How many of you are going to buy

[Upthevibe]

items you would have normally bought next year before years end due to the upcoming possibility of tariffs?

I was going to wait until next year to get a new T.V. (I really need a bigger screen and my T.V.'s been acting up). Now I think I'll get one this month.

I'm just curious regarding other opinions of DU'er....

Thank you..... (I normally put a happy face that's waving but in this case I'm just sad)...

[boston bean]

1. All I know is for me, starting January 20, will be doing my damndest to

not spend one dollar on anything more than household items like food, bills. I will avoid any large purchases. I will visit locally owned restaurants. No chains.

[Upthevibe]

14. boston bean......

Thank you for your feedback......

[CTyankee]

62. Me, too. I'm already watching what I spend for food and planning accordingly.

Even so, I can barely keep up with the prices. Now I'm cutting down on volume: serving sizes are getting smaller and I just tell hubby it's a good way to lose some excess weight.

[Bettie]

2. We replaced our TV

our old one was 20ish years old. New one is really nice and cost us a quarter less than the old one did.

Most everything else is working right now.

[Upthevibe]

15. Bettie........

Thank you....

[The Unmitigated Gall]

3. Bought my new laptop

2 weeks ago. To replace my current, which was 9 years old. No new purchases over 500 bucks while Orange Felon is in office.

[Upthevibe]

17. The Unmitigated Gall ...........

Thank you.............

[Lonestarblue]

30. I need to consider getting a new laptop also. Yikes! Mine is 10 years old.

[GoreWon2000]

56. I did the same.

My laptop was 12 years old and too old for any further updates. Starting January 20th, it'll just be food and gas for me. My cars, clothes and housing are all in good shape for which I'm very grateful.

[WENSTJDON]

4. My furnace was almost 40 years old.

Decided to get one before the loser takes office and imposes all the tariffs. It was installed last week.

[Upthevibe]

18. WENSTJDON..............

Thank you..........

[FirstLight]

5. How soon do you think prices will go up? Are C-Mas items like Tv's etc already going up?

I know some have said that they are already jacking prices in "preparation" for said tarriffs...

Which seems like a shitty thing to do right before the holidays...

[Upthevibe]

19. FirstLight..........

I haven't checked on prices yet.

I'm very much a minimalist and don't do much shopping. That's totally crappy if stores are already doing that....

[barbtries]

53. welcome to

the corporatocracy.

[B.See]

77. Exactly. The same corporate arsonists

who deliberately (and in a few cases, admittedly) engaged in price gouging to help the GRIFTER will use the anticipated tariffs to do more of the SAME.

[Think. Again.]

6. I will also reduce any consumerism to the bare necessities starting Jan, 20th.

[Upthevibe]

21. Think. Again.

Thank you....

[DFW]

7. Nothing. I live in Germany.

Not even the tacos here are made in Mexico.

[Upthevibe]

22. DFW.....

Thank you.....

[spooky3]

36. DFW, if an American were seriously considering moving

Somewhere in Europe, and didn’t have to find a job, where would you advise them to look?

I’m not doing it (I do fantasize, though) but I know of two people who are considering it.

[Laurelin]

55. Last I heard, Portugal

It's been awhile so no guarantees but they can check. It's not Europe but Canada isn't too hard for Americans to move to.

[ramedy]

65. I moved to Spain

Best thing I ever did.

[DFW]

82. That depends entirely on three factors.

1.) Financial situation. Do they have enough in either savings/investments and/or fixed income to be last them the rest of their lives?

If yes, go on to #2.

2.) Health. Would they be rich enough to buy new resident/unemployed insurance? The Germans wanted $35000 a year from me, for example. Though employed, my employer is outside Germany. For the German health system, that is irrelevant. They get to take a minimum of 50% in income taxes (over and above what I have to pay the IRS, so my real rate is about 73%), but I get zero in return. They even get to take 50% of my Social security, do not pass GO, do not take a 15% deduction.

I.E. get ALL the information you think you need, and then consult a local accountant to find out what you overlooked. It CAN be done, but if you don’t do a thorough job, you might get whacked financially. On the other hand, at least in Germany, when they tell you what’s covered, they mean it. No surprise $15,000 deductibles you didn’t expect. I don’t know the situation in the “vacation countries,” such as Spain and Portugal, but I’ve heard that Spain, at least, has made a lot of progress in the last 20 or 30 years.

But FIND OUT FIRST, and move later, not the other way around.

After this is taken care of, then there is #3.

