking up another one...

[GuitarStv]

I've never played any of the fancy PRSs . . . they sure look pretty, but I've been scared I might grow enamored of one.  :P

I haven't either, but I own a Korean made Zach Meyers SE.   Holy crap!  That thing rocks.  Best $650 I ever spent.  Been my favorite guitar for like two years now.  The thing just shreds.  Kinda been thinking about picking up another one...

I think we're in a golden age for cheap electric guitars.  When I started playing, most of the less expensive stuff flat out sucked . . . or you would have to go from shop to shop looking for one good one out of 15-20 guitars.  Now you can find a whole bunch of decent gigging instruments for 500-600$ all day long from most manufacturers.

[roomtempmayo]

Over the past year or so I've begun to track our grocery spending, and with some small tweaks cut our grocery bill from about $150 to $75 per week while also adding an additional infant to the family.

Our local cheap grocery chain is offering free online ordering and curbside pickup, which both motivates me to shop there since it's not always the most pleasant place, and allows me to revise the week's meal plan in light of current prices.  I'm much more willing to stop and reconsider the plan from the comfort of my couch than when I'm standing in the aisle of a store I want to get out of ASAP.  For example, this week there was a recipe that required a bunch or broccoli, but broccoli was listed as $4.99 per "bunch," so no thanks.  I'll make something else instead, no problem.

Beyond cost, the major advantages of being more deliberate with groceries have been eating less red meat and avoiding any last minute food scrambles because of a lack of planning. 

We managed to cut almost $2,000 out of our annual food budget switching stores and doing a little better planning.  We're still a long ways from the rice and beans diet.

[MasterStache]

Continuing to pay bare minimum on 3% mortgage. Also considering staying put when our youngest heads off to college in a few years because our total mortgage is pretty darn cheap especially compared to rent prices. I'm itching to leave this state but not if it's going to impact us financially in a bad way.

I did open several biz credit cards this year with 0% APR for 8-12 months. I "borrowed" money against some of those cards to load up on retirement accounts while market is/was down -20% and more. I've got more side work than I really care to have so no issues paying those cards off before APR comes due.

Also been more diligent about food shopping. Using gift cards and other means to get groceries 10-20% less really helps. Other than that it's BAU. 

[coppertop]

Over the past year or so I've begun to track our grocery spending, and with some small tweaks cut our grocery bill from about $150 to $75 per week while also adding an additional infant to the family.

Our local cheap grocery chain is offering free online ordering and curbside pickup, which both motivates me to shop there since it's not always the most pleasant place, and allows me to revise the week's meal plan in light of current prices.  I'm much more willing to stop and reconsider the plan from the comfort of my couch than when I'm standing in the aisle of a store I want to get out of ASAP.  For example, this week there was a recipe that required a bunch or broccoli, but broccoli was listed as $4.99 per "bunch," so no thanks.  I'll make something else instead, no problem.

Beyond cost, the major advantages of being more deliberate with groceries have been eating less red meat and avoiding any last minute food scrambles because of a lack of planning. 

We managed to cut almost $2,000 out of our annual food budget switching stores and doing a little better planning.  We're still a long ways from the rice and beans diet.

I am doing similar. I prepared a bare-bones projection of what I believe we eat in a month; for example, two canisters of oatmeal per month.  I added everything up and found that if diligent, we can spend under $200/month for the two of us (we are vegetarian, so we DO eat "rice and beans".  It's going to be hard for me in practice, since I have gotten into the habit of running to the store for something I don't have at hand instead of looking around for an alternative, and that's a habit I have to break because it costs.  Meal planning is my answer, and I have meals planned for the next couple of weeks, although it's flexible and I can move those meals around as necessary. 

[roomtempmayo]

(we are vegetarian, so we DO eat "rice and beans". 

We also eat a fair bit of rice and beans, but I was thinking of nothing but rice and beans. 

