No Buy Pledge

[respice finem]

Live for the day is no bad plan, if you think of tomorrow as "plan B" at least.

...Real budget is really the most difficult to determine, unless we are talking about individuals able to do private banking in London or NY. JPM London will do it for you - if you can put 5 million pounds into account...

This makes it even harder for the not-so-affluent, and is probably the cause some people never get to wealth.
No one is born with knowledge, or experience. That's why IMHO basic economics should be taught early in school - but how, when many teachers don't understand it?

 

[Oddball]

Not the way I live, but future is increasingly uncertain and nobody can really know what's coming. I have done relatively well all things considered, but will leave some assets to my kids as it seems it will be more difficult for them to create them, plus I know how difficult is to create them. They should hopefully have an easier life than I did.

I already gave my son what I thought was his fair share. He is 29 and used that to buy himself an apartment in Dubai where he lives and works. Two more girls, and they will get their share when ready to manage it.

I could spend it all myself on stuff that really does not matter, but I guess matured enough to see what things matter and what don't.

 

[respice finem]

The future is never certain, and never has been. Except death and taxes

 

[Subob]

What do you guys think of the "No Buy" Pledge catching on?

https://www.reddit.com/r/nobuy/

No Buy 2025 is a personal finance trend where individuals limit non-essential (AKA discretionary) purchases for a set period. It could range from a few weeks to the full year. Some of them actually feel it's liberating. Who knew?

It's definitely something different. Perhaps consumption restraint is catching on?

The 'No Buy' trend is catching on — and leading to big savings

The "No Buy 2025" movement is about cutting spending, boosting savings, and embracing mindful consumption. Learn how it works and why it’s gaining popularity.

www.yahoo.com

Hmmmm, I can only assume those doing it haven't yet disappeared down the iem rabbit hole, lol.

The lucky buggers!

 

[Cogito]

Not the way I live, but future is increasingly uncertain and nobody can really know what's coming.

This is why I have chests full of ammo. Mostly 5.56 NATO, .45ACP, 9mm, 12 Gauge shells, .22LR and a survival shelter in the deep woods of Maine. If the future goes to total crap, it'll be far more valuable than gold.

 

[MCH]

My shopping habits have changed a lot with age, and I feel this is a common thing. I still spend money in completely unnecessary things like junk from AliExpress and Mouser to feed my stupid DIY projects, but if someone offers me a 100$ ticket to get in an Amazon warehouse and take whatever I want with the condition of not selling it, I think I would pass (they don't carry Genelec, right? )

 

[Oddball]

This is why I have chests full of ammo. Mostly 5.56 NATO, .45ACP, 9mm, 12 Gauge shells, .22LR and a survival shelter in the deep woods of Maine. If the future goes to total crap, it'll be far more valuable than gold.

I was referring to financial assets - and you are probably as safe in the deep woods of Maine as you could be anywhere. I live 300 km from the Ukraine border, and many speculations that a certain army might decide to pass that border, even just as a provocation.

In which case your donations or the real gear would be greatly appreciated.

 

[respice finem]

This is why I have chests full of ammo. Mostly 5.56 NATO, .45ACP, 9mm, 12 Gauge shells, .22LR and a survival shelter in the deep woods of Maine. If the future goes to total crap, it'll be far more valuable than gold.

Don't forget water and food
I've sold all my "socially relevant" guns when repatriating myself to Poland from Germany, but the way things are going, I might soon have to rearm myself...

But seriously: If it really came to a worldwide conflict, I ask myself if "the life after" would be worth living - but this is another topic...

 

[Berwhale]

I have gotten into the habit of placing discretionary purchases from Amazon into my basket and then moving them straight into my saved items. I reckon over 90% of the stuff that 'I absolutely had to have' no longer gets bought and is deleted from saved items a week later. Sometimes I can't even remember why I put it in saved items!

 

[respice finem]

I have gotten into the habit of placing discretionary purchases from Amazon into my basket and then moving them straight into my saved items. I reckon over 90% of the stuff that 'I absolutely had to have' no longer gets bought and is deleted from saved items a week later. Sometimes I can't even remember why I put it in saved items!

I'm doing this with "consumables" I must buy periodically, like gloves for garden work. Then I can see when to buy cheaper, without a new search.

 

[Berwhale]

I'm doing this with "consumables" I must buy periodically, like gloves for garden work. Then I can see when to buy cheaper, without a new search.

Yes, the price for some items seems to drop after a few days. I'm not sure if this is just normal price fluctuation or if there is some algorithm kicking in to encourage a purchase.

 

[respice finem]

Yes, the price for some items seems to drop after a few days. I'm not sure if this is just normal price fluctuation or if there is some algorithm kicking in to encourage a purchase.

Interestingly, at least in Germany and Poland (my two Amazon accounts), some "consumables" are getting cheaper after every Amazon's sale (as the recent Prime Day). So, yes, probably algorithm/AI. These are mostly not really expensive items, but they sum up.

 

[Berwhale]

I take all Amazon 'sales' with a pinch of salt. I always check the price history using the CamelCamelCamel add-in before getting suckered into 'a deal'. I still ended up buying 3 or 4 things during the Prime Day sale, but these were all a genuinely reduced prices and I definitely needed at lease 2 of them!

 

[respice finem]

IDK if UK has this too, but here (Poland) all rebates must show the lowest price before the rebate in the period of at least 30 days.
This is quite practical to avoid getting screwed.

Looks like this:

 

[Berwhale]

In the UK, the sale discount is shown against the manufacturers Recommended Retail Price (RRP). Here's an example of a 'limited time deal' for a mouse that was £3 cheaper yesterday! (I bought the same mouse for around £55 from Amazon.fr in May this year)...

 

[respice finem]

Not optimal, same in Germany. BTW I still have my "old faithful" MX Master from 2018, which I've repaired last year.
Known issue - the rubber over the (mostly useless) under-thumb button has hardened/expanded, pressing the button down and causing the cursor to freeze.
Minimal invasive operation from the top, reinforced rubber tape instead of the old rubber, done without even disassembling the mouse, which would "slaughter" the original Teflon sliders. The darn button even works

 

[Groove01]

That's why IMHO basic economics should be taught early in school - but how, when many teachers don't understand it?

I couldn’t agree more. My degree is in economics and it’s really frustrating the overall lack of basic understanding. It’s very scary the extent to which people are influenced on really bad and incorrect information.

I was exposed to Econ my senior year in HS when it was a new offering. Turns out I really liked it and it made sense to me. Prior to that I had no idea what I wanted to major in. Never looked back and one of the best decisions I made.

Basic Econ 101 and 102 should be mandatory learning to graduate HS. Our country at large would be well better off for it!

At the very least people should understand the concept of “guns and butter” and you can’t have 100% of both

 

[respice finem]

Maybe some in the industry don't want the vict... erm, customers to smarten up too much
My luck as a child was, both my parents were in executive positions (though it was quite another system in Poland of the 80s), so I knew the basics early.
And later, interestingly, I had a mandatory 6 months long economy course (very valuable) before my Polish Ph.D./M.D. equivalent.

 

[Timcognito]

Sorry the economy is teetering on a recession with lots of people losing their jobs. Plus I retired a few years ago, have a lot of projects I put off and I'm addicted to Slickdeals.net No Bueno.

https://slickdeals.net/

 

[respice finem]

sick deals you say?

But it all depends - as long that it's not becoming a real addiction, we are all a little crazy to prevent becoming insane. Each in his own way.