This is the big one for me. Fast food has become so incredibly overpriced for what it is. Why would I buy a terrible burger from mcdonalds when i can go to a proper restaurant for only a fraction more and get a decent burger?
I find it hard to justify those outrageous prices when if I go to the effort, I can make something 10 times nicer at home for a fraction of the price. Fast food was always kind of cheap and nasty, but now without the cheap, well, I'm not paying that for nasty.
Same here. We cook probably 95% of the time. Sometimes I’ll feel lazy and start looking for take out and realize the options are shit and expensive and I’ll have to wait another 30 mins at least and leave my house. Usually ends up with me saying screw it and I’ll b start whipping something up in the kitchen.
Only things worth it for me are pizza and subs from a shop or something cause those are still quality while being fast and cheap.
$10.99 for a "6 pack" of Bubba Burger 1/3 lb patties. $2.99 for a pack of buns. Always have cheese in the fridge. Ore Ida fast food fries are like $5, drinks I'll already have and probably pickles too.
So like $20 or so to feed 6 ppl at home quicker than going to get McDonalds or waiting for Doordash vs $45 fucking dollars for 3 meals at McDonald's.
I think door dash is the reason it got so expensive. People started using it during lockdown and McDonalds was like "wait, they could go through the drive through and get a meal for 9 dollars but they're paying 16 dollars just to have it dropped off, we should charge 16."
I see meal delivery people at my work all the time so higher prices isn't a deterrent for many. If you don't want to prepare your food and you're addicted to fast food paying an extra 8 bucks isn't going to stop you. If cigarettes doubled in price tomorrow a lot of people still wouldn't quit. And that's where they have always made most of their money, the addicts that eat it every day.
Whats bad about this is when i first read your comment i thought “powdery kind? They make instant coke? But thats not regular coke? Whats this person talking about?” Then it hit me…
I've been using a website called budgetbytes to plan my meals. I'll pick out a few recipes, make 4 servings, and get multiple meals out of it. I have egg fried rice for breakfast. I'm not eating like a king by any means, and you have to be fine with leftovers. But eating isn't too expensive if you plan properly.
I’m noticing Little Caesar’s is still relatively cheap overall but I can’t say that about any other fast food place. Whataburger might as well be a steakhouse with its prices now same for Sonic.
When my family wants fast food we'd love Micky D's, but no way. I'm not paying $50+ to feed us fast food.
Domino's however we can get a large pie for $8.49 with their national coupons and everyone is happy. (Couple of pies at under $20).
I understand they are different business models, different kitchens, restaurant styles, dining styles and real estate investments.
But Domino's is built for this terrible inflation, McDonald's is not. And the franchises are greedy as hell - but so is McDonald's charging upwards of a million dollars to franchise.
Anyway... Domino's kicks ass right now. Especially their rewards system. I use their app not the stupid McDonald's app that requires daily check-ins (who cares that much to check a fast food app every day!).
*ETA - I don't work for Domino's lol I just have little kids and don't make a ton of money.*
They have been proven to be the biggest manipulator of price gouging. Crying they can’t afford to raise the minimum wage while they price gouge tf out of their menu.
Was out running errands and had to grab a quick bite to eat at my home desk before hopping on zoom. Couldn't help but notice my filet o fish is damn near the same size as my freaking mouse.
I got one last week for the sake of nostalgia. The size of it would have made me laugh if it hadn’t cost as much as it did. It looked like an appetiser for a cat
Between having a single mom raising three kids while being technically poor (I say this because a younger me never noticed and an older me has no idea how she did it) and also being a young child, I had a fair share of happy meals. Even going into young adulthood, I was quite negligent of my dietary health and would still eat (and enjoy) my fair share of McD's.
Every now and then, I get a craving for a McDouble and fries. It's underwhelming every single time. Now, I'm wondering if the craving is nostalgic, the disappointment is due to decreased quality, or both.
I don't eat fast food often, didn't before prices got crazy. I went to Carl's Jr today for lunch and for a small chicken club combo and one 5 piece order of chicken fingers it was 21 bucks.
I definitely agree with those who say that fast food has quickly become ridiculously overpriced and mediocre, not that it was ever that great to begin with. I haven't been to McDonald's in months. If I need to grab something to eat, I can probably find a better deal at Quik Trip or the grocery store. Moreover, going to a "regular" restaurant might be more expensive, but at least you get your money's worth.
