Ask Lemmy

Probably a computer. I still don’t know if I want a laptop or a desktop. Still don’t know if I want to stay with Apple products or try something new. The frameworks laptops look cool but not the best bang for the buck. I also assume the tariff will kill the supply chain of spare parts which makes them attractive in the first place.

Le Creuset.

Cast iron is imported from France.
Ceramics are imported from China.

https://www.lecreuset.com/signature-oval-baker/20188US.html

https://www.lecreuset.com/classic-3-piece-oval-baking-dish-set-/ST00979.html

Panic buying like this only leads to more price increases. I just buy the minimum, like usual.

as someone else said, plan for a long term(longer than four years). as for me I'm going to phase it out over three years to be reliant on the system as least as possible. the fourth year would hopefully be close to 80% self-reliant.

I'm planning on going all out on a garden next year. nothing fancy; potato, onion, carrot, tomato, squash (fall and winter), peas, string beans, misc herbs, sun flowers, maybe some corn(everybody grows it around here so bartering for some would be easy, besides corn is a pita to grow).

whatever I can't dry, I'll can.

my goal is to be at least 50-60% self sufficient after the first year. this should only require me to buy meat and seasonings mostly. then add on anything else I'll need.

consumables like TP and tissues can't really be stocked reliably as they degrade over time due to humidity.

I'll also be stocking up on common medications for my kids for at least the four years. the last time we went through this there were many product recalls. this time there's talk of defunding the FDA/CDC. I can only imagine the chaos parents will be in when a pandemic sweeps through again and you can't even trust the medicine anymore. common things like cold/flu, fever reducers, epi-pens. (if you plan on doing this, don't be a dick and buy everything at once. take a third so others can still get what they need and get more next week).

I also plan on stocking up on slingshot rubbers and maybe some more ammo. There's a lot of wildlife around me that could either be eaten and/or used a fertilizer. I hope I'll never need to resort to it, but would rather have it and hunt rather than not and starve. probably add some bow strings and arrows to the list for bigger game like deer.

I have kind of been planning for this for years so it's not my first time doing this. my best advice, do anything you feel you can accomplish successfully. don't waste time or resources growing food if you don't have space for a garden (don't experiment with hydroponics if you don't have the time or resources to fail multiple times).

Find other ways to contribute to your community like; cleaning and maintaining weapons, fixing tools, home repair, technology/PC repair. anything you can do successfully will give you an edge that gives you an opportunity to barter for what you need, this includes credit in the community.

I once did tech support and one day someone couldn't pay me. so they gave me some deer they had hunted recently. a year later that person called me and asked if I wanted a job making triple what I was making at my old job(not IT related). credit can't be eaten, but it goes a long way and is indispensable.

stay strong, be smart, we'll get through this yet.

This is only tangentially related, but the best thing you can do is make stuff instead of buying it. Somewhat ironically, community building and self sufficiency will be more important than ever. Yeah everyone is going to say electronics but I feel like we all have enough of those already. Forbidden knowledge is far more valuable. Kind of doomer but... that's where I'm at lately.

Its rough because your talking years. you might be able to stave off a little of the pain but eventually your going to feel it.

Got some kitchen appliances I've been putting off upgrading, buying a new TV now, new PC. Basically if theres electronics that probably won't make it for four years, buy it now.

Get your garden going too. Been extremely poor, it helps a ton.

Oh just fyi, of you have to buy from a big box store, Lowe's donate the most to Democrats and last to Republicans. Fuck home Depot.

Computers

I predicted this. I said if we ever tried to block politics it would devolve into nitpicking what is and isn't political.

But to answer the question: If your computer shit is about due for a upgrade, don't wait.

Grocery prices would probably keep going up no matter who got elected, so gardening supplies would be a good investment over time. Along with gardening comes the peripheral skills of cooking and preserving when it'll hurt your soul to see any of your sweet baby tomatoes go to waste.

Unfortunately plane tickets out of the country are already up.

Jk, mostly.

Stock

I'm buying a new fleet of Ferraris

I definitely need to get a new car. I’ve kept mine running as well as I could and it’s almost old enough to vote but it’s reaching the end of its life. I’d do without one if I could but it’s a necessity and I try to drive as little as possible. I always go Subaru so that’s an import and I’m sure if I wait it’ll be wholly unaffordable. I need to replace some of my electronics repair kit so I can fix what I have when possible.

My big thing is a new TV. We have a 46” LCD from 2009 that often refuses to fully power on. I’ve been dragging my feet on replacing it, just cuz I know the research is gonna be demoralizing, with how dystopian a lot of the “smart TVs” are. But now there’s some real time pressure, so I guess I have to.

Coincidentally, I was already planning on upgrading my personal dev machine (to an M4 Mac Mini) and my retro handheld (to a Retroid Pocket 5), as well as my first dip into XR glasses with the Viture Pro. So I’m kinda ahead of the game there.

I’ve been (im)patiently waiting for the next version of the Orange Pi 800, but if tariffs hit before then I’ll probably just skip it. Analogue 3D is also likely to exit my wish list.

I’ll probably move up the timeline on adding storage to my home server if I can afford to. And some microSD cards, since I seem to always need yet another one.

I’ve got a few friends who were looking at upgrading their PCs this year, so I’ll probably be helping them shop and seal the deal before things get weird.

I wouldn’t expect many outrageous Cyber Monday deals this year. Most mfgs probably wanna stretch their inventory so they can delay price increases and stay competitive. That said, there’s also bound to be companies that are poised to strike early because they have already de-China-fied their supply chains. But even they are bound to be cautious.

Replacing some small to mid size appliances. Mine are generally 7-10 years old and some of the cooking ones are becoming unsafe to use due to wear. New air fryer to replace the one that smokes when it runs and the toaster oven that has two burnt out coils. Potentially a new dryer of the motor replacement is cost prohibitive.

If I can't fix it and expect 3+more years of use it needs to be replaced in the next 6 months.

Buy staff made in Taiwan.. So get that PC upgrade now and get the most RAM you can stick in it.

With Trump being Trump I guarantee that China will be putting that shiny new navy to use soon as Trump will simply do nothing for the prospect of a "good deal"(for a new Trump Tower in Beijing or something)

Food, but not primarily for cost savings as most regular used things things don't last longer than a year, which cost wise won't bridge the gap.

55 lbs of 00 flour in the chest freezer, still have about 25lbs of AP flour in there. 1 30lb bag of Jasmine Rice, 1 25 lb basmati. I still have a ton of beans and and dry pasts in mylar/oxy absorb sitting in barens cans for long term storage. When covid started, I had 1 million calories in storage. I don't plan to go back to that, but I intend to be able to hunker down for a long time.

For work, I'm pushing to purchase more laptops before tariffs.

I've considered stowing fuel with a stabilizer but even if prices double on fuel, I don't use enough of it to make a difference.

It would be a good time to buy any lithium ion batteries and finish off those ali-express/temu orders.

A pixel to load grapheneOS on.

Other than that, I need to save as much of my money as humanly possible.