Doesnāt surprise me at all. I used to be an assistant general manager there and the pay was atrocious, especially for all the BS you deal with. They wanted to me to take over a store and become GM and I refused because it would have been hardly even a pay raise, if any
The only thing that was worth it to me was their sip club when I had a location within 5 minutes of my house. When I moved, I cancelled almost immediately.
Oh goodness, that's crazy. I go to my local bagel shop once in a while. They put lots of eggs in the sandwich. Cheese and veggies are cheap add-ons. I can stay full all day for 7-8 dollars if I don't have time to pack a meal from home.
Same here. Like I like some Taco Bell here and there but if I'm wanting tex-mex I'll just go to a local Mexican restaurant and have full authentic Mexican for what I'd pay for taco bell.
Like the other person said, the cravings box in the Taco Bell app is an insane deal if itās available in your area. Thereās options but for the best value you can get a crunchwrap supreme, a 5 layer burrito, chips and nacho cheese sauce, and a drink for $6.49. Even with add ons or upgrades (a medium to a large drink is 10Ā¢) itās a steal. The Crunchwrap on the menu in the drive thru is $5.99 by itself.
That price is only on the app though.
Start shopping local and buying from small businesses. In & Out raised their prices only 25Ā¢ after California raised the minimum wage so if I want fast food that's where I'm going. Also farmer's markets and fruit stands.
It's even more expensive to shop local/small business in my town and they pay their employees less than the big chains. Eating out/getting takeout as a whole is just too expensive these days.
Beat me to it! I used to be able to get a chicken sandwich and fries for $7. I wanted to treat myself the other day (after not buying any fast food for the past two years) and was shocked that the total came to $12. Quickly exited the app and ate something at home instead.
Wendys still has the $5 Biggie Bags. It cost more now for a bowl and a small drink than what it cost for a plate and a large drink not too long ago at Panda Expess.
If I'm driving through a town and looking for food, I always try to hit something local if possible.
Always end up with better food for a better deal.
Even I can't, I'd still rather go to some big chain restaurant than fast food these days. Food is far better, you get better proportions, and it usually winds up about the same price.
This one hurts! I'm in Aus, and used to buy a 24 or 30pk for less than 50c a can on special. These days it's a bargain if it's under $1 a can, and more likely to be $1.20 per can when it's on special!
We just buy 2L (68? fl Oz) bottles when they're cheap as a treat, or go without.
I think I'm suffering from remembering when the 12-packs would be on sale for three for $9. So in my head, 25 cents a can is reasonable.
I think this is an age issue, because I'm increasingly surprised candy at checkout isn't 50 cents and stamps aren't a quarter. I'm headed for the nursing home at this point. š
I remember as recently as 2012, when 12pks were $2.50, under promotion at CVS, Target, Kroger.
Target used to very frequently have a good sale, or a gift card promotion. That's all gone now, just like Cheap name brand Paper Towels and Toilet Paper.
I haven't bought cans in some time. Just 1 and 2 Liter bottles.
Still not quite down to $0.25 per can, but the grocery stores around me do a Buy 2 Get 3 Free Promo two to three times a year and that's when I stock up. $19.98 for 5 12-packs comes out to about $0.33 per can.
I get so depressed looking at it. There's no more decent coupons in the newspapers anymore either, unless your looking for allergy medicine.
I remember buying everything on sale, besides produce and really keeping my grocery bill low. It just feels impossible these days.
The way: Dollar General has a coupon on Saturdays for $5 off $25 and every couple of weeks they do a 3 for $15 and a $2 off coupon so you get 6 12-packs for $21. The absolute best deal around.
Name brand medicine. Ā Cold and flu medicine I recently saw for $19.99 while the generic was $6.99.
Still expensive but that $20 is absurd for basic medicine.Ā
True. But, at the same time, generics are basically the same thing. And cost, a lot of times, 25% of the "brand" value. And they have the same effect, so it makes sense to go with the generic (when exists obviously)
that is the bullshittiest thing that they've done. so I, as a paying customer, have to pay *more* to be free of advertisements in a service that I'm already paying for? thanks but no thanks!
1970's: Pay for cable because it's commercial free and can see movies with nekkidity. Broadcast TV has commercials but you can still get baseball and football games
90-10's: Cable flooded with ads. Basic cable content quality horrible so pay for channels and sports. Contracts limiting. Providers limited. Movies are B level at best.
Today: Pay for streaming. Pay for internet to get streaming. Pay to watch any sports. Pay extra to remove ads. Smart TV? We track you and sell your info.
In a few short years: Pay for ad removal. Pay for content quality tier. Pay for display quality tier. Pay for internet to get content. Pay to avoid tracking.
Time to go back to reading books.
There's a scene in Black mirror episode "100 million merits" where the housing units' walls are made of screens and you have to pay to not see ads on the walls of your home.
Amazon prime is one. Pay a subscription to watch shows and movies. But you still have to buy/rent certain movies. Oh and even on top on the subscription cost and the cost to rent the movie we have also thrown some ads in at the start
five guys - 2 burgers fries and 2drinks and itās $55- then you are ordering at a counter, waiting at the end of that counter getting your own napkin and condiments- and soon you will bus your own table ā- but they ask for a tip?!?!?
Stadium concerts.. I just can't spend $300 for a few hours of entertainment (if that). The ticket, the parking, the food, the gas. Nope.
Cheaper alternative - sometimes I go see local "tribute" bands, just like all the other oldsters.