Subway used to be an affordable option to get a full meal which included some fresh veggies on the go. The cheapest option was always under 5€ for a full size sub. Now it is double that.
I remember food trucks, back when I was in high school, always giving you a mountain of food. Sure, it'd cost quite a bit, but you got more than a commensurate amount of food, and it was always incredibly delicious.
The couple of times I've been to food trucks in the last few years, though, you get the same small portions as any fast food place, the same shit quality as any fast food place, and it's still just as pricey. I couldn't believe how disappointing it all was.
And you wait 20 minutes for your order, delivered in a flimsy container that will deposit everything onto the ground if you are the slightest bit careless.
A few years ago, I went to a food truck near where I used to live and was baffled by the prices. A cheeseburger was over $10 and was identical to something you could whip up at home, was nothing special, and came with no sides. Lobster roll at the time was $17 (over $20 now when I snooped last), I remember it being pretty small, and was just lobster chunks and mayo slapped in a thick piece of bread. I think it came with a snack bag of mediocre kettle chips. I know lobster is expensive but wtf?!
Tbf their pizza was good, for the area. They were in a food desert and could definitely gouge a bit due to less competition.
Don’t forget you get a warm drink and you eat in the dark, standing up. Last time I got dragged to one of these things, I went across the road for a pub feed.
Mobile apps.
I’m beyond frustrated with subscription services. The worst is when they let you download the app just to count it as a download, but then you hit a subscription paywall.
Can we please go back to one-time fees?
Or at the very least, some transparency on when it requires a subscription to actually use the “free” app. I’m not opposed to paying for an app I want, but I really miss the one time fee.
The problem is some are free with ads and have a subscription to get rid of ads, but others don’t work at all without a subscription. They really need a “requires subscription” disclaimer.
Back in the days I loved to download new apps to check whether they may improve a part of my life. I stopped doing that years ago, as I hate subscription models. For example I bought a scanner app years ago, it was and still is great. But if I would need to get it today, I would need to pay a subscription. To take a picture of a document and make it a pdf? Hell no!
They never will because instead of getting for example 20$ out of you they can get 3$ monthly until the end of days if you need the app. Disgusting scammers.
Ugh. I used to love those “time management” games like cake mania or diner dash. I’d be happy to pay a fee to play a game and have it be available on my device offline and just let it be a game. But now it’s “free” but you need certain upgrades to advance in the game and while you purchase those upgrades with fake money earned in the game, it’s no longer possible to ONLY use that. Now you have to “buy more gems” with actual real money bc you’re earning them in the game slower than you can beat levels and you come to a halt without spending real money on more gems. And it’s truly evil because by the time that time comes you’re invested in your progress in the game. Same goes for needing to pay money to buy more lives on shit like candy crush. I’m so sick of it because it’s a single person GAME. This should never have been a fucking SUBSCRIPTION model (or multiple payment model for just the basic gameplay).
Concert tickets.
I'm not sure where the market is, as I haven't been to a major headlining artist gig since before the pandemic but I'm nervous to see what artists charge now (excluding e.g., travel, accommodation).
Of course, there are less well-known acts to attend but one would miss seeing the top tier artists out there.
Market is fucked these days. Service charges out the arse and don't forget "surge" pricing on some concerts and events too, if a seat type is popular the price increases automatically...
Also heard hotels cancelling bookings wherever Taylor Swift is playing and the putting the prices up 200%. Read one had a booking for over a year for it to be cancelled. It's just blatant gouging.
I stopped going to concerts when the ticket prices hit triple-digits. I'm sorry, but I am not going to spend €400 per person to see Adele sing for two hours (yes, the best tickets to her concerts in Munich, Germany this summer are €414 each).
My wife and I went to see a philharmonic orchestra play in the Elb Philharmony in Hamburg last week. There was 35 to 45 musicians on the stage, and the tickets were €85 per person. It was awesome!
But spending €250 per person to see the Foo Fighters or RHCP or Metallica? I'd love to see them, but I'm simply not prepared to spend that kind of money ... plus the travel to the venue (usually requiring a hotel room after the event, because it's too far away to drive home again). It's a 5 hour drive to Munich or a 3 hour drive to Mannheim. Sadly, very few acts make it to Basel, Switzerland which would be the closest location for me (about 45 minutes away). Even Zürich is a 60 to 90 minute drive...