3.) Language. Yeah, yeah, I know, “everybody speaks English these days.” Except no, not everybody does. Everybody knows a few words, just no like everybody in the USA can say “dos tacos por favor” or “ein Bier bitte” or “merci beaucoup.” THAT is not speaking the language. Hanging out in a group of five locals and never having to use a word of English—THAT is speaking the language. And unless you want to socially isolate yourself or sentence yourself to a life of social imprisonment in the American Women’s Club of Barcelona (it really exists, or used to, anyway), no matter HOW hard it may seem at first, it MUST be done. Otherwise, it’s like moving to Boston when all you speak is Dutch.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg, but all three are essential for a successful move abroad. If you move to Canada, England, Ireland, Australia or some other English-speaking country, #3 becomes easier, of course, but the rest still applies. NO country is looking to invite outside immigrants who will do nothing but siphon off taxes the locals pay. Don’t let anyone tell you certain things are “free” in Europe. That is a cruel myth. NOTHING is free. SOMEONE has paid for everything—schools, health care, pensions, etc. That someone is usually the local taxpayer, and whomever they end up supporting with their taxes, WE are not the ones they had in mind.

Anyone still interested? Keep your eyes, ears and mind open. NOW you can get crackin’ !

[spooky3]

88. Thank you!!!! Nt

[rsdsharp]

8. We already bought a dryer. We're contemplating a new refrigerator.

The ice maker stops working, and then heals itself. It’s happened twice so far, and recently stopped again. It can’t be fixed (design flaw), and soon I fear it will die for good.

[Upthevibe]

23. rsdsharp..........

So does the current situation make you feel you should get one before the end of the year?

[rsdsharp]

28. We haven't decided, yet. In any event, I think the trigger date would be January 20.

[kimbutgar]

51. Is is a Samsung?

I just replaced my refrigerator because it was noisy and the ice maker no longer worked. The refrigerator was only about 6 years old.

[rsdsharp]

58. No, it's a Kenmore. I think it's about 10 years old,

but the most ice maker has been acting up for a year or two. The repair guy says the opening and closing door rubs on the wiring for the ice maker. That causes intermittent problems, and eventually it wears through, and the ice maker dies totally.

[usaf-vet]

63. Try this as an alternative. Our refrigerator ice maker quit. So we bought bags. A pain! We move to this.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=ice+makers+countertop&crid=1X6400HMZ4PQ4&sprefix=Ice+maker%2Caps%2C148&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_9

Our model costs less than $100 and works great. In less than an hour, the ice bin in the freezer was full again, and it was ready to dispense cubes from the door.

We live in a small town with NO appliance stores. The nearest is a 140-mile round trip.

Our only option is the other billionaire empire, Walmart. It pushed a lot of the mom-and-pop stores out of business. The community as a whole DID NOT WANT them. But they had more time and money than the community, so they won.

We use Amazon as we are in our mid-seventies and drive as little as possible. So Amazon meets our needs. The products we use and need. No driving, especially in snowy months. No parking nightmares. No unmasked Covid deniers. No red-hatted idiots to deal with. No falls on ice and broken hips are the often sure path to end-of-life events.

Win-win-win for us.

[rsdsharp]

71. That's not a bad idea. I'll se what my wife thinks.

$100 for an ice maker makes more sense than $1000+ for a new refrigerator which otherwise works fine.

[usaf-vet]

72. That was our reasoning as well.

[rsdsharp]

73. Thanks. Now to figure out where to put it.

[usaf-vet]

75. LOL that was our problem as well!

[Flash953]

9. Covid might come up again... I'll buy toilet paper. Domestic Toilet paper...

Title says it all.....

[Upthevibe]

24. Flash953..............

Thank you.........

[PeaceWave]

10. Our family has been buying all kinds of stuff, including a new car.

[Upthevibe]

25. PeaceWave........

Thank you.......

[alwaysinasnit]

11. Got a new laptop. The one I have been using is still good but it is 6-7 years old.

[Upthevibe]

26. alwaysinasnit........

Thank you........

[WiVoter]

12. Got A New Laptop

Gonna get a new tv soon, before mfer gets in. Got a new car in Oct.

[Upthevibe]

27. WiVoter..........

Thank you...........

[hunter]

13. China will buy Trump at Putin's fire sale and there will be no more talk of tariffs.

But I should probably be looking at used practical pickup trucks.

My kid is driving mine.

[Upthevibe]

29. hunter...........

Thank you..........

[PeaceWave]

16. Buy from Costco. If prices don't go up, you can always return it...Even years from now.

[Upthevibe]

31. PeaceWave.........

Thank you.........

