just listened to SNL, and I realized that I forgot to include the official inflation rate in Turkiye in this post, this is USD to Lira for the past five years.
This is Bitcoin to Lira for the past five years.
But I guess stackers know these numbers are not real, and not really saying what is happening on the ground; a more practical sample I can share is 100-150Lira used to be enough to pay for a simple lunch up till 2021, but now can only buy a cup of latte ( if it's in Istanbul). However, 150 Lira can still get a decent lunch in many other small cities. I lived in istanbul for three years, and now, every time I go back, I feel money just like flying away and way less pleasant when you are around stressed people. ( But hey, things are still way cheaper here compared with many countries, especially the value you get from what you pay. )
And bonus! here is the art of choosing shops or services in Turkiye
  • The worst tier is those tailored to foreign tourists - if a shop has English only, staying away is the way.
  • The second worst are those tailored to foreigners or high-earning locals, oh these are the real sharks! for example, I used to live in an apartment in the European side of istanbul, and I remember the management fee used to be 700tl/month in 2021, and the fee was 3600tl/ monthly in 2023 on top of many other fees - these modern apartments are such a scam, everything is centralized and has many forced subscriptions.
  • The good but average ones are normally in Turkish only, these are everywhere once you are out of tourist areas.
  • The Great ones are those loved by locals - simply do some homework or ask around. Generally, there are old shops around the old town, and many of them are small family businesses, great quality but amazing price, I often think are they doing charity?
  • The REAl gem: the quiet craftsmen and makers who spent all their life crafting for one thing! Not only it's reasonably priced ( YES! Surprised! ) and such delightful experiences, not rushy, no sales tactic, no fancy packaging, but damn good quality ( once you tasted it, you can't go back ); it's quite hard to find tho, my secret solution is I do my researches from Turkish sources, ask around locals and travel all the way to meet them.

PS: today is a good day to start your new morning routine @ekzyis
1268 sats \ 2 replies \ @ek 6 Jan
PS: today is a good day to start your new morning routine @ekzyis
But I am still planning to do it today
ok, the end of the video is not representative, lol
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768 sats \ 1 reply \ @Natalia 6 Jan
wake up zap!
good morning @ekzyis
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50 sats \ 0 replies \ @ek 6 Jan
it's like 1 in the afternoon, it's not even early in the morning
That video is too relatable, lol
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257 sats \ 1 reply \ @Lux 6 Jan
When are you going to offer on SN marketplace some of this quality crafted products?
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till I make sure everything is being crafted enough ( reputation is expensive! ), like I see many of them could still improved, e.g. handmade wool socks with ladies from the black sea region, I don't want it to be just wool but with natural dyes wool or a handwoven scarf, not just with cotton with traditional method but with cotton from natural dyes and handwoven in traditional method 😂
So it's still beta testing, but the good news is that some of my friends are being guinea pigs atm - and I'm currently putting a cleaning bag together with the best stuff I've collected and tested from different part of Turkiye: handmade soap + coconut lip balm + jojoba oil + rose water, it just annoys me whenever I see some chemical items that friends are using, so I could be just like hey here you go, feel free to try:)
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Your guide to buying goods and services reminds me of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs for some reason. Well structured!
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