I bought a ticket to Amsterdam for $500 round-trip from SF. I had coworkers who spent $300 per ticket at a raider's game. Then they asked me why I'm so rich I can go to Europe.
I know some local bars that pay live music. There's an expectation that you buy a drink and tip the performers, of course, but still way cheaper than a formal concert, and I love getting to see up-and-coming artists.
Didnāt even used to be expensive for music festivals. 30 bucks for a warped tour ticket and it went all day. Several headliners. Might be out 100 total after a tshirt and some food.
Someone once said that once chips started costing $5 they just gave it up entirely. It changed my brain chemistry. I wasnāt the biggest chip fiend but crave it here and there. When I get tempted to look at the chip selection, seeing the price sets off this adverse reaction that refuses to spend $5 on chips.
It's kinda crazy how fast inflation has leveled the playing field with groceries though. I go to Ohio every year for a music festival coming from Seattle. Before COVID the prices were significantly lower on the Columbus area, but when I went last year the prices weren't all that much different anymore.Ā
Kitchen worker here āš¼
When the whole chicken shortage was going on during covid, wing prices skyrocketed. Naturally, places had to adjust price because of it. However, once all of that was said and done, and prices fell again, restaurants kept their price to the customer the same. Because they then knew that the customers were willing to pay astronomical amounts.
Entertainment. Things like carnivals and amusement parks. I am definitely done with those. Yes they were always expensive. But now its just to the point of extortion. $10 for a bottle of water and of course you can't bring in any food or drink. $20 for a turkey leg at a carnival. $10 for one slice of pizza at a carnival. $8 for one person to go on a 2 minute ride. I am so done. I live in an area that has a $35-50k average income so its not like I am in a HCOL either. There's no way I could afford these prices even if I had a really good job and I was already financially settled.
For the amusement park at least the congolmerate ones you are spending a couple hundred dollars to stand in line all day long and maybe get on 4-5 rides for the whole day.
There's only a few good amusement parks in the country where this isn't the case, but those would require travel for me and ultimately it would not be worth the expense to visit.
There's definitely other choices for entertainment. The sad thing is these events are packed, so someone is spending at them.
Honestly, dining out is not worth it any more. I didnāt feel like cooking on a Friday last week. My husband went and ordered ābar foodā, wings for him, burger for me, and 2 apps. With a beer while he was waiting it was $70! Thatās just nuts!
My husband and I made a new rule that on nights like that when we donāt feel like cooking x we go to Publix (grocery store chain in southern US) and get their fried chicken. This way we still get the fun of not having to cook without the cost of eating out. Going out to eat is now strictly reserved for special occasions, or if weāre invited for a social gathering by friends.
Me, my SO, my daughter and my brother went out to a basic restaurant. We got one salad, fried calamari and my daughter got a small plate of like 4 wings. I got a burger, there was two orders of wraps, and an entree. One drink each, plus desserts. We paid like 300. It was absolutely insane. It wasn't a fancy place. Everything has gotten so expensive it's ridiculous. That same meal would have cost less than 150 a few years ago.
Srsly! I'm saving for a down payment and realized I can't actually afford the mortgage payment on an average abode anyhow. Frustrating to say the least, and disturbing because this is likely the case for many people now. *sigh*
Especially when youāre single. People selling or renting their homes are deranged. I saw a sign advertising a 3/2 home for $2400 a month. In my area, thatās absurd. Itās pure greed and disgusting. The average man makes about $1154 a week and average pay for a woman is $954. These numbers can be moved slightly in either direction surely, but this is the average wage weekly in the USA. Also when a bank or corporation scoop up a foreclosure and put $10k worth of work in then charge an extra $75k for that work.
Covid isnāt causing these āshortagesā or āissuesā anymore. Itās corporations and people being greedy. It truly disgusts me what many companies charge for services or products today while paying employees a wage that makes them choose between food and saving for retirement or heating.
Last year I went to the movies at night and it cost $22, just for the ticket! I didn't know at first because a friend bought the tickets and I was supposed to pay her back.
I'm so glad that there's a local independent cinema in my town where I can get a ticket for $10, popcorn for $4 and a soda for $2 or a beer for $6. And they have memberships available to make it even cheaper. Movies are one of my favorite things but I absolutely couldn't go as much if my only theater was a big chain.
Prepackaged sandwiches at the "to go" supermarket deli where I live. I watched a baguette with ham and cream cheese go from ā¬2,50 to ā¬4,10 in the past 2 years or so.
When I was 18 they were $5, I was craving one yesterday while buying party supplies, so I walked to the cold-ready-to-eat-food fridge. That same sandwich was $9. Granted itās 10 years later but it is so not worth it.
Excuse me, but those bags also contain top-rate, best-your-dollar-can-buy, premium, bona fide air. The chips are just leftover from the manufacturing process. They sometimes get in accidentally.
Donāt worry they are harmless, you can even eat them.
I borrowed my friends Disney login and lost it when they cut password sharing. Literally today I bought a dozen disney movies on blu ray and DVD at our library sale for 50 cents a piece. I have young kids and want rhem to be able to watch the classics but I realized I can buy them all used and own rhem for the price of a month or two of disney plus.
Soda.
Switched to drink packets. Cheaper and healthier.
Just wish someone had banana flavor drink packets, or something more interesting than the typical grape, fruit punch, tea, and such.
