And yet it's so much easier to sterilize a pipe or a shirt than a car! How do you do it?
Has Your Buying Habits Changed Much?
- Thread starter cigrmaster
- Start date
My consumption and buying has been slowed to a halt. A new baby necessitated moving smoking outdoors, and this year outdoors has been damned close to underwater. But at least my palate will be refreshed
Nice! Ottawa area here. I was just curious because you mentioned customs, which I have to nail-bite with every order I make as well
As the pandemic started kicking into full gear in the US, I have been purchasing more pipes than tobacco. I have purchased from carvers in Italy, Croatia, Indianapolis, California, and today pipestud. As far as blends , it's mostly been KBV and some st. James from oldgeezer. And we'll see how it goes on the new release of red flake + perique..I haven't decided on that one just yet.
I'm not buying tobacco. We're doing fine, but have to watch every dollar for a time. I've had to find the 3 or 4 pouches I've accidentally hidden in the past few months. Mostly misplaced in the tool chest. Found one the other morning in my sock drawer. Not sure what happened there.
We were going to sell out sailboat this spring. Even if I put it on the market no one is in the buying mood right now nor do I want to spend time in the cabin with strangers while showing the boat. Not a dig at you, but I also didn't want to deal with people trying to low ball me on the price based on the current situation. I just paid another years slip rental and it can set there until the market returns.
Several sailing channels I follow have made passages to those islands. Ruggedly beautiful!
I'm fortunate that my occupation is considered critical so I'm not afraid of being laid off. That said we are in a fiscally conservative state so I'm not making rash purchases. I did just buy 2 lbs of MacBaren's HH Vintage Syrian Latakia; that was a deal I couldn't let slip away.
Pierre - No offence taken. The fact is, prices are going to go down. People like you, in a position to wait it out, are going to do the smart thing and cough up for the moorage until the storm passes.
There are people who have over extended themselves during a time of unprecedented (record breaking in fact) returns. All people could see was green, and they were greedy. It has caught up to them. Things like sail boats are nice to have. But you can't eat them, and the mortgage usually takes precedence. Some of these sales will come on the market in time. Bad luck for the seller, but I don't feel any guilt about it. They make their own decisions based on life circumstance and I make mine. It's just a transaction. If I really, really needed money, I'd be glad someone was in a position to buy, even if the price wasn't what I wanted. Anyone not wanting to deal with hard haggling is going to wait it out, as you are. Why bother?
I can't predict the markets. I would be a billionaire if I could. But I took a conservative stance quite awhile ago to protect what I have because records like to be broken. It was a fantasy for people to think the gravy train would go on forever and that endless prosperity was the new normal. Has never happened, and until we abolish currency ala Star Trek, it never will.
Obviously, this pandemic has changed things rather quickly. However, the crash was inevitable. Maybe a few months, maybe a year or so. Something was going to cause it, and the foundations were not good, so it didn't have to be big. Well, hell, it's now a complete shit storm. Nobody saw that coming. This is far worse than 08, and anyone saying otherwise is deluded. Just look at the numbers. There was a lot of signalling of shaky markets at least 2 years ago. Again, nobody can time it, but plenty of smarter folks than I can crunch the numbers.
I was advised over a year ago to liquidate all of my real estate (aside from where I live) and move to cash. It came from a friend who only has clients with many millions and that has been their strategy for clients for almost 2 years now. Move to protect. Quietly. There are clouds on the horizon. I followed some of that advice (much later than I was told to, because it seemed so good and I was also greedy - and lucky), based on my own needs. Now I am ready to buy. That's how it goes.
This will take some time, but people will feel the pinch eventually. The "wants" will drop off at good prices. A lot has been inflated. Tough shit if you bought high, but now it's going to come down to something reasonable.
In fact, the week before the reality of the pandemic hit, a house down the street sold for 2.8 million. Insane. It's probably not even half that. The person who bought it is probably shitting their pants right now. Exceptionally bad timing, but nobody was biting on that for 8-9 months until now... for good reason. There is always a sucker. In enough time, they'll unload because they have to.
