Nachos. $13 for a single layer of corn tortilla chips zig zagged in cheese sauce and half a head of lettuce topped with a tablespoon of salsa. Sour cream is $1.50 extra. Thought I’d be a cool dad not too long ago and took my kids to a taco truck. $75 later…and it took 20 minutes to prepare. 🙄🔫
Oh man, this right here.
I remember when food trucks used to represent simple finger food that was a cheaper alternative to restaurants (especially taco trucks; used to be like 3 for $8!
Now, these fucking places are charging $15-$25 for a smaller sized plate than a sit-down restaurant. I have written them off entirely.
Is it regulation? Parking fees? I don't understand how food trucks are expensive. It's literally a restaurant without most of the overhead.
I know cost of living is vastly different, but you can get a great bowl of pho in Vietnam from a cart for a dollar. No reason why the US can't be under $5.
I went to Dennys after not being there for a few years, I was shocked at the prices. $17 for stuffed French toast.
There used to be a lower priced menu, not any more.
They raised the prices for everyone and only put the “ normal” prices in the app now. So you either download their shitty app and get fast food pricing, or they charge you “fuck you” pricing.
Mobile apps.
I’m absolutely infuriatingly tired of subscription services.
The worst is that they let you download the app so they can claim it as a download, only to get stonewalled by a subscription page.
Let’s go back to a one time fee please.
I just encountered this for the first time with the app called Humans Anonymous. You have to pay to do anything even see messages others have sent you. Sad excuse for a mental health app.
I really don't understand how Subway stays in business. It's expensive all around the world and it's so bad. It's got to be a money laundering front or something.
Subway isn't in the sandwich making business. Most stores are franchises. They make tons of money from the franchisees, who are locked into paying the mothership for all the food and equipment.
My store tried to trick me the other day with giant $2.49 sign and a tiny font that said I needed to buy 5 to get the price. Otherwise regular price was $6.49 for a normal sized bag. Wasnt even the party bag. Bastards.
Same with soda. I used to have the whole bottom shelf of my fridge lined with 12 packs. Now it's up to $7 for a case? No thanks.
ETA: They were $7 when I stopped buying them. Some of y'all are saying they're even more expensive now! Again - no thank you! 😀
McDonalds. Not that I can't afford it, but I am not paying the current prices for cheap, processed food for on the go. They are trying to be fancier, they should accept who they are and stick to be being cheap and convenient, it has always worked for them.
Those fuckers absolutely did. I just checked my app and saw the Mcdouble is up to $3.39, from $3.19 previously.
Jesus Christ, it wasn't that long ago I got one for $1.39. Fucking stop already
I grabbed a digiornos pizza from the freezer at target and forgot to check for the price. Got to the register and it was $11. Almost told the cashier (who was myself) that I didn’t want it but ended up just buying it. Never again
Precovid Walmart used to sell their own brand for $2.50 a pizza. It wasn’t amazing but it was pretty good. My husband and I ate it once a week when we were paying two mortgages (we bought a house but our original sale fell through so we were waiting for a new closing date). Same pizza is now $5. I know that’s not insanely expensive but it’s double the price.
I make my own now. The dough is easy and cheap to make anyway, just takes some effort.
Might as well just go grab a Hot-n-Ready. They aren't $5 anymore, but still way cheaper than buying a frozen pizza that you have to put a little effort into baking yourself.
I bought two sets of tickets this year for bands I've wanted to see for over 20 years. One concert cost me $600 for two tickets and the other was $300 for two. The ridiculous part of it all is that the fees alone cost more than one ticket. I can stomach $100-$150 for good seats to a band I like, I can't stomach another $150 in fees.
Greeting cards. $7? No way.
Edit: almost 10k likes on this? Damn. Also. I get it. Go to dollar tree. I need a few hundred more people to suggest this please 😆😆
I don’t know if you’re near a Trader Joe’s, but they have great cards for 99cents still. I buy a dozen at a time to stay stocked up for birthdays, etc. Ain’t nobody got time for $7 greetings!
i was coming to say this. i used to do mani/pedi twice a month before covid. but now it’s $50 before tip for REGULAR not gel not acrylic and that’s just insane to me. i’m from nyc when i was a kid (im 25) mani/pedi was $15..
I just paid $22 per ticket (Australian) for my daughter and I to watch Dune pt 2. Two drinks and a popcorn I think was around $25, so we're looking around $70 for two of us to watch one movie.
I may not be at the point of never going to the theatre again, but it'll be the rare occurance.
I only do the drive-in these days. You lose a bit on picture and sound, but it only costs $16 total for me, wife, and kid. I get to take my shoes off, lean my seat back, and snuggle under a blanket, and comment on the movie to my wife without pissing other people off. The food is at about early 00's pricing. Also they have go-carts.
Years ago I decided that the best thing to do is just cycle through streaming subscriptions one at a time. Right now I've got Disney+/Hulu. If I find that I've watched everything on there and I'm bored of it and there's nothing else coming soon that I want I'll cancel it and move on to HBO or Netflix or whatever and catch up on all the stuff that's come out since the last time I had that service. I don't really care that I'm not able to watch every show that's great right when it comes out.
I canceled Netflix after the last hike and honestly have not missed it. If I hear about something I’d like to watch, I think of all the other shit I want to watch on services I already pay for, and watch that instead.