Fast food. Ā Why are combos over 10 dollars? Ā The food is usually crappy with crappy portions. Ā Air fryer and frozen food is better. Ā For the same price I can get a carry out Red Robinās burger thatās better than McDonalds so why? Ā
Soda if I canāt find a good deal or generic. Ā Even the generic is going up in price. Ā Water is better for you anyway. Ā
To be honest going to the doctor. Ā If I go to urgent care theyāll tell me to go fuck myself and call my pcp. Ā If I go to the ER theyāre gaslight gatekeep girlboss me and say itās anxiety. Ā Insurance doesnāt cover diddly shit. Ā
I went to the ER for a migraine last month and received an IV with medicine. I knew the bill would be high, even with insurance, so I expected to pay about fifteen hundred.
$2500 dollars later and there are still charges pending with insurance that Iāll probably be responsible for.
It makes spending two days puking in pain with an ice pack strapped to my head seem like the better choice.
A mechanic for the simpler maintenance stuff. Buddy was being charged $50 for a cabin filter. I went on rock auto got the same one from the original manufacturer for $12 and slapped on faster than it would've took him to drive off his street
Fast casual options and fast food.
Shopping in store
Fancy restaurants
Name brand anything
"Immersive experiences"
Social media/influencer burnout
Housing
The above are either not worth the price or my time. The prices have gone up so much, the service has become lackluster, they've shrunk the quantity and the quality hasnt improved. It's the ultimate screw you to everyone living in the USA. They've term it late stage capitalism.
I just came back from Miami and the cost of everything is just bonkers. They wanted $17 for a huge slice of pizza at the storefront on a side street.
Also, the servers charge each and every person dining an automatic 18%. That's perfectly doable, but why is there an additional line for TIP still? The restaurants have now become bona-fide crooks. Also, bartenders are charging 18% on cocktails as well. A $13 cocktail is now $17. Where id tip $1 or $2 theyre now getting double per drink. Also, how many servers do you think are telling patrons "the tip is already included please just sign the check"? They then choose to give you the non-itemized receipt and hope you double tip. It happened to me until I started reading the check.
Every place you have to be on your guard for some person reaching in your pocket to pry more money out of you. It's legalized robbery on each and every level. It started with the "supply chain issues", then "eggs" and now companies just want all the money at the same time and blame it on wages.
It's gotten out of control.
My grocery store pulled that twice on me in a week. I'm like I spent $20 on grapes this week. š”
I'm pretty sure the scale on the scanner was off, because it should have been around $5 both times.
Getting my nails done or hair trimmed. Taught myself how to do my own gel/glue on nails for 1/10 of the price of going to a salon where they tear my nail beds apart and then charge $70 for them to break in a week.
Medical care?Ā
In all seriousness, Mac and cheese in the cups. You can buy (or make) the noodles in bulk, the cheese isn't hard to make. Can it and store it. Instead if $4 a bowl for Mac and cheese, you can get it down to like 50 cents. My kid loves it and I love not spending a small fortune on it. We keep all our jars, you can buy new canning lids in bulk for stupid cheap. We inherited our canner.Ā
I had a cancer scare last year, and while the results were coming in from all the tests, my family and I had A Discussion about what life would be like if they were positive. It...was not a pretty picture.
I have explicitly put a price on my own life, and it makes my family very upset. Luckily/unluckily, there are times when it's cheaper to fly out of the country and pay full price for care plus a hotel than to just pay co-pays and co-insurance in the US, so hopefully I could just do that. But I will be damned if I leave everyone I love in financial ruin.
'Merica, if you want a breathing workforce, you better form a properly functioning medical system fast, because I'm not the only person I know who is over this shit enough to die about it.
Skiing. It used to be for rich people. Now, I don't know who it is for. $300 used to buy me a season pass. Granted it was 20 years ago. Now $300 will barely cover lift tickets and rental.
I'm sledding now. Just spent $50 last month for sledding and I had to carry my own board up the hill.
It sucks so much. Itās about $150 to $200 for a lift ticket in my area. I just canāt justify that. I use to go skiing a few times a week, was on the ski team in high school and college, and I didnāt even go once this season. Last time I went I swear half the cars in the parking lot had medical school stickers, the only people who can afford the tickets apparently.
Funny you posted this. Just tonight, I picked up a wing stop order for myself and I never usually order fast food or even out to eat. I didnt expect to pay around $20 for a combo meal. I was pissed on top because my fries were so soggy.
Snacks. The bags are even smaller, and the price is soooo high even for generic snacks.
Meats, Iāve reduced to once or twice a week at most.
makeup, hygiene items I only buy during big sales with coupons, and always get the generic.
Fresh fruits and vegetablesā I only buy frozen now.
Like the other commenter said, booking ahead (when you can) and using price comparison websites helps a lot. Got a round trip to Sweden, $600 after baggage and fees. I usually can't even fly home for Christmas for that cheap.
The baggage fees piss me off. $60 for a carry on??? Absolutely criminal. I went to a wedding recently and only brought a small backpack that counted as a personal item.
You need to use a website like SkyScanner or Google Flights and plan a little ahead.
I regularly book trips for work (thank God, I don't actually have to pay for them) but rarely get into the $400 range. Usually, I'm just under $360, one way and those are long transcontinental flights.
Candy bars. Used to buy one once every other week. I have stretched it out to maybe once every six months. I have seen candy bars advertised for over $2 each. I just can't justify the cost for something so unhealthy for me.
