I'm sure I don't need to tell you that life has gotten EXPENSIVE. It seems like every time I leave the house, $100 evaporates from my wallet.
Well, Reddit user u/Ayydeeez recently posed the question, "What has become so expensive that it’s not worth buying anymore?" Over 20,000 people chimed in with all-too-relatable answers. Here are some of the top-voted responses:
1. "Fast food. It’s literally cheaper to go to my local burger joint and get a burger than it is to go to Wendy’s, and the burger is outrageously better. Plus, they have beer."
"I’m learning to cook again. Fast food and premade food are too expensive."
2. "Just getting a drink at a bar."
"I paid $8 for a Michelob Ultra in freaking Iowa. No."
3. "Secondhand clothing stores. Some of the things in there I can buy for same price — if not less — brand new!"
"And the clothes that are donated these days are such poor quality. I miss getting three pairs of wool trousers from the '60s for $5. Now, the polyester, elastic waist Forever 21 pants are $15!"
"It’s only going to get worse as people donate more and more disposable fast fashion clothing from Shein, etc."
4. "Delivered food with Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub, etc. Who even uses them?"
"Used it a bunch during COVID and somewhat beforehand. Now, I almost never use it. I'm not gonna pay $50 for $10 worth of food. I only use places that have their own delivery, like Domino's and local shops."
"It makes no sense to pay extra on each item + taxes + service charges + tips to the drivers. Eff that, I'd rather go pick up the food myself."
5. "I'm only just coming to terms with this but potato chips."
"I remember when the extra super cheap bag was 89 cents. Now, they're $2, and the premium chips are, like, $6 or $7. It's outrageous."
6. "Concert tickets. It’s gotten to be over $100 to sit on the grass. In August. In Houston."
"A HUGE EFF YOU TO TICKETMASTER!"
7. "Lyfts/Ubers aren’t nearly the deal they used to be."
8. "Candy bars. 69 cents? I'll grab one from time to time as a full-grown adult. $2.69? LOL, what? That's like, actual money. For a candy bar? How are they still in business?"
"And don't forget how they seem to run in front of a shrink-ray as well."
9. "All the streaming services are too much these days."
"My husband and I only keep a service until we finish the show, so we only pay for one at a time. Miss me with this monthly subscription BS."
10. "Restaurants. We recently went out to eat for the first time in a year and spent $100 for two, and it wasn’t very good. Felt guilty spending almost a day's pay on one meal."
11. "Fabric. When my daughter was little, I sewed clothes for her myself. Now, fabric is so expensive that it's just cheaper to buy the clothes already made."
12. "Acrylic nails. I miss having them, but OMG."
"I really miss getting my nails and toes done. Never anything fancy, and it’s one of the few experiences I really can’t recreate at home. But damn, it was upwards of $100 plus tip for a dip manicure and regular pedicure. Might be one thing for a spa, but for my local strip mall? While I love them, I just can’t anymore."
13. "Movies at the theater. That ship has sailed for my family. Nowadays, major movies are at home within a few months, even faster if they don't light up the box office. I chose to invest in an awesome home theater, and I have zero regrets."
14. "Starbucks. A medium soy latte costs $7 now."
"It’s wild how expensive it has become. I remember thinking it was expensive when it was $4 per latte, then it slowly crept up in price. Almost $8 for a drink now."
15. "Disneyland tickets."
"For real, it’s so unaffordable to go now. I don’t think I’d even have a good time if I went because I’d be worried about how much I’m spending."
16. "Anything that is pre-sliced/portioned/cut. It's, like, $8 for cut-up cantaloupe where I live! I can get three cantaloupes and just cut them up in five minutes for the same price. Anything done for convenience is out in our house!"
17. And finally, "Houses. Rates are much higher, but the market hasn't come to terms with prices coming down to match it. So, it's all in a kind of crappy limbo."
"I had the money in 2017 and passed on buying because I was moving to a city (used to live in a small town), and I didn't know what my budget would even look like. So I rented to see if I could afford a house a year or two later. I haven't had the money since. Houses have more than tripled in price since moving here, and my salary hasn't come close to even doubling. The only places I can afford a house are in places I really don't want to live."
Have you given anything up because it's gotten too expensive? Share your experience in the comments below.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.