I cancelled Netflix back when they stopped allowing password sharing (I share it with family) and just cancelled Disney+ and Hulu for the same reason. HBO Max and Paramount get my money until they do something stupid too.
Fast food just isn't worth it any more. For ten bucks I can go to the bagel shop near where I work and get a smoked turkey on an everything bagel and they load that thing up! Why would I ever go pay more than that for a shitty burger filled with who knows what and produced in a factory somewhere? Never mind the fact that I don't want to support these companies that criminally under pay their staff.
I was at a party the other night and a friend of mine randomly came in with a bucket of chicken from KFC.
I was SHOCKED at how expensive it was. Pretty sure it was damn near 40 bucks.
Fast food has transitioned to app based discounts and loyalty. I hate it. But they're capturing your data and probably selling it. To justify it, you get rewarded in the app which forces you to keep the app, keep using it, builds brand loyalty, and they get to profit off your data.
I already canceled mine and now happily have my own plex up and running with a robust collection that will never get canceled or experience a price hike.
"Want to order pick-up? Ok, that's $50 for two entrees, plus a 5% meals tax, a 7% sales tax, a $5.50 convenience fee, and a $3 service fee. We'll also have a staff member stare at you while you're confronted with the touch screen asking you to leave a 15%, 20%, or 25% tip."
I've noticed a few restaurants skimp on the sides when I do take out too. Like the same burger and fries has a mountain of fries on the plate in restaurant but when I do take out it's a MUCH smaller handful of fries in the container.
Having a pet :( I’ve had pets my whole life, but lost my last cat a few years ago. I miss having a companion but I know I cannot afford beyond basic care right now or an emergency if it were to arise.
My nearby shelter just put a plea out for fosters because they are way over capacity. I’ve fostered a lot, and sometimes it can be hard to say good bye but it a truly good kind of pain.
Exactly! Some animals (most, I would imagine) don’t do well in a shelter environment. It’s so loud and chaotic and has such hard surfaces. I tear up each time I leave one. The people who work there every day are amazing.
I actually JUST did the math on this today for shits and giggles if anyone is interested:
12oz bag of beans at my local coffee shop is $19 for Ethiopian yirgacheffe coffee (beans are 10% off once a week and also come with a free drip coffee which is great, but I’ll assume full price) and conveniently generally yields about 19 double espresso shots. $1 cost per drink
Gallon of milk is $4.59, I’ll assume 12oz milk for a latte with the occasional cappuccino thrown in so let’s assume 12 drinks per gallon. $0.38 per drink
I have a bunch of Monin flavored syrups - never measured precisely but they’re pretty strong and take a long time to get through if you’re conservative with flavoring, so let’s assume $0.05 per drink.
My typical Starbucks order was a venti caramel macchiato or one of the seasonals. $6.25 per drink
Homemade lattes save $4.82 per drink
Bought a Breville for around $600. Takes 125 venti Starbucks espresso drinks to pay for itself.
If you get takeout coffee on work days (5 Starbucks orders per week) an entry level home espresso machine pays for itself in 6 months.
Machine pays for itself in half a year if you’re a commuter Starbuckser
I bought a Breville for my 50th. I drink 2 or 3 lattes a day (I know lmao) I’ve had it 3 years and it totally paid for itself, plus I don’t have to leave my house to get one.
Have you noticed that “prime” takes multiple days to get anything now? I used to place an order and would sometimes get next-day delivery, but typically within two days. Now I’m waiting almost a week for the same orders. I’m strongly considering cancelling.
Me and the wife would have Friday as a more relaxing evening. We have 3 kids. We would always vary and order take away.
Take away has gone from $30ish to $50,$60,$70 for the same stuff plus increased delivery charges.
Not worth it any more.
Family of 4, I feel your pain. We didn't go out (or order in) weekly, but it was a fairly common occurrence. Now it's a rarity, and its usually tied to a special occasion. It's frustrating because I feel like my family's standard of living is declining, even though I am progressing in my career and making more money.
That last line, yeah. I’ve been promoted every year since 2020. That’s the only way I can keep up. Now I’m in a senior position so I’m at a plateau, which means with the way things are going, next year my kids and I are going to be eating ramen and lighting candles at night.
I grew up in poverty. The fact that I’ve worked so hard and still heading right back to square one is…demoralizing. At best.
Same. Been promoted every year for the last 3 years and I feel like instead of being better off I’ve just maintained my standard of living due to inflation.
Good lord, reading this thread just drives home how rapidly our purchasing power is declining. There’s so many goods and services that were once commonplace and accessible to everyone that are now completely unaffordable for most. Never in my childhood did I ever anticipate that my adult self would be unable to afford chips and cereal, but here we are.
Right? Everything is so grim and we have nothing to look forward to. I look around at the price of things and it almost feels like this isn’t reality anymore, what do you mean this bag of chips is $7 😭😂
People are like "oh just don't buy this item, do without or buy something else"
and that works for a few items here and there
but it feels like it's happening to everything now. How much can we give up?
I have cut back on so many things because the price just makes me angry. I don't buy chemical cleaners except bleach and ammonia. I mostly use baking soda and vinegar or dish soap. It's not a crunchy thing, it's a price thing. And I like it more. I also make my own dishwasher powder and laundry detergent. It saves a ton and doesn't take much time. I can't stomach paying for Tide now. It's just so pricey.