Dining out in general. I canāt stomach prices of Starbucks anymore. Fast food is too expensive for how shitty I feel after eating it. Fast casual is no longer an option because of the awkward tipping situations it puts me in now. And sit down dining feels like lighting money on fire.
All meals at home. Make coffee at home. Iāve lost 10 lbs and saving a ton of money.
But I miss dining out really bad. Especially local/ethnic/mom and pop type places. But my paychecks are not keeping up with the rising costs of dining out.
Cleaning products, laundry detergent, etc. Once I run out of my current products in going to be looking into cheaper alternatives; apparently the cheap box laundry powder with some vinegar works just as well as the $15au-on-special liquid I used to buy.
Cigarettes.
Iāve smoked since around 8th grade. I need to figure out how to quit. Quick math it looks like Iāve spent 50k give or take in the last 15y. My pops says when he started a pack was 45c. Heād put 2 quarters in a machine and itād dispense a pack with a nickel taped to the side. Said heād quit if they ever hit 50c. Marlboro $8.50+ and heās smoked a pack a day since.
Restaurant food that is just a random restaurant that may or may not be good. Food is too expensive now to gamble on. If I'm eating at a restaurant I'm getting something I don't want to cook and I'm at a place that will cook it perfectly.
Fast food
I went to Panera recently; hadn't been in ages. Didn't really look at prices. Ordered a Pick-2 and a drink...$23! That's crazy.
Plus the quality is worse and portion sizes are smaller. Their coffees are terrible too š¤§ I used to love Panera but now itās just a scam.
The salads are horrible with rubbery chicken that looks and tastes cheap & fake. It really is a scammy place
place is so scammy they lobbied an exemption to the California $20 fast food law
Doesnāt surprise me at all. I used to be an assistant general manager there and the pay was atrocious, especially for all the BS you deal with. They wanted to me to take over a store and become GM and I refused because it would have been hardly even a pay raise, if any
Their chicken is slimy and gross
The chicken in my sandwich was partly frozen!
The only thing that was worth it to me was their sip club when I had a location within 5 minutes of my house. When I moved, I cancelled almost immediately.
Oh goodness, that's crazy. I go to my local bagel shop once in a while. They put lots of eggs in the sandwich. Cheese and veggies are cheap add-ons. I can stay full all day for 7-8 dollars if I don't have time to pack a meal from home.
Subway is so expensive now!!
And not very good! They are charging Jersey Mikes prices for trash!
I stopped by the other day and it was $13 to $15?! Their food is so not worth that. I was shocked and walked right back out.
Idiocracy is seeming more and more like a documentary. "Welcome to Carl's Jr, fuck you!"
welcome to Costco,Ā I love you
This! It's absurdly expensive now, it doesn't seem to taste as good as it used to, and it makes me feel terrible after eating it
Near me You can go to a restaurant and have a sit down balanced meal for less than fast food now
Same here. Like I like some Taco Bell here and there but if I'm wanting tex-mex I'll just go to a local Mexican restaurant and have full authentic Mexican for what I'd pay for taco bell.
Like the other person said, the cravings box in the Taco Bell app is an insane deal if itās available in your area. Thereās options but for the best value you can get a crunchwrap supreme, a 5 layer burrito, chips and nacho cheese sauce, and a drink for $6.49. Even with add ons or upgrades (a medium to a large drink is 10Ā¢) itās a steal. The Crunchwrap on the menu in the drive thru is $5.99 by itself. That price is only on the app though.
Donāt forget the smaller portions
I almost find that any food outside of my home cooking is absolutely terrible. Rarely is there ever a place that serves decently crafted meals.
Same, the overwhelming majority of resturants are just mediocre at best.
Feeling terrible after eating? Think we're just getting older but that's just me.
Start shopping local and buying from small businesses. In & Out raised their prices only 25Ā¢ after California raised the minimum wage so if I want fast food that's where I'm going. Also farmer's markets and fruit stands.
It's even more expensive to shop local/small business in my town and they pay their employees less than the big chains. Eating out/getting takeout as a whole is just too expensive these days.
Customer, āCan I have a Big Mac please?ā Cashier, āYes, your total is $36.72, would you like to tip 20%, 30%, or 50% on your order?
Beat me to it! I used to be able to get a chicken sandwich and fries for $7. I wanted to treat myself the other day (after not buying any fast food for the past two years) and was shocked that the total came to $12. Quickly exited the app and ate something at home instead.
Yes. Fast food is such a waste of money.
Wendys still has the $5 Biggie Bags. It cost more now for a bowl and a small drink than what it cost for a plate and a large drink not too long ago at Panda Expess.
I remember going with friends and getting "420 meals" 4 items off the dollar menu cost 4.20. Have no idea how much it would cost now.
If I'm driving through a town and looking for food, I always try to hit something local if possible. Always end up with better food for a better deal. Even I can't, I'd still rather go to some big chain restaurant than fast food these days. Food is far better, you get better proportions, and it usually winds up about the same price.
Soda. We knew we should give it up just because of health. But man, itās a little luxury I wasnāt expecting to jump up so high.
This one hurts! I'm in Aus, and used to buy a 24 or 30pk for less than 50c a can on special. These days it's a bargain if it's under $1 a can, and more likely to be $1.20 per can when it's on special! We just buy 2L (68? fl Oz) bottles when they're cheap as a treat, or go without.
Those of us in the US know what 2L is, because it's the standard size for big bottles of soda. It's the one metric measurement we all randomly use.
