I’m wondering what’s going to be in store for us this summer when stock is low on everything from car parts to clothing. With rump moving on to the next thing with lightning speed in search of a win, the tariff battle will probably be on the back burner for a while. China doesn’t budge, they sacrifice and adapt. It appears that the supply chain has already been disrupted. At some point soon we’ll see how the retailers are going to react. Any predictions?

During a 2.5 year time period (pre and post surgery) where I almost entirely stopped buying clothes until I lost weight (which didn’t happen) I was forced to buy an entirely new summer wardrobe. The tipping point was cancelling a beach vacation b/c I had nothing to wear. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise b/c I just booked a RT flight to Hawaii for 42,000 points instead, but I digress… This buying process took 2 months and is finally finished. I’ve learned a lot, being more penny wise than in my earlier years. Plus using the internet entirely to buy has changed the landscape. Although I bought more than I needed, I think it will last 2-3 spring/summer seasons. I studied fashion for a couple of years out of high school and still follow trends, so I know what’s ahead. Ex: a shift to almost entirely square toed shoes next year, after getting people to buy the rounded, pointy toe ones still selling this year. So it’s been a process to find things that: 1. Aren’t midriff baring 2. timeless 3. age appropriate (but trendy) 4. affordable… I could go on…

I’ve learned that sticking to 6 major companies and scouring their sites regularly will help reduce costs, also signing up for their rewards programs. Most of the time you can get 20% off of anything using this method alone. When you agree to texts and emails, the flash sales are really good, esp. after familiarizing yourself with the items prior. The only caveat is you have to stop everything and jump on them b/c the good stuff sells out fast. I just bought 3 high end pairs of jeans from Free People for a total of $110.00 from a flash sale today. Usually their members are notified of the sales before they go live. Puma had a great sale about 5 days ago for decent bang around sweats and sneakers. The CS rep said we won’t see prices like that again. Puma announced a couple days ago that their prices are going up b/c of the tariffs.

I’m thinking/hoping I made a good choice b/c I ended up getting stuff that I really wanted, that disappeared from the websites entirely with no re-stocking. I used Famous Footwear for cheap but decent casual sandals starting in early April and their rewards program was really good. Now they have only garbage left and aren’t selling new designs. If they don’t get more stock, the deals will be less for higher priced garbage. Maybe I’m wrong but it will be interesting to see how the clothing retailers will respond after years of scalping people - esp. older folks - with mediocre, easy construct designs and cheap materials. They almost have this coming.

Not worried. Yet. As long as I can still get the super supportive, butt ugly, doctor recommended shoes, all will be well. These may or may not coincide with current shoe fashions, but I do not care about that. I still have tricks from Covid-era shortages that will help me with other things. (It is amazing what a little poverty will do for the priorities and how they force us to find no-cost ways to do things.) For others, however, I am concerned. Some people already struggle to navigate life and may struggle even more as tariffs change systems which in turn change our ways to obtain needed items and accomplish needed tasks.

It's not just tariffs.

As a DIY automotive repair person...

I've found counterfeit automotive parts when buying items from certain sources, including AC Delco spark plugs and Timken hub bearings.

Unless you know the details of their manufacturing including specific markings and packaging, most people would not be able to tell the difference between authentic and counterfeit parts.

Ultimately, the difference is much shorter life of the part.

For example; if your spark plugs start to misfire at only 20k miles vs 100k miles, it's highly likely counterfeit parts were installed.

Be aware that Amazon.com sells items from questionable sources and does little to stop it. At a minimum, if you must by from Amazon, make sure the item is BOTH sold by and shipped from Amazon.com.

In conjunction with tariffs, counterfeits, intellectual property rights, currency manipulation, supply chain disruption, illegal migration, etc. must be controlled.

[www.freep.com]

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/26/2025 10:58AM by maverick1.

Yes I am concerned....have started to do some stocking up in advance, COVID-style....luckily I am something of a minimalist, so not too much to maintain beyond the basics.
We can buy now in the warm season, more produce from local farmers, so hopefully that will help too.
Unfortunately, too many categories are beyond our control....we're relying on the leadership....so you know how that goes.