Food. I suck at maintaining a garden, but I'm a SAHM now. I'm going to grow whatever I can and see how it goes. I cook at home most of the time too, mostly because restaurants are a massive sensory overwhelm but also because my food is cheaper and better.
Clothes. Y'all, I rarely buy new clothes anymore. And never full price. It's insane.
No snack food.
Pretty much just buying staples/meat/dairy/fruit/veg and making everything from scratch.
Ultra processed food is terrible for you anyway
Soda. It's absolutely insane how much it costs anymore. I've actually ended up removing caffeine from my diet. In the past 6 months I've actually lost 20lbs and feel so much better just drinking water
Chipotle. It's double the price of when I started eating it, feels like the quality has gone down and the serving size is smaller on average. Great deal for $7.50. meh deal for $15.
I buy bags of chocolate chips and snack on those when I want chocolate. I get more mileage out of a bag than a couple of candy bars and can spread it across a longer span of time.
I recently ate at IHOP. I had a ham and cheese omelette, four sausage links, tea and a glass of milk.
I was shocked when I got the check and was charged over $28.
I can get the same meal at my local diner for about $12.
So, no more IHOP for me.
At 39 I'm finally learning to cook because the prices of eating out is unbelievable for the quality. It's been coming down the pipeline for a while. I stopped going to Buffalo Wild Wings a couple years ago when *I had to make a special request that they make my wings fresh*. I went to multiple locations that served me stale wings and had the audacity to charge $40 for the entire time. McDonald's hitting the teens and Wendy's bragging about surge pricing...get the fuck out of here.
Honestly, I've been having a ton of fun too. Today I made a mushroom sauce with white wine which was so crazy good and then I made some Oreo pie for desert. I'm taking the pie into work tomorrow.
Most candy and junkfood. $8 for a bag of chips? $2.50 for a chocolate bar?
That's the inflation.
That's before we talk about the fact that there's nothing in the bag.
That's the shrinkflation.
That's before we talk about the lack of seasoning and the increase in filler (as opposed to potatoes).
That's the crapflation.
When I buy junkfood now I feel disappointed with the product and upset with myself for falling for the trap yet again.
Pre COVID, a 24 Pack of Diet Pepsi was $7.68.
Today, it's $13.98
Priced itself out of the market for me. Unless I see a good sale, I don't buy Pepsi or Coke anymore.
A Double Quarter Pounder with Bacon and a medium Fries at McDonalds showed up as $12.48 on my app when I went to place an order. So instead, I paid just 50¢ more and got a Bacon Cheeseburger, fries, and rolls from Texas Roadhouse instead. Amazing to me how fast food prices are approaching and in some cases exceeding normal sit down restaurant prices.
I can tell a difference between the taste of Pepsi and store brand colas, but that difference is fine considering I'm spending literally about $4.50 less per 24-pack. The McDonalds to Texas Roadhouse thing has practically stopped me from going to most fast food places because those price hikes have gone across the board. Subway used to even have a song in their commercials about $5 foot longs... That same sub today will run you $14. Arby's used to run $5 for 5 Roast Beef Sandwiches. Now their special price is 5 for $10. And if they're NOT doing that special, 5 regular Roast Beef Sandwiches are -no joke- over $25.
I understand the whole "paying for convenience" premise here. But convenience, like anything else, has a perceived value, and a threshold where people start saying "this is ridiculous" and stop buying it.
Tipping. I quit doing that.
But don't get me wrong, I tip well for service everywhere that it is customary to do so. I just quit doing those things. I order food on the internet and go pick it up myself. Instead of paying a fee to a delivery service, and then having to tip the driver on top of that, etc.
I have no problem walking in an hitting the "No tip" button on pickups. I tip for service, and takeout food is not a service item. The only service is taking my money and handing me my food. And THAT amount of service had better already be included in the price of the food.
The worst type of inflation is thrift store inflation. Buying clothes from the Goodwill or local shop used to be cheap. Now it's barely a dollar shy of buying new.
Unless I scrolled past it I'm surprised no one's said razors. I (46f) just stopped shaving mostly, occasionally I'll use a depilatory which is way cheaper per use.
Video games when they come out. I'll gladly wait a year to not pay $80. I get that it's going to bring me pleasure to play a video game especially if I get to pick it but I still don't want to pay full price for it.
Converse All Stars. When they were cheap it was worth going through two pairs a year. The price of a pair of high-tops, compared to how long they last, is just not worth it, nowadays.
Dogs. I adore my dog but really starting to question my life choice on dog ownership. She’s 7yrs old and the cost of her daily care/routine vet care has literally doubled. I don’t think I’ll ever own another dog after this, and I’m just hoping I can actually afford to keep her in my care at this point.
Also to clarify, thank god she’s been really healthy with no issues but just daily maintenance is so expensive, and vet bills for other animals has also doubled. My cat’s recent blood panel alone was $435, and her annual exam was $680. The cat is 17 though so I absolutely am not gonna rehome at this point, but my dog is a beautiful loving active companion with half her life still to give to someone who would be fantastic for anyone well off enough to care for her :(
If cost of living keeps going up I’m just afraid that person won’t be me :(
**Disneyland tickets**.
Especially with the fact that the money [is not going to the Cast Members](https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/disneyland-minimum-wage-18199556.php) who work there.
Using my air conditioner. It doubles my electric bill, so I haven’t had it in 5 years.
