Just received a message from a friend in England. More like a warning.

[appleannie1]

A word of warning from a good friend in England. Stock up on anything you normally buy that comes from other countries. They are all going to stop trading with the US. It is amazing how many products labled "Made in the USA" have materials in them that come from other countries.

[likesmountains 52]

1. As a knitter, I can say that a lot of yarn comes from the UK. Stock up!

[Srkdqltr]

2. Fabric too . Quilters stock up. Why i just bought $100 from Hancock-Paducah. Thats my reason.

[Mme. Defarge]

4. Merde alors!

[Aristus]

9. Pardon your French...

[ShazzieB]

46. Sacre bleu!

Also, user name checks out.

[Randomthought]

17. Huge stash

I knew my excessive yarn buying would work out.

[likesmountains 52]

20. My stash never seems to stop me from wanting new yarn.

[Greybnk48]

24. I just ordered some yarn from Denmark (Hobbii)

I'm hoping there are no problems (or that they don't pee on my yarn before they send it because I'm an American). Guilty by association, however tenuous.

[Scrivener7]

38. After everything else, that asshole is going to take Wool Warehouse away from us.

That's just a step too far.

(Have you tried it? It's amazing. And $5 shipping to the US.)

[likesmountains 52]

41. Thanks for that site. Just dropped a bit of $$ there before it's too late.

Seriously, are we just going to be left with Hobby Lobby and other crap yarn?

[Scrivener7]

42. I'm going shopping right now.

[littlemissmartypants]

55. Have you considered thrifting for items that can be deconstructed...

By unraveling? I know some knitters do that. I don't know what kind of luck one would have getting exactly what yarn and in the amount they want plus weight and color wise. It might be more effort than it's worth.

Are there such things as yarn swap meets?

[likesmountains 52]

63. I have seen people do both. I'm generallly looking for something specific color and weight wise.

[littlemissmartypants]

64. I think a yarn swap meet would be fun. When I first started knitting and crocheting...

I mostly used patterns but I started doing things free hand like berets and newborn caps for gifts and I like mixing things up. I also always have left overs so it would be fun to learn from others and share.

[likesmountains 52]

67. I'm just afraid I'd come home with more yarn than i got rid of....

[littlemissmartypants]

68. Hahaha! That's a risk I'm willing to take...clearly.

Ever heard the expression, "Feel the fear and do it anyway."? 😉

[Diamond_Dog]

3. I can barely afford coffee as it is .....

[FakeNoose]

10. I know! Coffee shortages scare me more than anything else

[TexLaProgressive]

50. I guess the old CSA civil war youpon tea will make a comback

Youpon Holly leaves contain caffeine.

[EuterpeThelo]

56. I started

hoarding coffee in January because I saw where this was going to go. In a state where someone makes minimum wage (and their employers often schedule them for only part-time hours), just having coffee to brew themselves at home in the morning could take as much as three hours of their work per week! (Isn't that one of the ridiculous judgments that the elite sling at all of us useless eaters, that going out to buy coffee is why so many can't afford houses??)

My family actually re-activated the "pandemic grocery" that we kept during the dark days of 2020-2021 and now it's "tariff grocery." Not hoarding exactly, but just when we get a good sale on something, we buy a little extra and throw it out in a shelf in the garage. The good thing is, doing that that also allowed us to go and donate four bags of stuff to a little neighborhood "free library" that turned into a free food pantry immediately when SNAP was cut a couple months ago.

[Diamond_Dog]

58. I had the same thought

And tried to buy extra coffee when I had the chance but now I’m down to 3 bags in my freezer and it goes quickly! I love Eight o Clock and now the medium sized bags are around $14 or $15 at the local discount grocery. I go through one bag a week approximately. (not just me, others here drink it, too).

Good for you donating your reserves to the free food pantry!

[EuterpeThelo]

69. Thanks!

I was on WIC/food stamps and what was then called AFDC when my daughter was a baby back in the early 90s. Needed it to get through college. Now I own my own home and earn six figures, but I'll never forget where I came from and the thought of anybody going hungry in this obscenely wealth nation makes me sick.

