By Angela Jossy

This year has been a rough one. Everyone seems to be feeling it and there is a good reason! Inflation! The US dollar has lost about a third of its value since 2021 including 13% this year alone. That means if you saved money under your mattress two years ago, time stole $33 dollars for every hundred you saved. Even if you put that money into a savings account with 3% return you still lost about 30%. The average return on a 401k is 5% to 8% but that doesn't take into account the fees your plan may include and most people don't even ask about that. There is no doubt about it - Americans lost money this year. Let's say you were prepared for this and you put your money into real estate. Residential properties generate an average annual return of 10.6%, while commercial properties average 9.5% and REITs (group investing on real estate portfolios) 11.8%. Even with this inflation hedge, we still lost money.

How can we get some of it back? The answer may surprise you. Shop local.

Local businesses are not governed by a board of directors whose only job is to increase profits. Many do not have the same supply chain expenses. You can have what you buy immediately. The money you spend with them doesn't leave the city. It goes toward local bills, local taxes and local consumers which means it's the gift that keeps on giving. More money spent locally means better resources here in our city. It also means more local jobs and overall a stronger local economy which benefits us all. Local businesses are far more loyal to their employees. The cost to replace them is expensive and time consuming.

When you spend money with a big corporation, all of that money leaves our city never to return. In many cases we don't even see local sales tax on it. The employees are just numbers on a spreadsheet. Easily expendable and replaceable. Oftentimes these companies exploit workers overseas and generate pollution in places that can't afford to stop them. The air and the sea belong to all of us so this impacts everyone on the planet. We vote for the world we want with our dollars. Believe it.

Here are 10 other money saving tips:

* Happy Hour Menus - enjoy restaurant food on a budget!

* Ditch your cell service provider and get a free Google Voice phone number. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uK-VqnZPTw

* Rent your car on Turo.

* Rent your extra bedroom on Airbnb, Furnished Finder, VRBO etc.

* Use the library for free public Wi-Fi access, online streaming TV & movies, audiobooks, mobile hotspots, music, tools and more!

* Find coupons online here: https://www.coupons.com/

* For groceries, a 2023 survey found that WinCo, Walmart, and Grocery Outlet have prices that are about 20% lower than the chain average.

* An oldie but a goody - shop at Thrift Stores. We have lots of them in Tacoma!

* Visit the local food bank - Eloise's Cooking Pot is a great one and they make home deliveries!

* Stop renting and buy a home (preferably a multifamily with rental income). You can house hack by using rental income from the other unit(s) so your rent is free. City of Tacoma has program that will provide up to $60,000 as a down payment for a home. There are other down payment assistance programs out there too. As of November 18, 2023, Fannie Mae will allow 5% down payments for owner-occupied 2-, 3-, and 4-unit multifamily homes. This means that buyers can put down 5% and live in one unit, while renting out the other units.

[[image]] Tacoma Light Trail

A new annual tradition in downtown Tacoma celebrates New Year’s Eve and beyond!

Check out the story in the Tacoma Weekly Volcano

If you want to get outside with the family but you’re unsure what to do, the Washington Trails Association has something for everybody. Check out THESE TRAILS!

Komo News breaks down what laws are changing:

• Minimum Wage is increasing making WA the highest minimum wage in the nation

• Updates to the mandatory paid sick leave program now include construction workers

• Employer marijuana testing changes

• Gun purchasing waiting period extended to all firearms

• Street racing laws tightening to crack down on the activity

• Hospitals must establish staffing committees

• Commercial driver’s license renewal changes

• Pet insurance regulation

Read More

[[ image ]] Tacoma Dome Ultimate Ticket Giveaway

🎉 Enter now to make your 2024 𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐘 by winning two (2) FREE tickets to every ticketed event at the Tacoma Dome in 2024. The contest will start on December 18th at 10:00am and end on December 31st at 11:59pm. Participants will be able to enter once per day! 🔗 https://www.tacomadome.org/events/ultimate-ticket-2023/

During the countdown to December 31st, we will host one-day giveaways to our already-announced shows. Check out the schedule, and make sure to turn on notifications for our page!

[[image]] One Day List 2

How would you improve your Community Center with $10,000?

The deadline to submit your ideas is Sunday Dec. 31st, 2023 at midnight!

Give them your ideas anonymously HERE!

[[image]] Sound Transit

Although Sound Transit was not immune to the nationwide post-pandemic woes, 2023 was a year that they saw improvement across the board.

A few highlights of the wins in 2023:

• Increased security

• Addressed problems with elevators and escalators

• Stepped up station cleanliness

• Visibility in Fare Paid zones

Check Out More of Their Good News

[[image]] Jolie

Here is what came up for Downtown Tacoma. If this is accurate, Tacoma Water has some ‘splainin’ to do…

ZIP CODE: 98402

Arsenic

YOUR WATER CONTAINS 2932.9 times THE RECOMMENDED HEALTH GUIDELINES.

This Utility | 0.01 ppb

EWG Health Guideline | 0.000004 ppb

Legal Limit | 0.01 ppb

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)

YOUR WATER CONTAINS 1928.6 times THE RECOMMENDED HEALTH GUIDELINES

This Utility | 0.00 ppt

EWG Health Guideline | 7e-9 ppt

Legal Limit | -1 ppt

Trichloroacetic acid

YOUR WATER CONTAINS 1037.9 times THE RECOMMENDED HEALTH GUIDELINES

This Utility | 0.10 ppb

EWG Health Guideline | 0.0001 ppb

No legal limit

Haloacetic acids (HAA5)

YOUR WATER CONTAINS 1616.8 times THE RECOMMENDED HEALTH GUIDELINES

This Utility | 0.16 ppb

EWG Health Guideline | 0.0001 ppb

Legal Limit | 0.06 ppb

Chloroform

YOUR WATER CONTAINS 277.4 times THE RECOMMENDED HEALTH GUIDELINES

This Utility | 0.11 ppb

EWG Health Guideline | 0.0004 ppb

No legal limit

Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs)

YOUR WATER CONTAINS 782.4 times THE RECOMMENDED HEALTH GUIDELINES

This Utility | 0.12 ppb

EWG Health Guideline | 0.00015 ppb

Legal Limit | 0.08 ppb