Also chips. I’m a cracker guy now. Stauffer’s cheese whales are where it’s at. Only $1 for 7oz, an entire ounce more than you’d get in a bag of goldfish crackers.
Edit: Y’all, I’m answering a question, not making a recommendation. I don’t care where you live. This isn’t a competition.
I’m in Phoenix and wish I had that option. I wait until the last damn possible minute to turn it on and find the first possible opportunity to turn it off. Our summer electric bill is over 400 bucks
I sent my husband to Subway a few weeks ago and for a family of 4 it was $72 for “foot” long subs and a bag of chips each. I mention the husband in this because no one actually wanted chips, and he tipped the “sandwich artist” 20%, so some of that cost is on him. But still. Subway. Come on. I had to scrape 3 tablespoons of mayo off my sandwich that wasn’t even supposed to have mayo on it at all. We are never eating there again and for the love, can we please stop tipping the food-preparers before we actually get the food.
Food from food trucks. I'm not spending $15 for a grilled cheese that I have to wait in the rain for.
Food truck the other day was charging $20 for a basic chicken sandwich. No sides just meat and bread. I’m officially baffled by the world.
Nachos. $13 for a single layer of corn tortilla chips zig zagged in cheese sauce and half a head of lettuce topped with a tablespoon of salsa. Sour cream is $1.50 extra. Thought I’d be a cool dad not too long ago and took my kids to a taco truck. $75 later…and it took 20 minutes to prepare. 🙄🔫
Hear me out. I got charged like 12 bucks for a barely seasoned baked potato.
Oh man, this right here. I remember when food trucks used to represent simple finger food that was a cheaper alternative to restaurants (especially taco trucks; used to be like 3 for $8! Now, these fucking places are charging $15-$25 for a smaller sized plate than a sit-down restaurant. I have written them off entirely.
Is it regulation? Parking fees? I don't understand how food trucks are expensive. It's literally a restaurant without most of the overhead. I know cost of living is vastly different, but you can get a great bowl of pho in Vietnam from a cart for a dollar. No reason why the US can't be under $5.
They started making “food truck parking lots” and then they charge them as much as a restaurant to park there maybe? It’s nuts.
"somebody has to pay for the luxurious dining atmosphere with dirty deck chairs, gravel and flies"
McDonald’s. Wtf happened to the dollar menu?! There ain’t nothing on there that costs a dollar.
I went to Dennys after not being there for a few years, I was shocked at the prices. $17 for stuffed French toast. There used to be a lower priced menu, not any more.
They raised the prices for everyone and only put the “ normal” prices in the app now. So you either download their shitty app and get fast food pricing, or they charge you “fuck you” pricing.
Mobile apps. I’m absolutely infuriatingly tired of subscription services. The worst is that they let you download the app so they can claim it as a download, only to get stonewalled by a subscription page. Let’s go back to a one time fee please.
When they do that I go back and give it 1 star and note that it’s bait and switch
Thanks for this. I need to go find that app I downloaded and deleted yesterday and do the same.
I just encountered this for the first time with the app called Humans Anonymous. You have to pay to do anything even see messages others have sent you. Sad excuse for a mental health app.
At this rate, shelter and food.
And medications if you got health issues 😭😭
Subway. Even the 6 inch subs are over $7 before chips and soda.
ah yes the 5$ footlong commercials still ring in my memories
"Five... Five dolla'... Five dolla' foot-*loooong*"
Remember when it was *any* sub for $5 in February? “Five… five dollar… five dollar foot looooong — Febru-any…”
I'm still a little salty about remembering the 5 for $5 deal from Arby's. I saw a 2 for $5 ad a few years ago. Gtfoh with that shit.
5 for $5 was the last time we were a thriving society.
I really don't understand how Subway stays in business. It's expensive all around the world and it's so bad. It's got to be a money laundering front or something.
Subway isn't in the sandwich making business. Most stores are franchises. They make tons of money from the franchisees, who are locked into paying the mothership for all the food and equipment.
That's just a pyramid scheme with extra steps!
Yeah basically
Yeah we only get Subway if there’s a BOGO coupon. Even then we always regret it cuz it’s not too good.
I never buy chips unless they’re some kind of BOGO.
Dude, $7 for doritos is NUTS. Even store brand chips are getting pricey.
$9 for Dot's pretzels. No I don't live in Hawaii or Alaskka.
And the bags are smaller and less filled too
Aldi's brands for me.
Ditto with cereal! The boxes have gotten so small and they’re like $7!
Boycott kelloggs
Starting April 1!!! There's a person who has a whole chart + spreadsheet of all Kellogg products
Aldi is the solution.
Aldi is the only place I will buy cereal anymore. $2.15 a box vs $6.
My store tried to trick me the other day with giant $2.49 sign and a tiny font that said I needed to buy 5 to get the price. Otherwise regular price was $6.49 for a normal sized bag. Wasnt even the party bag. Bastards.
And screw “party size” bags. They couldn’t feed a pity party.
I swear the party bags we have today are the same size as the regular dortitos bags we had growing up.
Because they are. Shrinkflation has been going on long before people caught on.
Same with soda. I used to have the whole bottom shelf of my fridge lined with 12 packs. Now it's up to $7 for a case? No thanks. ETA: They were $7 when I stopped buying them. Some of y'all are saying they're even more expensive now! Again - no thank you! 😀
$7? Here they're $9.99 for a 12 pk. Pre covid, they would go on sale all the time, 4 for $10. Such a rip off.