REMOVED

I'm extremely worried ! The prices are going to rise and unless we stop this stupid crap, it will be very expensive for things you can't store for the future ! These come from MEXICO: Fruits, Avocados: Mexico is the largest exporter of avocados to the U.S., with around 80% of avocados consumed in the U.S. originating from Mexico. Berries: Mexico is a significant exporter of berries, including strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, Lemons and Mangoes: These are also popular Mexican exports to the U.S. Vegetables: Tomatoes: Mexico is the leading foreign supplier of tomatoes to the U.S. Bell Peppers, Cucumbers, Asparagus, Broccoli, and Snap Beans: A large portion of these vegetables imported to the U.S. come from Mexico. Other Vegetables: Lettuce, onions, and squash are also among the vegetables. Also, these major companies are located in Mexico: General Motors
Whirlpool, Ford Motor Company, Honeywell, John Deere, Medtronic, Caterpillar, Intel, Mattel and Procter & Gamble. "Entitled Americans" caused these companies to move. They expect the highest wages and shortest hours to earn a living ! Standing on a assembly line and pushing a button and expect $35 an hour. A monkey could do that work. Just a short statement about immigration. Why isn't made easier to come here ? It was when Ellis island was a thing. Or, was it easier back then, based on skin color ??? I live in Delmarva ( Delaware, Maryland and Virginia) Farmers and chicken plants rely on immigrants ! Work/jobs, nobody wants to do ! collecting watermelons in July (95 degrees or higher) Sorry, not me ! I do all the BK's in a 100 mile radius around me. 90% are run by Latinos ! The burgers and fries are still made the same and taste yummy ! 12 years ago, I had my roofs (house, garage and shed) done by a group of Venezuelans. They did everything in one day ! My area was clean and no nails or other debris was ever found around my yard. They saved me over $8000, compared to other companies (mainly white people) All their quotes were higher and stated it would take up to 3 or 4 days !!!! F Mr Rump !!!!!!!!!

It seems like no branch of government has the power to put the brakes on this reverse robinhood agenda, which I find the most alarming. Where will we be 3 1/2 years from now at the rate this is going? Dismantling FEMA will be crippling for mostly red states, just in time for hurricane season. If these states go bankrupt, the gov’t will have to bail them out anyway. What will happen to our insurance coverage with no safety net? My car and homeowners insurance went up this year already. They said it was because they had to increase the coverage amounts for replacement value - which will continue to rise.

I agree there should be easier access to citizenship. Most of these illegal aliens have skills and if not, the willingness to put in a hard day’s work. Who’s going to clean up all of the destruction after natural disasters and rebuild? There are no illegals where I live and you can’t get anything done. Just a lot of unskilled bums thinking they deserve $100/hr for sh*t work, and people are hiring them and paying that!

I’ve been preparing, and doing things like getting my car maintenance taken care of. With Mercedes you have to buy their parts and service or else it can’t be done. Even for things like fluid changes. It’s expensive but at least they’re using original parts. I’m on the tail end of having almost all of the house repairs, upgrades and renovations finished. Then I plan on stocking up Covid style for household stuff. Just don’t have as much knowledge on where to find the best prices. Dollar stores don’t seem to be a great bargain. Then I’m going to put a halt to spending and get a better job. For me I feel like I need to look put together because it helps with my confidence. Even if I can dress casually for it anyway.
I have no faith in MS being a viable option as a side hustle to help pay my bills. At this point it’s just to cover my shopping habits.

I'm concerned.. and more than a little worried. But other than growing my own stuff, I have little control over such things. I have a car, I keep several months worth of food and sundries in stock and only replace it as I use it. Some of the paper products, specifically TP and butt wipes, I have on subscription for a slightly lower price than what I can pay for them at a big box store. Only the TP was less expensive at Costco this last round than Amazon's subscription price, so we have a bag of Costco TP that I just opened. I think the next subscription order should come in July, so I'll check the prices at the end of June and see what's what.

