Before Everything Gets Expensive

This weekend was a nice one, despite everything going on in this bad timeline. The attempted assassination that looked staged, convenient, and timed too well to be coincidence. Approval ratings dropping every time, followed by another conveniently timed event. The war. And the reality that we, the collective, are about to feel it in a very real way.

We’ve seen a little of it at the gas pumps already, but we’re about to feel the full weight of it. A war that only the Epstein class and tech bros wanted. ICE raids that haven’t stopped, just stopped being covered. Femicides. People openly trying to justify pedophilia. Wages staying the same while everything else climbs. And somehow, Lego videos telling more truth about what’s happening than the actual news.

They want the man who set the warehouse fire to get a life sentence..for a warehouse, yet not one person from the Epstein circle has been arrested. Not one. And we’re just supposed to keep moving like that’s not the whole story.

I know with everything happening, especially the war, oil and gas are going to impact everyday life very soon. Despite the “official” messaging. You know, the standard Wizard of Oz line. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

Shit is about to get hard. Life is about to look very different for a lot of people, whether they want to believe it or not.

So, I’ve been trying to be mindful. I know I’ll probably have to go from going out every weekend to maybe once a month just to conserve gas. I already have a side quest planned for next weekend, but after that, I’ll likely skip my usual market and plant stand visits for a while. At least until we have a better idea of how bad things are about to get.

All this to say, between Saturday’s side quest and Sunday’s plans, I knew this would be my last full weekend out for a bit. So I was going to enjoy it.

Sunday, Diego had the day off. We planned to check out a new market I found on TikTok, stop at Brick Road for our usual drinks, hit the Plant Stand in Phoenix, swing by H Mart in northeast Mesa, grab groceries, figure out lunch somewhere in between, and then, of course, gas. Because of course.

I woke up Sunday morning at 6am. Not as sore as I expected after boxing, which was surprising. But also… 6am. I mean, why would my perimenopause let me sleep in? Smh.

Since I was up, I knocked out a blog I had been thinking about. By the time I finished writing and scheduled it, it was 8:00am. I woke Diego up so we could get moving.

The Hometown Market was hosted by Style by Niki at a farm in Gilbert. Once we got there, we found the booths and started walking through. It was a nice day. Slight breeze, blue sky, soft cumulus clouds. The kind of Arizona day that feels easy, even when everything else isn’t.

Photo of some booths and the sky over at the Hometown Market. Photo by Giana.

I tried to just be in it. Even knowing how much is happening all at once.

We walked around, checking out booths. Diego found some art, bid on a silent auction, and picked up a magnet, crochet items, a purple axolotl for himself, and a ducky for Adyi. I found a henna artist, which of course meant I needed my other hand done too. We ended up having a great conversation about everything. The weather, henna, shopping local, community, the administration, tamales. Just one of those easy, unexpected connections.

Diego circled back, talked with her for a bit, then wandered off again.

Once I was done, we started heading back to the car and spotted a vendor we somehow missed. A tattoo artist. We stopped, checked out their work. We’ve been wanting matching tattoos, but it’s close to rent, so… priorities. We grabbed a card to hopefully catch them at another market.

Then we finally made it back to the car and headed to the Plant Stand.

It’s a bit of a drive from me, and I already know I won’t be going as often. Not with gas about to get out of control. What used to be an easy weekly stop will probably turn into once a month, maybe every six weeks, depending on how bad things get.

The drive itself was nice though. One of those rare Arizona mornings where the weather just hits right. Blue sky, scattered clouds. Quiet.

When we got to the Plant Stand, I felt it immediately. That shift. Like my body just exhaled. It’s one of my favorite places. Rows of plants, trees, succulents, everything.

We walked through the indoor section, doing our usual loop. Diego found a plant that looked like it would be a nightmare for me to take care of. I told him to check the care instructions before committing me to something I knew he wasn’t going to maintain. Lol.

I wandered off and found a Manjula pothos in a 12-inch pot. She was beautiful. Bigger than anything I have. But I prefer smaller plants. I like watching them grow. I like seeing the progress.

They didn’t have any smaller ones. Diego told me to just get it, but bigger also means more expensive, and that matters right now.

One of the reasons I love the plant stand is their pricing. Especially the 4-inch plants. Usually two for $10. You can’t beat that. Most places, even big stores, sell the same plants for two or three times that.

We did one last lap. Diego confirmed his plant needed humidity and consistently moist soil. I told him to find something else. Immediately.

On my way back toward the front, I spotted a pearls and jade pothos. Found one that felt like mine. I had Diego grab it down. He grabbed a sunflower.

With both plants in hand, we checked out. Steve joked, asking if it was our first time there. I laughed and told him I had a gift card.

From there, we went to H Mart to look for our drink pouches. They had my sweet peach tea, but not Diego’s pomegranate. He grabbed a few new flavors to try instead.

Then groceries. Then Cane’s, because we were both running on drinks and vibes at that point and needed actual food.

We stopped at a Fry’s near H Mart, not my usual one. As soon as we pulled in, I saw the gas price.

$7.64.

Photo of the gas prices at Fry’s 04/26/26. Photo by Diego.

I just sat there for a second. Didn’t say anything. Just looked at it. Diego hadn’t gotten out of the car yet, so I told him to snap a picture. I didn’t even know how to finish the sentence. I couldn’t believe it. I knew it was going to be bad, but $7.64?

There’s a version of sticker shock that’s about surprise, and then there’s the version that’s about confirmation. This was the second one. I already knew it was coming. Seeing it just made it real in a way that “knowing” doesn’t.

That snapped me right back into reality.

The morning was still good. Still light. But that? That was the reminder. This is starting.

Diego went in for groceries while I checked nearby prices. I found a Circle K at $4.89, which somehow felt like a win. Even though I know exactly what this is.

The beginning.

After groceries, we drove to that Circle K. I recognized it. It’s where Dawn, my best friend, used to go for drinks, cigarettes, scratchers. Or at least where it used to be. It moved across the street.

Another reminder. Another shift. Another timeline marker.

I had driven maybe sixty miles total, but still put $20 in just to balance it out.

I remember living like this. Counting miles. Calculating trips. Stretching everything.

It’s stressful.

I’m not looking forward to going back to that.

But I know how to survive it.

Rice, beans, pasta, canned tomatoes. It’s not exciting, but it’s food. It’s something.

I hate that I can see what’s coming. I hate that so many of us can. But pretending it’s not happening won’t change anything. So, I’ll move different. Spend different. Pay attention in ways I haven’t had to in a long time. Not out of fear, but because I’ve lived through enough to recognize the pattern. And if this is where we’re headed, then I’m going to meet it prepared, aware, and still holding onto whatever softness I can.