Standing still and bidding farewell to April. May is, after all, my favorite of all months. One thing is for sure: time is not standing still. I need to take a minute here in my life and just breathe. One of the things that is on my mind as we close out the 1st month of the 2nd quarter of 2025 is, “How do I prepare for the unexpected better?” In the year 2020, I was reading news about what we would eventually deal with from 2020 to 2023, long before mainstream news picked up the story. I read news regularly from parts all over the world. We started to slowly prepare, and even though I would never know just how bad the situation would become all over the world, what we personally prepared ourselves for worked. We never ran out of anything and, because of our continued commitment to our health, stayed healthy. It was a lot.
Now, regardless of your politics, by now you’ve heard that retailers are refusing to pay the tariffs for goods. There have been preorders made for items generally sold in big box stores through August. Nothing that is being reported is entirely 100% accurate because people/news just don’t know. What has been said by people in the retail industry is by June, if not sooner, shelves will clear with panic, and supply will not be available for restocking. Christmas goods, usually shipped early summer, may wait at ports until someone decides to pay tariffs or the tariffs disappear. Fake trees, bulbs, decor, etc., all come from China. Toys, home decor, furniture, and holiday goods do too.
I’ve asked someone that is more organized than I feel that I am what to do. I was told to do this, if nothing else. Go room to room and ask yourself, “How many of these do I use or need for 1 year’s time?” I started in the medicine cabinet (OTC meds), then spices, any food stuffs that would be in an “international” aisle in the grocery store, electronics (back-up tablets?), toiletry items that could go up in price exponentially (makeup, shavers, toothpaste, deodorant, lotions), garbage bags, counter-top appliances, and easy to buy and store car parts for future work (we need a suspension issue fixed and front brakes; $225+tax for the parts now). We’re doing well in the clothing and shoe department. So, that’s a start. We’re thinking about $400.00 out of savings should get us these things, and then as far as these items go, we’ll be good for a year. That’s all we can do, and for right now it’s all we can afford. The worst outcome from buying these things is that we’ll be out $400.00 early on, and the best thing is that when and if prices go up or stock goes out, we have a backup or two of some very necessary items.
Let me know if you’re preparing in any way. In the meantime, I’m going to go back to taking it easy, keeping my head on straight, and preparing to move into my favorite month. I’m going to continue to enjoy the birdsong every morning, the different shades of pink at sunrise, the anticipation of fresh produce at the farmstand soon available, and the thrill that I will get when my tiny apartment garden is planted mid-May.
Until next time, be safe and be well.
savoringmysixties 