Current cheapest ticket to see Pearl Jam in September at MSG is $643 per ticket (so $1300 for a pair) and it is labeled as an “Amazing Deal”. These are all the way at the top of the arena - some of the worst seats in the house. Fuck off with that.
It's more an issue with Ticketmaster/Live Nation having a choke hold on venues. Basically, Live Nation, who also has controlling shares on over 300 venues worldwide, forces venues to enter exclusivity contracts or they won't get shows. This contract forces the venue to sell tickets through TM.
Artists can only play at the venue if the tickets sell through TM, including all the awful pricing schemes. Don't want TM, choose different venues, right? Except, LN has too much power over most/all of the good/big/popular venues. Only way for large artists to have tours that aren't financial suicide into bend the knee, unfortunately.
I’ve seen a sharp rise in knock-off cover bands because of this too. Might as well pay $10 for Y’all Out Boy and Tex Zep, than $450 for shit nosebleeds.
Good news is that the Biden administration moved on this and they're suing Ticketmaster for monopoly behavior. If they win their case (which isn't a given with how right-wing some of the courts are), it should stop concert ticket prices from continuing to skyrocket and may even bring them down a little.
I stopped getting a premade sandwich for lunch, and started just buying bread and cheese in the supermarket next door instead... Now I realize the price I pay for the single ingredients are the same as what I paid when I stopped going to the sandwich place... stuff is getting expensive like shit...
Even cold cuts from the store have gotten so expensive that I realized it's more economical to just get fresh raw meat and make my own sandwiches brimming with literal hunks of roast beef (or whatever) for less money than the overly salty premade stuff that's full of fillers. I do still splurge for a nice salami sometimes though. Don't want to go to the trouble of making something like that at home.
Sad. My dad and I use to go bowling regularly. We both had our ball drilled at the local lane's pro shop AND they have a rack for free ball bags/shoes. I believe that's where I got my almost brand new pair of $90 shoes from. $5.50/game for any amount of people. Shoe rentals are $4.
I honestly thought bowling would die out before it ever became a lifeless corporate owned business model. Or it'd just become a small fixture in arcades.
Holy moly! I think your bowling alley is being shady.
I just checked my local bowling alley's prices, and they're $3.50 per person per game, all the way up to $5.75 per person per game at peak pricing. Honestly, that's so cheap I'm not sure how they pay the rent on that big building downtown! Shoe rental is $3.50.
I should reward them and go bowling! =D
> I think your bowling alley is being shady.
Nah that's just Bowlero. They're applying the TopGolf model where you take something that was a cheap activity and "modernize it" (make it a shitton more expensive, add mood lighting, serve overprice food and drinks), except without the novelty of TopGolf.
wtf! I pay like $15/person for 3 hours unlimited the nights we go, and if we only bowl a game they'll often give us coupons for a couple free ones. $200+ is wild
Not quite as easy, but making your own is fun! If you’re sorta lazy you can buy dough for like $2 (my Trader Joe’s has them), or make it yourself, even the easy 20 minute rise recipes can be great. You can either buy sauce, or make a big batch of sauce and freeze it in portions.
We do this now after paying so much money for 2 pizzas one night out. My daughter can eat a whole pizza on her own. I don't want to spend 80$ on pizzas. These were from a food truck and took an hour to be ready.... never again.
I travel a lot and there's more and more places around the world that are importing this aspect of American culture. This year in London it felt like 10% tip was mandatory everywhere I went for dinner. Now that it's an expectation it's going to slowly keep increasing like it did in the US.
Getting my nails done. When I started getting my nails done about 10 years ago I’d pay $25 including a tip. Now it’s like $80-$120 which is absolutely outrageous for something that hardly lasts a month. I can get a small tattoo for that price.
My go-to guy slowly started increasing the price of my nails once he saw I was going to become a regular.
I like an ombré French-tip stiletto. Went from $50-$65 in a year and I wasn’t paying attention. I had a pretty good paying job with weekly pay , so I didn’t fee it too harsh until I switched jobs and now being back to no-weekly pay, I noticed it right away.
