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What is inflated or hard to find in your area?


mommyoffive
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I was watching the news this morning and it was saying there is going to be a Chlorine shortage this summer.  Last week it was that there is going to be a gas shortage because there are not enough drivers.  A few weeks they said there was going to be a ketchup shortage.  Pools are already out of stock everywhere near me.

What are you noticing near you that is hard to find or inflated in price? 

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Lumber is expensive, which has caused the prices of new homes to rise. The real estate market overall is on a tear and prices are high for both sales and resales, with bidding wars for both when they are listed. The best way to find a house is to find one before it goes on the market. Another option is to contract for a home that is not yet built and get in line with a builder.

Personally, we can't find bread machine yeast, which is not a necessity. I have no idea if it's really a shortage or if it's just a distribution issue somewhere.

ETA: The high cost of lumber has caused many to postpone DIY projects. Most of the lumber is going to contractors and what is on the shelf is priced so high that home projects that need a lot of number, such as a new deck or refurbishing an old one, are not affordable right now.

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Yep, lumber. 2x4s and OSB are currently 4x the price 2 years ago. Anything that is used for building is hard to find. It isn't so bad if you are building and taking out a loan as the lower interest rates can offset the cost.  However, if you are paying cash it is really painful. We're waiting on a planned building project with the current high prices.

Appliances. My Mom had to wait 6 months for a deep freeze. I had to get a new washer last week and of the 4 or 5 places I called only 2 had the one I want. One place said they were already presold 4 months out. I was going to try and see if dh could rig it to last a couple more weeks and maybe catch a Memorial Day sale but after hearing that I thought it best to go ahead and get one while I could.

I've also noticed raspberries are hard to find locally. I don't know if that is a big thing or small thing but I can rarely find frozen raspberries at Wal-Mart or Aldi's. 

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computer graphics cards.  There are waiting lists that are months, if not years long.  This can seriously start to affect people's ability to work.

rental cars because many sold off cars at the start of the pandemic and now they can't get new cars for their fleet because of the computer chip shortage.

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Appliances

laptops

printers

printer ink

Vehicles at anything other than MSRP

tomato plants

david Austen roses

Clothing—our Targets look decimated and stock online at Lands End is similarly so. I am trying to buy summer shorts in particular sizes and colors and am having no luck 

bromine tablets for our hot tub—compounding issues from the chlorine shortage. Lots of people are draining tubs and switching over. 
 

organic cotton menstrual care products—locally—still doable online

Hiking boots—REI had one pair in dd’s size and normally she has a dozen choices. Same for Dh—he had three choices.

orthotic shoes—local family store says they haven’t gotten shipments from some brands in months, others are a pair here or there in some sizes

I have a long list of things I want to buy; there’s just no product available.

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1 hour ago, Arcadia said:

Ladybugs. We were thinking of buying some again for aphids control and while Lowes has some left of the gardeners supply brand, the price was high. The one we used is out of stock everywhere nearby https://tiptopbiocontrol.com/collections/all-products/products/live-ladybugs

Oh my gosh, I did not know there were people who buy these? They are so bad in my and mil's house in the early spring, we suck them up with a shop vac daily and release them outside!

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22 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

laptops

tomato plants

Clothing—our Targets look decimated and stock online at Lands End is similarly so. I am trying to buy summer shorts in particular sizes and colors and am having no luck

Hiking boots

Laptops are in good quantity at Best Buy here. Random sales on the prices. Costco also have laptops in stores, just older models.

Lots of tomato plants at Lowe's, Home Depot and Costco.

Summer shorts are in denim or khaki material here. The swimwear and summer beach totes came out first at the stores, then summer shorts.

My hiking boots are mainly Timberland or Keens so I haven't been affected so far since those two brands are still widely available.

7 minutes ago, saraha said:

Oh my gosh, I did not know there were people who buy these? They are so bad in my and mil's house in the early spring, we suck them up with a shop vac daily and release them outside!

They eat the aphids and then fly away after a few days. My kids had fun watching them walk up and down the stalks of pepper plants.

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Used cars. We will have two new teen drivers this summer and were planning to add a car, so that I won't have to transport all of the kids to their summer jobs and sports practices. DH has been looking online and has found that the prices are much higher than they were three years ago, the last time we needed a vehicle. He may end up passing his car down to the kids and getting himself a new one, even though he was not planning to do that (his car is only three years old), because buying a new car looks like a better bargain, believe it or not.

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3 minutes ago, Plum said:

Lumber 

watermelon - $7 at Costco for smaller than usual. I have never paid that much  

kitchen appliances- I want to take advantage of Memorial Day sales and they cannot guarantee inventory, some brands are better than others. 

I saw watermelon at Walmart a couple of days ago that was $7.50. The size was normal but I'm still not paying that much for a watermelon. I love eating it but I don't love the price. No way, no how.