[Diamond_Dog]

71. We, too, were on WIC when my 3rd son was an infant.

We were on it for 2 years. It was a well run program and a life saver for us. The baby formula alone was a huge help. We also got milk, peanut butter, cereal, I forget what else. Back then someone would bring your food in a box and leave it on your front steps. Those folks came out in -15 degree weather once to deliver our food, I will never forget it. I try to donate food to food drives whenever I can and we send the local food pantry a check at Christmas time. It is obscene what Brooke Rollins recommends for a nutritious “affordable” meal.

[FakeNoose]

60. Yes I've been doing that since last summer

My grocery stores are raising prices regularly, but they're still been running "sales" on premium-brand coffee every couple weeks. There are several brands of premium coffees that compete for the high-end purchasers, and every week one of them has a discounted price. It rotates pretty regularly.

I only buy Colombian coffee, but I'm happy to purchase different brands when they're on sale. I've been loading up because the future looks bleak. Lately it looks like a lot of shoppers are doing the same.

[EuterpeThelo]

70. Yeah

sales and the markdown shelf are the way to go. I just scored a ton of coffee at half price yesterday at Von's (Safeway in some areas).

[FakeNoose]

72. Lucky you!

If you have Aldi's in your area, they are worth checking out also. Aldi's doesn't run the big loss-leader markdowns that Giant Eagle has, but their everyday pricing is pretty good. They sell the off-brands, but that doesn't matter so much to me.

[flashman13]

5. Given the total integration of world trade, it will be virtually impossible to buy anything made from 100% U.S.

sourced components. Delete one foreign made part (Mexico and Canada are major players here) and the entire assembly line comes to a halt. Our trading partners understand this. While we cut ourselves off from the rest of the world they are expanding their ties. If they decide to retaliate against Trump's destructive tariffs, all they have to do is stop selling us various goods and they can bring our economy to its knees in very short order.

We are in the hands of an orange imbecile.

[3auld6phart]

18. Yes

Cicist Supreme CourtYou are plus spine less
Politicians ….

[FakeNoose]

26. At least 90% of the stuff for sale on Amazon and Walmart comes from China

Most of the time they don't tell you that, but it does. I don't have anything against Chinese-made products, but shit .... people don't realize how dependent we are on foreign manufacturers until WE get the shaft.

When the world decides that it hates us - and that's going to happen sooner than we realize - we are on our own, kids!
Is anyone in Washington thinking this through?

[flashman13]

29. If by "anyone in Washington" you mean the Trump administration, the answer is NO!

Thinking is not their strong suit. They only think (I use the term here advisedly) in terms of brute force.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

6. Why?

Who's your friend in England warning you and apparently, us?

"They are all going to stop trading with the US."

Says who?

[Ilsa]

11. Heads of State in Europe are meeting in Vienna

to discuss Greenland, Trump's new tariffs on them, etc. It's a possibility.

[Joinfortmill]

19. We try to be polite with each other.

[flashman13]

34. OK, You want polite? I will be polite. Trump is threatening to start a war with NATO over Geenland.

Adversaries do not continue trade during time of war. In fact a blockade is usually the first retaliation in a war because it is the easiest thing to implement on short notice. Think of the Chinese no longer buying American soy beans as a form of blockade. It hurts a small, but important part of the U.S. economy. Because of the interdependence of world trade, which we are largely responsible for creating, we are now exceedingly vulnerable. Does anyone here think that if Trump attacks Greenland the Europeans , Mexico and Canada are going to say, "Oh, please SIR, stop!"? I don't.

[EverHopeful]

7. I've been saying we'll be his seventh bankruptcy

and my cousin said the whole world will be, but it sounds as if countries with sane leaders will be limber enough to keep their economies stronger.

[Vinca]

8. Just a couple of days ago I said something to my husband about stocking up on canned goods "just in case."

I was thinking more along the lines of rolling blackouts to the electric grid, but this almost makes more sense.

