Was in a local supermarket today and saw, for the first time in a while, some flats of canning jar lids. Specifically, wide-mouth lids. I ‘standardized’ on the regular width jars and lids years ago, and I have plenty of both, but I’ll probably pick up a flat of lids anyway, ‘just in case’. But, more than anything else, it was the availability that surprised me. Was it like seeing the first swallow returning to Capistrano? Is this the harbinger of an end, or at least a loosening, of the supply chain and demand issues that made canning lids unobtainable for the last year? Dunno.
But, what I have noticed is that some items are coming back in terms of availability. Maybe everyone who needed to stock up has done so and now demand is lower. Or production picked up and therefore there are now more of a particular product to be had. Or maybe I just got lucky. But, overall, while prices have not come down, I think availability is starting to loosen up.
Of course, a reasonable person might opine that the reason availability is up is because the increase in prices reduces the amount that people are buying…an example of why price controls usually lead to shortages.
Gas went up again by a dime, which puts local go-juice at $4.10 per gallon which is officially higher than I’ve ever seen it. The folks in power are quick to spin it as “Putins inflation” or “Putins gas increases” but any idiot with a calendar can tell you this has been going on for quite a while before Putin went all tanky on Ukraine.
For me, things are still fairly calm. I complain about gas prices, drive a little less, don’t let the shelves or gas tank get empty, and thats about it. Worried about a nuclear exchange? No. Worried about WW3.5? No.Concerned about a new Iron Curtain falling over Europe? No. I’m still of the opinion that there is nothing going on over there that’s worth the life of any American. If Europe is worried about it, let Europe deal with it. Send ’em guns and ammo, give ’em access to satellites and intel, and let them deal with it. Isolationist? Yeah, probably.
This has been a remarkably bizarre century thus far, the last ten years in particular. Ever watch a TV show that they completely changed the cast and direction of the show and it bore virtually no resemblance to the previous season? The post 2000 world is pretty much like that. I feel like the last twenty years could be best summed up as “WTF? Are you kidding me?”
Worried no, concerned yes. Having all over the world active or sub rosa shaping the world better for American democracy. Some a little, most not much. But being a student of history, I do know how quickly what is supposed to be a contained small war can quickly spin out of control.
One theory on increased availability is with prices at historical highs and wages remaining flat, people just don’t have the money for anything but essentials. Gas, groceries, utilities, etc. are sky high so canning lids, ammo, and other discretional items are left sitting on the shelves.
NATO looks to be increasing the heat on Putin, he keeps throwing out the nuke sabre rattling which seems to be a sign of desperation. If he is having this much trouble with just the Ukrainians, the possible addition of NATO troops should stop the advance. We shall see.
I suspect the minute he gets serious about nukes, or if he actually pops one off, he will quickly be ushered out the door in a coup (blooded or bloodless) by generals and ministers who dont want to see things get that far our of control.
if he does send off a nuke I have a feeling he will immediately regret it since we have Poseidon submarines doing figure 8 patterns off his coast with enough firepower to turn Moscow into glass.
If he was going to do it, it would be while he has all the NATO leader in one spot in Brussels. One nuke and 30 world leaders!!! Just stupid to have them all at one location!!!
You folks need to turn off the CNN already.
Isn’t anybody paying attention?
Here gas went down 20 cents from its high.
My town is usually the cheapest in the area, surprisingly given how small and remote we are.
As far as availability, haven’t seen many shortages here; the most persistent is chicken.
I have assumed some price increases and availability will go away and some will stay since some of the issues we see are from short term supply crunch issues and some are longer term inflation and international issues. How much is which? I wish I knew.
Over the last 6 months guns and ammo have been more available and coming down in price ( until Ukraine), I haven’t seen canning jars lids yet except on new jars, but demand for them here is huge.
Made a grocery store run today to our Publix.
Most things were well stocked except for flour, lots of empty shelf space there and in the pet food area.
