Why is everything so expensive?
Gas prices, grocery costs, energy bills have gone all the way up lately. It was just last week I drove by a gas station with regular gas prices at starting at $3.89. I was honestly in shock at the fact that I would be paying more than I usually would to fill my tank and it would probably only last me less than a week because driving around Houston feels like a bi-coastal road trip.
Everything is supply and demand. As the COVID-19 death rates wind down, more people are enticed to leave home, spend money and make up for the whole year we lost in 2020.
But common sense will tell you that as the costs of goods and services increase, suppliers and manufacturers are struggling to produce goods at pre-pandemic levels, plus, people will only be able to afford fewer things with the same paycheck.
Earlier this month, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the feds expect inflation to subside once the pandemic is better controlled. The pandemic has been lingering for a while now, but in the meantime, people need to start thinking about their budgets. If your salary isn’t increasing to keep up with the additional costs, it’s going to be very hard to stretch that dollar for everyday items.
Will Smith book tour gets personal
Growing up, Jada and Will Smith were the Hollywood Black A-List ‘It’ couple (and still are). This family just oozed talent and Black excellence, and until now, I’m always excited to watch whatever upcoming projects they have up their sleeves. These days the Smith family is in the spotlight for other reasons. Jada’s “Red Table Talk” show opened the doors to their intimate life as a couple. Sometimes there was wisdom and then there was just that awkward “throw Will under the bus” type of energy that folks on Black Twitter couldn’t help but to criticize. Now, Will Smith is on a book tour in support of his upcoming memoir “Will,” revealing a vulnerable side of his life on and off screen. Some might think he is doing too much, but this is a new milestone in his life that I’m sure his fans will appreciate.
Cardi B’s natural hair journey
Cardi B is back again to address her critics on Instagram after she shared a photo of her natural hair journey. She asked, “Why every time I post my natural hair, I hear ‘you’re MIXED, you’re supposed to have long hair.’” Cardi B is half Trinidadian and half Dominican and if you’ve visited either of these countries, you will know that her people are from the African diaspora. Since childhood, she’s always had a hard time managing her hair. She’s tried different methods and now has found what works for her. I understand considering my journey with thick 4C hair. Cardi B’s texture might be different, but let’s not be ignorant to the fact that Black women can grow long hair with consistency and care.
