patrick.net

I didn't want to drop only NEGATIVE WAVES, so here's a way to save money.

Winn Dixie has 5lb of Russet Potatoes for $5.99, BOGO. That's 10lb of potatoes. Potatoes have Vit C and some other micronutrients.

A bag of freakin' Lays or Ruffles or Store-brought Frozen Fries easily goes for $5 and UP.

Home lightly fried fries
Cut potatoes in quarters, then crossways into about 1-2 inch pieces. Throw in a bowl and rinse in 2-3 waters until clear. Then fill with water and let potatoes sit for an hour, or overnight. Dump the water, add 1-2 tablespoons of Grease/Fat (Burger Grease, bacon grease, butter) per 1-2 potatoes (size dependent) and salt to taste, mix well with your hands, distributing the salt and grease as evenly as possible.

Throw in airfryer for 15 minutes on roast; flipping them with a spatula about halfway through , 7 or 8 minutes in.

to get a crispy exterior, then broil/crisp for 5 minutes at 450F or max temp. Depending on your airfryer, you can easily make 2 batches that will last all week, or for 3-4 people a couple of meals each.

If you want to take more prep time you can cut them in half and then make thinner slices less than a quarter inch thick. I never take off the skin, best part and where the fiber and much of the micronutrients reside. This reduces cooking time.

I shake some oregano or basil.

Popcorn
Another cheap, not too high calorie filler for young guys getting started is POPCORN. Buy whole kernals, not the bagged/microwave shit, spend $10-20 for a silicon bowl that you can toss into the microwave. Add OLIVE oil, or REAL BUTTER, or Burger Grease and some salt. Experiment with oregano, pepper, even some horseradish I've used. Much cheaper and far, far healthier than the store-brought bags.

Soft Tortillas
Finally, high-fiber Soft Tortillas. Easily warmed in an air fryer or lightly sauted with a minimum amount of fat. Head up and Throw leftovers, veggies, the tiny burger that's really too small, pinch of cheese, etc. and you've got a few hundred calorie meal

Eggs and 75% Beef
Both cheap. Use 1-2 eggs and then 3-4 tablespoons of Egg Whites, three tablespoons of water to fluff it up, and whatever veggies or cheese you have lying around. With your home fries or a soft torilla, you have a fast, easy meal.

Vermacelli/Rice Sticks
Soak in water for about an hour - I don't like them al-dente. A teaspoon of Sesame Oil, some soy sauce (Fermenting process kills the phytoestrogens), and whatever small bits of meat or veg you have. Toss in wok or skillet.

Prep
Cut all veggies when you get them back from the store and keep in clear glass. You can reuse glass pickle or sauerkraut jars. Cheap and good: Green Onions, Bok Choi.

Often the place for Rice Sticks and Cheap Veggies and Asian stuff like Sesame Oil and Chili Garlic Oil is better at the Asian Market, often much cheaper than the supermarket "International" section. Rice Sticks last forever, they're dry as a bone and don't attract insects for that reason.

AmericanKulak says

Another cheap, not too high calorie filler for young guys getting started is POPCORN. Buy whole kernals, not the bagged/microwave shit, spend $10-20 for a silicon bowl that you can toss into the microwave. Add OLIVE oil

This is what I do. Use the extra light taste olive oil and it only takes about 1 1/2 minutes to pop. Jolly Time is best.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/two-refineries-produce-14-californias-gasoline-set-close-due-regulatory-pressure

Today in how not to get gas prices down on the West Coast news, it was announced that California is on the precipice of losing two more major refineries that produce 14% of the state's gasoline due to suffocating regulation.

Valero may shut down its two California refineries, according to Just The News.

With existing closures already requiring California to import 8% of its supply, the state could soon face a greater dependence on refined imports, adding to its reliance on Middle Eastern and South American crude.

Patrick says

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/two-refineries-produce-14-californias-gasoline-set-close-due-regulatory-pressure

Today in how not to get gas prices down on the West Coast news, it was announced that California is on the precipice of losing two more major refineries that produce 14% of the state's gasoline due to suffocating regulation.

Valero may shut down its two California refineries, according to Just The News.

With existing closures already requiring California to import 8% of its supply, the state could soon face a greater dependence on refined imports, adding to its reliance on Middle Eastern and South American crude.

Obligatory:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/subway-sandwiches-short-meat-lawsuit-170649849.html

Subway sandwiches are short on meat, lawsuit claims

zzyzzx says

That is how California fast food restaurants can stay above water while paying their workers $20 an hour.