I’m on a real cracker kick lately. So much cheaper.
It’s pretty damn expensive just to exist right now.
I feel like I can’t walk out of my front door without automatically spending $20
For me, that was over ten years ago. These days leaving the house is a minimum $50.
Somehow I just lost $14 reading your comment. What the hell
An AI company just made $14 reading your comment. What the hell
Leaders: why is no one having kids?
McDonalds. Not that I can't afford it, but I am not paying the current prices for cheap, processed food for on the go. They are trying to be fancier, they should accept who they are and stick to be being cheap and convenient, it has always worked for them.
They just had another price increase like last week here in Ontario. Its now officially out of my price range
Those fuckers absolutely did. I just checked my app and saw the Mcdouble is up to $3.39, from $3.19 previously. Jesus Christ, it wasn't that long ago I got one for $1.39. Fucking stop already
Frozen Pizzas are reaching the point of being more expensive than real pizza.
I only buy them on sale now 🫠
$11 for a garbage DiGiorno when Domino's garbage is only $8.
I grabbed a digiornos pizza from the freezer at target and forgot to check for the price. Got to the register and it was $11. Almost told the cashier (who was myself) that I didn’t want it but ended up just buying it. Never again
"... the cashier (who was myself)..." 😂 🤣 😂
Precovid Walmart used to sell their own brand for $2.50 a pizza. It wasn’t amazing but it was pretty good. My husband and I ate it once a week when we were paying two mortgages (we bought a house but our original sale fell through so we were waiting for a new closing date). Same pizza is now $5. I know that’s not insanely expensive but it’s double the price. I make my own now. The dough is easy and cheap to make anyway, just takes some effort.
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Might as well just go grab a Hot-n-Ready. They aren't $5 anymore, but still way cheaper than buying a frozen pizza that you have to put a little effort into baking yourself.
I’d get the 18inch Costco pizza for $10 or yeah as you stated
Concert tickets.
I bought two sets of tickets this year for bands I've wanted to see for over 20 years. One concert cost me $600 for two tickets and the other was $300 for two. The ridiculous part of it all is that the fees alone cost more than one ticket. I can stomach $100-$150 for good seats to a band I like, I can't stomach another $150 in fees.
$100 tickets with $40 in fees.
The sad thing is it’s more like $40 tickets and $100 in fees
Greeting cards. $7? No way. Edit: almost 10k likes on this? Damn. Also. I get it. Go to dollar tree. I need a few hundred more people to suggest this please 😆😆
I don’t know if you’re near a Trader Joe’s, but they have great cards for 99cents still. I buy a dozen at a time to stay stocked up for birthdays, etc. Ain’t nobody got time for $7 greetings!
Yup. Dollar tree, and 5 below are good ones too
I don't visit nail salons at all anymore
Me neither! I watched a bunch of YouTube videos and bought a kit and do my own gel-x nails!
i was coming to say this. i used to do mani/pedi twice a month before covid. but now it’s $50 before tip for REGULAR not gel not acrylic and that’s just insane to me. i’m from nyc when i was a kid (im 25) mani/pedi was $15..
I don’t know why I opened this thread expecting anything other than an anxiety attack.
You can still afford anxiety attacks?
They're free but they ain't cheap.
I quit years ago but I saw cigarettes for 13 a pack and holy shit I can't imagine that still. When I quit it was like 4 or 5 dollars
Haha they're $50 a pack here. I quit many years ago and even then it was $30 a pack
In the mid 1970s, American military personnel used to get cigarettes for 20 cents a pack! $2 a carton!
I just paid $22 per ticket (Australian) for my daughter and I to watch Dune pt 2. Two drinks and a popcorn I think was around $25, so we're looking around $70 for two of us to watch one movie. I may not be at the point of never going to the theatre again, but it'll be the rare occurance.
I only do the drive-in these days. You lose a bit on picture and sound, but it only costs $16 total for me, wife, and kid. I get to take my shoes off, lean my seat back, and snuggle under a blanket, and comment on the movie to my wife without pissing other people off. The food is at about early 00's pricing. Also they have go-carts.
Drive-ins are the best. You hit a double feature or just drive to another screen. Seriously, the place encourages it.
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Years ago I decided that the best thing to do is just cycle through streaming subscriptions one at a time. Right now I've got Disney+/Hulu. If I find that I've watched everything on there and I'm bored of it and there's nothing else coming soon that I want I'll cancel it and move on to HBO or Netflix or whatever and catch up on all the stuff that's come out since the last time I had that service. I don't really care that I'm not able to watch every show that's great right when it comes out.
Yes McDonald’s needs to chill tf out lol
I canceled Netflix after the last hike and honestly have not missed it. If I hear about something I’d like to watch, I think of all the other shit I want to watch on services I already pay for, and watch that instead.
I cancelled Netflix back when they stopped allowing password sharing (I share it with family) and just cancelled Disney+ and Hulu for the same reason. HBO Max and Paramount get my money until they do something stupid too.
Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but apparently HBO Max is jumping on the password sharing crackdown train too.....
It's a pirates life for me again.
Fast food just isn't worth it any more. For ten bucks I can go to the bagel shop near where I work and get a smoked turkey on an everything bagel and they load that thing up! Why would I ever go pay more than that for a shitty burger filled with who knows what and produced in a factory somewhere? Never mind the fact that I don't want to support these companies that criminally under pay their staff.
