Is the economy really as bad as they're saying?

[Floyd Eye]

For sure, prices go up fast and hard but come down slowly if at all. Definitely some price gouging going on but no one seems able to stop it. The only recourse left is shop around.
My sitch is similar to @Floyd Eye, investments are doing great but I still gasp at grocery prices.

And things like shingles. God damn, that shit's up to about $45/bundle for regular 3 tab ( which you almost can't find.) I'm doing a tear off and lots of wood replacing, including some rafters and new roofing on my house next door. It's going to cost me 5 grand just in material.


When they built this house they didn't use collar ties ( hip roof) and then the dumbasses that I bought it from took out an interior load bearing wall. I've put 2 beams and a new load bearing wall in it, but it's not like you can just start jacking shit back up though. Especially since the ridge beam is bowed in the middle ( 3" in 13'). You'd just end up breaking all kinds of shit. So I am taking the sheathing ( 1x4s) off and furring the top of the ridge beam back to level and sistering in about 12 new 2x6 rafters, new wood and new roof. And I have until the 15th to get as much of it done before I go back to work. And it's hovering in the 90s to 100 around here.

 

[84superchamp]

And things like shingles. God damn, that shit's up to about $45/bundle for regular 3 tab ( which you almost can't find.) I'm doing a tear off and lots of wood replacing, including some rafters and new roofing on my house next door. It's going to cost me 5 grand just in material.

I'm going on 10 years for all my roofs but they still look good, hope they hold up a few more years.
And speaking of general home maintenance, whatever happened to the Handy Man trade? There's just no one to call on for simple stuff you don't want to do yourself....it seems a tough economy would promote that trade

 

[Floyd Eye]

I'm going on 10 years for all my roofs but they still look good, hope they hold up a few more years.
And speaking of general home maintenance, whatever happened to the Handy Man trade? There's just no one to call on for simple stuff you don't want to do yourself....it seems a tough economy would promote that trade

I have done a lot of roofs in my day and they are charging easily 3 times what I was getting 15 years ago to do it.

Fucker's humped like an old horse's back.

 

[VonBonfire]

And things like shingles. God damn, that shit's up to about $45/bundle for regular 3 tab ( which you almost can't find.)

Take a look at metal prices too. I was thankful to have finished my corrugated exterior and metal roof by 2018-19. I bought most of it at $11/sheet and it went to $25/sheet during covid. It came back down and now it's right around $20/sheet but sat at $22 for a few years. That kinda money for thinner stuff than you would've gotten 25 years ago. It's about half the thickness and will dent if you put your knee down too aggressively.

And speaking of general home maintenance, whatever happened to the Handy Man trade? There's just no one to call on for simple stuff you don't want to do yourself....it seems a tough economy would promote that trade

I was doing some side stuff here and there but I got sick of the customers. As soon as you jump in feet first you get all kinds of people wanting work. I'm sure I could've made a career of it at $50/hr or more but I just told anyone who asked "no" because most of them are cheap, want you to use junk, used, or cut rate crap and make it work. They don't wanna pay or they whine about how much or the results or the methods.

The last handyman I knew pretty much lived out of his van and was a-holes and elbows from sunrise to long past sunset 7 days a week, especially since he had a handle on electrical. That was the one thing I wouldn't fool with. I didn't wanna live like that and tbh I don't think my back will take it anymore.

 

[Shevek]

And things like shingles. God damn, that shit's up to about $45/bundle for regular 3 tab ( which you almost can't find.) I'm doing a tear off and lots of wood replacing, including some rafters and new roofing on my house next door. It's going to cost me 5 grand just in material.


When they built this house they didn't use collar ties ( hip roof) and then the dumbasses that I bought it from took out an interior load bearing wall. I've put 2 beams and a new load bearing wall in it, but it's not like you can just start jacking shit back up though. Especially since the ridge beam is bowed in the middle ( 3" in 13'). You'd just end up breaking all kinds of shit. So I am taking the sheathing ( 1x4s) off and furring the top of the ridge beam back to level and sistering in about 12 new 2x6 rafters, new wood and new roof. And I have until the 15th to get as much of it done before I go back to work. And it's hovering in the 90s to 100 around here.

Dang, good luck bro! We are getting a metal roof this year so we'll never have to replace it again. And then solar panels next year. New roofs are hella expensive.

 

[VonBonfire]

Dang, good luck bro! We are getting a metal roof this year so we'll never have to replace it again. And then solar panels next year. New roofs are hella expensive.

Metal is the way to go IMO. Fireproof is what I was after since it's hot and dry here most of the year. And not having to fool with it (hopefully) again in my lifetime. It's supposed to be a 40 year roof though I suspect the fasteners will not last that long and retain a watertight seal.

 

[IndyWS6]

Damn, Floyd - that’s a shit ton of work. And you’re getting some of the “end times” heat we’re getting. Hydrate, Bro…

 

[Floyd Eye]

Dang, good luck bro! We are getting a metal roof this year so we'll never have to replace it again. And then solar panels next year. New roofs are hella expensive.