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Supposedly fast food workers.

Furniture is in low supply in general everywhere as I understand it. Like, I think the flat pack is easy to get as always, but if you're looking for nicer pieces, it's harder. As I discovered when I bought our sofa and they were taking months for orders everywhere.

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30 minutes ago, Farrar said:

Supposedly fast food workers.

Yes, every single restaurant in our town had a sign out that they are hiring.  I counted 10 of those signs today.  I will echo lumber, but also we are remodeling the bathroom. Our fixtures have been ordered for over a month.  They have them in the warehouse, but no drivers to get them here.  Driving by the car lots, their inventory is maybe 1/3 of normal- both used and new cars.  So much of the two dealerships were just empty.  Hubby says RV’s cannot be completely manufactured because of a shortage of parts.  I think chips are an issue with some of the cars.  Produce is so high.  Glad our garden has started.  

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Restaurants, hotels, and retail stores here are desperate for workers. 

Some restaurants have closed permanently because of the employee shortage, and others have greatly reduced their hours (fast food places have been closing at 6pm, even though there is demand for their food into the wee hours).

There was just an article in a local paper about a popular longtime restaurant that is closing its physical location because they can't find enough workers. The owners are going to operate a food truck instead.

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Right now? Firewood. We can't transport firewood across county lines in Michigan due to an invasive insect species. The state park is getting $7.50 for a tiny bundle of wood! We did find someone down the road selling bundles 3 times that size for $10. But really, we are not talking quality oak or maple here. Junk wood that burns fast. So the family campfire has been pricey. 

At home, some types of produce have gone through the roof if being transported from another state. We have been focusing on local crops and greenhouse/hydroponics. Asparagus, butter lettuce and other greens, hothouse tomatoes, mushrooms, peas, etc. Michigan cherries will be coming on soon, and the family loves them so we will buy a lot. My raised bed garden goes in soon. Basil, garlic, broccoli, eggplant, bell peppers, pole beans (just a few due to lack of room), grape tomatoes, romas, and butter lettuce. I will be glad to offset the grocery bill with homegrown salads. I will probably take the time to do you-pick strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and peaches this summer. Usually I don't fuss, but the foundation that sponsors the Fine Arts program I direct is pulling funding due to record low donations during the pandemic so I am out of a job as of the end of this week (using my vacation up at the moment) so I will have the time. I will get the dehydrator going and they will have dried fruit to snack on this fall and winter as well as red pepper and grape tomatoes for salad toppings and soups/stews. 

We currently do not have any building projects going I am not sure about lumber. Car prices are just nuts though especially on used cars.

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Lumber 

Housing 

Used cars

409 (Walmart won't let you order it for pickup, and I very rarely see it anywhere) & other cleaners as well 

Furniture (but the opposite of Farrar, people are having to buy more expensive pieces than planned bc they can't find the cheaper stuff)

For some strange reason, Pick a Peppa sauce 

Produce, and quality has been hit-or-miss 

The supply chain is still noticeably off-kilter here (metro New Orleans). No empty shelves, but often sharply reduced choices for stuff like cleaners and toilet paper. 

 

 

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Patio furniture. I've been searching Home Depot and Costco for a month and I thought I was just hitting them too early--everything I wanted was "not available to ship to your zip code." Costco put out a mailer last week with the new patio furniture and I was excited because they would finally have something available. Nope. You try to find anything in the flier online and there is a message that due to low inventory and supply chain issues, they probably won't be able to get it during the promotion. Pottery Barn had nice stuff, but $4k for a sofa and 2 seats delivered??? So I found something at Wayfair for half that and they say it will arrive in 3 weeks. Probably cheap stuff--we'll see.

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14 hours ago, Ali in OR said:

Patio furniture. I've been searching Home Depot and Costco for a month and I thought I was just hitting them too early--everything I wanted was "not available to ship to your zip code." Costco put out a mailer last week with the new patio furniture and I was excited because they would finally have something available. Nope. You try to find anything in the flier online and there is a message that due to low inventory and supply chain issues, they probably won't be able to get it during the promotion. Pottery Barn had nice stuff, but $4k for a sofa and 2 seats delivered??? So I found something at Wayfair for half that and they say it will arrive in 3 weeks. Probably cheap stuff--we'll see.

That's why I was going to make a sofa.  I saw a restoration hardware one that I loved, but it was crazy expensive.  It did NOT look hard to make.  There were simple plans all over the internet.  I figured I could make it for a couple hundred and that included making the cushions.  Now it would be at least twice that with no cushions, so I'm just going to cool my jets.

I ask you, does THIS look like a $2300 chair?  

Edited by KungFuPanda
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3 hours ago, Farrar said:

Supposedly fast food workers.

Furniture is in low supply in general everywhere as I understand it. Like, I think the flat pack is easy to get as always, but if you're looking for nicer pieces, it's harder. As I discovered when I bought our sofa and they were taking months for orders everywhere.

