In this week's newsletter:

• Tariff anxiety has many consumers stockpiling essential goods and splurging on "nice to haves” 

• To return humans to the moon, NASA makes its money go a long way

• Why you should pay attention to the bond market as much as the stock market

Aaron Weber is the cook in his family of six. He said he keeps things simple, but that’s sort of hard to believe when you hear about the herbs and spices in his rotation. He uses imported seasonings like Albanian sage, Turkish oregano, Vietnamese cinnamon and za'atar that used to be hard to find in Kansas City, Missouri, where he lives. 

“It’s nice to be able to pick from the world’s menu, right? And I do not want to go back,” Weber said. 

After the first and steepest April tariff announcements from the White House, Weber, who works in marketing and sales, decided to stock up. He spent about $160 at his local Penzeys spice store, but expects the same haul to cost a lot more in the coming months. 

“With the price uncertainty, possibly not being able to get your hands on things that you’ve grown reliant upon in your everyday life, it’s very easy to feel resentful,” Weber said. 

We know consumers have been racing to buy essentials in anticipation of price hikes — things like cars and home appliances that are likely to get more expensive in the changing global trade environment. But for some consumers, the uncertainty is impacting discretionary buying too and turning the things they usually buy for fun and comfort into panic purchases. 

“Consumers right now really may feel kind of helpless against the economic forces,” said Christine Whelan, an expert on consumer well-being at Emory University. “And when we feel that way, we try to solve it.” 

Even Whelan said she feels the impulse to spend as a way to claw back some control, especially on the treats that make her family comfortable. 

“One of the ones that I’m really wrestling with as a mom of five children is toys,” some 80% of which are manufactured in China, Whelan said. “But there’s a crucial distinction between buying a birthday gift that you would need for your kid anyway versus filling your basement with random toys just in case.”

In these uncertain economic times, Whelan said consumers have to know themselves and reflect on their spending habits to resist the pressure to panic shop.

American astronauts on Mars.  

Making that happen is a priority for Jared Isaacman, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead NASA, according to his Senate testimony Thursday. 

That can only come after NASA completes its current Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon.

Critics, including Isaacman himself, have complained about the price tag of Artemis — around $100 billion has been spent so far.

But Congress continues to support — and fund — the lunar return mission. Some observers even say it’s a bargain.

It’s been more than 50 years since anyone walked on the moon. It just hasn’t been in the budget, said Scott Pace with the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University.

“Fiscal year 1964, the U.S. was spending 1.1% of the [gross domestic product] on space, OK? That is never going to happen again,” said Pace. 

Instead, NASA is spending what amounts to a GDP rounding error on the Artemis program, said Casey Dreier of the Planetary Society.

“This is going back to the moon on the cheap,” said Dreier. 

But the program has suffered its share of surprise setbacks, according to a former astronaut who knows about that kind of thing. 

“Actually, on my first flight, I did the first unplanned — what they call a contingency space walk — in NASA’s history,” said Jeffrey Hoffman. 

When he’s not attempting emergency satellite repair in the void of space, Hoffman is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He said the relative shoestring budget of Artemis is one cause of the delays.

“Back in Apollo, there was enough money that if you ran into a problem, you could spend money on two alternate solutions to that problem and choose the best one,” said Hoffman. “That's not the case for Artemis.” 

Since 2021, legislators in 40 states have introduced more than 470 bills to undermine environmental, social and governance investing, with support from think tanks, state treasurers, fossil fuel interests and culture warriors. 

"Marketplace" host Kai Ryssdal has been reporting all week on recovery efforts in Altadena, California, talking to small business owners about what it will take to rebuild after January's devastating wildfires. 

Also rebuilding: members of California indie rock band Dawes, whose Altadena homes and studio were destroyed. The group just released a new version of their song "Time Spent in Los Angeles," which features Andrew Bird and Alan Hampton, to raise relief funds for musicians impacted by the fires. 

Ellen Rolfes wrote this newsletter. Savannah Peters reported our story on anxious consumers' shopping habits. Dan Ackerman reported the story on NASA's budget challenges.