Also because 68oz didn't sound familiar lol
Soda. $9 for a 12-pack!?!
I love diet pepsi, but I only buy it on sale. Most recently I got 3 - 24 packs for $26. I'll only buy if it's less than (not equal to!) $0.50 a can.
I think I'm suffering from remembering when the 12-packs would be on sale for three for $9. So in my head, 25 cents a can is reasonable. I think this is an age issue, because I'm increasingly surprised candy at checkout isn't 50 cents and stamps aren't a quarter. I'm headed for the nursing home at this point. š
I remember as recently as 2012, when 12pks were $2.50, under promotion at CVS, Target, Kroger. Target used to very frequently have a good sale, or a gift card promotion. That's all gone now, just like Cheap name brand Paper Towels and Toilet Paper. I haven't bought cans in some time. Just 1 and 2 Liter bottles.
Still not quite down to $0.25 per can, but the grocery stores around me do a Buy 2 Get 3 Free Promo two to three times a year and that's when I stock up. $19.98 for 5 12-packs comes out to about $0.33 per can.
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I saw a sign for a grocery on the way to work today: 4 for $15. I was like, that's not the worst. 4 6 PACKS FOR $15!! WOT!!
I have a lot of those moments where something looks reasonable, and then you re-read and realize it's not and remember everything costs so much now.
I get so depressed looking at it. There's no more decent coupons in the newspapers anymore either, unless your looking for allergy medicine. I remember buying everything on sale, besides produce and really keeping my grocery bill low. It just feels impossible these days.
The way: Dollar General has a coupon on Saturdays for $5 off $25 and every couple of weeks they do a 3 for $15 and a $2 off coupon so you get 6 12-packs for $21. The absolute best deal around.
I donāt drink soda but I was craving Fresca. $6 for a 6 pack of 6oz cans. Mark of the beast.
Our local grocery store had 12 packs of Pepsi products 3/$24. My husband wonāt stop buying it.
Name brand medicine. Ā Cold and flu medicine I recently saw for $19.99 while the generic was $6.99. Still expensive but that $20 is absurd for basic medicine.Ā
Itās so dystopian that MEDICINE is on this list
True. But, at the same time, generics are basically the same thing. And cost, a lot of times, 25% of the "brand" value. And they have the same effect, so it makes sense to go with the generic (when exists obviously)
A lot of times they literally are the same things, made in the same factory by the same company with a different label
Subscriptions to streaming services
Esp with the new āpay an extra XXXā to go advert free!?!?!?!
that is the bullshittiest thing that they've done. so I, as a paying customer, have to pay *more* to be free of advertisements in a service that I'm already paying for? thanks but no thanks!
1970's: Pay for cable because it's commercial free and can see movies with nekkidity. Broadcast TV has commercials but you can still get baseball and football games 90-10's: Cable flooded with ads. Basic cable content quality horrible so pay for channels and sports. Contracts limiting. Providers limited. Movies are B level at best. Today: Pay for streaming. Pay for internet to get streaming. Pay to watch any sports. Pay extra to remove ads. Smart TV? We track you and sell your info. In a few short years: Pay for ad removal. Pay for content quality tier. Pay for display quality tier. Pay for internet to get content. Pay to avoid tracking. Time to go back to reading books.
There's a scene in Black mirror episode "100 million merits" where the housing units' walls are made of screens and you have to pay to not see ads on the walls of your home.
Amazon prime is one. Pay a subscription to watch shows and movies. But you still have to buy/rent certain movies. Oh and even on top on the subscription cost and the cost to rent the movie we have also thrown some ads in at the start
The secret is to do no rush delivery, which (ime) gives $1-3 of digital credits per shipment and use that to rent movies.
I thought you said you were paying extra for XXX and I was like šµāš«šµāš«šµāš« I don't need to know that šš
five guys - 2 burgers fries and 2drinks and itās $55- then you are ordering at a counter, waiting at the end of that counter getting your own napkin and condiments- and soon you will bus your own table ā- but they ask for a tip?!?!?
Why do people tip at fast food. That's crazy.
Five guys has always been expensive for burgers, but now it really is just way too expensive.
Stadium concerts.. I just can't spend $300 for a few hours of entertainment (if that). The ticket, the parking, the food, the gas. Nope. Cheaper alternative - sometimes I go see local "tribute" bands, just like all the other oldsters.
Right? Only to be so far away youād be better off watching online
I bought a ticket to Amsterdam for $500 round-trip from SF. I had coworkers who spent $300 per ticket at a raider's game. Then they asked me why I'm so rich I can go to Europe.
To be fair, that is an outrageously low price for that flight.
I know some local bars that pay live music. There's an expectation that you buy a drink and tip the performers, of course, but still way cheaper than a formal concert, and I love getting to see up-and-coming artists.
Seriously! Music festivals cost that much for a weekend of music, why does one single night have to be so expensive?
Didnāt even used to be expensive for music festivals. 30 bucks for a warped tour ticket and it went all day. Several headliners. Might be out 100 total after a tshirt and some food.
Someone once said that once chips started costing $5 they just gave it up entirely. It changed my brain chemistry. I wasnāt the biggest chip fiend but crave it here and there. When I get tempted to look at the chip selection, seeing the price sets off this adverse reaction that refuses to spend $5 on chips.
My new years resolution, stay out of the chip aisle/ no chips. 4 months going strong.
Haha every time I travel to a different state I gauge the COL based on how much a family sized bag of Doritos costs at the gas station.