Yes, I forgot about this. We ordered new furniture for our living room last week. The expected delivery time is 12-16 weeks. It’s usually 4-6 weeks. We were told that the biggest problem the industry is having is getting enough foam. Foam manufacturers in Texas suffered serious damage during the recent freeze and are operating at about 1/2 capacity. They expect it will be months before they are at 100% capacity because of labor needs in plumbing. 

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Vehicles, especially trucks,  are high and hard to find.  Lots if dealers have less than half normal supply, new vehicles are coming in slower than normal. 

My local feed store has had a hard time getting all the ingredients to mix their cattle feed- they say mills are running at half-capacity or no truckers available to haul it.  

Last week I needed pull-ups.  I'm not brand picky, but the entire section was wiped out.  

I noticed other weird items missing or lower stock- replacement toilet bowl lids, ceiling fans, other hardware type stuff- aisles just look less full and have holes.

Clothes seem to be extremely picked over- in trying to buy as soon as I can bc I have several kids that GREW crazy the last 6 months.

My stores still have occasional things go missing for weeks, so I'm sure the supply chain is still messed up.

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6 hours ago, saraha said:

Oh my gosh, I did not know there were people who buy these? They are so bad in my and mil's house in the early spring, we suck them up with a shop vac daily and release them outside!

We have those, some years worse than others. They are a kind of beetle not the happy lady bugs that are good for plants. And they stink if you squish them. lol

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The price of lumbar and used cars has made us change our plans this year. We were planning to redo our deck, which is starting to be a safety issue, but thankfully it is really low to the ground so we can continue to put it off. I just can’t with the prices we were quoted.

My oldest will get his school permit this summer, so we were hoping to get him something to drive to school. We may just get a new car for Dh and pass dh’s to him. Or we may just keep carpooling. 

 

 

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Appliances are still spotty. My builder isn’t even including basic appliances in their specs, just crediting the allowance. I don’t know what to expect as far as scheduling for installation, since you can find odds and ends available now, while other things are listed as 4-6 months. That’s a big window!!!

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15 hours ago, TechWife said:

Lumber is expensive, which has caused the prices of new homes to rise. The real estate market overall is on a tear and prices are high for both sales and resales, with bidding wars for both when they are listed. The best way to find a house is to find one before it goes on the market. Another option is to contract for a home that is not yet built and get in line with a builder.

Personally, we can't find bread machine yeast, which is not a necessity. I have no idea if it's really a shortage or if it's just a distribution issue somewhere.

ETA: The high cost of lumber has caused many to postpone DIY projects. Most of the lumber is going to contractors and what is on the shelf is priced so high that home projects that need a lot of number, such as a new deck or refurbishing an old one, are not affordable right now.

Yep. Definitely lumber. We're looking at replacing our deck with crushed rock and/or pavers and building stairs from Trex.

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6 minutes ago, Sneezyone said:

Yep. Definitely lumber. We're looking at replacing our deck with crushed rock and/or pavers and building stairs from Trex.

That’s the kind of idea I’ve been looking into, too.  Wood back decks are so standard here that it took my brain a while to even consider that other options might exist, lol.  Now that I have, I’m realizing how much more flexibility there is when not tied to a basic 10x12, or even the permitting needs (here) of a deck in general, compared to on-ground options!

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10 hours ago, TechWife said:

Yes, I forgot about this. We ordered new furniture for our living room last week. The expected delivery time is 12-16 weeks. It’s usually 4-6 weeks. We were told that the biggest problem the industry is having is getting enough foam. Foam manufacturers in Texas suffered serious damage during the recent freeze and are operating at about 1/2 capacity. They expect it will be months before they are at 100% capacity because of labor needs in plumbing. 

We ordered some bedroom furniture in November and finally got the delivery last week, so it was five months for us. Our original delivery date kept being pushed back, so, honestly, I would just expect it to be much longer, if I were you.

Our furniture then arrived damaged, so after all of that,  we canceled the order (we weren't happy with the company for reasons other than the slow delivery). We will need to eventually buy it from somewhere else. Sigh.

Edited by Storygirl
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21 minutes ago, Carrie12345 said:

That’s the kind of idea I’ve been looking into, too.  Wood back decks are so standard here that it took my brain a while to even consider that other options might exist, lol.  Now that I have, I’m realizing how much more flexibility there is when not tied to a basic 10x12, or even the permitting needs (here) of a deck in general, compared to on-ground options!

Yep. I broke down and hired a landscape architect to help me plan it out but I think her services will ultimately pay for themselves. She's also booked out through August tho. LOL.

Edited by Sneezyone
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17 hours ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

computer graphics cards.  There are waiting lists that are months, if not years long.  This can seriously start to affect people's ability to work.

rental cars because many sold off cars at the start of the pandemic and now they can't get new cars for their fleet because of the computer chip shortage.