I knew a guy in grad school who every Sunday afternoon would do his cooking for the week.  One big pot of rice, and another big pot of some sort of bean and vegetable mixture, usually dry beans and frozen spinach or something plus lots and lots of spices.  The food was usually pretty good, at least once.  However, that's what he ate exclusively for the next seven days.  His weekly food spending was probably something like $10.  I could never get past the lack of variety (about three meals in a row is still my limit), but it seemed healthy, efficient, and cheap.

[GilesMM]

We are not beating inflation. Inflation is beating us. We are paying more at the grocery store, more at the gas pump, more at restaurants, more for home services/tradesman, more for air travel, more for auto services and parts, more for goods.

[ChpBstrd]

The Job just announced 60-70% increases in our health insurance premiums and a doubling of deductibles.

To be fair, rates have been basically flat for years and the company had kept them low through wellness programs, self-insurance, and shrewd negotiation, but this year the dam appears to have burst. Also, The Job may have realized they were retaining more sickly people with sickly families, while healthier people move to companies that pay higher salaries but offer lower grade benefits.

The Job is offering a new high deductible plan and HSA as a way for people to beat inflation, but my family cannot take that deal, given the health procedures we have coming up next year. Sounds like the best way to successfully beat healthcare inflation might be to move to Canada!

[GuitarStv]

(we are vegetarian, so we DO eat "rice and beans". 

We also eat a fair bit of rice and beans, but I was thinking of nothing but rice and beans. 

I knew a guy in grad school who every Sunday afternoon would do his cooking for the week.  One big pot of rice, and another big pot of some sort of bean and vegetable mixture, usually dry beans and frozen spinach or something plus lots and lots of spices.  The food was usually pretty good, at least once.  However, that's what he ate exclusively for the next seven days.  His weekly food spending was probably something like $10.  I could never get past the lack of variety (about three meals in a row is still my limit), but it seemed healthy, efficient, and cheap.

I like to eat the same thing every day.  A couple years back my wife had to work in China for a month.  So at the start of the month I bought and cooked a huge turkey, and 20 lbs of potatoes.  Cut it all up and froze into meal sized portions.  Ate that every day for lunch and dinner (with garden salad) until she came back.

Laziness always wins over variety for me.  :P

[EileenK]

Inflation is the average rate at which prices for consumer goods and services increase over time. It is a general indicator of the condition of a country's economy. Inflation tends to decrease as a country progresses. Many people believe that inflation has a negative influence on the economy, but in fact it has a positive influence. It can limit or reduce deflation and also it can decrease the purchasing power of money.

[MustachioedPistachio]

Laziness always wins over variety for me.  :P

^^^ yup

[EscapeVelocity2020]

Inflation is the average rate at which prices for consumer goods and services increase over time. It is a general indicator of the condition of a country's economy. Inflation tends to decrease as a country progresses. Many people believe that inflation has a negative influence on the economy, but in fact it has a positive influence. It can limit or reduce deflation and also it can decrease the purchasing power of money.

-1 (always wanted to say that, finally got the chance.  This post is so full of inaccuracies and misleading reasoning I don't even know where to start, so I'll just downvote it).

[rantk81]

The Job just announced 60-70% increases in our health insurance premiums and a doubling of deductibles.

To be fair, rates have been basically flat for years and the company had kept them low through wellness programs, self-insurance, and shrewd negotiation, but this year the dam appears to have burst. Also, The Job may have realized they were retaining more sickly people with sickly families, while healthier people move to companies that pay higher salaries but offer lower grade benefits.

The Job is offering a new high deductible plan and HSA as a way for people to beat inflation, but my family cannot take that deal, given the health procedures we have coming up next year. Sounds like the best way to successfully beat healthcare inflation might be to move to Canada!

The whole "HDHP" requirement for allowing HSA contributions is pretty nasty. It basically encourages people to not-seek medical care, even if necessary.  Such a horrendously bad idea.  Delaying medicare care ultimately causes worse outcomes, and usually eventually leads to higher overall costs to treat conditions that had gone unmanaged.