[live love laugh]

32. REALLY? I didn't know that.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

20. Yep- I'm going to be buying a bunch of stuff before Jan 20

I don’t have any big items that I need so it will be more like food items and vitamins. Frozen fruit, frozen spinach, protein bars, gas. Unfortunately, my freezer will only hold so much. I will not spend ANYTHING the week of Jan 20. I’m a bit of a hoarder who waits until things are on sale to buy so I have enough hygiene items like deodorant, shampoo, soap to last me until the next president comes along!

[Upthevibe]

33. kerry-is-my-prez.......

I'll buy what I need to but no "big ticket" items for me either........

[mike_c]

34. my wife is busily buying cheap solar garden lights...

...which appear to all be made in China. She specifically says she wants to get them before the price goes up.

[soldierant]

50. Tell her not to forget

solar rechargeable batteries.

[StarryNite]

35. Already have...

Bought a new cell phone to replace a perfectly good nearly 6 year old phone. Bought new tires for one vehicle and will buy them for another car we have once the tires arrive from California. I've been buying smaller items that I know I will need in the next year or so. Concerned that some of my big kitchen appliances may not last too much longer since they are already getting old but they are currently working well.

[patphil]

37. It's a very good time to buy a TV regardless of what next year brings.

You can get a 65" 4K TV for less than $450.

[spooky3]

38. Have to replace my Apple Watch and maybe a laptop in the next year or so.

I’m holding out as long as I can.

[hlthe2b]

39. I'm more into simplifying and new autos are already ridiculously expensive, so I'm keeping my old hybrid.

Still, whether it has anything to do with tariffs or not, coffee prices are supposed to dramatically increase due to drought throughout the growing regions of the world, so I'm stocking up a bit (even though I know vacuum-packed ground coffee is still not considered ideally 'fresh' for more than a few weeks, I'm not that much a "snob" ). I typically restock canned goods in the pantry once a year anyway, so I do that too. Otherwise, I am just resigned to do without items affected--if I can. I do need a new laptop, so that might be the one thing....

[LogDog75]

40. I've been thinking of buying a new clothes dryer

My 10-year old gas dryer wasn't heating up so I started looking around at new ones. I saw on YouTube how to fix it. I ordered/received a dryer thermal fuse. It took about 15-minutes to replace it and now the dryer works like it should.

I'm considering a heat/pump, ventless dryer as a replacement. A heat pump heats the air into the drum causing the heat to absorb moisture. The moist air is drawn over a condenser causing condensation. The condensation is drawn into a small tank (needs emptying after two loads) or through a hose directly to a washer drain or a sink. It requires no exhaust vent because it has a dual lint trap.

[doc03]

41. I planned on buying a new Honda CRV Hybrid in March after the salt is off the roads. Since I am 76 I

figure that may be my last new car. I only have 57000 miles on this one so maybe I will just keep it.

[kimbutgar]

49. We brought a Hyundai sonata hybrid and the savings on gas is worth it.

Honda’s will be higher next year with the tariffs added.

[LogDog75]

60. I have a 2007 CR-V

I bought my car new in 2007 and has 88,000 miles on it. I'm looking at either a CR-V or RAV4 hybrid or all-electric car around 2027. My main concern on electric cars is the range per charge. I'd like at least 400 miles per charge and hopefully, battery technology will be advanced enough by then.

[JI7]

84. I think you should buy it . If he causes many problems

it's not like things will be fixed and normal right away if democrsts win in 2028.

[Evolve Dammit]

42. Well we already can't afford new vehicles anyhow so.... Bracing for our "future" under Donald Duck the Orange.

other stuff is just going to go up in prices and we will assess what we can do without. I look for a recession at best.

[City Lights]

43. We just bought new cell phones.

Also planning on only buying necessities as much as possible come January 20,2025.

[japple]

44. I had to replace our heat pump a month ago. I'm glad it happened when it did instead of

next year.

[Kaleva]

45. I don't have enough discretionary income to do that.

Christmas is covered and any extra spending would have to go on credit cards

[kimbutgar]

46. I was going to put off buying a new refrigerator but ended up buying a new one.

I got so lucky was going to buy one at Lowe’s and it was $1700 plus $300 for set up and haul away of the old one. But before I made the purchase I checked out Costco and the same refrigerator was on sale for $1000! And that included set up and haul away of the old one! My timing must have been right because I looked at the Costco website yesterday and the price went back to $1700!

I also brought a new laptop for my son who goes through them every other year. And I got two free IPADs because I had some bonus points on my credit card that were going to expire. And I’m thinking about buying another TV to replace my non smart one in my bedroom before the year end.

Because prices are going up under the orange turd with his friggin tariffs.

I was going to also get my kitchen cabinets refaced but put that off indefinitely.

