🌭 Costco’s $1.50 hot dog?

I’ve been searching high and low for inflation-fighting tips, and the best thing I’ve found is the Costco $1.50 hot dog combo. Introduced in 1985, Costco’s famous steal of a meal has held steady at $1.50 through multiple governments, market crashes, international crises, and Macaulay Culkin turning 40. I guess a solid way to beat inflation is to eat at Costco five times a week. Maybe. 🙂

Let’s do this!

Today’s newsletter is 384 words, 2 minutes.

10 money things worth sharing this week

1. One of my fav business-type quotes of all time is from Costco co-founder Jim Sinegal. When then CEO Craig Jelenic asked to raise the price of the hot dog combo, Sinegal replied:

“If you raise [the price of] the effing hot dog, I will kill you… Figure it out.”

➡️ That’s the power of a loss leader. The threat of imminent death seems powerful too.

2. Summer is just around the corner. How to dress for air travel.

3. Millennials have been killing things for over a decade, so now it’s Gen Z’s turn to kill something. They’re going for the jugular by putting prestige jobs with elite titles on the chopping block.

4. Subscription fees have a sneaky way of creeping up. The WSJ has a guide to pushing back. If you’re paywalled, try this one.

5. Eating is an expensive habit and grocery store shrinkflation is leaving us hungry. I made a TikTok on how to fight shrinkflation with a simple tool.

6. IKEA has redesigned their flat-packed furniture due to inflation, material costs, and more inflation. The iconic Billy Bookshelf is first on the list. I wrote this IKEA viral post a few eons ago – some think it’s waaay too relatable and a whole lotta fun: How to survive a trip to IKEA.

7. How can the fear of missing out on a trend have lasting consequences? The Choiceology podcast uncovers the behavioral finance behind bandwagons.

8. The art and science of arguing may just persuade you.

9. A big misconception about debt, and how to tackle it – from NPR’s podcast, Life Kit.

10. Tweet of the week

💛 Thank you guys so much for sharing my newsletter over the last while – It means the world to me.

As always,

Love love love,

Kerry