Do you have a pre-tariffs shopping list?

[Retire-Canada]

So far I have pulled forward $0 of future spending to avoid possible tariffs. I have zero confidence Trump will do anything in particular. Talk is cheap. Especially for him. Any one of his latest ideas would consume all the oxygen in the whole US political scene. So mostly I'm just ensuring I have a lot of popcorn on hand and I'll wait and see what actually happens. I suspect it will be very interesting comparing the FUD part of this thread to the reality part.

[ChpBstrd]

IDK... from this report it sounds like day-one blanket tariffs are back on as a policy agenda. Emergency powers are being discussed.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/08/economy/trump-national-economic-emergency-tariffs/index.html

Dems at this point would be wise to goad the president / oppose all tariffs. This would ensure Republicans vote as a bloc to torpedo the U.S. economy, and actually do so rather than enacting half measures like in the Trump 1.0 term. For the past 20+ years, Democrats have generally lost when the economy is good and won when the economy is bad. There's no point in attempting to rescue Trump's economy by forcing a compromise. Another 2008 is the only way the party even survives.

Of course, each of my points is problematic. Invading Greenland is also on Trump's agenda, and the Dems are anything but wise.

[Cranky]

I have no crystal ball, but Trump loves chaos.

We got our new car last week and really like it. Very practical.

[Sandi_k]

DH finally upgraded his 10 year old laptop.

Yay for me, as the former laptop had a blown-out speaker that meant any video was agonizing for me to listen to...

[ChpBstrd]

Headline: Trump's import tariffs could raise the cost of a laptop for Americans by 68%
https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/07/trumps_tariff_electronics_prices/

In the first scenario, the CTA {Consumer Technology Association} – which has a vested interest here as it obviously would rather not have sales-killing levies on consumer goods – predicted the price of laptops and tablets would rise 45 percent for American buyers; games consoles would rise 40 percent; monitors would cost 31 percent more; and smartphone prices would rise 26 percent.

But if Trump – who ran for office on a promise to lower people's grocery costs – enacted the harsher tariff regime, laptops and tablets prices would soar by 68 percent, consoles would see price increases of 58 percent, monitors would cost 48 percent more, and smartphones would be 40 percent more expensive, it is claimed.

[roomtempmayo]

IDK... from this report it sounds like day-one blanket tariffs are back on as a policy agenda. Emergency powers are being discussed.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/08/economy/trump-national-economic-emergency-tariffs/index.html

Dems at this point would be wise to goad the president / oppose all tariffs. This would ensure Republicans vote as a bloc to torpedo the U.S. economy, and actually do so rather than enacting half measures like in the Trump 1.0 term.

Musk is already cutting DOGE's goal in half.  And if the goalpost has been moved that far before the game even begins, I have to imagine they're going to move a whole lot further once they get into the weeds and discover a little bit about how government works and where the money actually goes.

Business leaders seem convinced that his policy will just be standard issue Reagan status quo, and the other stuff is just rhetoric to please his base that will never come to pass.  He'd quickly blow up his coalition if he actually followed through with tariffs big enough to reshore manufacturing jobs and immigration policy effective enough to drive up working class wages.

[Villanelle]

We've moved into a new-to-us, older (1980s) home.  We don't plan on major work like tearing out the kitchen, but it needs lots of little things.  I have wondered if we might actually benefit because, if tarrifs drive up prices, fewer people will be hiring contractors, doing landscaping, etc.  Of course, the price for products involved in that work might go up, but if the new toilet*** costs 20% more and the labor 20% less, we probably come out ahead.

***I swear I'm not an "everything must be new and not 'dated'" person.  And I'm trying to live with it, but the brown toilet is... very brown. 

[GuitarStv]

Try scrubbing the brown toilet.  That usually restores at least some of the white for me.




:D

[Villanelle]

Try scrubbing the brown toilet.  That usually restores at least some of the white for me.




:D

I think this is exactly why the brown toilet gives me the Ick. Any other color would be fine.  Brown + toilet = something to be cleaned, not a style choice.  But the brown toilet is next to a brown sink which I absolutely love the shape of.  It feels like a mid-century spaceship vibe, in the bet way. So I really want to embrace the toilet (that's a phrase I haven't used since my drunken 20s!) but I'm not sure I'll get there. 