Not sure how this will affect pipes, because it's not really a big expense, even for the high end spectrum, but I'd place my money that there is a drop in that market too in a half year or so. Just a hunch.
Already, at this very moment, this crash is bigger than most people have a handle on. It's so fresh. The markets were not in a position to rebound even on a minor bump. This giant shove... man. Well, I could be wrong, but I think that history is a good guide here.
I'd recommend to anyone near the edge to save as much as possible, as if you're already in a full blown depression. Maybe it won't shake out like that, but you'll be glad you did if it happens. Study some of the market conditions from a few months or a year ago and let that be a guide. It's never too late to start saving. Everything counts, even in the best of times.
People with more assets probably have their advice. If there are things you've wanted, but the prices looked inflated, well, a little more patience and it will be time to get them at a good price.
Sail boats are going to check that box for sure. Pipes, well, probably them too.
Of course, unless a unicorn comes out with a vaccine that can be produced in record time and the markets rebound and businesses have not gone bankrupt and people with no savings have managed to magically pay the mortgage and... and... and... I'm not going to hold my breath waiting.
Save your money now. It's never too late.
There are people who have over extended themselves during a time of unprecedented (record breaking in fact) returns. All people could see was green, and they were greedy. It has caught up to them. Things like sail boats are nice to have. But you can't eat them, and the mortgage usually takes precedence. Some of these sales will come on the market in time. Bad luck for the seller, but I don't feel any guilt about it. They make their own decisions based on life circumstance and I make mine. It's just a transaction. If I really, really needed money, I'd be glad someone was in a position to buy, even if the price wasn't what I wanted. Anyone not wanting to deal with hard haggling is going to wait it out, as you are. Why bother?
I can't predict the markets. I would be a billionaire if I could. But I took a conservative stance quite awhile ago to protect what I have because records like to be broken. It was a fantasy for people to think the gravy train would go on forever and that endless prosperity was the new normal. Has never happened, and until we abolish currency ala Star Trek, it never will.
Obviously, this pandemic has changed things rather quickly. However, the crash was inevitable. Maybe a few months, maybe a year or so. Something was going to cause it, and the foundations were not good, so it didn't have to be big. Well, hell, it's now a complete shit storm. Nobody saw that coming. This is far worse than 08, and anyone saying otherwise is deluded. Just look at the numbers. There was a lot of signalling of shaky markets at least 2 years ago. Again, nobody can time it, but plenty of smarter folks than I can crunch the numbers.
I was advised over a year ago to liquidate all of my real estate (aside from where I live) and move to cash. It came from a friend who only has clients with many millions and that has been their strategy for clients for almost 2 years now. Move to protect. Quietly. There are clouds on the horizon. I followed some of that advice (much later than I was told to, because it seemed so good and I was also greedy - and lucky), based on my own needs. Now I am ready to buy. That's how it goes.
This will take some time, but people will feel the pinch eventually. The "wants" will drop off at good prices. A lot has been inflated. Tough shit if you bought high, but now it's going to come down to something reasonable.
In fact, the week before the reality of the pandemic hit, a house down the street sold for 2.8 million. Insane. It's probably not even half that. The person who bought it is probably shitting their pants right now. Exceptionally bad timing, but nobody was biting on that for 8-9 months until now... for good reason. There is always a sucker. In enough time, they'll unload because they have to.
Not sure how this will affect pipes, because it's not really a big expense, even for the high end spectrum, but I'd place my money that there is a drop in that market too in a half year or so. Just a hunch.
Already, at this very moment, this crash is bigger than most people have a handle on. It's so fresh. The markets were not in a position to rebound even on a minor bump. This giant shove... man. Well, I could be wrong, but I think that history is a good guide here.
I'd recommend to anyone near the edge to save as much as possible, as if you're already in a full blown depression. Maybe it won't shake out like that, but you'll be glad you did if it happens. Study some of the market conditions from a few months or a year ago and let that be a guide. It's never too late to start saving. Everything counts, even in the best of times.
