
For her 5 Things prompt this week, Dr. Tanya pointed out that “after the pandemic and during the current geopolitical situation, inflation is on an upward spiral.” So she’s asking us to list five things that we don’t buy anymore.
1. Gasoline — As I mentioned in Tanya’s 5 Things prompt last week, last August my wife and I bought an EV (electric vehicle). With the price of a gallon of gas approaching $7.00 where we live in Northern California, I no longer have to buy gasoline to fill up my car. Yay!
2. Suits and ties — Since I retired at the end of 2016, I no longer wear suits, so I no longer have to spend money on suits and ties. I still have a few in my closet just in case there’s ever an occasion where I’d have to wear a suit and tie, but I don’t even know if my suits would still fit me.
3. Aftershave lotion or cologne — I have a full (albeit neatly trimmed) beard, so I don’t have much use for aftershave lotion. Besides, being retired and rarely going out anymore due to the pandemic, what’s the point of putting on aftershave or cologne? Who am I trying to impress with my smell? My wife doesn’t wear perfume anymore, either.
4. Cable TV — I cut the cord about a year and a half ago when I dumped my cable provider, Xfinity/Comcast, in favor of steaming. I bought a Roku Streaming Stick and subscribed to a handful of streaming services plus local broadcast TV stations. And I essentially get everything that I had been watching on cable TV for less than half the cost.
5. Cat food and kitty litter — This past January we had to say goodbye to our sweet little cat. Hence, we no longer spend money on cat food or kitty litter. A few months later, however, we adopted a rescue dog. Now we more than make up for what we used to spend on cat food and kitty litter buying dog food, dog treats, frozen bones, and chew toys. What were we thinking?