[reeshau]

Try scrubbing the brown toilet.  That usually restores at least some of the white for me.




:D

I think this is exactly why the brown toilet gives me the Ick. Any other color would be fine.  Brown + toilet = something to be cleaned, not a style choice.  But the brown toilet is next to a brown sink which I absolutely love the shape of.  It feels like a mid-century spaceship vibe, in the bet way. So I really want to embrace the toilet (that's a phrase I haven't used since my drunken 20s!) but I'm not sure I'll get there.

Could it be a white toilet, and give it brown accents?  Maybe even a wood lid?  You could still match the whole object, without it having to be monotone.

[rosarugosa]

We've moved into a new-to-us, older (1980s) home.  We don't plan on major work like tearing out the kitchen, but it needs lots of little things.  I have wondered if we might actually benefit because, if tarrifs drive up prices, fewer people will be hiring contractors, doing landscaping, etc.  Of course, the price for products involved in that work might go up, but if the new toilet*** costs 20% more and the labor 20% less, we probably come out ahead.

***I swear I'm not an "everything must be new and not 'dated'" person.  And I'm trying to live with it, but the brown toilet is... very brown.

I think the immigration thing is going to make it a lot harder and more expensive to hire labor though.

[Retire-Canada]

I think the immigration thing is going to make it a lot harder and more expensive to hire labor though.

The invasions of Greenland and Canada will also tap out the labour pool. Not to mention the post-invasion occupation forces.

[ChpBstrd]

We've moved into a new-to-us, older (1980s) home.  We don't plan on major work like tearing out the kitchen, but it needs lots of little things.  I have wondered if we might actually benefit because, if tarrifs drive up prices, fewer people will be hiring contractors, doing landscaping, etc.  Of course, the price for products involved in that work might go up, but if the new toilet*** costs 20% more and the labor 20% less, we probably come out ahead.

***I swear I'm not an "everything must be new and not 'dated'" person.  And I'm trying to live with it, but the brown toilet is... very brown.

I think the immigration thing is going to make it a lot harder and more expensive to hire labor though.

If you're going to do it anyway, and have storage space, maybe pre-purchase and store construction materials like fixtures, backer board, plywood, etc. Then wait until a recession to hire the labor.

[Dicey]

We've moved into a new-to-us, older (1980s) home.  We don't plan on major work like tearing out the kitchen, but it needs lots of little things.  I have wondered if we might actually benefit because, if tarrifs drive up prices, fewer people will be hiring contractors, doing landscaping, etc.  Of course, the price for products involved in that work might go up, but if the new toilet*** costs 20% more and the labor 20% less, we probably come out ahead.

***I swear I'm not an "everything must be new and not 'dated'" person.  And I'm trying to live with it, but the brown toilet is... very brown.

I think the immigration thing is going to make it a lot harder and more expensive to hire labor though.

Completely agree. Not to mention the aftermath of the LA Fires. Labor and material availability will be scarce, driving up prices.

[Villanelle]

We've moved into a new-to-us, older (1980s) home.  We don't plan on major work like tearing out the kitchen, but it needs lots of little things.  I have wondered if we might actually benefit because, if tarrifs drive up prices, fewer people will be hiring contractors, doing landscaping, etc.  Of course, the price for products involved in that work might go up, but if the new toilet*** costs 20% more and the labor 20% less, we probably come out ahead.

***I swear I'm not an "everything must be new and not 'dated'" person.  And I'm trying to live with it, but the brown toilet is... very brown.

Brown toilet aside, most of the projects will be outdoors.  We have no idea yet what we want to do and are waiting until our first Spring in the house to do anything, so I'd have no idea what to prepurchase, other than likely lots and lots of mulch. 

We've replaced a lot of old outlets and switches.  (The electric in this house is... sporty.)  I'm sure there will be more of that sort of thing as we go, but no big expenses that I'm aware of.

As far s shortages vs economic pain and which outweighs the other, I guess we'll have to wait and see. 


I think the immigration thing is going to make it a lot harder and more expensive to hire labor though.

If you're going to do it anyway, and have storage space, maybe pre-purchase and store construction materials like fixtures, backer board, plywood, etc. Then wait until a recession to hire the labor.

[pasadenafr]

For me it's the big(ish)-ticket items.