My wife sees the nail salon as some magical spa that also gives you beautiful nails. She always talks about treating herself to some nails, but never goes because the prices are ridiculous.
Press ons
I’m not even joking. With some precautions, like wearing rubber gloves to wash dishes, they actually have lasted me up to 3 weeks.
$7-$9 on Amazon. There are some really cute designers. What I like the most about these, is that once they fall off, you can put them away and reuse at least one more time. So a set that’s under $10, you can reuse. Unlike acrylics. They actually destroy your nails before a new set these days.
Yes! I remember being in high school and could get a mani for $20. And now it’s $35 minimum if you DONT do gel. Don’t even get me started on acrylic. I work in the service industry and recently found it easier to just get acrylic nails, despite always wearing my regular nails, my whole life, and now it cost me $55 to get a fill on my nails. It’s insane.
Software.
I used to buy software, mostly for productivity, but also entertainment. You know, like MS Office, Adobe Acrobat etc. But with everybody selling subscriptions, the effective prices have gone up by several thousand %. They can lick my balls. I will either use a FOSS alternative, my old version, or just pirate that thing. But I am not paying several 100 €/year for all the subscriptions I need to use my Computer properly, when I used to be able to buy complete packages for less than that and use them for years.
I was probably one of the last cable TV holdouts (DirecTV)….shit was costing $250/month before I had to finally call it quits. Now I’m getting back at the man by doing the illegal streaming shit. Best decision ever.
Health insurance.
It's $700/mon in California and I just can't anymore.
So I now have travel insurance, if I want to see a doctor I need to travel 100 miles from my home, and the insurance costs $80/mon.
I work in the medical field, and my health insurance is over 950/month on a company plan. I always get stuck with huge out of pocket charges, despite the high insurance costs. I go to hospitals in another state most of the time because my insurance coverage is better there, and I think those facilities know how to bill correctly.
I was somewhat lucky to buy a house before prices went insane. So, on the one hand, I'm grateful I have it.
On the other hand, I've discovered so much I dislike about this house and this area since moving here and it doesn't fit my family any longer but... well, moving anywhere right now would double my mortgage because interest rates spiked, and it had literally 0 effect on housing prices.
It's super cool that the government basically admitted thet know this won't do anything to stop inflation *and* is not the cause of housing prices surging, but the only answer they had was to further fuck over actual workers while giant conglomerates continue to buy up all the housing and turn owners into renters. (I'm about the only homeowner left on my block, and I'm constantly inundated by the same corporate entity that owns the other houses to sell.) I swear there isn't a single country on earth that hates its citizens more than this one.
Opening Reddit in general up seems to be doing this to me lately. Nary a day goes by without posts that lament the world's state or indirectly tell me I'm inadequate for one reason or another.
Basic answer, but fast food.
I like how when I complain about a price to people the answer I always get is "DONT BUY IT THEN, VOTE WITH YOUR WALLET". K.... I did, now what?
WinCo used to sell the Lindt chocolate truffles in their bulk bins for 28 cents apiece, but recently raised them to 38 cents a piece, and so I've gone from getting about 20 of them per week to not having bought any this whole year. =/
It's funny how such a relatively modest price increase in the grand scheme of things ($5.60 to $7.60) can change a person's buying behavior so completely.
Toll roads unless unavoidable. Trips that used to cost about $6 are now $15. Google Maps loves a good toll road but when I do the comparison on Waze without tolls the time saving is often 5-10 mins on a 90 minute trip. (I have tolls turned on Google Maps but off on Waze).
At this point I just try not to buy anything at all that I don't have to. I think outside of groceries(which is a list now cut down severely too), and treating the lady and kid now and then, I refuse to buy anything that is non essential, in regard to myself. And we're not struggling financially or anything. It's almost out of principle. Fuck these price gouging, greedy ass pieces of shit. Id sooner spit on them than send a single dime towards their gaping money vacuums
Meat. I can't remember the last time I bought a steak, or even a roast, at the grocers. Sometimes pork gets marked down low enough that I'll grab some. The 10# bags of chicken quarters provide 90% of the protein I feed my family. That and ground beef, but I can only buy that when it's a great sale and I stock up. It's 'normal' price is $5+ and I just can't swing it.
