
What Things Would You Keep Buying Even If the Price Doubled? - jkuria
https://capitalandgrowth.org/questions/1546/what-are-some-things-you-would-keep-buying-even-if.html
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bmer
Food. Medicine. Shelter.

Thankfully, these are generally well-regulated in Canada. I am having a hard
time thinking of other products which I would pay double for:

* clothes: I already buy these at a thrift store

* laptop/computer/internet access: provided by university; I do have home internet, but if the price doubled, I'd probably just spend more time at the library

* soap/toothpaste/shampoo: I don't use soap, as water-only showers I find are pretty good in keeping me smelling neutral; toothpaste I could do without (it just feels more icky) and shampoo I can actually replace with soap, if its price doubles (soap being cheaper than shampoo)---in terms of hygiene, I don't think there is anything else I really use (maybe razors, but I could just get used to growing a proper beard if the price of razors doubled?), and I think I do a pretty good job of not smelling

* apps/games: I don't spend money on these typically, and definitely not if their price doubles; also, open source stuff is awesome

* transportation: I use public transit, but again this is regulated in Canada; if the price did double though, I could pick up cycling (especially since there are also likely to be less cars on the road then)

The great thing about working in math is that you can do useful mathematics
even if you are in a prison, without pen and paper. So, my "work" (does play
really count as work?) requires very little in terms of resources, apart from
a metric crap-ton of patience, and mental energy (which depends on food). It's
worth noting that I am not in any sort of fancy/well-paying/tenured position
at a university.

Yay for taxes, which provide public services which help lazy do-nothings like
me keep their mental hallucinations sustainable!

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m1n1
Surely you use soap in a few key spots, right?

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JamesLeonis
Coffee.

I roast my own coffee, so I can get many pounds of green coffee for ~$6 a
pound or less. Buying it pre-roasted easily quadruples the price. Buying a cup
of coffee, whether a latte or trucker-stop black, is tantamount to lighting
money on fire.

At the same time, I look at the markets for coffee and it strikes me that
Hawaii's Kona is likely closer to the true cost of coffee production if we
wanted to pay a non-exploitative and sustainable price (both are debatable,
I'll admit). This doubles the price of green beans compared to other origins.

Thus not only would I pay double (because I have in the past) but I also think
coffee is underpriced in the global market.

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SlightRespect
Garbage removal. If your trash man stops coming to haul away your waste,
you've got a problem. You will then ask, "how much do I need to pay to get
this service back?"

Same with most utilities.

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klyrs
Gasoline. Bring on the 100% tax

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chaosbutters314
As long as goes to fixing potholes and paying for public transportation

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klyrs
lol potholes will be the least of our worries when we hit 3C. What we need
that money for is emergency preparedness, and improved, sustainable, climate
hardened infrastructure. Not to mention environmental remediation. Make it
400%

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turtlecloud
condoms - the cost benefit analysis is huge.

~~~
momentmaker
lol yes. if cheap, spray and pray option works too ;)

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Akinato
I honestly don't think I would keep buying anything that's over $20, and isn't
a basic human necessity -- Unless there was also a huge jump in quality that
matches the price jump.

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alephnan
Do you consider a laptop a basic human necessity ?

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theamk
Cheap things. For example, Q-tips are $3 per box which lasts a us couple of
years. If the price doubles (or triples for that matter), I'd still be buying
that.

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pram
Video card and processor prices have essentially doubled recently and I keep
buying them so there you go.

~~~
chaosbutters314
AMD keeps undercutting Intel

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anticensor
Water.

~~~
TuringNYC
Thus the rationale behind this prescient (devious?) investment trend:
[https://www.wsj.com/articles/harvard-quietly-amasses-
califor...](https://www.wsj.com/articles/harvard-quietly-amasses-california-
vineyardsand-the-water-underneath-1544456396)

WSJ: Harvard Quietly Amasses California Vineyards—and the Water Underneath
Making a bet on climate change, the university’s $39 billion endowment has
been snapping up farmland and the related water rights

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jlarocco
I recently found out from a friend that the Walton family is (supposedly)
doing a similar thing here in Colorado. Basically buying up large properties
with water rights, and then sitting on them for later. I'm not thrilled about
it, but at least they're not developing them.

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sunstone
Cars.