- I'm going to upgrade my phone. I was going to wait for the next one, but it's starting to annoy me and I don't want to pay even more next year.
- I just upgraded my Apple Watch. I was also going to wait another year or two, but figured I'd get it now while it's still at 2024 price (I get part of it reimbursed by my current employer, so I had to use up that perk before I quit, hopefully soon).

Got a new laptop last summer, so I'm good on that front. Same with my Kindle.
My car is a 2020 with very few miles, so it's good for another decade.
I rent, so no home maintenance on the horizon.

Anything else will wait until I need it.

[tyrannostache]

We've moved into a new-to-us, older (1980s) home.  We don't plan on major work like tearing out the kitchen, but it needs lots of little things.  I have wondered if we might actually benefit because, if tarrifs drive up prices, fewer people will be hiring contractors, doing landscaping, etc.  Of course, the price for products involved in that work might go up, but if the new toilet*** costs 20% more and the labor 20% less, we probably come out ahead.

***I swear I'm not an "everything must be new and not 'dated'" person.  And I'm trying to live with it, but the brown toilet is... very brown.

I think the immigration thing is going to make it a lot harder and more expensive to hire labor though.

Completely agree. Not to mention the aftermath of the LA Fires. Labor and material availability will be scarce, driving up prices.

Yeah, tariffs and post-fire reconstruction have me nervous about building materials. We have a DIY remodel project that we planned to start in April, but I'm thinking it would make sense to start ordering lumber, plywood, etc. now.

[ChpBstrd]

We've moved into a new-to-us, older (1980s) home.  We don't plan on major work like tearing out the kitchen, but it needs lots of little things.  I have wondered if we might actually benefit because, if tarrifs drive up prices, fewer people will be hiring contractors, doing landscaping, etc.  Of course, the price for products involved in that work might go up, but if the new toilet*** costs 20% more and the labor 20% less, we probably come out ahead.

***I swear I'm not an "everything must be new and not 'dated'" person.  And I'm trying to live with it, but the brown toilet is... very brown.

I think the immigration thing is going to make it a lot harder and more expensive to hire labor though.

Completely agree. Not to mention the aftermath of the LA Fires. Labor and material availability will be scarce, driving up prices.

Yeah, tariffs and post-fire reconstruction have me nervous about building materials. We have a DIY remodel project that we planned to start in April, but I'm thinking it would make sense to start ordering lumber, plywood, etc. now.

Despite all the talk, the Trump 1.0 administration deported fewer immigrants in most years than the Obama administration before them. There is only so much capacity, only so many immigrants, and a certain percentage that will be caught. So this is some context to keep in mind. If Trump outperforms his first term, things might get as bad as they were in... 2012-2016.
 


Lumber is a whole other deal. Much of it comes from Canada, which could slap on retaliatory 25% tariffs in response to Trump's plans as soon as a week or two from now. It would make sense to lock in pricing if you were buying thousands of dollars worth of wood and have a place to store it. And don't forget Chinese-made saw blades, nails/screws, electrical/plumbing supplies, or tools.
https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/lumber

[41_swish]

I think I am pretty good on big purchases for a while. I recently put snow tires on my car and that's it. I got a TV for Christmas, so I am good there. All I can really think of is my 4-year-old phone may eventually need an upgrade. I built a computer two years ago that still has plenty of life left in it.

[Sugaree]

Not specifically tariff related, but I'm starting to consider going back to some of my "broke life" habits when it comes to groceries.  Already seeing reports of farms in CA not having workers because they're too afraid to show up to work.  The same happened here with tomato farmers during the first go-round. 

I'm taking stock of what I buy frequently, what's likely to increase the most, and what I can realistically make/do at home.  So far, I've ordered some Roma tomato seeds with the ultimate goal of canning a decent supply of marinara sauce.  I'll probably start a decent strawberry patch as well.  I frequently make strawberry jam (my kid was 5 before he realized that you could buy it at the grocery store), but have been going to a U-Pick farm for the last few years.  My blueberry bushes, peach trees, and apple trees need some TLC and my cherry trees were killed off by something last year.  I'm still making decisions on what to do with them.    My topsoil is garbage though, so I'm trying to figure out if the ROI on building raised beds or doing major soil recomp is going to be worth it.