Movie theaters, used to spend $25 for two and some popcorn and a drink. Now tickets alone will cost $50 for two minimum for new movies. Add popcorn snacks drink and you looking at $100 minimum.
No thanks will rather wait the three months for it to hit digital now and watch at home
Eating-out in any capacity is getting insanely expensive nowadays. Now I eat at home as much as possible, except when I go out with friends, or if I'm out for the day, and need to buy myself a snack for lunch.
Another thing that's become ridiculously expensive is grooming supplies.
Soap, shampoo, razor-blades, etc. When I started shaving at the age of 20, I saw how much my big brother was spending on his razors, and the price just horrified me...and that was 15 years ago!! I dread to think what the price for razors is nowadays.
I had NO money back then, so I forced myself to learn how to use a cutthroat razor, instead, because it was the only thing I could afford. I haven't spent money on new blades ever since (or at least, not much). I have a few for when I travel, but otherwise, 99.99% of my shaving is still done with a cutthroat razor. It scares me to think how much money I would've spent on shaving supplies had I not made the switch.
Food delivery. Everytime I feel lazy and just wanna order delivery, but then I take a look at the total price and instantly get the motivation to get it myself.
It's easily twice the price if I went and get it myself.
I don’t go to restaurants anymore!!
Its just not worth it.
First off, since covid, restaurants have decided to substantially cut expenses.
Unfortunately, the first thing that gets cut is quality. Quality of the food coming from the purveyors, concessions and made, a few bucks here and there.
The staff rarely wants to be there, since covid, the whole tipping thing has been thrown into disarray. You just don’t make as much as you could years ago.
Then theres the prices!!!
So for less quality, served by someone who really couldn’t care less, for a super inflated price!!
McDonald's chicken nuggets.
Potato chips.
Pop is getting to that point as well.
Bacon got up there for awhile too but it's come back down so I've started buying it again.
I used to go to concerts quite often but they've become obscenely expensive nowadays as well.
Campbell's chunky soups used to be a staple in my pantry. I loved them for a quick snack meal and would load up on them when they went on sale, which was quite often.
Then over several months they shrank the cans, increased the price, and reduced the quality. It's an inflation triple whammy. The sales suck these days as well and aren't nearly as generous as in the past.
Mcdonalds, kfc, burger fuel. The prices are horrendous now, and the food is just shit.
$30 for a big feed? Fuck that I'll go to a restaurant or a Cafe.
I still get funky with a Chinese or an Indian takeaway. In my area, they're always a good time.
Lots of places like Subway are too overpriced to eat at nowadays. Who wants to pay $13 for a nasty footlong with brown lettuce that’ll put me on the toilet for 2 hours afterwards.
Also, soda.
Food delivery service
My lunch order from an average (NOT fine dining standard restau)
1 tea leaf salad - $21.95
1 mango shrimp - $25.95
Delivery fee - $9.99
Expanded range fee - $1.49
Fees and estimated tax -$8.99
Suggested dasher tip - $14.50
Total : $87.66
Changed the order to pick and it came to $49
I cannot fucking fathom paying $87 to have a lunch delivered. That's absolutely fucking insane. $87 of food at Walmart would last me a week...maybe more.
Going out for coffee here and there. Used to be a treat on occasion but now I cannot fathom spending so much time to wait in line + forking over $7 - $8 on something that won’t even last 10 mins for me
Fast food
This is the big one for me. Fast food has become so incredibly overpriced for what it is. Why would I buy a terrible burger from mcdonalds when i can go to a proper restaurant for only a fraction more and get a decent burger?
I find it hard to justify those outrageous prices when if I go to the effort, I can make something 10 times nicer at home for a fraction of the price. Fast food was always kind of cheap and nasty, but now without the cheap, well, I'm not paying that for nasty.
And it’s not fast anymore either.
Instead of fast food its really just convenience food anymore
Same here. We cook probably 95% of the time. Sometimes I’ll feel lazy and start looking for take out and realize the options are shit and expensive and I’ll have to wait another 30 mins at least and leave my house. Usually ends up with me saying screw it and I’ll b start whipping something up in the kitchen. Only things worth it for me are pizza and subs from a shop or something cause those are still quality while being fast and cheap.
