How is inflation affecting you?

[KB]

Food and gas prices are way up. Our normal pack of chicken was $12 and is now $18, thats some 50% inflation. Luckily food and gas are the smaller bills in the household. The largest, my mortgage, hasn't moved in years.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Way less disposable income than I had say, 10 years ago. It's not just this year that inflation is bad, it's been bad for a long time and only getting worse. When I first got my full time job I was building a new computer or server at least once a year and doing lot of home reno projects or just buying toys for fun of it or finding any excuse to buy a new tool... which is good since I have lot of tools now that I'd have trouble affording now. Money was not really an issue since I had a lot left over at the end of the month. Now days the bills and costs of living take up most of the pay cheque so not much left over since they go up every year. I even had to lower my mortgage payment to the minimum to make up for all the other bills. For a while I was paying $650 biweekly on the mortgage and was destined to have it paid off in 5 years. Had to lower it to $400 so looking at 7 years now at this rate.

I just hope I can pay off the house before the bills start to exceed my income as I really have no other place to cut.

One GOOD thing about the 'rona is the introduction of WFH though. We're hybrid at my work but I'd say I'm working from home about 40-50% so I do save a lot on gas. But in the grand scheme of things it's not like I spend that much on gas in first place compared to all the other bills so the savings is maybe like $50 per month at best.

We are starting union bargaining for our next collective agreement and they are pushing to try to get us some raises to try to make up for inflation. I don't think it's going to happen, but we'll see. The company might counter that by saying we're saving money working more from home though.

 

[Zeze]

I don't mind sharing this. 6 years ago, I made just above $130K. I actually felt quite comfortable even in the HCOL area. 6 years later, my salary went up about... 15%?

However, the dollar feels like nothing today.

In 2014, I bought a year-old shiny 800 mile Hyundai Tucson (compact SUV) for $16,000 cash. Today an-year old used mid-trim Tucson is $25K....

 

[Red Squirrel]

My coworker got Tim Hortons, just a donut and a coffee and it was over 5 bucks. I remember a time when you could get a coffee and donut for well under that. Like 3 bucks maybe?

I'd hate to see what Starbucks is charging these days. I still need to practice making a decent manbun before I walk into one of those.

 

[Red Squirrel]

With the crazy prices of everything now, been getting more creative when I need building material.

Picked up this load at my off grid property yesterday. That's replacing about $300 in lumber. (6x6x12 posts is probably closest equivalent) Cost me $60 or so in gas to get. Probably should have loaded up on more now that I think of it. Will be using these as-is for this particular project but I do want to setup a sawmill soon. Wanted to do that this year but stuff came up.

Funny enough, you don't get tailgated with a load like that.

 

[deadlyapp]

With the crazy prices of everything now, been getting more creative when I need building material.

Picked up this load at my off grid property yesterday. That's replacing about $300 in lumber. (6x6x12 posts is probably closest equivalent) Cost me $60 or so in gas to get. Probably should have loaded up on more now that I think of it. Will be using these as-is for this particular project but I do want to setup a sawmill soon. Wanted to do that this year but stuff came up.

Funny enough, you don't get tailgated with a load like that.

I don't know if I would compare wet, freshly cut raw trees to dried, dimensional lumber but go off.

 

[biostud]

My total expenses this year is roughly the same as last year, but that is only because I got a cheaper mortgage for the start of the year. Next year expenses will definitely be higher. I'm able to save about 10% of my income, after everything is paid including extra pension savings.

 

[GunsMadeAmericaFree]

Food and gas expenses are WAY up over the last couple of years. Thankfully, I was able to use the apples to apples website to renegotiate my electricity, & saved about 2c per kilowatt hour for the next 2 years.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I don't know if I would compare wet, freshly cut raw trees to dried, dimensional lumber but go off.

It will work for what I need. I have some existing dimensional lumber for the rest of the project, these will be the main posts going into the ground. It only needs to hold solar panels so not like it's going to be holding lot of weight. I'll eventually setup a sawmill so I can make proper dimensional lumber though as I am starting to run out of that. When I build my cabin I rather do standard dimensional lumber style construction vs log, as it's just easier to insulate, seal etc.

 

[Fritzo]

My total expenses this year is roughly the same as last year, but that is only because I got a cheaper mortgage for the start of the year. Next year expenses will definitely be higher. I'm able to save about 10% of my income, after everything is paid including extra pension savings.

I'm up nearly 60% from this time last year. Electric bills nearly doubled, paying $200/mo more for gas, food prices are insane, home insurance went up raising my house payment...it's rough.

 

[biostud]

I'm up nearly 60% from this time last year. Electric bills nearly doubled, paying $200/mo more for gas, food prices are insane, home insurance went up raising my house payment...it's rough.

that is crazy.

 

[lxskllr]

It will work for what I need. I have some existing dimensional lumber for the rest of the project, these will be the main posts going into the ground. It only needs to hold solar panels so not like it's going to be holding lot of weight. I'll eventually setup a sawmill so I can make proper dimensional lumber though as I am starting to run out of that. When I build my cabin I rather do standard dimensional lumber style construction vs log, as it's just easier to insulate, seal etc.

Strip the bark before you bury them. They'll rot faster with the bark attached.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Strip the bark before you bury them. They'll rot faster with the bark attached.

Yeah experimenting with ways to do that more easily, bought a couple angle grinder wheels to try out. Only thing it's really loud so I will have to try during the day time when everyone is at work. There is an ideal time of year where bark peals off easily, now is not that ideal time. I probably should have done that on the property but I only really thought of it after.

End goal is to actually put these solar panels over my deck when I am ready to build a pergola with more proper lumber but if this setup actually ends up working good I might keep it, then just add even more panels on the deck. Otherwise I'll take this one down and move the panels.

 

[IronWing]

I can mail you some bark beetles. They can strip your entire stand in a year.

 

[lxskllr]

Dunno when you plan on doing this project, but just letting them sit may loosen the bark for you. Strip with an axe.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Hoping for this weekend because it's probably the last nice day we have left. I kinda waited last minute for that lol. I was originally going to use the panels I bought on my off grid property but when cost of everything skyrocketted I figured they will do better here for now.

 

[lxskllr]

Glide over it with your chainsaw. Don't let it bite deep.

 

[snoopy7548]

Use your teeth!

 

[sdifox]

Use your teeth!

Squirrel <> beaver

 

[MrSquished]

besides being homeless now, I gotta deal with idiots who think inflation is all Joe Biden's fault and they don't understand that it is a global thing across countries and continents, so how could it be one man's fault? The fact I gotta deal with these morons is really affecting me. It's worse than being homeless now.

 

[lxskllr]

Homeless?

 

[MrSquished]

Homeless?

yeah man. I just couldn't afford things anymore. Had to sell my condo and buy a tent and use the residuals to buy food and gas and barrels of lube.

 

[Captante]

 

[Charmonium]

the oompah loompah spherical coonies be f'ing wit ma kitties. That's what happens when I get up late to feed them.

About those trees though, they look like very straight poles but after seasoning them, you might want to get one of those industrial bale binders and bind 3 or 4 together for structural support. They'ree going to shrink. Just not sure which dimension will be most affected.

 

[Charmonium]

You'll prob. also need a heavy duty winch, a couple sets of block and tackle and one of these bad bois.