patrick.net

@GreaterNYCDude I absolutely agree that we should buy little, buy local, and pay cash. It really is about how you spend the little time you get on earth.

Also, as a practical matter, it's far easier to retire early if you don't buy a lot of stuff.

Had a guy ask me the other day if I'd noticed the shortages at the stores. I told him I hadn't noticed a thing since I don't shop for much other than groceries.

We upgrade our cars as needed, but that's about it. We don't buy our kids plastic crap from China - we spend it on experiences. Christmas, we'll be at the beach this year.

But yeah, most of the crap people buy on a daily basis is just a waste.

One of the "narrative defenses" being employed by the Left is "Think of all the local production that is going to happen".

Yeah, Amazon/WaPo, Walmart, etc. can't survive in that environment, so it will only happen through incompetence. It sure as shit isn't design.

I think if a supply chain crisis keeps Americans from being able to buy all the Christmas presents they usually would… everyone will grumble a bit and then secretly breathe a sigh of relief that they won’t have to be in debt until March to get everyone they know whatever stupid thing they want.
The real losers will be the oligarchs who own the hedge funds that own the corporations that own the stores that would have otherwise made it into the black this year.

I wonder if Amazon will suffer at all from the supply chain crisis. It would be nice if they did.

GreaterNYCDude says

The crisis that is the breakdown in the global supply chain has me thinking

1) how much stuff does one person (or houshold) REALLY need.

2) buying local is so much better than buying stuff of questionable quality from halfway around the world.

Buy local, pay cash when you can and learn that it's not how much stuff you have... its how you spend your time.

#1. About 15% of what they think they need
#2. Yeah but then I won't be able to make the elites richer and they won't be able to spend so much paying off the politicians that are destroying everything.
#3. I thought it was all about he who dies with the most stuff wins.

My sister likes to say "There's no point in being the richest guy in the graveyard."

Patrick says

@GreaterNYCDude I absolutely agree that we should buy little, buy local, and pay cash. It really is about how you spend the little time you get on earth.

Also, as a practical matter, it's far easier to retire early if you don't buy a lot of stuff.

But as most say, I just need to work a few more years to make sure I have enough to continue to buy stuff in retirement....a never ending cycle of working and consumption.

joshuatrio says

But yeah, most of the crap people buy on a daily basis is just a waste.

I think it gives them a momentary calming effect.

Shaman says

The real losers will be the oligarchs who own the hedge funds that own the corporations that own the stores that would have otherwise made it into the black this year.

You mean they actually have to turn a profit to enrichen themselves? I thought they did it with stock buybacks and pump and dump.

komputodo says

Shaman says

The real losers will be the oligarchs who own the hedge funds that own the corporations that own the stores that would have otherwise made it into the black this year.

You mean they actually have to turn a profit to enrichen themselves? I thought they did it with stock buybacks and pump and dump.

Oligarchs get direct cash infusions through the unaudited Federal Reserve.

If they, for example, determine that CNN needs to say solvent, or PBS, or Amazon, or Walmart - they will remain solvent.

People will not believe this is what is happening, but it's precisely what is happening and it's been happening for a long time. The entire nation has been a Ponzi scheme since 1971 - since slightly before I was born.

I'm all for minimalism, as long as that's what you freely choose to do. But be careful of falling into the "This is all our fault, I should own nothing and be happy!" BS the sociopathic pedophiles are pushing. Supply chain issues are a direct result of inflation and centralization.

We get the majority of our produce and meat from local farmers. Their prices haven't changed, and their delivery is limited to our county, so no service interruptions anytime soon. We pay cash for 90% of all purchases, great way to protect your privacy.

My motto is "Buy Good, and Buy once by God!"

I buy quality stuff, I'm not the guy that will buy the cheap entry level crap, just to get in the game. I buy the quality product, that will last, or will still be of value I can sell when I'm ready to upgrade.

I loathe cheap made flimsy crap, what ever it is.
I would rather have one good thing, than thousands of cheap pieces of crap floating around.

But I lament, good shit is getting harder to find. Many of today's flagship products, are using the cheap mass production methods of yesteryears cheap shit.

NuttBoxer says

I'm all for minimalism, as long as that's what you freely choose to do. But be careful of falling into the "This is all our fault, I should own nothing and be happy!" BS the sociopathic pedophiles are pushing. Supply chain issues are a direct result of inflation and centralization.

100% agree.

Tenpoundbass says

I buy quality stuff, I'm not the guy that will buy the cheap entry level crap, just to get in the game. I buy the quality product, that will last, or will still be of value I can sell when I'm ready to upgrade.

This is exactly why we only but Honda/Toyota because of reliability and resale. Same with our food being grass fed/organic. Take care of our bodies as well.

joshuatrio says

Tenpoundbass says

I buy quality stuff, I'm not the guy that will buy the cheap entry level crap, just to get in the game. I buy the quality product, that will last, or will still be of value I can sell when I'm ready to upgrade.

Scotty Kilmer says Honda and Toyotas are going to shit, they don't have the quality they used to. He says Mazda is the shit now.

BTW, over the last 12 years I have leased 10 Mazdas, 5 for myself and 5 for my wife. I have never once had to take it to the dealer for a mechanical issue.
I know plenty of people with Hyundai's and Chevy's that had some serious mechanical issues within two years.

The CX5 was the best selling vehicle in 2020. It outsold ever car model around the world.

Tenpoundbass says

But I lament, good shit is getting harder to find. Many of today's flagship products, are using the cheap mass production methods of yesteryears cheap shit.

I remember trying to find shoes NOT made in China a few years back, very disappointing experience. I can see why we don't have shoe cobblers when the shoes we have aren't worth shit to start with. Quality and reparable, that's the gold standard!

Tenpoundbass says

Scotty Kilmer says Honda and Toyotas are going to shit, they don't have the quality they used to. He says Mazda is the shit now.

Should always research the year you are buying. Anything from around 90-97 is usually stellar. That was the height of Six Sigma in Japan.

Tenpoundbass says

Scotty Kilmer says Honda and Toyotas are going to shit

I don't know who Scotty is, but I can promise you he knows less about Toyota than I do. I've been in every model of Toyota and Lexus made. Including stuff not on the market. You cannot go wrong with a Toyota.

And to be fair we have a Nissan Armada and Toyota Sequoia. I prefer the Armada. But the Sequoia is a brick shit house. We beat on our cars and have 3 kids in the back and sometimes the dog, trailer or camper. Toyota and Nissan are on par with each other. Our domestic cars blow. Ford, Chevy and GMC are not even on the same planet.

As a frequent traveler I've never once gotten a Mazda as a rental car customer. There's a reason huge rental car companies don't have them. Not saying they are not or can not be good cars, but billion dollar companies not buying them is a pretty good sign in my world about Mazda.