You are right, not one damn thing going on in Europe is worth an American life.
I fear that the push to get involved is growing daily.
I concur with every word and sentiment CZ. We made one of our increasingly infrequent trips to the “big city” this week. Wife had a dental appt. and I had a shopping list as said town is 90 miles away.
One of the benchmark prices I’ve been following for years now is 7/16″ OSB. Stopped at a Home Depot. Used to buy the stuff a few years ago at $8 to $10 a sheet. With the KungFlu frenzy the last couple years, it bounced all over the place from $16 to $26. Today it was $51!!!!! That’s what marine grade plywood used to cost. I didn’t have time to look further at lumber prices; it probably would have just made me ill.
I can’t believe anyone is buying it at that price, and it was piled high to the ceiling. All Canadian import of course.
I would like to build a shop/garage, but I’m becoming afraid that I’ve missed my opportunity. I have the means to do it, but I’m not going to pay more for a garage than I did for my house. As Peter Grant has taken to putting it, we are no longer warning of dangerous SHTF times, they are well and truly here now. I can only hope at this point that the collapse we see occurring is slow rolling enough to make our preps and adapt to circumstances as we need to.
Here in southern Indiana it’s priced at $44. Last summer it was up to $56. Last fall it finally dropped to $16 and I jumped on it, bought a full bunk when all I needed for a project was 60 sheets. The rest is still sitting in the workshop, ready for when it’s needed. I’m still on the seemingly endless search for some reasonably priced 5.56. I keep looking at all the usual places.
Local Walmart has 12 ga. shotgun shells in “adequate” amounts again. That is, usually several boxes on shelves (limit 3). Not enough 20 ga. Prices up 36% over pre-Covid. Still – could this be the first signs of supplies easing?
You might consider that a lot of products recently unavailable or in short supply were until very recently stuck on ships stuck offshore of the major ports, now filtering their way into the supply chain.. I think you are right about the WTF century. Any more I can’t form the words for the absurdity thats going on worldwide, I can only shake my head.
The clowns running the circus have only gotten worse over the last 40 years, and that pertains to both sides and all stripes of gommermints, clear down to the local buffoons. Consider that it was Ukraine bad until obummmer shenanigans replaced the elected criminal with the present criminal, who promptly filled the ruling class with a bunch of his entertainment industry castoffs, none of which have capabilities of actually running a country. But they sure can run a laundromat. Why is it that the present clowns in the big house pushing so hard to support Ukraine, cause they don’t want their cash flow suffering, Follow the money. Why is it the tiny country of Ukraine has upwards of 100 Billionaires ( believed to be that many, more or less). Ask your self, Why does Ukraine presently have one of the worst corruption ratings in the entire world. Why all of a sudden (2 years ago) Ukraine was evil but now we need to protect them at all costs? Their borders are important but ours are non-existent? I’ve had my bullshit meter up and running since 1970. It’s now been pegged for the last 40 years. We now live in a world run by smoke & mirrors, deception, obfuscation, lies, distraction, oh look there’s a squirrel, outright criminal corruption with the main attraction being charade off the day.
You’re right, this is the century of the shitshow.
The only truth anymore is that change is inevitable. Everyone has their hand out for the payoff financed by the taxpayer, whose source of survival is increasingly at risk of even existing next month. Be warned boys and girls, we are fast approaching the day when we all are going to wake up to a “World Made By Hand”.
How convenient, a war on another continent, that doesn’t have to concern us, to take our minds of illegal immigration, inflation, outrageous gas prices, and kung flu. As a prominent correspondent wrote, “ The Dems worse nightmare is that the war ends before the November elections.”
“….there is nothing going on over there that’s worth the life of any American. If Europe is worried about it, let Europe deal with it.”
My sentiments exactly. Let Europeans bleed on their own damn ground & prove how much they love “Ukrainian democracy”.
Not our circus – not our monkeys.
“Not our circus – not our monkeys.”
Interestingly, thats an old Polish saying.