[paleotn]

47. Yes. Already have. Still some stuff on the list between now and Jan 20.

Post inauguration, we're going to spend only what we have to. I don't think he's going to be able to do even a quarter of what he's spewing, but why take the risk?

[SheltieLover]

48. Already bought new cell, flatware, kitchen knife set, shower curtain, etc.

Office supplies en masse. Also extra LED light bulbs for house & all cars. Will also ask grandson to source & buy likely auto repair parts.


Now hunting for a carbon steel fry pan, ideally mfd in usa & not costing hundreds.

Continuing to scour my mind for other items I might want or need & will buy them quickly!

[barbtries]

52. I can't afford to.

example is I want to get a new kitchen suite, in white, with a bottom refrigerator.

What I am doing is adjusting to the fact that I can't always get what I want.

[Baitball Blogger]

54. I am on a one year purchasing strike.

But, whatever I save I'll probably use to pay an editor.

[JT45242]

57. College son was having trouble with laptop...

Bought now rather than fix and hope.

[defacto7]

59. I was thinking of another Rolex and a diamond ankle bracelet.

No. Not really. I can't think of anything I need, now or later. I've got my kids, my dogs, some yogurt ... nope. I don't need a thing.

[LilElf70]

61. I read today

that dumbass Trump actually admitted that prices, especially electronics, will rise, and the consumer will carry the weight of the increase.

And all these Magats..... so stupid. Every democrat in this country could see this was going to happen months ago. Yet the magats didn't believe it. Soooooo gullible. Soooooo stupid. I do not foresee this ending in a good way, as long as Trump is running the show. Giving tax break to the rich, cutting the ACA and healthcare for veterans? What else is this moron going to do? And to top this off with Melania selling Christmas ornaments? WTF. It's going to get more insane.

And the POS isn't even in office yet.

Buckle up, here we go. As for this post, if you are in need to purchasing electronics, I strongly suggest purchasing by Christmas, while the sales are still pretty good. If you're looking for a high quality TV, I recommend LG OLED. The picture quality is phenomenal. Merry Christmas to yourself. You deserve it.

[Meadowoak]

64. I bought new tires for the car, probably could have gotten

Another year out of the old ones, but no idea what they'll cost next year. I don't plan on buying anything after Jan 20. Food and absolute necessities, that's it.

[KatyaR]

66. I bought a new tablet, the one I have is several years old.

That was all I was going to buy, but then I decided to go ahead and buy a new laptop. I didn't really need it, but I'm afraid of not being able to get one if something happens to the one I have.

I've also bought a few other things like first aid supplies, things that won't go bad very quickly. I'm also thinking about replacing the car tires sooner rather than later.

[Niagara]

67. Upthevibe

Pre-election I purchased a certified used vehicle (May) and a new television (August). Both purchases were necessary to replace the defective and worn out items.


Post election I've replaced some clothing for myself. I had a previous cat that bent a curtain rod and this happened years ago and I just got around to replacing the curtain rods.


I'm considering purchasing new curtains for the living room. It's not necessary but the ones that I have now are outdated for sure.


The dryer is a year old and the dishwasher was purchased in April.


I purchase extra paper products paper towels, toilet paper) when I can because if there's another pandemic that's the first thing that consumers panic buy.


I'm sure that I'll purchase extra shower curtains and batteries as well.


Here's the previous bent lockseam curtain rod and here's the after with new curtain rods.









I'm definitely going to bookmark this thread because once January 20th arrives, most likely my money is going to be spent on necessary items only.

[jeffreyi]

68. Ordered a new firewood splitter

As the prices are going up next year.

[MontanaMama]

69. I ordered a new gas range.

Been meaning to upgrade the range I have for a while now. I shouldn’t have waited as long as I did but I really didn’t think that this country would elect the felonious rapist, but here we are.

The range I want is currently on back order everywhere. I’m not in a hurry so I went to various appliance stores and asked them if I ordered the stove and paid for it now, would they guarantee that I wouldn’t have to pay a tariff. Only Best Buy made that promise. Lowe’s wanted to sell me the stove but couldn’t make the guarantee. Best Buy said it might be 6 months before I get the stove. That’s okay.

Other than that, I will not be buying anything of consequence until this current nightmare is over.

[SheltieLover]

70. Also already bought much needed paper shredder & will put new tires on 2 more cars before 1/20

Also purchased a bunch of phone charging cords & plug in chargers, as well as higher end auto charger.

All these things will increase drastically with tariffs!

Even tires mfd in USA price will be driven up by tariffs on junk made overseas.

And I'm not a habitual shopper, hence my need for so many items. I also want Joe's economy to get credit for the few thousand I will have spent.