[dizzy]

We were interested in certain things anyway but just put more focus on them.

My husband really wanted to do this solar project on the RV which is a big part of our retirement plan.  So he went ahead with that huge project last year (he is taking a break from work right now) and really did a bang up job, was great for his mental health too, and hopefully we've saved on the solar panels before any tariffs.  Pretty much most mods are done now for us to do full time life in it.

My car was totalled last year and instead of getting another beater car with 80-120k miles on it I got my "dream" car which had 30k miles on it.  I wasn't planning to get a car with that few of miles (I've never bought a car with that few miles on it in my life) but it felt worth the extra money and tbh was still a really good deal compared with ANY car, let alone dream car, with less than even 50k miles in our area.  I also plan to have this car set up as a part time camper so I'm getting just a few things for that, one of those portable power stations, probably a folding solar panel, tiny 12v fridge etc stuff.

My computer and phone are starting to fail so I might look at those, been keeping my eye out for a good deal.  But not IMMEDIATELY prescient.

I'm also considering "broke life" stuff @Sugaree  lol.  I've had a seed stash for years.  If I have more bandwidth (considering barista fire this summer) garden gets bigger.  I've also started dumpster diving this month and it's bananas.  I even have picked up gourmet meat (I got a package of alaskan king crab over $100 that was the most insane seafood I've ever eaten).  It's below freezing now here so this is the time to stock up on meat for the year.

[ChpBstrd]

Not specifically tariff related, but I'm starting to consider going back to some of my "broke life" habits when it comes to groceries.  Already seeing reports of farms in CA not having workers because they're too afraid to show up to work.  The same happened here with tomato farmers during the first go-round. 

I'm taking stock of what I buy frequently, what's likely to increase the most, and what I can realistically make/do at home.  So far, I've ordered some Roma tomato seeds with the ultimate goal of canning a decent supply of marinara sauce.  I'll probably start a decent strawberry patch as well.  I frequently make strawberry jam (my kid was 5 before he realized that you could buy it at the grocery store), but have been going to a U-Pick farm for the last few years.  My blueberry bushes, peach trees, and apple trees need some TLC and my cherry trees were killed off by something last year.  I'm still making decisions on what to do with them.    My topsoil is garbage though, so I'm trying to figure out if the ROI on building raised beds or doing major soil recomp is going to be worth it.

I've played with gardening since the pandemic, but I only have a couple of small 4'x4' square raised beds and I've only ever had success with tomatoes. I occasionally try to convince the spouse to let me cut down some overgrown ornamental trees to expand the garden, so that we can get more independent with fruits and veggies - a huge part of our budget.

I live on a hill, so my topsoil is weak too. We obtained a compost tumbler a few years ago and have produced hundreds of pounds of gooey black nutrient mix from our scraps. I mixed that with a half yard of "supersoil" from the plant store, which smelled suspiciously like cow manure. The tomatoes go crazy with it. Green beans less so. However the drum is now rusting out so I need to either come up with a fix or get a barrel.

My gardening priority at the moment is trying to figure out how to grow things from seed in late winter / early spring without a greenhouse. The economics of growing jalapeno peppers, for instance, get much worse when you pay $6 for each plant at the gucci plant store. The peppers themselves are only a couple bucks at the grocery store, so you don't even break even unless you're wildly successful.

With my limited beds, I'm going for maximum dollar yield per unit of space. Cheap produce like potatoes, pumpkins, or watermelons are hard to justify, even though they are probably more resilient crops. I'm also aiming for high nutritional value things, like kale, greens, tomatoes, peppers, or green beans.

[Sibley]

Not specifically tariff related, but I'm starting to consider going back to some of my "broke life" habits when it comes to groceries.  Already seeing reports of farms in CA not having workers because they're too afraid to show up to work.  The same happened here with tomato farmers during the first go-round. 

I'm taking stock of what I buy frequently, what's likely to increase the most, and what I can realistically make/do at home.  So far, I've ordered some Roma tomato seeds with the ultimate goal of canning a decent supply of marinara sauce.  I'll probably start a decent strawberry patch as well.  I frequently make strawberry jam (my kid was 5 before he realized that you could buy it at the grocery store), but have been going to a U-Pick farm for the last few years.  My blueberry bushes, peach trees, and apple trees need some TLC and my cherry trees were killed off by something last year.  I'm still making decisions on what to do with them.    My topsoil is garbage though, so I'm trying to figure out if the ROI on building raised beds or doing major soil recomp is going to be worth it.

