For lunch Saturday Hawk and I tried visiting a new-ish restaurant chain nearby, Sourdough & Co. I've eaten there once before and was disappointed with the high price for a modestly sized sandwich but thought I'd give it another try. In hindsight I should have known there'd be trouble when the restaurant didn't have its basic sandwich prices listed ( Read more... )

Years ago Hawk challenged me, "All your business travel has given you really expensive tastes." I objected; the reality of business travel is seldom luxurious. The main thing that drove my choices across hundreds, and then thousands, of nights on the road was paying enough to avoid unpleasant surprises. That what you get as you start climbing to ( Read more... )

By now I probably don't need to define the term shrinkflation- because you've probably already noticed it. It's a combination of the words shrinking and inflation, and it refers to when manufacturers shrink the size of a product instead of raising its price (inflation). Though lately it seems they've been doing both at the same time often enough ( Read more... )

Well, it's been a year. ...Actually, it's been more than a year. It's been 16 months. I know because I wrote about it in my blog last time I did it. I ate at Taco Bell. And I liked it. Well, kinda. 🤣
Wendys--; TacoBell++;
My inspiration for "Making a run for the border" again was a particular Taco Bell restaurant.


( Read more... )

Lunch often runs me about $20 nowadays. And no, this isn't me dining out at fancy places. I'm talking about "fast casual" restaurants, places that are just one step above fast food chains like McDonald's. Though even McDonald's is getting pricey enough that people are objecting. Witness the complaint about the $16 McDonald's lunch combo that went ( Read more... )

I've seen a number of news articles in recent weeks that people are dining out less due to high prices. It's to the point even that some restaurants are realizing they need to roll back their last price increase. ...Though articles this week note that some restaurants are still raising prices, even for the second and third time in 12 months. People ( Read more... )

Last week I posted about The $500 Challenge, the report from a recent study that 63% of US workers can't afford a $500 emergency expense. That 63% figure wasn't the only thing the study said. It also found that more than one-third, 35%, of people earning $100,000 or more said they are still living paycheck to paycheck.

I am totally not surprised ( Read more... )

Recently I noticed that my electric shaver hasn't been giving me as close of a shave as I expect. It's missing a lot of hairs even when I work it over the same spot on my face or neck a few times. It worked way better when it was new. That means it's time to throw it out and buy another one, right? Wrong! Key parts on electric shavers are ( Read more... )

I went to Five Guys for lunch yesterday. It felt like months since I'd eaten their food (really it had only been about six weeks, I think) and I had a sudden jones for one of their burgers and fries. I placed my usual order: a cheeseburger, little fries, and a small soda. The bill for this basic combo came to just over $20. $20 for fast food lunch ( Read more... )

Well, my prescription drugs are no longer free. The pleasant surprise I had in August when all of the regular prescription medicines I take became free of charge has been undone. It's not that the insurer backtracked on its policy of making preventive drugs available at zero copayment; it's that my company switched its selection of healthcare plans ( Read more... )