[pwb]

74. I tend to save when pukes are in control.

They offer mostly uncertainty. IMO.

[fairfaxvadem]

76. New flooring...

It’s the last thing on the major “to do” list. Just got ordered. The flooring is made in the US but that won’t mean a thing if things go sideways next year. Appliances are old to older but all working fine, so far. Won’t replace just for the sake of it so will take my chances on them and my car, which is 8 years old but only has 32k miles and is fully loaded, for its age. Want a new vehicle but frankly, would rather do more traveling next year instead, if I can.

[Meowmee]

78. The main purchase I have to make is a car which I will be doing soon

Although I will be purchasing a used car, I want to do it before any possible influence of possible tariffs in increasing the price, etc.


I have thought about purchasing some other things in case the prices go up a lot. Probably nothing major. We don’t usually buy major appliances until they stop working completely. Fortunately new ones have been purchased in the past few years so they should be good for a while, fingers crossed and I always purchase the extended warranty, but I think most of those are up now.

[Clouds Passing]

79. Stocking up on a bunch of little stuff, tp, pts, laundry detergent, shampoo, coffee, beans, whole-grains etc

[ShazzieB]

80. I've been thinking about getting a new cell phone before prices shoot up.

Mine works fine, except it has a wonky power button, and I have to hit it just exactly right to turn the screen on or off. It usually takes at least 2 tries (often more) before I find the sweet spot. It's one of those things that's not a huge deal, but it's a real pita, because it's such a constant thing. 😬

Problem is, I'm broke right now...but I'm not going to be any less broke next year when the prices shoot through the roof. I think I may just have to break out a credit card, much as I really don't want to.

[subterranean]

81. I'm thinking of moving up my purchase of a new iPhone.

I could still get by with my 6S for a while, but now I'm thinking I should buy a new one before Jan. 20.

[chowmama]

83. Stocking up food, got some fabric

But the big scare is our tv is dying (the sound buzzes so much that I can't listen to it), and our computer isn't going to work after next year - something to do about a program contract/license expiring. I'm not sure how we're going to afford these.

I keep looking to see if there's some way to plug separate speakers into the tv. That would put off one purchase. I can't repair the computer situation.

[Hekate]

85. We stopped waiting to replace my iPhone and just got me a new one. That's about it. ...

Part of me wants a big tv screen, and the rest of me knows I’d have to take out a big bookcase. Sorry, no can do.

[Bookreadingliberal53]

86. Replaced my iPhone and laptop pre election

We also replaced our 20 year old stove. It should be delivered tomorrow.

Also stocking up on Diamond painting kits( my hobby and are made in China) and fluoride toothpaste due to RFK Jr wanting to remove fluoride from water and toothpaste.

Also getting my tdap vaccine the end of December.

[ribrepin]

87. I got a new desktop computer and a passport

Our old computer will not upgrade to Windows 11 because it's almost 10 years old. The passport was necessary because my birth certificate is messed up and I couldn't get an enhanced license. They use social security on the passport so hopefully I won't have any problems. Also considering new Iphones because we have Iphone 11's, but it's pretty spendy and our current phones work fine.

[mucholderthandirt]

89. We are getting car repairs done. I'm trying to stock up as I can on things we can't do without.

My old van basically died when the power steering locked up. It will be spring before my brother could really get to it, and no guarantees he could fix it himself. And the AC needs to be fixed, or I risk dying trying to be out in the heat.

So, I have a new to me SUV. The previous owner took really good care of it, some minor cosmetic stuff which we don't really care about. My sons have replaced the shocks and struts, and one is getting tires rotated and a wheel alignment done today. At some point we'll end up doing an oil change, maybe spark plugs and wires. My brother thinks the motor mounts need to be replaced, sons say no.

I have a washer and dryer newer than the current ones we bought from son and girlfriend a couple of years ago. Got a stove free from my sister. The fridge is old, but works fine, it will have to last.

We want to buy a newer model mobile home, since the stuff that would have to be done to the one I bought in 1993 would cost more to fix than we could reasonably pay, if we could get someone to fix stuff.. Which no one around here really does. My late brother could have done it (he remodeled the kitchen years ago), but now we're faced with needing both bathrooms redone, some water lines replaced, electrical work done, new windows... It would likely be $30K or more, and take weeks, if not months.

I'm worried about spending any kind of money on another trailer, but we really need something better. As long as my son keeps working at Walmart, we'll have a salary coming in, but I fret about all the claims of SS cuts. It's a mess and I blame the media for normalizing Trump, and all those idiots who didn't vote (including, it seems my three sisters, all Democrats).