As I wrote to you three months ago, Your Survival Guy is caught in the tariff crossfire. We’re in the middle of a home project, and back in February, we ordered our windows from Loewen, based in Canada. Good windows. We have them in the rest of the house.
All was moving along nicely, real nice, except for one minor detail, that “T” word being shouted by a certain individual in Washington, D.C. Up until that point, I can’t say I really paid too close attention to “Tariffs.” But when it comes out of your pocket like it was going to come out if mine (I’d be on the hook for them upon delivery), I sat up a little straighter every time I heard the words “Canada” and “Tariffs”.
As an aside, the good folk at Loewen said they would split any tariff incurred by customers. Why not buy American, you may be wondering? The thought crossed Your Survival Guy’s mind, but let’s be real, when it comes to home design, my opinion is right up there with our pets. Maybe lower. This was not a place to stand my ground. “Design aesthetics,” I was told.
I became triggered by “Tariffs,” grabbing my attention like a cat watching a bird flying by a—there I go again thinking about windows. I was twitchy. Emotions raw, up and down like a stock price, cheering for our leaders to get “it” right. Whatever that means, and thankful when they were delayed. So selfish, right?
What about tariffs on China, you may think? What about them? This is not about China, it’s about me. I would never get my windows from China. (Wow, this trade war stuff is personal, and I’m not looking to offend.) But maybe China needs a timeout or two. But Canada? Come on, they invented poutine. Who doesn’t love French fries and cheese curds topped with brown gravy?
I hope the guys on the floor up at Loewen didn’t look and see where the windows were going. I guess I’ll have to wait for the next hurricane to see how angry they were. Fingers crossed.
Action Line: Your Survival Guy doesn’t like the prediction business, especially with tariffs. You win some, you lose some, and some are rained out. Did I mention the delays with our project from all the rain? I’ll spare you the details for another day. Click here to subscribe to my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter.
Originally posted on Your Survival Guy.