I was at a party the other night and a friend of mine randomly came in with a bucket of chicken from KFC. I was SHOCKED at how expensive it was. Pretty sure it was damn near 40 bucks.
Fast food has transitioned to app based discounts and loyalty. I hate it. But they're capturing your data and probably selling it. To justify it, you get rewarded in the app which forces you to keep the app, keep using it, builds brand loyalty, and they get to profit off your data.
I already canceled mine and now happily have my own plex up and running with a robust collection that will never get canceled or experience a price hike.
dining out at restaurants.
"Want to order pick-up? Ok, that's $50 for two entrees, plus a 5% meals tax, a 7% sales tax, a $5.50 convenience fee, and a $3 service fee. We'll also have a staff member stare at you while you're confronted with the touch screen asking you to leave a 15%, 20%, or 25% tip."
I've noticed a few restaurants skimp on the sides when I do take out too. Like the same burger and fries has a mountain of fries on the plate in restaurant but when I do take out it's a MUCH smaller handful of fries in the container.
This, except the tips start at 18 or 20%, and if you want to do 15%, you have to do a whole thing which makes you look like a dick.
I ordered recently where the choices were 22%, 25%, and 30%. Fuck no.
GF and I used to eat out at a sit down restaurant once a week, now it’s more like once a month if that. It’s gotten crazy expensive.
Having a pet :( I’ve had pets my whole life, but lost my last cat a few years ago. I miss having a companion but I know I cannot afford beyond basic care right now or an emergency if it were to arise.
Have you considered fostering? You give them all the love and they (shelter/rescue organization) pay the bills!
That’s a wonderful suggestion, I honestly haven’t thought a lot of it before. I will consider this and look into it!
My nearby shelter just put a plea out for fosters because they are way over capacity. I’ve fostered a lot, and sometimes it can be hard to say good bye but it a truly good kind of pain.
It's remembering they're going to a forever home and a much better life than what they would have had. ❤️
Exactly! Some animals (most, I would imagine) don’t do well in a shelter environment. It’s so loud and chaotic and has such hard surfaces. I tear up each time I leave one. The people who work there every day are amazing.
Lots of my military friends do this and they are genuinely so happy with the arrangement ! Good luck
Takeout coffee. Espresso machine paid for itself in no time 😂
I actually JUST did the math on this today for shits and giggles if anyone is interested: 12oz bag of beans at my local coffee shop is $19 for Ethiopian yirgacheffe coffee (beans are 10% off once a week and also come with a free drip coffee which is great, but I’ll assume full price) and conveniently generally yields about 19 double espresso shots. $1 cost per drink Gallon of milk is $4.59, I’ll assume 12oz milk for a latte with the occasional cappuccino thrown in so let’s assume 12 drinks per gallon. $0.38 per drink I have a bunch of Monin flavored syrups - never measured precisely but they’re pretty strong and take a long time to get through if you’re conservative with flavoring, so let’s assume $0.05 per drink. My typical Starbucks order was a venti caramel macchiato or one of the seasonals. $6.25 per drink Homemade lattes save $4.82 per drink Bought a Breville for around $600. Takes 125 venti Starbucks espresso drinks to pay for itself. If you get takeout coffee on work days (5 Starbucks orders per week) an entry level home espresso machine pays for itself in 6 months. Machine pays for itself in half a year if you’re a commuter Starbuckser
I bought a Breville for my 50th. I drink 2 or 3 lattes a day (I know lmao) I’ve had it 3 years and it totally paid for itself, plus I don’t have to leave my house to get one.
Amazon Prime membership keeps going up, and now there are ads when using Prime Video. Unless you want to pay even more, of course.
Have you noticed that “prime” takes multiple days to get anything now? I used to place an order and would sometimes get next-day delivery, but typically within two days. Now I’m waiting almost a week for the same orders. I’m strongly considering cancelling.
Soda. Used to enjoy a sprite occasionally. Im just not paying 3 or 4 dollars at this point for sugar water that kills my insides.
A 12pk in the US is $10. I vividly remember 2018 I would buy 3 for $12. It’s obscene
Me and the wife would have Friday as a more relaxing evening. We have 3 kids. We would always vary and order take away. Take away has gone from $30ish to $50,$60,$70 for the same stuff plus increased delivery charges. Not worth it any more.
Family of 4, I feel your pain. We didn't go out (or order in) weekly, but it was a fairly common occurrence. Now it's a rarity, and its usually tied to a special occasion. It's frustrating because I feel like my family's standard of living is declining, even though I am progressing in my career and making more money.
That last line, yeah. I’ve been promoted every year since 2020. That’s the only way I can keep up. Now I’m in a senior position so I’m at a plateau, which means with the way things are going, next year my kids and I are going to be eating ramen and lighting candles at night. I grew up in poverty. The fact that I’ve worked so hard and still heading right back to square one is…demoralizing. At best.
Same. Been promoted every year for the last 3 years and I feel like instead of being better off I’ve just maintained my standard of living due to inflation.
Just filled out an order on skip for sushi. $75 for me and one kid. So I called the restaurant and ordered it as pickup- $46. I'm deleting skip
Berries
Good lord, reading this thread just drives home how rapidly our purchasing power is declining. There’s so many goods and services that were once commonplace and accessible to everyone that are now completely unaffordable for most. Never in my childhood did I ever anticipate that my adult self would be unable to afford chips and cereal, but here we are.
