What are your last-minute purchases before tariff hell begins?
Got the parts to fix my air conditioner in my car, and a used phone, and a retro handheld I had been putting off.
All used, of course. I'm not contributing back to this corrupt hell government.
Nothing, I'm not buying anything special from that country they can fuck off.
Slowly but surely we will move all our ongoing needs away from the USA and back within the EU fully, so that they can burn in their own little corner of the dark ages as they desire, while we continue to live in present day.
It's one thing to say Fuck the US. It's another to say fuck Americans.
I'm American and I'll say both. They(we) let it happen, and our cowardice and inaction right this second just continues it. We had millions of protesters over the weekend. Did anyone listen? Nope. Until we take it back by force, nothing will change and the majority isn't willing, so, we're just gonna take it. Every second of inaction is willingness on our part. It can always get worse and does, yet we do nothing.
We deserve it. Maybe it will finally wake us the fuck up, if it doesn't destroy us first.
I don't plan on making any last minute purchases at this point.
The tariffs (and other recent economic decisions) are purposefully inflicted economic chaos and disruption. I am not smart enough and do not have enough inside information to make truly informed decisions. I do not trust my ability (or really anybody else's ability) to make long term, last minute plans around the deranged actions. Most, if not all, good plans should have / would have been executed a while ago anyway.
It doesn't make sense to me to go ahead and buy stuff like a laptop, cellphone, car, etc right now "just in case", spending lots of money I might not need to spend and which could be put to better use later. And for less expensive necessities, I already stock up on that sort of stuff as much as I can afford to buy and store because I live in a disaster prone, rural area so it's always been a reasonable and rational thing to do for folks that have the means.
My plan, which began pretty much as soon as the election results were clear, was and is to make do with less. I've put off all non-essential "big" purchases I was considering. I've given up or significantly reduced luxury and impulse purchases. I've switched to less expensive brands, even if I like them less. I've switched to cheaper alternatives where applicable. And now I will buckle down, encourage and support others to do the same as best they can.
I kind of already did that all that stuff. During the pandemic I saw the writing on the wall: the united states is doomed to fail unless we get major reforms that are never going to happen.
I bought a cheap lathe. I then built a furnace and a burner. I then built an end mill out of scrap metal which I then used to build a forced air intake burner so I can melt stuff with less fuel. I've researched and experimented with electronics to the point I can build just about anything. Electric motors, computer logic, you name it. It helps that I have a computer engineering degree anyway. I found a decent way to produce my own double layer circuit boards which is going to pay off now that custom pcb services will become 100% unattainable by normal people. Right now I'm engineering a way to build a brushless motor controller, completely out of trash without buying anything of course.
I've learned how to make my own lead acid battery plates. I've figured out enough chemistry on my own to make all the bases and acids in at least some capacity out of stuff I can acquire for either free or really cheap.
I still have a lot to learn and a lot to do but i'm far enough along I can continue doing that no matter how much worse and more expensive society becomes.
I'm ready for the bitter fucking end of modernity. I'm not living like people did in the 1600s, period. And I definitely won't be helping people who supported things I oppose.
I can't help but imagine a scenario where someone can Minecraft together a computer starting from punching trees; but then they starve because they never learned how to farm.
It's a funny scenario to think about, but the skill would be so in demand someone with it could not touch a farming tool the rest of their life and still eat good
A Japanese car. My old car had been steadily falling apart for the past year. Finally made the leap last week.
What if - hear me out - Trump is gonna hold world by the balls, waving tariffs, and then canceling them. It is not only gonna boost spending, but also put more money in the billionaires pockets.
Wait, that's not right either!
The first half, sure.
I really don’t see how Trump has any plan beyond that, any ability to make deals beyond shakedowns
he has done it in his first term, and the reuslts were disastourous, this is 100times worst.
I think he has no idea what he is doing or what he is going to do. I'd rather get my important purchases out of the way before the chaos inevitably hits the supply chains.
25# bag of Vietnamese rice A tablet with cover for my kids Christmas gift a usb-c cable
buying dental hygiene products, items for my newly persisting PDs, that should last me a while. Rx will be more complicated though. i got most of last years prescription, just refilled each month eventhough i havnt finished the current ones, so i can just ration that for my dermatitis.
i recently bought oneplus12r which is a chinese product, glad i bought it before he began the tariffs, this has a large battery life so it would last a while, better than pixels and iphones. hate to say i do have to use prime for most of my shopping, only way to get things on the cheap without be gouged by big chain stores.