I do need to grow some food, but I can't get the garden beds prepared myself, and my son is a little slow on the uptake. He's told me several times that he agrees that we really need to be growing and canning food, but then he sleeps and forgets.. I guess, because it never happens. No garden beds, no growing vegetables, no new canning jars, even when I tell him to go and buy some from someone on marketplace. I've looked on Craigslist, there doesn't seem to be anything that I can use or afford there.

Ok, someone needs to shut this thread down, it's off topic, turning political and tangent from the OP's intended tariff subject.

Isn't this what the naysayers always say here? You know the ones...the losing emotional Libs with salty tears who ran lying "leaders" without any working policies.

The leadership in charge has concern with tariffs, counterfeits, intellectual property rights, currency manipulation, supply chain disruption, illegal migration, etc. that must be controlled.

The policy works much better than the previous policy and that's a fact.

[If you need to, go grab a box of tissues...you know, for self-care.]

Oh, and there's only 2 genders! Just like Adam and Eve. [Mic drop]

@Morledzep
Have you tried some container gardening? I know people who grow potatoes in a bucket. For example.

They get a pretty good yield. It's a place to start until you get the help you need.

I have neighbors that use big tubs for spuds. They have even grown watermelons, cantaloupes and carrots. It works real well and keeps critters away from them.

I would love to try the tub idea for melons. I could put them where there is the best sunlight. But I'll pass on the potatoes. They are pretty cheap at the store.

Regarding tariffs, they are not a bad idea, if we also had some type of plan to encourage local manufacturing, other than throwing money at rich people. I am old enough the remember when the things we bought were meant to last, Instead of throwing things away when they broke or ripped, we fixed or mended them, or paid someone local to do it. But I'd also hate to see us become so insular we fall behind the rest of the world and end u like the Soviet Union.

I’ve been growing wild black raspberries, which I prefer over store bought b/c they’re smaller and sweeter. They’re great in muffins, smoothies or mixed berry pie. They’re so easy to grow and their branches adhere to the ground and multiply. In 5 years you can harvest a ton if you have the space. They’re full sun and shade tolerant and so far the bugs haven’t touched them. I soak them in vinegar water, freeze them and gift them.

Mavi you’re the only one making it political. I will say that I wish rump roast would defect early on that Saudi jet that’s going to cost taxpayers a billion dollars to refurbish for his wide ass. Maybe we would still have a chance of saving a few bucks before it’s all over.

Just like the military leaves no soldier behind, some of us think that not a single person should be offered up as a sacrificial lamb to instill fear and ‘retribution, for the sake of the whole. And it’s not b/c ‘it could be me.’ It’s because it’s morally reprehensible.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/27/2025 02:54PM by Minime.

mystery2me
I agree with you. My toys from the 60's and 70's are still "playable". My kids played with them in the 90's and 2000's. I have Tonka trucks, that they sat in and would be pushed down small hills for enjoyment. Most U.S. companies make their items somewhere else now. It is a shame, but it is true. Even the maga losers are driving trucks assembled in Mexico, Canada and other countries (it is cheaper labor).
The megalomaniac, Mr Rump, does not care about us. The big terrible bill continues to help the already rich and shames people under $50,000 a year. Going after Snap and Medicaid benefits (attacking the already poor).

Sorry, not "tariff" related...
"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty. It expresses a message of welcome and hope for immigrants seeking a new life in America. SHOULD WE TAKE THIS OFF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY ? Or add, as long as you are white and can speak English. WE THE PEOPLE... is also being TRAMPLED ON !

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/27/2025 05:58PM by claabe.

The fix is in guys....sorry to say....George Carlin put it ever so succinctly and clearly for all to see and hear.
We do what we can.
The frugality and prepper groups on reddit are full of great ideas actually....people growing veggies in bags! on their porches, etc.
I don't live too far from the Amish. They supplement their income by selling foods and produce to the public...so as long as they keep on keeping on....we're good for now....eating lower on the food chain can be healthy. Watching the store sales is a good idea.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/27/2025 07:26PM by BarefootBliss.