I drive by a Jeep plant every day. They've been closed for a few weeks (2 or 3?), and they're not expected to return to work until the 10th because of the microchip problem. There are absolutely no cars in the lots where they hold them before shipping them out. I haven't seen it that bare in years. Sometimes they'll close for a week to re-tool or whatever, but there isn't 1 car in the lot left to ship. 

Edited by historically accurate
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lumber

citrus/fruit trees -- everyone's replacing what was lost in the freeze....but the growers also lost stuff in the freeze, so.....we'll have an empty spot this year, it seems (DH did order 2 trees from an online nursery, which said it shipped same day, but so far no word and that was about a week ago I think.....) 

yes to the 409, we've not found it since all of this started, except once; other cleaners are back in stock though

I haven't shopped for much else, yet, but reading this now I'm worried about taking the guys shoe shopping and jeans shopping....(the 16 yr old needs both, and needs a size up...)

produce here seems to go in waves of overpriced to "buy this before it all spoils, it's super cheap!" I have not noticed any other grocery issues.

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Any kind of home repair or renovation--landscape, remodeling, whatever--especially if you're not looking to do a really big job.

Housing supply is an issue locally: it's not a good time to be looking for either a rental or something to buy. High prices, low inventory.

I'm nervous about the car thing because now both of our cars (ages 16 and 20) are starting to need frequent repair. We do need one reliable vehicle.

I haven't noticed anything else. I'm used to high food prices. We only get take-out from one restaurant.

Edited by Carolina Wren
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11 hours ago, Danae said:

Chicken wings.

They've been hard to find for months.  

If Costco runs out of chicken wings, I am in trouble.  Ds thinks they're a staple and I like the 'party wings" because they're already split into two pieces. Party Wings are the reason I make them for him as often as I do.

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11 hours ago, Danae said:

Chicken wings.

They've been hard to find for months.  

Yep, I heard about the chicken shortage on the news too.  It was crazy saying that restaurants are sometimes getting none of their chicken orders or maybe a tenth of it.  And they would just have to close down because they had no chicken to sell.  

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18 hours ago, stephanier.1765 said:

I saw watermelon at Walmart a couple of days ago that was $7.50. The size was normal but I'm still not paying that much for a watermelon. I love eating it but I don't love the price. No way, no how.

 

18 hours ago, Plum said:

watermelon - $7 at Costco for smaller than usual. I have never paid that much  

$3.99 at Grocery Outlet just now. Thought of this thread.

BA98C7FC-A711-4461-9608-E14EEB7AA7DF.jpeg

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4 hours ago, Carrie12345 said:

That’s the kind of idea I’ve been looking into, too.  Wood back decks are so standard here that it took my brain a while to even consider that other options might exist, lol.  Now that I have, I’m realizing how much more flexibility there is when not tied to a basic 10x12, or even the permitting needs (here) of a deck in general, compared to on-ground options!

An encouragement here - our old house had a 10 x 12 deck. We added a patio of about the same size. All we ever used the patio for was grilling and the deck was only big enough for a round table to seat four people. At our new house, we have a huge patio spanning with width of our house x 14 feet. It is so much more versatile than a deck is! It's easier to move things around - so we can easily put up folding tables if we have a bbq, we don't have to cart heavy planters up & down deck stairs to move them when needed and it's been easy to create "zones" with - a seating area, a grill area, an herb garden in containers. I highly recommend thinking about an outdoor fireplace or a fire pit - if you think that's a good idea but can't add it now, just keep it in mind when you design your space.

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4 hours ago, Storygirl said:

We ordered some bedroom furniture in November and finally got the delivery last week, so it was five months for us. Our original delivery date kept being pushed back, so, honestly, I would just expect it to be much longer, if I were you.

Our furniture then arrived damaged, so after all of that,  we canceled the order (we weren't happy with the company for reasons other than the slow delivery). We will need to eventually buy it from somewhere else. Sigh.

We are definitely on the same page with this. Last year we ordered patio furniture in February and it was delivered in July w/the delay being due to covid shutdowns. I am hoping for Sept. or Oct. but realize is may be December or who knows when. One thing in our favor is that some of it is being manufactured in my state, so once it's done we might be able to pick it up at the manufacturer's ourselves if there is a shipping delay. I had a call this morning that one piece is ready and it will be delivered next week. It's a side table, so no upholstery or customization. It's going to look really strange in the room while we wait for the rest of the furniture, but it sure is gorgeous, so I'll enjoy it anyway.

Edited by TechWife
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Tony’s Supreme Pizza...

it has been months and months

and months

i called the company and the very sweet girl at customer service said perhaps by mid-May they’d be in the stores again. They had to shut down production due to issues related to the pandemic, I think is what she said. 

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