[allegorical oracle]

57. Been doing that, too. Have been preparing stews, soups, and casseroles with fresh veggies

and chicken, then freezing servings. It's a lot of prep, but have managed to make balanced meals for the last two weeks on about $70. Of course, I'm widowed so only need to feed myself. No snacks or desserts, which I miss. Truly don't know how an average family of four is managing.

[littlemissmartypants]

12. I've been stock piling for months. I'm still trying to get organized.

Speaking of which... anyone else see a single head of iceberg lettuce for almost two dollars a piece? I never buy it but that's outrageous to me.

Thoughts?

[peacebuzzard]

36. My random and sporadic shopping trips floor me every time.

The final price is high and now I always check the receipt when I get home to see what happened???? what the hell did I buy????

[littlemissmartypants]

53. That sounds like me.

[wackadoo wabbit]

40. No, but I've seen romaine heads for $2.49

Perhaps there are no farmworkers to harvest them now?

[mountain grammy]

43. $2.50 at most Denver grocery stores

$1.49 at Trader Joe’s

[littlemissmartypants]

54. Wow. I don't have a TJoe option here. But that looks like price gouging.

I'm going to be switching to a lots of soup, beans and rice and the like. I'm already losing weight but I think that's mostly stress and a loss of appetite.

I believe most of us probably pictured our "golden years" with less actual tacky gold and more fun.

[Morbius]

52. I've seen it higher.

But there is little consistency when it comes to prices on produce. Strawberries will be $4 a pound and then $1 two weeks later. A week after that they're $2.79. I use green onions a lot; a month ago they were 2 for a dollar; now they're $1.99 a bunch. Of course, it's the dead of winter, so maybe that's a factor.

[CTyankee]

61. Do you get a circular in your email with the sales of the week at your local supermarket?

We used to get one delivered with our newspaper in the morning (the good old days with a paper-boy delivery to our door, now online).

[IcyPeas]

13. I need my McVities Chocolate Digestive cookies that I buy from World Market

[Orrex]

14. Gosh, it's almost like Putin himself crafted Trump's foreign policy

Almost.

[yellow dahlia]

31. Is this Spheres of Influence, or a complete take over by Pootini?

[Orrex]

15. And when that time comes...

his fuckhead kkkultists will blame Democrats and immigrants, and the media will frame it as an unjustified attack on the US by our former allies.

[Warpy]

16. Your reply.

should be that the maximum expecation of the US acting like an international tweaker is a max9imum of three years.

If this bunch manages to convince the entire military command structure to keep them entrenched in our government, we might need to call on our allies for help in ousting them.

Yes, it could get that bad. "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable"--JFK

[OldBaldy1701E]

21. "...we might need to call on our allies for help in ousting them."

Help? We have not done anything to try and 'oust' them yet.

We don't need help. That is more of their programming kicking in. "You lowly scum cannot even consider trying to do anything to us. We are the elite!" It's the same programming that is holding us back from even trying to remove these animals.

We don't need help. We need some backbone. (Which I am seeing flashes of here in Minneapolis. Finally.)

But...

[Warpy]

25. With much of the population either terrified into paralysis

or simply located too far away from the action, we might indeed need some help.

The prospect of a big, fat, orange wrecing ball with nukes might get us that help.

[OldBaldy1701E]

27. With all due respect, and please forgive if I offend...

We don't deserve a country if we ourselves cannot defend it... especially from its own citizens.

[Layzeebeaver]

47. It's the 2020 LARP replaynof the board game"Invasion America"

The premise of the game was that “something” happens whereby the U.S. is determined to be a threat to the overall world order. The major alliances all decide to invade. The Chinese, SA, EU, communists (it was the 70’s), and might recall the African/ME/ROW all throw together invasion forces and make land fall on both coasts. (edit: wrong! Not the EU - they say it out)

In the game scenario, (if I recall correctly) Canada and Mexico had been taken over by the U.S. already so that wasn’t considered a factor.

In today’s LARP bullshit Canada and Mexico both live to fight!

And the communists don’t really exist. RUssia can’t field such a force, and it’s likely china will sit it out and pick of the pieces of (economic) dominance as it all progresses.