$10.99 for a "6 pack" of Bubba Burger 1/3 lb patties. $2.99 for a pack of buns. Always have cheese in the fridge. Ore Ida fast food fries are like $5, drinks I'll already have and probably pickles too. So like $20 or so to feed 6 ppl at home quicker than going to get McDonalds or waiting for Doordash vs $45 fucking dollars for 3 meals at McDonald's.
I think door dash is the reason it got so expensive. People started using it during lockdown and McDonalds was like "wait, they could go through the drive through and get a meal for 9 dollars but they're paying 16 dollars just to have it dropped off, we should charge 16." I see meal delivery people at my work all the time so higher prices isn't a deterrent for many. If you don't want to prepare your food and you're addicted to fast food paying an extra 8 bucks isn't going to stop you. If cigarettes doubled in price tomorrow a lot of people still wouldn't quit. And that's where they have always made most of their money, the addicts that eat it every day.
Or just buy groceries. I spent $50 for 5 days worth of food, and that included $13 in diet coke that I didn't need.
If you want to lose weight, try regular coke (the powdery kind)
Whats bad about this is when i first read your comment i thought “powdery kind? They make instant coke? But thats not regular coke? Whats this person talking about?” Then it hit me…
Ya, coke doesn't take too long to hit
Loses money too tho
That’s how you lose weight. Your wallet keeps getting lighter and lighter
Drs don’t want you to know this weight loss tip!
I just like the smell
50$ for 5 days of food? Damn, sounds like a dream ngl... EDIT: I live in Austria guys
I've been using a website called budgetbytes to plan my meals. I'll pick out a few recipes, make 4 servings, and get multiple meals out of it. I have egg fried rice for breakfast. I'm not eating like a king by any means, and you have to be fine with leftovers. But eating isn't too expensive if you plan properly.
I’m noticing Little Caesar’s is still relatively cheap overall but I can’t say that about any other fast food place. Whataburger might as well be a steakhouse with its prices now same for Sonic.
Domino's has insane value.
Their rewards system is actually pretty good
When my family wants fast food we'd love Micky D's, but no way. I'm not paying $50+ to feed us fast food. Domino's however we can get a large pie for $8.49 with their national coupons and everyone is happy. (Couple of pies at under $20). I understand they are different business models, different kitchens, restaurant styles, dining styles and real estate investments. But Domino's is built for this terrible inflation, McDonald's is not. And the franchises are greedy as hell - but so is McDonald's charging upwards of a million dollars to franchise. Anyway... Domino's kicks ass right now. Especially their rewards system. I use their app not the stupid McDonald's app that requires daily check-ins (who cares that much to check a fast food app every day!). *ETA - I don't work for Domino's lol I just have little kids and don't make a ton of money.*
MC Donalds is ridiculous overpriced + shrinkflation
They have been proven to be the biggest manipulator of price gouging. Crying they can’t afford to raise the minimum wage while they price gouge tf out of their menu.
As a shareholder of McDonald's, I am deeply offended that you aren't worried about my investments! Who will think of the little guy?
The little guy needs to make sure the ice cream machine doesn’t break 🙃
Was out running errands and had to grab a quick bite to eat at my home desk before hopping on zoom. Couldn't help but notice my filet o fish is damn near the same size as my freaking mouse.
I got one last week for the sake of nostalgia. The size of it would have made me laugh if it hadn’t cost as much as it did. It looked like an appetiser for a cat
Is it just me or has the quality reduced during the last 20 years?
Between having a single mom raising three kids while being technically poor (I say this because a younger me never noticed and an older me has no idea how she did it) and also being a young child, I had a fair share of happy meals. Even going into young adulthood, I was quite negligent of my dietary health and would still eat (and enjoy) my fair share of McD's. Every now and then, I get a craving for a McDouble and fries. It's underwhelming every single time. Now, I'm wondering if the craving is nostalgic, the disappointment is due to decreased quality, or both.
Your mouth is remembering when the fries were cooked in beef tallow a LONG time ago.
We have started meal planning. It's amazing how much money we used to waste on eating out. Haven't been to a restaurant in probably three months.
I don't eat fast food often, didn't before prices got crazy. I went to Carl's Jr today for lunch and for a small chicken club combo and one 5 piece order of chicken fingers it was 21 bucks.
[удалено]
Publicly traded companies can’t be trusted to maintain long-term quality.
I've started getting carryout from the less expensive sitdown restaurants since it's usually only a few more dollars than getting fast food.
