Greetings. Happy New Year.
I hope everyone’s holidays were joyful and safe.
If the past two months are any indication, 2025 should prove to be an eventful year. We have a Republican president, a Republican majority Congress, and a Republican majority Senate. If the party’s campaign promises hold, the United States will see reduced immigration, reduced national debt, and reduced inflation.
Everyone will be doing better and everything will be fine.
American voters have put in office a dynamic chief executive with a long track record of success in both public and private sectors. The Republican House and Senate have also been champions of the working class, ready to cut taxes and preserve benefits for their constituents.
The majority party is now poised to pass legislation and promote regulation to help reduce inflation, make it easier to put food on the table, save up to buy a house, and put yourself or your kids through college.
So there’s really nothing to worry about.
But just in case…
Even with all these wonderful things going for the country, it might be wise to consider a few strategies to minimize inflation’s bite into your budget and its squeeze on your lifestyle.
Let’s look at what inflation is: it’s the increase in the price of things, basically. It affects someone when they purchase something.
So the first order of business is, yes, to buy fewer things less often. This is obvious, but most people are conditioned to think that they must have things. That they must shop every weekend. That if things are ‘on sale’ then it must be a good idea to buy them.
Not so.
Every pay period that passes without you buying something means money in the bank. Money in the bank means financial independence.
Yes, you need groceries. Yes, you need a place to live. Yes, you need transportation. Inflation in these areas is a bitter pill to swallow for many working people: they have no choice but to purchase food, pay rent, or put gas in the car.
So the question becomes how you consume these necessities. First, I’d recommend becoming a vegetarian or a vegan. Your grocery bill will drop substantially and your health will improve dramatically. How you live (with a roommate, significant other, or at home with your family) is too personal and varied for me to comment on in general. However, if you’re recently out of school, consider living with your parents for the first year to 18 months of your working life. You can save 75% of your paycheck, and have a nice nest egg to start with.
Next to rent, automobiles are perhaps the single biggest expense people have. If you can bike, take public transportation, or walk, think about it. Do the math and be realistic. But you can reduce the costs of a car, its maintenance and insurance, and the gasoline to go in it.
So there are the bare necessities. You do what you can with those.
Your real choice is how you spend money on non-essentials. Clothing requirements vary based on age, profession, and geographic location. Those factors aside, it’s probably best to adopt an Old Money Style wardrobe.
Caution: this is not the Old Money Aesthetic you see now on social media. (Another post later on that) This is more Ivy Style: the ensembles worn by men and women in the 1950s and 1960s who attended Ivy League schools. These are the Ralph Lauren/Lands’ End/LL Bean/JPress/Andover Shop Khaki, Wool Sweater, Oxford Cloth Button-Down, and Blazer fundamentals that have remained unchanged for the past 60 or 70 years.
This style is the most economical, enduring, and appealing manner of dress for men or women in modern American history. It’s also the uniform for many Old Money and just plain smart people around the world. You’ll find Old Money Style quietly flourishing in Europe, South America, and Asia.
So dress well for less, and let inflation pass you by on the clothing front. Buy quality pieces infrequently and take care of them. Buy first what you’re going to wear every day. If you keep it in the wheelhouse of Old Money Style (read The Old Money Book or Old Money Style) everything will mix and match just fine, and age well. You’ll never be out of fashion or chasing a trend.
Avoiding the impact of inflation can also be more easily accomplished if you limit your exposure to advertising. Watch less television. Retreat from social media. You’ll find yourself shopping less online and eating less junk food.
Which brings us to another economical/inflation fighting choice: health. Prescription drugs and hospital visits are expensive. So exercise and, like I said, consider adopting a plant-based diet. It’s easier than you think, and the benefits can be more than you’d imagine.
A final word: inflation is almost impossible to take on head on. It’s your earnings (increasing at a measured rate, most of the time) vs overall prices (increasing at an unexpected rate, all of the time). So don’t fight it: sidestep it.
Spend wisely. Save rigorously. Live quietly. Prosper slowly.
Yes, I’ve told you this before, but it never hurts to start off the new year with some timeless fundamentals.
Glad to be back.
- BGT