The economy and cigar budgets

Rising costs across the board have definitely scaled me back. Now, I have to really think about what I want, rather than just filling up my cooler. I plan 1-2 box buys per month, revolving around paydays, and my daily deals and small purchases are strictly limited to what I KNOW I will be smoking.

Here's one example: Two days ago, I hit up the WTS, and someone was selling the exact Ashton VSG's that I recently fell in love with. I wanted them bad, but don't get paid until Friday. I took a pass, and will add the VSG to my future wants list.

Example 2: I really want to go see the gang at Smokey Joe's tonight (a 160-mile round trip). I have a half tank of gas. I need it to last until Friday. Herf not for the Todd.
 
I have cut back also. I work in the construction field and while we are not real slow yet, I know as the year progresses work will slow down and I won't be able to squirrel away enough cash for the winter. (never much winter work) So I am starting saving now.
 
Like Bruzee, I work in a field that booms when the economy busts.

I have definitely scaled back my purchases. I have all but eliminated trips to the B&M (I used to go at least once a week), and I look for more bargains in the sticks I do buy. It usually means buying seconds, less expensive alternatives to some favorites or looking for inexpensive bundle deals. My days of plunking down $8-10 (or more) for a prime stick are probably over, at least for a while.
 
We need to start drilling offshore before the Chinese suck us dry off of Cuba--The methods now are very enviornmental friendly--Plus the ethanol /corn situation is driving food off the charts
 
Business has been OK here. Raw material costs in the rubber industry are heading toward insane. I'm sitting on a decent stock. However, I did buy a box and a bundle today. I haven't made a large purchase in months.

I think the fact that I'm going to be a dad in February will have more of an impact than gas prices.

As for oil, we need to drill at home. Even more, we need a few new refineries to loosen the bottleneck. Ethanol is a nice thought, but its not as efficient as oil and should we really be burning our food?

D
 
Fortunately I stocked up very well in '06 and '07. I just received 2 boxes of Punch Vintage Maduros from Holts, and I'm thinking I may go the rest of the year with no further purchases.

We need to find more environmentally friendly ways to get oil out of the ground, then do it.

The rise in gas prices has made me cut back on driving too. If there is a positive in the high price of oil it is that we are finally learning to conserve and not waste so much energy - we've been trying to figure out how to do that for years, now we're doing it. The other thing is that with oil getting more expensive, there is now a real economic incentive to develop other sources of energy - wind, solar, etc.

One reality is that nothing changes unless there is economic necessity or economic incentive to innovate. O.K., it's not ideal by a long shot, but that's how our system works... Larry.
 
I agree that the positive is the creation of demand for alternate energy. Once alternate energy sources become economically friendly, demand and usage will increase. All of this is cyclical. There won't be $.25 gas ever again, but the price will eventually deflate. :2
 
LkyLindy said:
We need to start drilling offshore before the Chinese suck us dry off of Cuba--The methods now are very enviornmental friendly--Plus the ethanol /corn situation is driving food off the charts
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LkyLindy - Welcome to CS. Your point is well taken. If you know of an environmentally friendly oil field I would be happy to explore it. I would even bring my own rig... Just Kidding...:)
 
My wife and I spend about $500/month on gas right now. Neither one of us will "likely" lose our jobs in the foreseeable future, so we're hopefully going to just weather the storm.

By the way, drilling for oil is NOT the solution for our current state of inflation. Oil plays a part in the market at large, but even if we were to drill it would be at least 5-7 years (if not more) before the gas prices at the pump started to decrease.

That being said, if Congress would even APPROVE some type of alternative oil resource, the middle east would likely fold and start increasing supply. As it is, they have us by the balls...they deliberately limit the supply to create huge demand (everyone knows this).

What we need to "hope" for is that Congress will approve some type of alternative to purchasing from OTHER places. It's obviously not just the middle east, in fact we purchase oil from all over the world.

Isn't it sort of neat that real life is playing out like a video game, in a very morbid way. The world is dividing itself based on resources and the ability to harvet/sell those resources. It's time to pick sides folks.
 
Mullet said:
Isn't it sort of neat that real life is playing out like a video game, in a very morbid way. The world is dividing itself based on resources and the ability to harvet/sell those resources. It's time to pick sides folks.
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Sure is.
and what do we have?
FOOD.
They have oil and sand.
How about we say a barrel will cost us $25 and they get to eat?
 
Mullet said:
My wife and I spend about $500/month on gas right now. Neither one of us will "likely" lose our jobs in the foreseeable future, so we're hopefully going to just weather the storm.

By the way, drilling for oil is NOT the solution for our current state of inflation. Oil plays a part in the market at large, but even if we were to drill it would be at least 5-7 years (if not more) before the gas prices at the pump started to decrease.

That being said, if Congress would even APPROVE some type of alternative oil resource, the middle east would likely fold and start increasing supply. As it is, they have us by the balls...they deliberately limit the supply to create huge demand (everyone knows this).

What we need to "hope" for is that Congress will approve some type of alternative to purchasing from OTHER places. It's obviously not just the middle east, in fact we purchase oil from all over the world.

Isn't it sort of neat that real life is playing out like a video game, in a very morbid way. The world is dividing itself based on resources and the ability to harvet/sell those resources. It's time to pick sides folks.
Click to expand...
:tpd: Thank you,by the time offshore drilling pays off fuel prices & inflation will have taken its course,(it has nothing to do with supply & demand.):D Sorry...
 
So 7-8 years ago we couldn't drill off shore... now when we need it we still can't because it won't help for another 7 years... what ever happened to doing something for ourselves that will help in the future?

BTW, limiting supply does not create demand, it just raises prices, which in turn actually decreases demand (the actual amount demand decreases due to the higher price depends on the elasticity of the product).
 
King Leonidas said:
:tpd: Thank you,by the time offshore drilling pays off fuel prices & inflation will have taken its course,(it has nothing to do with supply & demand.):D Sorry...
Click to expand...

It might help for everyone to read what an economist at Stanford has to say.

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2008/05/13/too_complex

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2008/05/14/too_complex_part_ii

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2008/05/15/too_complex_part_iii
 
I'm at about the same pace, maybe 85% of last years but its more due to the types of things I buy and the channels I go through to buy them. But I think come August I'll stop buying for a little while.
 
The rising fuel and food prices have changed my shopping, spending techniques on a lot of things including cigars. I look longer, take my time, to look for better deals. Whether I'm shopping for cigars, clothes, electronics, etc.....




This drill now won't help for 5 or 6 years argument seems odd to me.
I'm glad our fathers and grandfathers of the WWII era didn't have that outlook. "That B-17 won't be in the air flying over Europe for months. No need to build one now!!"
:D "IRA/Pension/investments won't pay off for several years, no need to save now..."
OK off the :sb now...:)
 
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