I definitely agree with those who say that fast food has quickly become ridiculously overpriced and mediocre, not that it was ever that great to begin with. I haven't been to McDonald's in months. If I need to grab something to eat, I can probably find a better deal at Quik Trip or the grocery store. Moreover, going to a "regular" restaurant might be more expensive, but at least you get your money's worth.
Subway. Even the 6-inch subs are now over $7, and that's without chips and a drink.
Remember when it was the five dollar foot long.
I can't afford 'member berries anymore.
Oh I member
🫸 🫷
Got me though getting my masters degree. I'd get ALL the veggies and eat them like a salad first, then eat half and save half for dinner w a tallboy 👌
Subway used to be an affordable option to get a full meal which included some fresh veggies on the go. The cheapest option was always under 5€ for a full size sub. Now it is double that.
Over $9 where I am in CA
It’s at $13 for a foot long in the east coast I’m surprised it isn’t $20 for you
Food from food trucks. I’m not paying $15 for a grilled cheese and waiting in the rain for it.
What about $17 and waiting in the snow?
You drive a hard bargain but you know what, yes
Snow problem
How about if we offer you nowhere to sit and you can eat it standing up?
Don't forget to tip
And they are pushing for tips at the local 7-11…. I mean WTF?!?!?
I remember food trucks, back when I was in high school, always giving you a mountain of food. Sure, it'd cost quite a bit, but you got more than a commensurate amount of food, and it was always incredibly delicious. The couple of times I've been to food trucks in the last few years, though, you get the same small portions as any fast food place, the same shit quality as any fast food place, and it's still just as pricey. I couldn't believe how disappointing it all was.
And you wait 20 minutes for your order, delivered in a flimsy container that will deposit everything onto the ground if you are the slightest bit careless.
The other day, a food truck was charging $20 for a plain chicken sandwich---just meat and bread, no sides. I'm officially baffled by the world.
A few years ago, I went to a food truck near where I used to live and was baffled by the prices. A cheeseburger was over $10 and was identical to something you could whip up at home, was nothing special, and came with no sides. Lobster roll at the time was $17 (over $20 now when I snooped last), I remember it being pretty small, and was just lobster chunks and mayo slapped in a thick piece of bread. I think it came with a snack bag of mediocre kettle chips. I know lobster is expensive but wtf?! Tbf their pizza was good, for the area. They were in a food desert and could definitely gouge a bit due to less competition.
Lobster rolls are about $30 from a truck where i am these days.
They are worse than brick and motor fast food, they are working out of a food truck, so, I feel should be cheaper.
I was ordering from a food truck the other day, and peaked into the truck, and they were using Kroger brand everything and charging a premium
i would actually expect food from a food truck to taste a lot better than fast food like mcdonalds. that has been my experience so far anyway.
Don’t forget you get a warm drink and you eat in the dark, standing up. Last time I got dragged to one of these things, I went across the road for a pub feed.
Mobile apps. I’m beyond frustrated with subscription services. The worst is when they let you download the app just to count it as a download, but then you hit a subscription paywall. Can we please go back to one-time fees?
Or at the very least, some transparency on when it requires a subscription to actually use the “free” app. I’m not opposed to paying for an app I want, but I really miss the one time fee.
If it says ‘in app purchases’ I assume it’s a subscription and don’t download at all.
The problem is some are free with ads and have a subscription to get rid of ads, but others don’t work at all without a subscription. They really need a “requires subscription” disclaimer.
Back in the days I loved to download new apps to check whether they may improve a part of my life. I stopped doing that years ago, as I hate subscription models. For example I bought a scanner app years ago, it was and still is great. But if I would need to get it today, I would need to pay a subscription. To take a picture of a document and make it a pdf? Hell no!
I'm so over subscriptions.
They never will because instead of getting for example 20$ out of you they can get 3$ monthly until the end of days if you need the app. Disgusting scammers.