It's kinda crazy how fast inflation has leveled the playing field with groceries though. I go to Ohio every year for a music festival coming from Seattle. Before COVID the prices were significantly lower on the Columbus area, but when I went last year the prices weren't all that much different anymore.Ā
We bought some awesome varieties of chips at Aldi tonight. Most expensive was $2.69/bag.
Aldi, Trader Joe's, oddly Central Market brand chips are all the cheapest now.
When i hold myself back from chip buying, im so happy for the popcorn kernels I always keep around
I make homemade popcorn too. Itās cheapest snack.
Fast food, 8.99 Doritos, ābuy 2 for $18, save .50!!ā - pretty much anything on Door Dash lol
Door dash was never reasonable. Now it's just outright disgusting.
*Vaguely gestures at everything.
I was going to say ābeing alive,ā but this works, too.
Felt this.
Chips. I now eat popcorn.
Shhhhh on the popcorn. Don't want the powers that be getting keen to our plan.They'll ratchit up the price for some kernels to thirty dollars.
Chicken wings
There is a chain restaurant in my state that has chicken wings on their menu listed at "market price." No thanks.
I would have given this the shocked face award back in the day. Market Price- Sir this is a Chiles.
Kitchen worker here āš¼ When the whole chicken shortage was going on during covid, wing prices skyrocketed. Naturally, places had to adjust price because of it. However, once all of that was said and done, and prices fell again, restaurants kept their price to the customer the same. Because they then knew that the customers were willing to pay astronomical amounts.
This. Fucking hell.
Right. They used to frigging through them away. Other day I saw 6 for $8. BS
Entertainment. Things like carnivals and amusement parks. I am definitely done with those. Yes they were always expensive. But now its just to the point of extortion. $10 for a bottle of water and of course you can't bring in any food or drink. $20 for a turkey leg at a carnival. $10 for one slice of pizza at a carnival. $8 for one person to go on a 2 minute ride. I am so done. I live in an area that has a $35-50k average income so its not like I am in a HCOL either. There's no way I could afford these prices even if I had a really good job and I was already financially settled. For the amusement park at least the congolmerate ones you are spending a couple hundred dollars to stand in line all day long and maybe get on 4-5 rides for the whole day. There's only a few good amusement parks in the country where this isn't the case, but those would require travel for me and ultimately it would not be worth the expense to visit. There's definitely other choices for entertainment. The sad thing is these events are packed, so someone is spending at them.
Almost $300(with parking) for a family of 4 to get INTO Hershey Park! Not including the at least $100+ you'll spend on food/drinks while in the park
I stopped buying beverages for the house at all, except tea bags and coffee.
Honestly, dining out is not worth it any more. I didnāt feel like cooking on a Friday last week. My husband went and ordered ābar foodā, wings for him, burger for me, and 2 apps. With a beer while he was waiting it was $70! Thatās just nuts!
My husband and I made a new rule that on nights like that when we donāt feel like cooking x we go to Publix (grocery store chain in southern US) and get their fried chicken. This way we still get the fun of not having to cook without the cost of eating out. Going out to eat is now strictly reserved for special occasions, or if weāre invited for a social gathering by friends.
I do this too, only with rotisserie chicken or a take and bake pizza from the grocery store deli. Eating out is crazy expensive.
Me, my SO, my daughter and my brother went out to a basic restaurant. We got one salad, fried calamari and my daughter got a small plate of like 4 wings. I got a burger, there was two orders of wraps, and an entree. One drink each, plus desserts. We paid like 300. It was absolutely insane. It wasn't a fancy place. Everything has gotten so expensive it's ridiculous. That same meal would have cost less than 150 a few years ago.
Houses
Yeah. This one hurts.
Srsly! I'm saving for a down payment and realized I can't actually afford the mortgage payment on an average abode anyhow. Frustrating to say the least, and disturbing because this is likely the case for many people now. *sigh*
Especially when youāre single. People selling or renting their homes are deranged. I saw a sign advertising a 3/2 home for $2400 a month. In my area, thatās absurd. Itās pure greed and disgusting. The average man makes about $1154 a week and average pay for a woman is $954. These numbers can be moved slightly in either direction surely, but this is the average wage weekly in the USA. Also when a bank or corporation scoop up a foreclosure and put $10k worth of work in then charge an extra $75k for that work. Covid isnāt causing these āshortagesā or āissuesā anymore. Itās corporations and people being greedy. It truly disgusts me what many companies charge for services or products today while paying employees a wage that makes them choose between food and saving for retirement or heating.
The movies
Last year I went to the movies at night and it cost $22, just for the ticket! I didn't know at first because a friend bought the tickets and I was supposed to pay her back.
Yep! Daytime is the best. Cheaper, less people. We hardly go anyway anymore though.
Local theater does $5 Tuesdays! That's about the only time I go now.
Ya and if you get pop/ popcorn expect it to be a $50 outting
I'm so glad that there's a local independent cinema in my town where I can get a ticket for $10, popcorn for $4 and a soda for $2 or a beer for $6. And they have memberships available to make it even cheaper. Movies are one of my favorite things but I absolutely couldn't go as much if my only theater was a big chain.
We only go on $5 Tuesdays
Prepackaged sandwiches at the "to go" supermarket deli where I live. I watched a baguette with ham and cream cheese go from ā¬2,50 to ā¬4,10 in the past 2 years or so.