If you can get free compost, then it's mostly labor. My town composts and residents can just load it up. Check with your local public works.

[SunnyDays]

Not specifically tariff related, but I'm starting to consider going back to some of my "broke life" habits when it comes to groceries.  Already seeing reports of farms in CA not having workers because they're too afraid to show up to work.  The same happened here with tomato farmers during the first go-round. 

I'm taking stock of what I buy frequently, what's likely to increase the most, and what I can realistically make/do at home.  So far, I've ordered some Roma tomato seeds with the ultimate goal of canning a decent supply of marinara sauce.  I'll probably start a decent strawberry patch as well.  I frequently make strawberry jam (my kid was 5 before he realized that you could buy it at the grocery store), but have been going to a U-Pick farm for the last few years.  My blueberry bushes, peach trees, and apple trees need some TLC and my cherry trees were killed off by something last year.  I'm still making decisions on what to do with them.    My topsoil is garbage though, so I'm trying to figure out if the ROI on building raised beds or doing major soil recomp is going to be worth it.

If you can get free compost, then it's mostly labor. My town composts and residents can just load it up. Check with your local public works.

You can also do pretty cheap layered/lasagna raised bed gardening.  There are various “recipes,” but the general plan is to make a self-composing bed using a deep base of big branches, followed by smaller layers of twigs, grass clippings, kitchen waste, straw/cardboard and a small amount of soil.  The frame can be made cheaply from anything, including scrap boards, logs, chicken wire etc.  Ot doesn’t have to be perfect or pretty, just functional.

[Gremlin]

We are not in the US.  We are starting to see some cheaper imports in certain categories as companies exposed to (possible) tariffs in the US reduce supply to the US in favour of prioritising other markets.

[tygertygertyger]

My partner shared this image with me. Looks like many folks may have decided to buy a car in advance...

[MaybeBabyMustache]

@ChpBstrd - don't know which climate you're in, but our pepper plants (mostly jalapeno, but we have other types) don't die between seasons, which makes them very inexpensive, as they are more of a plant once type. I don't think they are expected to be, but our climate is mild enough that we have pepper plants that are now on year 5. We're in the bay area of CA.

[GuitarStv]

We're in the bay area of CA.

This is kind of a sweet spot for growing stuff and pretty atypical for the average person in North America . . . warm/dry summers and wet/mild winters means that with a little care you can make nearly any plant flourish.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

We're in the bay area of CA.

This is kind of a sweet spot for growing stuff and pretty atypical for the average person in North America . . . warm/dry summers and wet/mild winters means that with a little care you can make nearly any plant flourish.

I wish that was true of cauliflower. Have tried & failed countless times! But yes, generally true. We don't, however, typically get annuals to become perennials.

[FINate]

My partner shared this image with me. Looks like many folks may have decided to buy a car in advance...

Interesting, thanks for sharing. That's a rather large increase for autos. Yeah, we were one of those people, both car and appliance. There was a nice bump in inventory 2024Q4 and we were able to get a good price. More importantly, we could actually find the exact vehicle we wanted. Just looked and inventor is down again, slim pickings. So no regrets.

[dcheesi]

My partner shared this image with me. Looks like many folks may have decided to buy a car in advance...

Interesting, thanks for sharing. That's a rather large increase for autos. Yeah, we were one of those people, both car and appliance. There was a nice bump in inventory 2024Q4 and we were able to get a good price. More importantly, we could actually find the exact vehicle we wanted. Just looked and inventor is down again, slim pickings. So no regrets.

Us too. My wife planned to buy a new car eventually, since my step-daughter has been driving her old one, but it became a more immediate action item after the election. We were able to narrow it down pretty quickly, and found the perfect car on our first try.

[huh, could have sworn I'd already posted about this, but I'm not seeing it here or in my profile]

[Kris]

My partner shared this image with me. Looks like many folks may have decided to buy a car in advance...

Interesting, thanks for sharing. That's a rather large increase for autos. Yeah, we were one of those people, both car and appliance. There was a nice bump in inventory 2024Q4 and we were able to get a good price. More importantly, we could actually find the exact vehicle we wanted. Just looked and inventor is down again, slim pickings. So no regrets.