I’m considering that for my main house. I kinda figure though, I roofed my main house 21 years ago and it’s just now getting a little rough. So if I put 30 year architectural shingles on it this time, by the time it needs a new roof I’ll be dead. Or at least too old to care about the roof. The spare house isn’t really compatible for a metal roof. Multiple pitches and it’s really cut up. The main section is a hip roof, the addition is a smaller pitch half gable and the attached garage is a gable roof. So there’s 4 valleys and 2 of them are offset. Meaning those valleys aren’t straight in a line all the way down because when they built the garage they started the jack rafters wrong and it’s offset by about 2 feet. It could be done, but I’d have to pay someone who knew more about roofing than me to do it. And it would be prohibitively expensive.

 

[Floyd Eye]

 

[Uzi Nein Millimetah]

My personal financial state is excellent, never better in fact. But then, I've been planning and building this for years, so of course it was going to be solid. I've worked hard + smart for many years. But the general population and the nation's management of finances? That's always dodgy.

It's a great time to be invested in the right places in the market. And it's always a good time to live below your means, which I wasn't very good at in the early years but have improved. Aside from watching major indulgences, I've also cut way back on eating out over the last 6 years, especially since even a very mundane lunch can be $20 now. I can easily figure out ways to have a good, healthy lunch for less than $10. And I'm fortunate to have the option to work remote or have a hybrid schedule as I do more often, so I can eat breakfast + lunch at home on the cheep, and also save bigly on commuting costs. Cancelled cable TV ~9-10 years ago and the land line 20 years ago. Cable at that time had crept up to $135+/mo (and those sneaky bastards kept adding a few mystery dollars here, a few more dollars there every other month) and the land line was $55/mo, so you do the math over the amount saved to date. That amount of monthly savings is probably more NET gain than a lot of people get from their annual raise, and it's not taxed obviously. The costs simply disappear.

One of the biggest problems for Middle Class people is the idea you should have a newish car(s) at all times to show how you've "made it", even though you are a mere renter of your apartment or home, which can obviously lead to ruin long term. I don't get it.

Another is being unhealthy. Staying naturally healthy is one of the most important things in life! Much better to be naturally healthy than to depend on some arsenal of expensive prescription drugs (with potential major side effects) to make up for your own bad lifestyle. Excuses = POISON. Normal people can be healthy if they want to, but it takes discipline. Same for financial health. No whining, no blaming others, JUST DO IT.

 

[The~Kid]

For sure, prices go up fast and hard but come down slowly if at all. Definitely some price gouging going on but no one seems able to stop it. The only recourse left is shop around.
My sitch is similar to @Floyd Eye, investments are doing great but I still gasp at grocery prices.

This has to do more now with the Nu-Economist and Nu-Marketers.......



They have essentially set up the algos and AI to just milk the most money out of you..... So your fave bag of chips or that brand of toothpaste you buy or whatever else will just go up in money because they know you can pay for it and will milk every penny from you.


Its called DoucheMaxxxing and it's a result of the Maxxing Culture from Generation D-/Y/Alpha

 

[Geo]

I guess it just depends on your particular situation, same as it's always been.

 

[Floyd Eye]

I guess it just depends on your particular situation, same as it's always been.

Exactly. The increase ( per capita) in low income people is because of exponential population growth. People that would go out and do what they gotta do to take care of themselves and their family and their future are going to do it regardless of peripheral economic forces. Assess, adapt and overcome. Even at 57, while operating at maybe 80% of my peak physical ability, if I lost my job tomorrow by the end of the week I would be making money some other way. That is a guarantee.

 

[Geo]

The problem is all these social programs are just punishing the responsible people.

I fear it's only going to get worse.

 

[Uzi Nein Millimetah]

The problem is all these social programs are just punishing the responsible people.

I fear it's only going to get worse.

Useless eaters. The Globalists won't always be willing to feed them as they are replaced by mindlessly obedient Third World fleshbots, and eventually robots.

 

[Geo]

Useless eaters. The Globalists won't always be willing to feed them as they are replaced by mindlessly obedient Third World fleshbots, and eventually robots.

Well, there in lies the problem. What does society do with them? Millions of ignorant, possibly violent people.

We are almost there now.

 

[Uzi Nein Millimetah]

Well, there in lies the problem. What does society do with them? Millions of ignorant, possibly violent people.

We are almost there now.

Stalin's solution for Uselss Eaters was mass starvation and execution, then burning the bodies and/or dumping them in unmarked mass graves.

Apparently, the modern Final Solution will be bioweapons, which will be claimed to be "natural" viruses and such, and poison vaccines for the bioweapons they themselves created, which they profit from massively Genius, no? Evil genius.

 

[Geo]

Stalin's solution for Uselss Eaters was mass starvation and execution, then burning the bodies and/or dumping them in unmarked mass graves.

Apparently, the modern Final Solution will be bioweapons, which will be claimed to be "natural" viruses and such, and poison vaccines for the bioweapons they themselves created, which they profit from massively Genius, no? Evil genius.

No, the elites will use them to terrorize the non-compliant. It's happening already.

The homeless problem could be solved in one week but the elites use them for votes.

 

[Uzi Nein Millimetah]

No, the elites will use them to terrorize the non-compliant. It's happening already.

The homeless problem could be solved in one week but the elites use them for votes.

Only so many Useless (i.e. Obsolete Humans) will be needed in the future. The others will be disposed of if all goes to plan. World population reduction is absolutely a key goal, as they've stated many times. Oops, I'm sorry, they prefer to call it population "control" or "management". Either way, it's culling.

 

[IndyWS6]

This is everything you need to know about the economy