Bottom line is that this LARP is a damp squib. No one needs to invade because we are shooting ourselves in the foot - proving to the world that they do not need the U.S.

Ahhh! And here’s a wiki on the game - read it and correct my memory… (edit: it was wrong!)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_America_(board_wargame)

You might have to click the disambiguate link to get to the board game page. The link doesn’t work as pasted.

[Warpy]

65. I had to wonder, when the squeaker of a majority voted him back in,

if his malignant narcissism would ccause him to punish the whole country for depriving him of his rightful (sarcasm() second consecutive term It turns out those misgivings were correct, as I saw what his cabinet would look like,, peoped by dogmatic amateurs and outright nutcases. Given the supine posture of Congress, there has been nothing we can do.

I sincerely hope we can exchange this appallingly cowardly Congress , but much of what they do will be stymied by the equally appalling USSC. We are going to need impeachments, lots of them, and not just of Fatso. Will we get them? Probably not, we'll have to wait for the tech bubble to burst and take a lot of other stuff with it in order to light a fire under a few fat, comfortable asses.

Your point is well taken about fantsay taking over reality for these people. I'm beginning to think we need to reopen state asylums, put them there with soft music, lots of drugs, and nice people in white coats who will slowly taper the drugs down as they are coaxed back into the real world.

And no, I'm not a book banner or music banner or slly game banner, most people enjoy things I don't much care for and that's fine, they're not the ones who have run into trouble. Back in the day when I

[Magoo48]

22. Could be a warning message or an encouraging message, depending on your point of view.

Perhaps, the more we are willing to sacrifice, the better off we’ll all be in the long run. Since no one can see the future, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

[ChicagoTeamster]

23. If they cash in US bonds we're screwed too.

[underpants]

28. We have enough food to go at least 3 months maybe 6

Other than salad type veggies.

We did a “pantry challenge” for the first 3 months of 2024 including frozen food from our 3 freezers.

My wife is a food prepper.

[SunSeeker]

32. Sad but it's our new reality.

[Norbert]

33. Poppy Bush's world economy is going to screw t____p.

[peacebuzzard]

35. Yikes I have to stock up my European beer .....

It’s already hard to find and expensive. Very good advice.

[Timewas]

37. Here

https://www.politico.eu/article/macron-to-urge-eu-to-use-trade-bazooka-in-response-to-trumps-tariffs/

[Scrivener7]

39. They'd be right to do it.

[Maru Kitteh]

44. This is gonna be bleak.

[IbogaProject]

45. Olive oil and olives themselves

[Melon]

48. I really don't think it's possible.

We’ve learned through Enron that nothing is too big to fail…
But. We are huge. The larger import market. Europes economy is largely not good at all. If they cut the US, they will into into a recession.

[BigmanPigman]

49. I live in a 550 sq ft apt.

I don't have space for toilet paper and I use my oven for storage....there is no way I can "stock up" on anything unless I rent a storage space. I am screwed by the fucking moron 24/7. He is a vengeful, sadistic psychopath. I think we should bury him alive but since he is Satan incarnate I doubt that would even end his existence on Earth.

[RandySF]

51. I take your word that you received this message.

But I don't think it's going to happen.

[Linda ladeewolf]

59. I have stocked up on yarn and fabric and will continue to get what I can.

I have a wall of yarn in my living room. Literally hundreds of skeins. I’ve also bought extra sets of crochet hooks, scissors, knitting needles, and Tunisian hooks. I have three sewing machines. And yards of fabric to make clothes from. I have extra sewing needles because I also handsew and embroider. I’ve never considered money as being wealth, my wealth is in what I can make and do for myself. Having the where with all to do things means something. Don’t get me wrong, money is necessary , but when local stores closed leaving area a fabric and yarn dessert, I learned you have to have a stash.

[Evolve Dammit]

62. He's tanking us deliberately. No doubt in my mind. Probably for Vlad. NATO on the brink as well. Vlad smiles.

[Greg_In_SF]

66. ALL countries

are going to stop trading with the US?