"This Was A Breaking Point For Me": People Are Revealing The Everyday Items They Had To Stop Buying Because They Became Too Expensive

"With all the added fees, especially cleaning fees, it’s cheaper to stay in a hotel."

Even though we're in 2024, prices on everyday items still have not gone down. So when Reddit user u/trynabetwunk asked, "What’s something you stopped buying because it became just so expensive to have it?" people had a lot of thoughts on the matter. Here's some of what they had to say:

1. "Concert tickets."

Flashpop / Getty Images

—u/NoLimitSoldier31

"Ugh, this one makes me so sad. It's really gotten beyond capacity, though. I'm really glad I got to spend my 20s and early 30s going to shows for maybe $75 max if it was a really good seat, but otherwise between $30 and $45. It's easily in the hundreds now for similar shows, and I don't know how people can afford it at all."

—u/avoidance_behavior

"Nothing beats buying two tickets and having fees that equal the amount of a third ticket."

—u/TonyTheTony7

2. "A strange one, but bowling. A few years ago, my girlfriend and I went bowling at a local Bowlero, and it was maybe $60 for shoe rental and two hours of bowling for two people. Just recently, we checked prices online so we could go again, and the same rental and playing time is $150! Insanity."

"This is the only bowling alley left in this medium-size city. It used to be an AMF bowling alley before Bowlero. I looked around, and the next-closest one is in a small town an hour away, so it's not really viable for quick, fun entertainment."

—u/Xanadu87

3. "Medication. My chronic illness requires an infusion at a $10,000 copay every seven weeks. My yearly income is $60,000. In America, it's much cheaper to die. I can get a lovely funeral for a one-time fee of $10,000."

Lock Stock / Getty Images

—u/MangoSuccessful1662

4. "Ads being added to Amazon Prime and Netflix was a breaking point for me."

—u/Crypt_Keeper

5. "Airbnb. With all the added fees, especially cleaning fees, it’s cheaper to stay in a hotel. I’m not paying a $300 cleaning fee when I’m the one cleaning!"

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—u/RainbowsandCoffee966

"Even with a large group of friends, I prefer multiple hotel rooms. Airbnb is so fucking shady with how they count their rooms and 'sleeps' numbers. I want my own bed; I don't want to share a full-size bed with another person."

—u/camelCaseCoffeeTable

6. "Beef jerky. It used to be a go-to snack for camping, car trips, hikes, etc. Now it's just way too costly, and it feels like it's lower-quality meat."

—u/Tolokijolki36646

"I feel like jerky is one of the worst values in the supermarket. Big pouch, barely half filled, and it's $10. It’s a shame, 'cause I’d rather patronize those boutique jerky places, but they’re even more expensive."

—u/SpringTour77

7. "Ordering pizza. I'll still order for pickup sometimes if there is a good deal, but no more just picking up the phone and randomly ordering one."

Grace Cary / Getty Images

—u/TRIGMILLION

"I rarely order pizza because, in my town, it is just all your typical mediocre chains. I decided to go with Pizza Hut because I have a soft spot for their personal pan pizzas, and I like their wings. Twelve wings were $18.99. The personal pan was approximately $7. The total after the delivery fee and tax: $36 and some change. I noped the fuck out. I checked at Papa Johns, and it was the same thing. When did pizza get to be such a scam?"

—u/SweetBaileyRae

8. "New video games. Everything I get is on sale. Turns out that you can wait."

—u/Flat_Revolution5130

"I recently discovered that you can borrow them from the library! You have to wait a really long time because there's often a long hold list, but as you said, you can wait. Usually quicker than waiting for a sale, too, and it's free.

"Obviously, you can't keep the game, but I usually only play them once."

—u/Level7Sorcerer

9. "Soda. I choose not to buy it. I used to buy cases from Sam's or Costco when it was in the realm of $10 for a case of 36; I bought fewer at $12. I have not bought soda in cans since the pandemic made them hit about $17 a case here in Texas."

Andy Kirby / Getty Images/500px Prime

—u/The_Snot_Rocket

10. "I used to adore exploring the cheese aisle, trying out unique flavors and textures."

—u/EnchantedEllaEcho

"My local Whole Foods has an 'ends' basket where you can get small pieces of fancy cheeses without having to pay $20 for a block."

—u/pearlmsqueaks

11. "Getting my nails done. I remember going with my sister and getting a manicure or pedicure for around $25–$30, so maybe $35–$45 after tips and taxes. My last nail visit cost nearly $100 after the tip and everything, just for a manicure. That was over a year ago, and I haven’t gone anywhere since — especially when you can get glue-on nails that look fairly nice for $6 and don’t tear up your nails when they come off. I don’t know how other women are affording salon visits these days."

Mariia Demchenko / Getty Images

—u/disnerd294

12. "New clothes. I tried to downgrade from the mall to Amazon, but that stuff is mostly trash. I thrift now, and it's not as bad as I anticipated. A lot of stuff is discarded with tags; I even found a sweater that I'd wanted years ago."

—u/Still_Gazelle8207

13. "My car. I just said, 'Fuck it — I'll work from home and get a bike.'"

Apriori1 / Getty Images/iStockphoto

—u/isqueezewhatiwant

"An e-bike has been excellent for me. I didn't want to get a car, and my city is very hilly, so having the electric motor makes the trip feasible. It's 30 minutes each way, and instead of feeling cranky from being stuck in traffic, I arrive at work mentally refreshed.

"It's funny that people act shocked when I say I spent $2,000 on an e-bike, and act as if it's super expensive, and then they leave to go home in a $40,000 SUV. Most of my coworkers are paying $700–$1,000 a month for their cars (gas, insurance, payment).

"I will likely be able to retire earlier with the money I'm saving from not having a car. I've maybe spent $350 on maintenance for the five years I've had the e-bike, and charging the battery is maybe $20 of power a year.

"I hope more people start using e-bikes instead of cars; it benefits everyone."

—u/Gokutime1

14. "Eating out. Not worth the price, and the food quality is not there anymore. And there are smaller portions for higher prices."

—u/Bruser_209

"I used to get a Buffalo chicken sub from this local joint maybe once a week as a way to treat myself. It was a bit of a splurge, at just under $10 for lunch, but I could swing it. They raised prices just over a year ago, and now it's around $14.80. I can't justify that anymore."

—u/hindermore

15. "Blonde balayage: $500 a pop, $350 for touch-ups. It's wild how much hair salons have increased prices in the last 5–10 years."

Guido Mieth / Getty Images

—u/nobleheartedkate

Is there a certain product or item that you had to stop buying because the price became too high? Tell us what it is in the comments below.

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.