I have posted several times how to set up a family budget, but at this point in a run away inflationary economy other measures are necessary. I would suggest that you isolate the cost of groceries and fuel and work on controlling as much as possible the cost of those items.

We all know to watch for service stations that sell gas more economically than others. For example , if you look at the price per gallon of gas at Chevron no matter where you live it can be 50 cents to a dollar more expensive that the surrounding stations, so don’t buy gas at Chevron. I have found that to be true all across the country. Also do not buy fuel that was supplemented with corn products it is bad for your car. In Arizona 87 Octane is the lowest sold but in many states they sell 85 Octane and then 87 Octane and it is usually as much as 50 cents higher sometimes the markup is not that much. Most cars in the owner’s manual recommend 87 Octane fuel. When I was traveling in Denver last week, four stations in one area were having a gas war and selling gas at as low as $3.25 a gallon. Look for areas in the city where you live to see if there are stations having gas wars. Also if you Google low gas prices and the area where you live there are apps that will give you the address of the lowest price stations in your area each and every day. Be sure to keep your oil changes up to date, they will help keep your fuel consumption down. In hot areas if you have to wait for someone in your family or for an appointment, shut the engine off and go inside a nearby building and have them meet your there instead of sitting in your car with the engine idling for long periods of time.

Investment in the stock market does not look good at the present and has not been good all during the current administration in Washington. I took most of my money out of the market several months ago and have avoided even worse declines. It does not appear that the market will turn around any time soon as those in control do numerous things that discourage businesses and affect their profits negatively.

One financial analyst wrote a long discourse on whether people should have gold and silver in their investment portfolio. David Ramsey’s recommendation was that only about 5% of a person’s investment portfolio should be in gold. He was not in favor of people buying silver. I have known people that were gold poor, they had more in gold than they did in conventional stocks and bonds. Ramsey points out that gold and silver have not appreciated a large amount but they are stable. If a person wants a stable investment, gold and silver could provide that but you are not going to be suddenly rich because you own gold.

These are difficult times and it is evident that we need to elect leaders that know what they are doing rather than politicians that do not know what they are doing.