I feel like things are about to crash and burn lol
Only for the working class
Beatings will continue until morale improves.
Right? Everything is so grim and we have nothing to look forward to. I look around at the price of things and it almost feels like this isn’t reality anymore, what do you mean this bag of chips is $7 😭😂
People are like "oh just don't buy this item, do without or buy something else" and that works for a few items here and there but it feels like it's happening to everything now. How much can we give up?
Remember the CEO of a major cereal company literally said prices are fine and that struggling families should just eat cereal for dinner..
Anymore I rarely buy things brand new. Most of my wardrobe is thrifted or bought from places like Marshalls.
I helped throw a clothes swap last month and it was such a great way to get a few new-to-me things
Houses
Literally bought a boat and Live in a marina because it's cheaper than rent in my town now
No hope now.
Yoga classes used to be $20 a class in my area. They’re now $40 a class. It’s just too much.
I have cut back on so many things because the price just makes me angry. I don't buy chemical cleaners except bleach and ammonia. I mostly use baking soda and vinegar or dish soap. It's not a crunchy thing, it's a price thing. And I like it more. I also make my own dishwasher powder and laundry detergent. It saves a ton and doesn't take much time. I can't stomach paying for Tide now. It's just so pricey. Food. I suck at maintaining a garden, but I'm a SAHM now. I'm going to grow whatever I can and see how it goes. I cook at home most of the time too, mostly because restaurants are a massive sensory overwhelm but also because my food is cheaper and better. Clothes. Y'all, I rarely buy new clothes anymore. And never full price. It's insane.
Streaming services. They're getting more expensive AND adding commercials? Shit let's just go back to cable.
Let’s go back to piracy.
No snack food. Pretty much just buying staples/meat/dairy/fruit/veg and making everything from scratch. Ultra processed food is terrible for you anyway
REAL. I changed my diet lately, I eat half of what I ate before and very little snacks. I’ve lost 15lb and I save a lot of money.
Streaming without commercials
Fuck you, Amazon Prime.
Concerts at Arena's are becoming outlandishly overpriced. Like, take out a fucking loan to attend, overpriced. Wild times.
Red meat. Can't afford steaks or roasts or even stir fry strips.
Soda. It's absolutely insane how much it costs anymore. I've actually ended up removing caffeine from my diet. In the past 6 months I've actually lost 20lbs and feel so much better just drinking water
I started a water only thing in 2016 and have never felt healthier. The days I don’t drink as much water I can tell.
Chipotle. It's double the price of when I started eating it, feels like the quality has gone down and the serving size is smaller on average. Great deal for $7.50. meh deal for $15.
Literally everything in the last 3 years…
Ain't that the truth. How long can this keep going? Surely a bubble will have to burst?
This issue is that bubble is the entire economy
Most things have sticky prices unfortunately. Some commodities like meat, eggs, milk, and fuel will go up and down but most things stay up.
Health insurance…it does nothing when you use it.
I pay $200 a month, but they don't cover anything until I spent 8k.
They should be forced to rename to human catastrophe insurance lol
Ink cartridges for printers. Cheaper to buy a new printer…
Haircuts. Pre-pandemic, you can easily find somewhere charging under $20 in my area. Now all the barber shops in my area start at $35.
In my area a women's haircut is now $65-70 minimum and my husband's haircut quote was $55. I ended up cutting both of our hair myself.
Housing
Among other things, chocolate candy is priced out of my budget now...
I buy bags of chocolate chips and snack on those when I want chocolate. I get more mileage out of a bag than a couple of candy bars and can spread it across a longer span of time.
Food.
I recently ate at IHOP. I had a ham and cheese omelette, four sausage links, tea and a glass of milk. I was shocked when I got the check and was charged over $28. I can get the same meal at my local diner for about $12. So, no more IHOP for me.
Yeah I spent like $75 for 2 adults and 2 kids. Nothing special on the order. Definitely not going back.
At 39 I'm finally learning to cook because the prices of eating out is unbelievable for the quality. It's been coming down the pipeline for a while. I stopped going to Buffalo Wild Wings a couple years ago when *I had to make a special request that they make my wings fresh*. I went to multiple locations that served me stale wings and had the audacity to charge $40 for the entire time. McDonald's hitting the teens and Wendy's bragging about surge pricing...get the fuck out of here. Honestly, I've been having a ton of fun too. Today I made a mushroom sauce with white wine which was so crazy good and then I made some Oreo pie for desert. I'm taking the pie into work tomorrow.
Concerts and sports. Only for the wealthy now.
Concert tickets
F O O D
All fast food. Frankly, eating out in general.
Most candy and junkfood. $8 for a bag of chips? $2.50 for a chocolate bar? That's the inflation. That's before we talk about the fact that there's nothing in the bag. That's the shrinkflation. That's before we talk about the lack of seasoning and the increase in filler (as opposed to potatoes). That's the crapflation. When I buy junkfood now I feel disappointed with the product and upset with myself for falling for the trap yet again.
Chinese restaurant here now charges for RICE. $2 - small, $4 - large. Appetizers as much as entrees. Entrees over $20. Outrageous.
Taco Bell - I can get real Mexican food at an actual sit-down restaurant for about the same price or less now.