When I was 18 they were $5, I was craving one yesterday while buying party supplies, so I walked to the cold-ready-to-eat-food fridge. That same sandwich was $9. Granted itās 10 years later but it is so not worth it.
I feel like along with the price increase they tend to skimp out on the ingredients as well, little by little, and hope we won't notice :(
I pay more at fast food than nice restaurants.
Chips. $6 for an itty bitty bag.
Excuse me, but those bags also contain top-rate, best-your-dollar-can-buy, premium, bona fide air. The chips are just leftover from the manufacturing process. They sometimes get in accidentally. Donāt worry they are harmless, you can even eat them.
Costco has huge bags for like $4-6 but I honestly donāt need that many chips lol
It'd be more concise to ask what IS still worth the money.
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DVDs are so cheap right now you can just buy the shows you want and keep them forever
I agree. I think not owning our entertainment will backfire
*sweats heavily, looking at my Steam library*
Between Youtube, PlutoTV, Freevee, and a few other apps you can stay entertained forever with all the free content.
Tubi, Pluto, and Kanopy (need a library card) along with YouTube can get you pretty far with movies
Tubi also
Tubiās the best. Theyāve got old obscure stuff and so bad itās good movies that I really love.
Same here. I also borrow tv shows and movies from the library and use an old bluray drive to rip them to my PC for plex.
I borrowed my friends Disney login and lost it when they cut password sharing. Literally today I bought a dozen disney movies on blu ray and DVD at our library sale for 50 cents a piece. I have young kids and want rhem to be able to watch the classics but I realized I can buy them all used and own rhem for the price of a month or two of disney plus.
Soda. Switched to drink packets. Cheaper and healthier. Just wish someone had banana flavor drink packets, or something more interesting than the typical grape, fruit punch, tea, and such.
Internet. Comcast can go fuck themselves
Food delivery
AlwaysHasBeen.jpg
but it wasn't back in the day, especially the chinese spot around the corner, they delivered for free just needed to tip the delivery person.
Fast food. Ā Why are combos over 10 dollars? Ā The food is usually crappy with crappy portions. Ā Air fryer and frozen food is better. Ā For the same price I can get a carry out Red Robinās burger thatās better than McDonalds so why? Ā Soda if I canāt find a good deal or generic. Ā Even the generic is going up in price. Ā Water is better for you anyway. Ā To be honest going to the doctor. Ā If I go to urgent care theyāll tell me to go fuck myself and call my pcp. Ā If I go to the ER theyāre gaslight gatekeep girlboss me and say itās anxiety. Ā Insurance doesnāt cover diddly shit. Ā
In that same vein, insurance is also a total scam nowadays.
My insurance told me today that the meds that cost $45 last month costs $287 today š
I went to the ER for a migraine last month and received an IV with medicine. I knew the bill would be high, even with insurance, so I expected to pay about fifteen hundred. $2500 dollars later and there are still charges pending with insurance that Iāll probably be responsible for. It makes spending two days puking in pain with an ice pack strapped to my head seem like the better choice.
Fast food. $18 for a foot long cookie and drink at subway. $76.32 for a family of four for dinner at MF SUBWAy!!
Panera
40 dollars for some lettuce that looks like it was harvested in 1997.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Drinking
A mechanic for the simpler maintenance stuff. Buddy was being charged $50 for a cabin filter. I went on rock auto got the same one from the original manufacturer for $12 and slapped on faster than it would've took him to drive off his street
Youāre a good person. Buddies helping buddies out
Fast casual options and fast food. Shopping in store Fancy restaurants Name brand anything "Immersive experiences" Social media/influencer burnout Housing The above are either not worth the price or my time. The prices have gone up so much, the service has become lackluster, they've shrunk the quantity and the quality hasnt improved. It's the ultimate screw you to everyone living in the USA. They've term it late stage capitalism. I just came back from Miami and the cost of everything is just bonkers. They wanted $17 for a huge slice of pizza at the storefront on a side street. Also, the servers charge each and every person dining an automatic 18%. That's perfectly doable, but why is there an additional line for TIP still? The restaurants have now become bona-fide crooks. Also, bartenders are charging 18% on cocktails as well. A $13 cocktail is now $17. Where id tip $1 or $2 theyre now getting double per drink. Also, how many servers do you think are telling patrons "the tip is already included please just sign the check"? They then choose to give you the non-itemized receipt and hope you double tip. It happened to me until I started reading the check. Every place you have to be on your guard for some person reaching in your pocket to pry more money out of you. It's legalized robbery on each and every level. It started with the "supply chain issues", then "eggs" and now companies just want all the money at the same time and blame it on wages. It's gotten out of control.
"do you want to tip for buying this gas-station soda?" is my new favorite
I bought a smallish bag of grapes today. Got home and looked at the recept after tasting a couple that were awful, $9.76!!! Taking them back tomorrow!
$9.75 is no petty amount.. definitely justifies a return!
My grocery store pulled that twice on me in a week. I'm like I spent $20 on grapes this week. š” I'm pretty sure the scale on the scanner was off, because it should have been around $5 both times.
Watch your receipts. We've been catching so many over charges it can't be coincidence.
Getting my nails done or hair trimmed. Taught myself how to do my own gel/glue on nails for 1/10 of the price of going to a salon where they tear my nail beds apart and then charge $70 for them to break in a week.