I'll throw one.
We have a president whose Memorial Day message was directed to those he considers SCUM.
If that's not an uplifting and patriotic message, I don't know what is (can you hear the sarcasm).
Every day we wake up to new monkey antics thrown over heaps of narcissism.
But hey, some are enjoying the show I guess.

You could use 5 gallon buckets.

@claabe wrote:

Sorry, not "tariff" related...
"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty. It expresses a message of welcome and hope for immigrants seeking a new life in America. SHOULD WE TAKE THIS OFF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY ? Or add, as long as you are white and can speak English. WE THE PEOPLE... is also being TRAMPLED ON !

That is not what the poem means. If you watch Glen Becks keynote speech at CPAC in 2010 he details the history of the Statue of Liberty and what the poem actually means.

F Glen Beck too ! Who cares what comes out of his mouth !

We have now reached a critical moment of choice. The open practice of crony capitalism is pushing America toward a reckoning between two paths, one in which oligarchy comes to be seen as normal and one in which it does not. - Evan Osnos

From the trenches: living in 'reduced circumstances' is survivable. Sometimes, it is even enjoyable and downright fun! But this is just me. Others are welcome here. They only need a sturdy soul and a little ingenuity.

In my state there are pockets of militia groups who go mostly unnoticed. They’re comprised of disenfranchised uneducated men with spotty work and criminal records, as well as their abused wives. Most of their disposable income goes towards guns and ammo. They live in ramshackle trailers on properties full of rusted junk that should be condemned. Thankfully they have no interest in traveling to flatlandia with the exception of presidential election time. When that time comes, they load up their pick up trucks with gun racks, flags (don’t tread on me & confederate included) horns, and Rump signs and parade slowly through a loop of main roads throughout the most populated county in the state. They back up traffic and cause a commotion. They’re rump’s fiercest supporters and they make sure that everybody knows it. They’re dreaming of the day that our country tips to an authoritarian government so they can become rump’s gun toting foot soldiers and do his bidding. They look to him as a means to gain power over others, since they’re otherwise powerless to change a single thing about their miserable circumstances. Too stupid to realize they have the most to lose when their food supplements and Medicaid get cut off. Or their dens collapse with the next heavy rain. The scary thing is what they may resort to when they can no longer get help and support.

Sound like quite a few states I am familiar with....unfortunate is an understatement.

I know, I know, you'd rather pontificate without the facts, well...

Here is some tariff data from the left biased media:
[finance.yahoo.com]

And here is some unbiased data from a merchant marine who monitors shipping:
[www.youtube.com]

Meanwhile:
Border crossings down 93%, Gas prices hit a 4-year low, Eggs down $1.8 per dozen, Inflation down to 1.8%,
The Media...(crickets)????????

Who's tired of winning? Not me!

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/28/2025 08:26PM by maverick1.

Know your facts about inflation : When inflation is too high, the Federal Reserve typically raises interest rates to slow the economy and bring inflation down. When inflation is too low, the Federal Reserve typically lowers interest rates to stimulate the economy and move inflation higher. Eggs are down in price, due to the supply is rebounding. Gas has been going down since before RUMP ! Border, I personally don't care ! I have NEVER had an issue with any immigrants (I actually helped some hide, first RUMP term !!! :

How did you personally help some hide?

All immigrants are not here for a benevolent opportunity. The challenge is to identify and avert the ones who believe the US exists as an "opportunity" to ruin lives, values, and anything else that is in their path of destruction. How, exactly, do we know whom to help without abetting?

People are people, no matter where they are from. Americans shoot up schools, clubs, stores and run drug outfits too ! They steal peoples futures (Enron and Bernie Madoff to name just 2) The immigrants that come here are wanting a better way of life (sure, there are some bad ones). But, I would venture to guess, 99 % are just looking to live better (then the countries they ESCAPED from). Also, it seems to be based on skin color and language !
We have friends from Canada (their visas expired) that were afraid of being caught. I just laughed and told them to not worry. They said "why" ? I said "you are white", ICE won't even look at you twice ! Humans are ALL THE SAME, no matter where they are from. Everyone wants the same thing. A place to live, work, family and love.