People with more assets probably have their advice. If there are things you've wanted, but the prices looked inflated, well, a little more patience and it will be time to get them at a good price.
Sail boats are going to check that box for sure. Pipes, well, probably them too.
Of course, unless a unicorn comes out with a vaccine that can be produced in record time and the markets rebound and businesses have not gone bankrupt and people with no savings have managed to magically pay the mortgage and... and... and... I'm not going to hold my breath waiting.
Save your money now. It's never too late.
This. The stock market drop was going to happen. Two bond rate inversions in as many years indicated that conservative professional investors were voting no confidence over the long term. The coronavirus and the lock down that was precipitated by ignoring studies focused on national readiness to deal with a pandemic, studies that were presented 2 1/2 years ago, plus the ensuing dismantlement of government task forces assigned with providing early warnings of potential pandemics simply accelerated what was going to happen.
I am stocked on tobacco...(Did put a Watch City order in)...I have been buying Stock and ETF's funds...Prices are realy Low and 1yr from now 
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More like 2 to 3 years, but yes.I am stocked on tobacco...(Did put a Watch City order in)...I have been buying Stock and ETF's funds...Prices are realy Low and 1yr from now
Not really any major changes to buying habits, as I tend to be pretty tight anyway. Buying groceries online for the first time and that is working our pretty well. Well stocked with pipes, tobacco, cigars & bourbon so no emergencies in that regard. Spending time cleaning my guns, which I find relaxing and am also in the process of refurbing some estate pipes. Certainly not a pro, but it's fun and passes the time & most of these old ones turn out to be really fine smokers. Stay safe you all--
Pipe smoking is a tertiary (at best) hobby for me and I am a very infrequent smoker, so my pipe and tobacco purchasing habits really haven't changed. I have a modest collection of five briar pipes and three corn cob pipes, so I'm pretty much covered there. I have about fifty different tobacco blends between what's in jars and unopened tins which puts my total tobacco cellar somewhere around just above five pounds total. At the rate I smoke, that is more than enough to last me for the rest of my lift. Of the blends I have, six of them were recent acquisitions from an order than I had placed just round out my collection with some semi-whacky stuff and that will be the only order for this year. I may trade in a pipe and get a different one as a replacement, but that is likely to also be my only pipe "purchase" this year.
As far as general spending goes, I believe that my family is spending less right now. Here is why:
- I have always been a deal hunter, but that would result in me sometimes buying stuff that I don't really need because it was a "good deal" at the time. That has definitely stopped and we are only buying/ordering items that we actually need when we need them, which surprisingly isn't really that much. I am also not surfing the deal sites on a regular basis any more because there just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day to get in the requisite number of hours for work, do my share of watching our daughter, and complete day-to-day household tasks. Overall, this is a good thing.
- Far less money is being spent on gas since there is no work commuting, childcare, extra curricular activities, or visits with friends and family. We do head out to a park every once in awhile and to the grocery store, but that's about it these days.
- We are not eating out as much and are doing a better job of meal planning. We do like to support local eateries during this crisis, but we are being very selective about when and have limited it to once a week or less in order to limit trips and maintain our isolation.
- Unnecessary home projects such as landscaping, interior painting, decor updates, etc. are not currently being considered because going to the home improvement store is not essential at this time and therefore not worth the risk. This is saving a lot of time and money.
- Regular trips to the local beer stores aren't essential either, so we are buying far less commercial beer and enjoying more and more of the homebrew already on hand. Plus, I already have plenty of grain and hops to brew several more batches to keep the beer flowing!
Just saw this after I completed my previous post...
Smokers stock up on tobacco and nicotine products
Apparently tobacco, nicotine product, and legal marijuana sales are up in the UK right now.
Smokers stock up on tobacco and nicotine products
Apparently tobacco, nicotine product, and legal marijuana sales are up in the UK right now.