Us too. My wife planned to buy a new car eventually, since my step-daughter has been driving her old one, but it became a more immediate action item after the election. We were able to narrow it down pretty quickly, and found the perfect car on our first try.

[huh, could have sworn I'd already posted about this, but I'm not seeing it here or in my profile]

Us, too. We actually replaced both of our cars post-election (with used, of course).

[MacGyverIt]

A big and under-appreciated part of the IRA was heavy incentives for domestic sourcing. Not just the panels themselves, but the underlying components.

I’m not fully up to date on where things stand, but last I looked there were a number of factories under construction in the US to ramp up domestic supply. Tariffs might hurt in the short term, but this is an industry that should be well positioned in the long term. Google something about clean energy manufacturing under the IRA to see the current state of things.

Trump has voiced the desire to rescind the IRA, unfortunately.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-aims-bidens-inflation-reduction-act-evs-clean-energy-manufacturing-2024-12-20/

[Sibley]

Well, I went to Costco today and stocked up. Pretty much anything I saw that was what I use/eat, was a lower per-unit cost than my usual stores, and would be used/consumed while it was still good got added to the cart. Cleaning supplies, personal care items, soap, paper towels, various foods, etc. Nothing needing fridge/freezer space (besides the milk and bread, which was my usual quantity.) I actually stopped because I ran out of room in the cart. Didn't get a lot of perishable goods, and they don't have everything I use of course. I will be taking my mom on Tuesday so she can do the same, and might get a few more things if I see them and don't already have them.

I also ordered full cases of all the cat wet food I feed, and more litter. And told mom to do the same.

Will the prices on all this go up? Maybe, maybe not, but I was careful. There will be no waste, I have the storage, and now I can go shopping in my closet. The inventory is taped on the inside of my pantry door so its easy to reference, and I can take a picture of it before I go shopping. Worst case I just shifted the purchase early.

[tygertygertyger]

Yep we also stocked up this weekend. Told a friend who thought i was crazy, but I’d rather have it than not! So hard to see where all this is going.

[41_swish]

I have no clue what will happen with these tarriffs, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little spooked

[crocheted_stache]

During the pandemic, we shifted our "big" shopping to be mostly a three-week cadence instead of two weeks, and we made a point to stay ahead on anything shelf-stable enough that we'd use it before it went bad. We're doing that shift again to keep ahead on everything shelf-stable. We usually do a garden, and we're definitely going to do our best with it this season.

I also got going and replaced the phone I'd been meaning to replace. Old phone was starting to have "senior moment" episodes.

[GilesMM]

I have no clue what will happen with these tarriffs, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little spooked

I'm thinking the Wrecking Ball will blast a hole in the economy opening up Post-Tariff opportunities for stocks, crypto, housing, art and certain vehicles.

[ChpBstrd]

Tariffs are here! We no longer have to think in hypotheticals. Everything from Mexico or Canada is about to go up 25% and from China another 10%.

I was probably correct to pull ahead some purchases, though I remain nervous about my old appliances and cars. I also remain fully exposed to non-hoardable items like shoes, fruits, vegetables, energy, etc. Yet I'm set on electronics, have a year and a half's worth of shoes, have all the clothes I'll need for the foreseeable future, and a new roof over my head.

Now we enter the phase where I use the tariffs (and the Trump administration in general) as a mental justification to go on a buyers' strike. No more electronics, wear out all the clothes in my closet, cut the entertainment budget to pay for avocados and bananas, no more housewares, no more bike upgrades, etc. I'm not going to reno the bathroom or resurface the driveway. If I need to buy something, it's coming off of Facebook marketplace. It's time for middle-finger Mustachianism and austerity budgets to maintain my savings rate.

So what's NOT on your post-tariffs shopping list?

[tygertygertyger]

Yep, we're good on electronics, and we had solar panels installed last week. (So so glad we signed the contract pre-election.)

Going to maximize our garden this year, and planning to use up items that we have... I have some sewing projects but the materials are already on-hand.

The only real hole is that we have two old cars (2005 & 2009) that we weren't willing to trade out... but I work remotely, my partner commutes only 2 days a week, we have an ebike, and heck, we have family that loves us and would loan us a car once in a while.

