Welcome to Money As If, the organic blueberries your local grocer is selling below cost, so that you'll also buy high-priced yogurt.

Today's produce:

— Jeanine

Maybe it's just me — it's possibly just me, a 40-something woman primed for a specific type of internet targeting — but it certainly feels like menopause is having a moment.

From Crone Eras to Super Bowl ads and "menopause-friendly" workplaces, everyone (and their mother) is talking about female life changes. And, listen, I'm here for it. I got very into, actually, hunting down Melani Sanders' excellent "We Do Not Care Club" videos, like, well, a woman in heat.

But then she tried to sell me $40 vitamins, and I remembered that, while, yes, there is a long, nuanced explanation as to why menopause is so everywhere right now, involving, among other things:

There’s also a much shorter explanation that simply says:

So much so that big consulting firms, in fact, have not-so-subtly been suggesting that more companies get into women’s health. And, given the amount of money on the table ($24.35 billion by 2030), many have happily obliged.

Over the last five years, venture capitalists have invested over $500 million in more than 140 menopause-related deals.

I wouldn't call that — or any of this, really — an innately bad thing. (Investment tends to lead to at least some innovation, and serious conversations about women's health are long overdue.) But, like most late-stage capitalist trends, it's not … the greatest thing ever either.

That’s largely because menopause is a complex health issue. But, for every new doctor-approved program or treatment, there are at least three (or four or five) "wellness-centered" products on the market with dubious (at best) benefits. There's also just … so … much … menopause sh*t you can buy.

Congrats, my fellow women over 40 who do not care much anymore! We’ve escaped the proverbial "hot-girl-hamster-wheel" … and replaced it with equally expensive hot-flash management.

But it’s not really a story about menopause. My friend, former colleague, and fellow newsletter author Hanna Horvath frequently writes about how our current consumer culture is very adept at persuading us to buy things we don't need or wouldn't otherwise.

Psychologically speaking, this proclivity has a lot to do with brands and social media manipulating playing to our sense of self and the very human need to truly belong. You can’t be a Sneakerhead, for instance, if you don’t buy Jordans. You’re a bad Swiftie if you don't buy all of Taylor’s vinyls.

You’re not really going through perimenopause — and you certainly can’t talk to anyone about it — if you’re not walking around with your $35 portable fan or in your $100 weighted vest or tracking your symptoms with your wearable robot ring.

I'm not opposed to any of this, TBH. I’ve said it before, and I’ll inevitably say it again: You should spend money on things that bring you joy (assuming you can afford it), and if playing up your Crone aesthetic with long, black skirts, crystal necklaces, and Agatha All Along Tarot Cards (not a real example, don’t worry about it), gets you through an otherwise tough day (menopause-related or otherwise), then, by all means, do you.

I'm just flagging it in case you feel you must buy certain things to, say, enjoy some funny videos. Understanding the game, after all, is the best way to avoid getting played.

I'm sure you (like me) were inundated this week with chatter about Walmart's Annual Thanksgiving Meal and whether it's actually cheaper this year than last. It both is and isn't, but, TBH, I find the argument superfluous.

What’s more important to note, IMHO, is that the meal deal is a loss leader — that is, a product the retailer intentionally prices well below cost so that customers come to the store and, while there, purchase more items at for-profit prices. You know, come for the $0.97-per-pound Butterball; leave with the $223 Christmas Tree.

I mention this because I suspect that, given the Current State of Things™️ — and the enormous amount of free marketing that Walmart's "oh-look-affordable" schtick managed to drum up — we're going to see a lot of heavily marketed loss leaders this holiday season. (Plus, this week’s theme, obviously, is understanding the consumption games!)

Best to get hip to this tactic, lest we overspend while on tight Christmas budgets. With that in mind, let’s peek at the price tags on some well-known loss leaders out there:

🌭 $1.50

The price that Costco has long charged for a quarter-pound all-beef hot dog and a 20-ounce soda (with free refills!)

🍔 $5

The cost of a 10-piece Chicken McNuggets Extra Value Meal, which McDonald’s recently re-added to its menu to win back price-sensitive customers.

🦃 $40

The price of the 2025 Walmart Annual Thanksgiving Meal, which technically costs $15 less than last year’s meal, but also includes fewer and less luxurious items.

🖨 $49.99

The "Black Friday" price for the HP DeskJet 2827e All-in-One Printer, which you’ll eventually need to refill with $36 cartridges of ink.

📕 $130

The current price (!) of the lowest-tier Kindle, which Amazon has notoriously sold at a loss in the hope that users will ultimately buy enough eBooks to generate profits.

🎮 $449.99

The current price of a new Xbox Series X; Microsoft loses a couple of hundred bucks on each console, which it recoups via games, subscriptions, and accessories.

Nowadays, most financial takes are boilerplate. These aren't.

In preparation for the holiday season …

Or maybe it’s Costco by Orvis?

Either way, here’s a good deal that my mother stumbled upon a few years ago while Christmas shopping for Teddy: Costco sells Orvis clothing at a significant discount. See: The fleece shirt above, which you can buy from Costco online for $15 vs. this fleece jacket, which you can order directly from Orvis for $119.

Word on the street is that the Costco-Orvis clothing isn’t always the same quality as Orvis' standalone items. (The outdoor-sy apparel company makes special, exclusive stuff for the bulk chain.)

But Teddy’s had his Costco-purchased Orvis flannels for years, and other shoppers report similarly good experiences, so definitely something to consider if you're on a tighter holiday budget this year and have a mountain man or woman in your life.

Got questions, comments, receipts, tips, thirst traps, etc. you’d like to share? Send them to [email protected].

_{This article is for educational purposes only. We don’t recommend or advise individuals to buy, not buy, sell, or not sell particular investments or other assets, as everyone’s circumstances are different. Also, it’s your money and ultimately up to you to decide the best use for it.}