I bought some screen protectors off aliexpress. 1 week shipping instead of 4 weeks. Aliexpress has seriously improved since I last bought from them.
Might upgrade to a Pixel 8 from my current Pixel 6. I want to get security updates until at least the end of this administration.
I have everything I need, but my partner bought a massive bag of rice.
Sadly, I have no way to import a KMR L--02 Orca OR, since the ATF makes it such a pain in the ass to import onsey-twosey, and the tariffs mean that if they ever get a US distributor, it's going to be out of my price range.
But I did get a CZ Shadow 2 Compact a week ago, and that's going to be my carry and competition gun for however long these tariffs last.
I'm going to have to get a few pounds of powder, primers, and a few thousand bullets (the projectile part), because all of that is going in increase in costs, too. I was quoted a price of $315 or so for 8# of Vihtavouri N-135 powder; I'll probably try to get 16-24#, 15,000 small rifle primers, and at least 8-12# of Ramshot Silhouette powder. About half of the raw materials to make bullets--lead, copper, brass, nitrocellulose, etc.--end up being imported, because we simply can't keep up or don't have the mines.
Czech here, also own the CZ Shadow 2 (full size), it is such a pleasure to shoot.
Vihtavuori, lol.
We got a refrigerator. Needed one anyway but rushed it a couple months back because I saw the writing on the wall.
we got one too, end of december, because we knew the tariffs were coming.
We are buying supplies to do fixes in our home like fresh paint, to get it up for market.
Audio gear. Car parts. Laptop. All were due for an upgrade anyway.
I just panic bought a new phone, after realizing mine probably won't make it a year.
Same.
i had to buy one because the 5A screen decided to die from a small drop. i bought OP12R.
Guns
Ammo, too
An air conditioner and a swamp cooler
Miller trailblazer 330. I scrounged and worked ot like a mad man to buy it before this bs started cause paying an extra 3-4k just because. Well fuck that.
RAM
I ordered a Powkiddy RGB30, although I’m not really sure how the tariffs will impact this since it’s coming from China (I bought it before the 104%)
Tariffs are charged on arrival to the US. So I think you'll be hit.
Just great. I guess I’ll consider that my payment for all the free gba games I’ll be playing on that thing
I'm stocking up on Penguin eggs from Heard Island.
Too late. I have no money.
Yup. I've been busy, oh you know, managing having fucking cancer and having necessary surgeries.
I only fucking wish I had money to spend to rebuild my life before it all goes to shit.
None, because I don't live in a country with an orange moron at the helm.
Lucky you, eh?
Must be nice
I can't afford to get any real last-minute stuff, unfortunately. What I did do was stock up on rice and the spices that I largely use, and got some new shoes from walmart earlier than I normally would.
I put off the things I had been saving for (like a vero v), canceled everything but my basic phone service, and I'll be seeing how much stuff I can get by with repairing/cobbling.
What's sad is that the billionaires who control the only grocery options for 90 miles will be getting a LOT more of my income, and the small businesses (music stores, thrift stores, things like that) will be getting left. Thereby amplifying the wealth extraction already happening.
F this, and f everyone who voted for it.
Do you have a garden share anywhere near you? We have some towns near us where you can rent a plot that's like 20'*20' for $10 a plot.
A few from further out only plant low maintenance crops that they tend to on a weekend, or have met someone who happily lends a hand on a day when they can't come.
Gardening is not only a good way to grow savings, it's also fun! It can be a lot less work then some people realize.
That's a good suggestion, and I will look
Bidet installed
I don't believe you, show me the results...
Username checks out
There is no better gift to oneself than a clean ass.
See, that's real prep, not buying 2,000 cans of beans and 20k in ammo :D
My PC just started taking shits last week. I'm fucken upset I have no time.
Look for used parts or machines recycled as part of a corporate hardware refresh. They won't be top of the line, but it's better than paying double the price for something that's already expensive.
I'm still running a Ryzen 5 3600 and a 3060ti. I can't afford to upgrade right now, so if my PC takes a shit during tarrif hell I'm going to use my Steam Deck as my main PC until living becomes affordable again, then maybe someday a new PC will.
fucken
Short for 'fuckeng'?
I do have to say, I never really enjoy your replies to me. They're all like this
quoted word
Quip or correction someone else already made.