So a pretty big safety net all things considered. I worry more about some of my relatives.

[41_swish]

I guess now it's time to just hunker down and avoid buying big ticket items if possible.

[HPstache]

I guess now it's time to just hunker down and avoid buying big ticket items if possible.

Sounds like Mustachianism

[SunnyDays]

My What Am I NOT Going To Buy list is pretty simple:  anything made in America.  I'm boycotting in protest.  I've been checking labels on my existing food stocks to see what's off the list.  I'm pretty flexible in what I eat, so not much problem there, but I will have to replace the pets' wet foods with something not Purina.  Performatrin and Nutrience look like good options.  Their kibble is already Canadian.

I have sufficient clothes and shoes for a long time.  I do need a new washer, since mine is leaking badly, but I'm searching for used.

Most other small things I buy at thrift stores, including books, so good there.  I don't think this will be too traumatic for me.

[reeshau]

Now tariffs on Mexico are delayed a month.  So, this can be a slow drip torture, in addition to a debacle.

The crazy thing is, it appears to actually have been about fentanyl, rather than that just being the public cover story.

[GuitarStv]

Now tariffs on Mexico are delayed a month.  So, this can be a slow drip torture, in addition to a debacle.

The crazy thing is, it appears to actually have been about fentanyl, rather than that just being the public cover story.

According to US stats, less than 1% of the Fentanyl in the US comes from the US/Canadian border.  Doesn't seem like it's really about fentanyl from here.

[41_swish]

I guess now it's time to just hunker down and avoid buying big ticket items if possible.

Sounds like Mustachianism

That is for sure how I am looking at it. I guess food and gas will go up. That sucks because food is my biggest expense besides housing.

[slappy]

Now tariffs on Mexico are delayed a month.  So, this can be a slow drip torture, in addition to a debacle.

The crazy thing is, it appears to actually have been about fentanyl, rather than that just being the public cover story.

According to US stats, less than 1% of the Fentanyl in the US comes from the US/Canadian border.  Doesn't seem like it's really about fentanyl from here.

I live near the US/Canadian border (US) and I hear a lot about the drug problems in the area. Not sure if that is coming from Canada or not, or if that is the real target, but fentanyl is a huge issue.

[dcheesi]

Now tariffs on Mexico are delayed a month.  So, this can be a slow drip torture, in addition to a debacle.

The crazy thing is, it appears to actually have been about fentanyl, rather than that just being the public cover story.

It's not about fentanyl; it's about getting Mexico to do our border enforcement for us. Those 10,000 troops will inevitably find themselves stopping a bunch of simple migrants while they're out looking for drug smugglers.

Fentanyl is just the "think of the children!!1!" issue that garners sympathy for the administration's efforts. Meanwhile their real motivation is, as always, racism & xenophobia.

[reeshau]

Now tariffs on Mexico are delayed a month.  So, this can be a slow drip torture, in addition to a debacle.

The crazy thing is, it appears to actually have been about fentanyl, rather than that just being the public cover story.

It's not about fentanyl; it's about getting Mexico to do our border enforcement for us. Those 10,000 troops will inevitably find themselves stopping a bunch of simple migrants while they're out looking for drug smugglers.

Fentanyl is just the "think of the children!!1!" issue that garners sympathy for the administration's efforts. Meanwhile their real motivation is, as always, racism & xenophobia.

I was expecting more of, "OK, check on fentanyl.  Here's the next thing on our list, that we aren't sharing with you."  A perpetual threat, for whatever the latest thing is.

If he has rescinded the treaty he negotiated, how will the new agreement be enforced?  My guess is Trump just thinks it's at his whim, like every other aspect of his life.

[mtnrider]

I call BS on the Canada border thing.

I live near the border too.  And there's too much drug use.  They're largely poor rural people who are rudderless and it's devastating to them.

We have ICE and border patrol checkpoints that pop up from time to time.  The conservative local paper said that they are only netting a few people who have overstayed their visa.

There used to be local people cooking meth, but those were cleaned up.  Then there was fentanyl, possibly mailed from China.  And post-covid, the word is that it's more ruthless gangs with drugs sourced from central America.

I'd have to see some evidence to believe that Canada is shipping anything more addictive than maple syrup across the border.