[coppertop]

(we are vegetarian, so we DO eat "rice and beans". 

We also eat a fair bit of rice and beans, but I was thinking of nothing but rice and beans. 

I knew a guy in grad school who every Sunday afternoon would do his cooking for the week.  One big pot of rice, and another big pot of some sort of bean and vegetable mixture, usually dry beans and frozen spinach or something plus lots and lots of spices.  The food was usually pretty good, at least once.  However, that's what he ate exclusively for the next seven days.  His weekly food spending was probably something like $10.  I could never get past the lack of variety (about three meals in a row is still my limit), but it seemed healthy, efficient, and cheap.

If I served nothing but rice and beans all the time, my husband would rebel, LOL! We eat lots of potatoes, some tofu and tempeh, oatmeal for breakfast three or four times a week, etc.  Last night I made a large casserole dish of bean enchiladas. We'll have that two more times in the next several days, but I'll swap it out every other night for some other vegetarian dish.  We eat a lot of soups in the winter. 

[Just Joe]

Laziness always wins over variety for me.  :P

^^^ yup

DW and I have taken to eating salads every day for lunch during the work week. Easy and good for us.

[Arbitrage]

Found out that our corporate-wide "merit increase" raise pool is around 3.7%.  There is no separate COLA - this is what we'll get, on average.  Last year's increase was around 2%.  No inflation beating here. 

[roomtempmayo]

The Job just announced 60-70% increases in our health insurance premiums and a doubling of deductibles.

To be fair, rates have been basically flat for years and the company had kept them low through wellness programs, self-insurance, and shrewd negotiation, but this year the dam appears to have burst. Also, The Job may have realized they were retaining more sickly people with sickly families, while healthier people move to companies that pay higher salaries but offer lower grade benefits.

The Job is offering a new high deductible plan and HSA as a way for people to beat inflation, but my family cannot take that deal, given the health procedures we have coming up next year. Sounds like the best way to successfully beat healthcare inflation might be to move to Canada!

The whole "HDHP" requirement for allowing HSA contributions is pretty nasty. It basically encourages people to not-seek medical care, even if necessary.  Such a horrendously bad idea.  Delaying medicare care ultimately causes worse outcomes, and usually eventually leads to higher overall costs to treat conditions that had gone unmanaged.

We just finished open enrollment, and both of our employers held the line on the employees' contribution.

We currently have my wife and daughter on my wife's Cadillac-ish insurance since they both go to the doctor, and I keep my insurance through my own employer with an HDHP/HSA. 

The cost of splitting insurance is slightly higher, but the tax advantage of the HSA more than outweighs the increased insurance cost.  However, that math only really works if I have somewhere close to zero copays, which I've pulled off so far.  @ChpBstrd splitting your insurance might be an option worth considering if one spouse is a heavy claimer and one isn't.

[bryan995]

Found out that our corporate-wide "merit increase" raise pool is around 3.7%.  There is no separate COLA - this is what we'll get, on average.  Last year's increase was around 2%.  No inflation beating here.

Time for a new job then.  Don’t be surprised if you find a 10-50% increase by moving. Rinse and repeat every 1-3 years.

[Arbitrage]

Found out that our corporate-wide "merit increase" raise pool is around 3.7%.  There is no separate COLA - this is what we'll get, on average.  Last year's increase was around 2%.  No inflation beating here.

Time for a new job then.  Don’t be surprised if you find a 10-50% increase by moving. Rinse and repeat every 1-3 years.

I would strongly consider it if I were in the prime of my career.  However, I've scaled back to half time (coast FI), working fully remotely, in a pretty cushy gig.  Just playing out the last couple of years until I feel comfortable enough financially to pull the plug.  Originally was hoping that would be about now, but then this little bear market happened in both stocks and bonds. 

I might poke around just to see what's out there, but I don't have strong motivation to dive into something new just yet, and I expect the options to be limited by my personal situation/preferences.