In the Florida panhandle it is $15 an hour.
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Read on Wolf Street website that PCE or overall inflation is 2.1% for last 12 months as reported today by the federal government.

Looks like most of that is attributed to lower gas prices. I paid $2.64 a gallon in Panama City today.

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At least this time they got 2 M&M's:

Booger says

about 8.5% annual inflation for that burger from 2008 to present day :-/

that restaurant (Flavortown Kitchen) is in Huntington Beach, California, so I'm not surprised of this

working class can only afford to live in near-3rd world conditions in California

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Booger says

that Flavortown Kitchen (in Huntington Beach) probably pays $20 an hour to its entry level staff (not servers)

at Dat Cajun Place ( https://datcajunplace.com/?page_id=428 ) about 3/4 of a mile from the shoreline in Panama City Beach , they pay at least $15 yet the food is just as good quality food and a patty melt burger with fries there goes for only around $12 and $11 for the special-of-the-day

it costs to rent a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, +1 car garage within 2 miles of Dat Cajun Place for about $1900 a month

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AD says

that Flavortown Kitchen (in Huntington Beach) probably pays $20 an hour to its entry level staff (not servers)

at Dat Cajun Place ( https://datcajunplace.com/?page_id=428 ) about 3/4 of a mile from the shoreline in Panama City Beach , they pay at least $15 yet the food is just as good quality food and a patty melt burger with fries there goes for only around $12 and $11 for the special-of-the-day

it costs to rent a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, +1 car garage within 2 miles of Dat Cajun Place for about $1900 a month

one example of affordable housing for service workers in the Florida panhandle listed at $1840 for 3 bedrm, 2.5 bath, 1 car garage townhome: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1702-Annabellas-Dr-Panama-City-Beach-FL-32407/87637913_zpid/

zzyzzx says

It's been decades since McDonald's would would overstuff their fry containers brimming from the top. These days they lay the container on its side and only layer in one or two layers. It's not like they are stacked deep like you would get pouring them in a bag.
I bet if you poured the contents from the vintage pack and a current one from the drive through. I bet you would get more fries in the vintage container.
The paper bag also budged and flexed out, allowing more volume the cardboard does not. Those boxes were designed to look like you got more than you really did.

https://wolfstreet.com/2024/10/31/inflation-doesnt-want-to-cooperate-pce-price-indices-for-core-core-services-and-durable-goods-worsen-further-mom/

Buuttt...abortion!

Wolfman has a great article on the latest CPI report : https://wolfstreet.com/2024/11/13/beneath-the-skin-of-cpi-inflation-overall-cpi-accelerated-for-4th-month-core-cpi-for-3rd-month-on-re-spiking-used-vehicle-prices-rising-homeowner-costs/

Overall inflation or CPI for last 12 months is 2.6%, at least a lot better than its recent high of 9% in summer 2022.

Hopefully it remains below 3%.

The Fed Funds rate is around 4.75%, and I expect the Fed will lower the rate to 4% if annual inflation remains below 3%.

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I hope at least Trump can at least cause within the next 4 years the debt to GDP ratio to return to 105% which was the approximate level when Obama left office.

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GFDEGDQ188S

That will help as far as reduce interest rates like the 10 Year Treasury (historically about 1.5% higher than annual inflation) and 30 Year mortgage (historically about 1.5% higher than the 10 Yr Treasury).

AD says

Wolfman has a great article on the latest CPI report : https://wolfstreet.com/2024/11/13/beneath-the-skin-of-cpi-inflation-overall-cpi-accelerated-for-4th-month-core-cpi-for-3rd-month-on-re-spiking-used-vehicle-prices-rising-homeowner-costs/

From Wolfie:
The stubbornly high core inflation rate was driven, so to speak, by the prices of used vehicles that rose for the second month in a row, having U-turned from a historic plunge, which had been one of the big contributors to cooling core inflation. But it appears to be over. Used vehicles have now turned into an inflation headwind, which we figured was coming our way, based on the rising prices at used-vehicle auctions where dealers buy to replenish their inventories.

Car sales are going to be a bloodbath next year.

AmericanKulak says

The stubbornly high core inflation rate was driven, so to speak, by the prices of used vehicles that rose for the second month in a row, having U-turned from a historic plunge, which had been one of the big contributors to cooling core inflation. But it appears to be over. Used vehicles have now turned into an inflation headwind, which we figured was coming our way, based on the rising prices at used-vehicle auctions where dealers buy to replenish their inventories.

They will just remove used car prices from the index.

zzyzzx says

Yes, the problem is clear - what's with using metric instead of ounces?