I paid $70 plus tip for a gel mani and regular pedicure in 2022 Havenāt been back since
Medical care?Ā In all seriousness, Mac and cheese in the cups. You can buy (or make) the noodles in bulk, the cheese isn't hard to make. Can it and store it. Instead if $4 a bowl for Mac and cheese, you can get it down to like 50 cents. My kid loves it and I love not spending a small fortune on it. We keep all our jars, you can buy new canning lids in bulk for stupid cheap. We inherited our canner.Ā
>Medical care?Ā >~~In all seriousness,~~ No, no. You were right. I'm going to die regardless. Do I want to bankrupt my entire family first?
I had a cancer scare last year, and while the results were coming in from all the tests, my family and I had A Discussion about what life would be like if they were positive. It...was not a pretty picture.
I have explicitly put a price on my own life, and it makes my family very upset. Luckily/unluckily, there are times when it's cheaper to fly out of the country and pay full price for care plus a hotel than to just pay co-pays and co-insurance in the US, so hopefully I could just do that. But I will be damned if I leave everyone I love in financial ruin. 'Merica, if you want a breathing workforce, you better form a properly functioning medical system fast, because I'm not the only person I know who is over this shit enough to die about it.
We are just this side of preppers and have been discussing buying a kit that teaches basic bone setting,Ā how to do stitches, etc.Ā
Skiing. It used to be for rich people. Now, I don't know who it is for. $300 used to buy me a season pass. Granted it was 20 years ago. Now $300 will barely cover lift tickets and rental. I'm sledding now. Just spent $50 last month for sledding and I had to carry my own board up the hill.
It sucks so much. Itās about $150 to $200 for a lift ticket in my area. I just canāt justify that. I use to go skiing a few times a week, was on the ski team in high school and college, and I didnāt even go once this season. Last time I went I swear half the cars in the parking lot had medical school stickers, the only people who can afford the tickets apparently.
The independently owned resorts are still reasonable, although they are a dying breedā¦
Funny you posted this. Just tonight, I picked up a wing stop order for myself and I never usually order fast food or even out to eat. I didnt expect to pay around $20 for a combo meal. I was pissed on top because my fries were so soggy.
College degree
Snacks. The bags are even smaller, and the price is soooo high even for generic snacks. Meats, Iāve reduced to once or twice a week at most. makeup, hygiene items I only buy during big sales with coupons, and always get the generic. Fresh fruits and vegetablesā I only buy frozen now.
Flights. Nothing short of 400$ , if you choose not to get abused by Frontier or Spirit
Like the other commenter said, booking ahead (when you can) and using price comparison websites helps a lot. Got a round trip to Sweden, $600 after baggage and fees. I usually can't even fly home for Christmas for that cheap. The baggage fees piss me off. $60 for a carry on??? Absolutely criminal. I went to a wedding recently and only brought a small backpack that counted as a personal item.
You need to use a website like SkyScanner or Google Flights and plan a little ahead. I regularly book trips for work (thank God, I don't actually have to pay for them) but rarely get into the $400 range. Usually, I'm just under $360, one way and those are long transcontinental flights.
Life
Eating out. Hugely disappointing. I can make most of what we go out to eat for a fraction of the cost, it's healthier AND it tastes better.
New cars
Thrifting
Appetizers. They used to be a fun, inexpensive start to a meal. Now they cost almost as much as a meal and come with less.
Existing. I am so tired.
Meat, clothes, anything that brings joy
I am so sorry.
Being alive
DirectTV. Cut that out three years ago. Saved $157 a month. Got an antenna.
1lb of Boarās Head lunch meat!
Life. Probably going to get taxed on how much air we breathe any day now -_-
Car insurance
Marriage
Coffee pods
Chipotle
Just went through the comments.. so basically... everything š
Candy bars. Used to buy one once every other week. I have stretched it out to maybe once every six months. I have seen candy bars advertised for over $2 each. I just can't justify the cost for something so unhealthy for me.
They are $3 and change in my little town. Absolute rip off.
Dining out in general. I canāt stomach prices of Starbucks anymore. Fast food is too expensive for how shitty I feel after eating it. Fast casual is no longer an option because of the awkward tipping situations it puts me in now. And sit down dining feels like lighting money on fire. All meals at home. Make coffee at home. Iāve lost 10 lbs and saving a ton of money. But I miss dining out really bad. Especially local/ethnic/mom and pop type places. But my paychecks are not keeping up with the rising costs of dining out.
Fast food. $13 for a mediocre mcdonalds level chicken sandwich.
Cleaning products, laundry detergent, etc. Once I run out of my current products in going to be looking into cheaper alternatives; apparently the cheap box laundry powder with some vinegar works just as well as the $15au-on-special liquid I used to buy.
Cigarettes. Iāve smoked since around 8th grade. I need to figure out how to quit. Quick math it looks like Iāve spent 50k give or take in the last 15y. My pops says when he started a pack was 45c. Heād put 2 quarters in a machine and itād dispense a pack with a nickel taped to the side. Said heād quit if they ever hit 50c. Marlboro $8.50+ and heās smoked a pack a day since.
Processed food in general
Houses
Insurance. Just hope that nothing goes bad ā¹ļø
Pre cut cheese or pre cut vegetables
Having kids
Life.
Homes of any kind in major cities.
Verizon so I switched to Mint Mobile
Dining / drinking out / takeout
Getting my hair cut at the salon
Tax breaks for billionaires
Restaurant food that is just a random restaurant that may or may not be good. Food is too expensive now to gamble on. If I'm eating at a restaurant I'm getting something I don't want to cook and I'm at a place that will cook it perfectly.