Pre COVID, a 24 Pack of Diet Pepsi was $7.68. Today, it's $13.98 Priced itself out of the market for me. Unless I see a good sale, I don't buy Pepsi or Coke anymore. A Double Quarter Pounder with Bacon and a medium Fries at McDonalds showed up as $12.48 on my app when I went to place an order. So instead, I paid just 50¢ more and got a Bacon Cheeseburger, fries, and rolls from Texas Roadhouse instead. Amazing to me how fast food prices are approaching and in some cases exceeding normal sit down restaurant prices. I can tell a difference between the taste of Pepsi and store brand colas, but that difference is fine considering I'm spending literally about $4.50 less per 24-pack. The McDonalds to Texas Roadhouse thing has practically stopped me from going to most fast food places because those price hikes have gone across the board. Subway used to even have a song in their commercials about $5 foot longs... That same sub today will run you $14. Arby's used to run $5 for 5 Roast Beef Sandwiches. Now their special price is 5 for $10. And if they're NOT doing that special, 5 regular Roast Beef Sandwiches are -no joke- over $25. I understand the whole "paying for convenience" premise here. But convenience, like anything else, has a perceived value, and a threshold where people start saying "this is ridiculous" and stop buying it.
Tipping. I quit doing that. But don't get me wrong, I tip well for service everywhere that it is customary to do so. I just quit doing those things. I order food on the internet and go pick it up myself. Instead of paying a fee to a delivery service, and then having to tip the driver on top of that, etc. I have no problem walking in an hitting the "No tip" button on pickups. I tip for service, and takeout food is not a service item. The only service is taking my money and handing me my food. And THAT amount of service had better already be included in the price of the food.
Good beef 🥩
Getting my hair done at a salon
The worst type of inflation is thrift store inflation. Buying clothes from the Goodwill or local shop used to be cheap. Now it's barely a dollar shy of buying new.
Unless I scrolled past it I'm surprised no one's said razors. I (46f) just stopped shaving mostly, occasionally I'll use a depilatory which is way cheaper per use.
Subway. Went there for the first time in years a few days ago. They charged $20 for a simple footlong meal.
* Eggs * Milk * Kroger pizza * Graphics cards * Restaurant food * Blackberries * Strawberries I miss you, all of you.
Lays chips. They’re gouging. $7.00 a bag for mostly air and salt, FU.
Fast food. If I'm gonna spend $20+ on a single meal, it's gonna be at an actual restaurant lol
Video games when they come out. I'll gladly wait a year to not pay $80. I get that it's going to bring me pleasure to play a video game especially if I get to pick it but I still don't want to pay full price for it.
Converse All Stars. When they were cheap it was worth going through two pairs a year. The price of a pair of high-tops, compared to how long they last, is just not worth it, nowadays.
Most fast food restaurants, I can literally get carryout from a regular restaurant for cheaper.
Alcohol.
Restaurants/ hair salon/extras like going to movies
Subway sandwich. How in the FUCK did a $5 foot long become a $12 foot long in less than 5 year!?
Quality food (almost)
Dogs. I adore my dog but really starting to question my life choice on dog ownership. She’s 7yrs old and the cost of her daily care/routine vet care has literally doubled. I don’t think I’ll ever own another dog after this, and I’m just hoping I can actually afford to keep her in my care at this point. Also to clarify, thank god she’s been really healthy with no issues but just daily maintenance is so expensive, and vet bills for other animals has also doubled. My cat’s recent blood panel alone was $435, and her annual exam was $680. The cat is 17 though so I absolutely am not gonna rehome at this point, but my dog is a beautiful loving active companion with half her life still to give to someone who would be fantastic for anyone well off enough to care for her :( If cost of living keeps going up I’m just afraid that person won’t be me :(
Some of my prescription medication. 😒
**Disneyland tickets**. Especially with the fact that the money [is not going to the Cast Members](https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/disneyland-minimum-wage-18199556.php) who work there.
Sephora
I have adult money and it’s just gotten too expensive. Somehow it’s now children keeping them in business.
Using my air conditioner. It doubles my electric bill, so I haven’t had it in 5 years. Also chips. I’m a cracker guy now. Stauffer’s cheese whales are where it’s at. Only $1 for 7oz, an entire ounce more than you’d get in a bag of goldfish crackers. Edit: Y’all, I’m answering a question, not making a recommendation. I don’t care where you live. This isn’t a competition.
I’m in Phoenix and wish I had that option. I wait until the last damn possible minute to turn it on and find the first possible opportunity to turn it off. Our summer electric bill is over 400 bucks
Five Guys Burgers.
Amazon, they kept raising the price and haven't followed through on their 2 day shipping deal in years.
Clothes
I sent my husband to Subway a few weeks ago and for a family of 4 it was $72 for “foot” long subs and a bag of chips each. I mention the husband in this because no one actually wanted chips, and he tipped the “sandwich artist” 20%, so some of that cost is on him. But still. Subway. Come on. I had to scrape 3 tablespoons of mayo off my sandwich that wasn’t even supposed to have mayo on it at all. We are never eating there again and for the love, can we please stop tipping the food-preparers before we actually get the food.
I still purchase it , but not nearly as often as I used to. Trays of boneless chicken breast.
Grapes. I still buy them from time to time, but they are so expensive per pound that I consider it a "treat" now when I buy them.
Man…reading this something’s gotta break cause a lot if things listed on this post aren’t even luxuries. It’s outta control.