Lol
looks at my RX580 I got pre-Covid
softly Don't.
Eh thats not really fair to my build.
What I should say is Microsoft has decided that my E2550 (or whatever) Killer WiFi is actually an E1100 and every day I gotta uninstall the drivers and restart. I added a dword to the registry so fingers crossed.
But god dammit I want a build with no Nvidia so bad. I wanna rock a Battlemage just to say I have a Battlemage cause I'm dumb like that.
So believe in that RX580 its got this for 10 more years (just dont play new games by then).
I feel that. I'm currently using a laptop from like 2017 (with a 1050) and honestly... if it dies, I'm pretty well hosed.
Bold of you to assume i have money.
Coffee.
Upgrade my nas to ssd.
Big order of fishing supplies off Ali Express before May 1. Line, lures, hooks, that sort of thing.
I think tariffs are generally applied based on date of customs arrival, not time of order - discussion on wine imports who order months+ in advance as well as some small businesses getting hit unexpectedly on long-ordered goods, plus my own industry that has a several month lead time on orders and some bills we have received. I'm less familiar with that mechanic but I don't know that placing the order before that time will help you if it has to ship from overseas.
Is this as a hobby or prepping for food scarcity? Not judging, legitimately just asking.
I like fishing as a hobby, but I eat some of the fish I catch. I think it's good to have a hobby that doesn't cost very much and gets you out into nature. I'll probably spend $60 total on supplies for the full year and it'll buy me some toys to try and target some other species I didn't last year.
I also like gardening and cooking, so while I'm not intentionally planning for food scarcity, I'll be circumstantially more prepared.
I built a gaming PC back in January for this purpose, unfortunately GPUs are impossible to get so I'm stuck in a 2080 TI (which is showing its age). Tempted to pay ebay scalper prices ($300+ above MSRP for a 9070 XT), beats paying tariffs and prevents that extra money going to fund whatever new atrocities my government intends to commit.
Also got a nice motorized sausage stuffer.
I'm still running my 1080 (non-TI), I've wanted to upgrade since the 30x0 series but couldn't justify the cost... Definitely not gonna get any better.
I have a 3080 and usually play on a patient gamer schedule so I don't really need to update yet, but I sort of wish I had now. I feel like my current build is going to have to last me for a lot longer than anticipated. But that's ok, it's probably better for my bank account to hoard the money I have anyway.
What games are you playing where it's showing its age? I'm using a 2070 super personally. With a variable refresh rate monitor I hardly notice slowdown unless it's below 30fps, or if it's spiking.
I also play old games. My recent ones (past year) have been Fallout New Vegas, Stardew Valley, Watch Dogs, Watch Dogs 2, Sonic Unleashed Recompiled, and Cyberpunk 2077.
Its not the games so much as the resolution; I'm at 4K, watchdogs 2 struggles and i had to drop settings a bit to maintain 50+ fps.
Esir: also i want to play Avowed at 60 FPS. Love the universe and played both Pillars of Eternity games, enjoyed the tutorial island of Avowed, just wanna enjoy buttery smooth combat.
I bought some computer parts even though I don't live there. Just cause I expected it to be worse soon.
I can't really think of anything I need that will be problematic when the tariffs drop. I do have a hankering for French cookware, but at the same time, I don't NEED more French cookware. ;)
Plan is the same as before Trump's stupidity... pay off debt. Plan to be out of debt (except for the mortgage) by end of year.
Materials for a home renovation project. I should have bought it all long ago, but better late than never.
Popcorn.
Might get an SSD for my laptop. Resisting new computer. Must ... resist...
Stay strong. The one you have now works well enough. Nothing broken, nothing needs to be replaced.
You can always get used parts in 3-6 months when the economy really crashes and people start losing their jobs. (God, I hope I'm wrong)
Am six months away from my four year cycle of a new iPhone. Bit the bullet last night on a current model while the carrier still offering top dollar for trade-in, and there are no tariffs.
I had some DYI hackable computer kits (ClockworkPI) that I orderd last year, both of them arrived in the last few weeks. Im very glad they made it through customs before most of this shit gets enacted.
Bought shrimp and rice at costco
probably better to get the 50+lb rice bags from asian markets. the white gallons drums are useful for holding the rice, and keeping it away from pests.
Trying to use brown rice, which doesn't keep for as long