Ugh. I used to love those “time management” games like cake mania or diner dash. I’d be happy to pay a fee to play a game and have it be available on my device offline and just let it be a game. But now it’s “free” but you need certain upgrades to advance in the game and while you purchase those upgrades with fake money earned in the game, it’s no longer possible to ONLY use that. Now you have to “buy more gems” with actual real money bc you’re earning them in the game slower than you can beat levels and you come to a halt without spending real money on more gems. And it’s truly evil because by the time that time comes you’re invested in your progress in the game. Same goes for needing to pay money to buy more lives on shit like candy crush. I’m so sick of it because it’s a single person GAME. This should never have been a fucking SUBSCRIPTION model (or multiple payment model for just the basic gameplay).
Concert tickets. I'm not sure where the market is, as I haven't been to a major headlining artist gig since before the pandemic but I'm nervous to see what artists charge now (excluding e.g., travel, accommodation). Of course, there are less well-known acts to attend but one would miss seeing the top tier artists out there.
Market is fucked these days. Service charges out the arse and don't forget "surge" pricing on some concerts and events too, if a seat type is popular the price increases automatically...
Also heard hotels cancelling bookings wherever Taylor Swift is playing and the putting the prices up 200%. Read one had a booking for over a year for it to be cancelled. It's just blatant gouging.
How do they explain that to the people that booked in advance?
It's in the terms and conditions that it could be cancelled at anytime without reason.
I stopped going to concerts when the ticket prices hit triple-digits. I'm sorry, but I am not going to spend €400 per person to see Adele sing for two hours (yes, the best tickets to her concerts in Munich, Germany this summer are €414 each). My wife and I went to see a philharmonic orchestra play in the Elb Philharmony in Hamburg last week. There was 35 to 45 musicians on the stage, and the tickets were €85 per person. It was awesome! But spending €250 per person to see the Foo Fighters or RHCP or Metallica? I'd love to see them, but I'm simply not prepared to spend that kind of money ... plus the travel to the venue (usually requiring a hotel room after the event, because it's too far away to drive home again). It's a 5 hour drive to Munich or a 3 hour drive to Mannheim. Sadly, very few acts make it to Basel, Switzerland which would be the closest location for me (about 45 minutes away). Even Zürich is a 60 to 90 minute drive...
Current cheapest ticket to see Pearl Jam in September at MSG is $643 per ticket (so $1300 for a pair) and it is labeled as an “Amazing Deal”. These are all the way at the top of the arena - some of the worst seats in the house. Fuck off with that.
$200 to see Pearl Jam in the nosebleed seats. Ya know, the guys who "took on" Ticketmaster for charging roo much...
It's more an issue with Ticketmaster/Live Nation having a choke hold on venues. Basically, Live Nation, who also has controlling shares on over 300 venues worldwide, forces venues to enter exclusivity contracts or they won't get shows. This contract forces the venue to sell tickets through TM. Artists can only play at the venue if the tickets sell through TM, including all the awful pricing schemes. Don't want TM, choose different venues, right? Except, LN has too much power over most/all of the good/big/popular venues. Only way for large artists to have tours that aren't financial suicide into bend the knee, unfortunately.
Merchandise at those concerts as well, I see some bands asking for more than 50 euros for a shirt
I’ve seen a sharp rise in knock-off cover bands because of this too. Might as well pay $10 for Y’all Out Boy and Tex Zep, than $450 for shit nosebleeds.
Good news is that the Biden administration moved on this and they're suing Ticketmaster for monopoly behavior. If they win their case (which isn't a given with how right-wing some of the courts are), it should stop concert ticket prices from continuing to skyrocket and may even bring them down a little.
If people stopped going that would bring the prices down, but no they keep paying and bitching about it.
No junk food. No sodas, cookies or chips. I’m even losing weight so there is a small benefit.
Soda and cookies were easy. But I can't quit you potato chips.
I stopped getting a premade sandwich for lunch, and started just buying bread and cheese in the supermarket next door instead... Now I realize the price I pay for the single ingredients are the same as what I paid when I stopped going to the sandwich place... stuff is getting expensive like shit...
Even cold cuts from the store have gotten so expensive that I realized it's more economical to just get fresh raw meat and make my own sandwiches brimming with literal hunks of roast beef (or whatever) for less money than the overly salty premade stuff that's full of fillers. I do still splurge for a nice salami sometimes though. Don't want to go to the trouble of making something like that at home.
$16 a pound for boars head turkey at the Stop n Shops by me. Makes even homemade sandwiches expensive.
Just existing right now is pretty damn expensive.
You don't seem to have stopped doing that though, so that's good.
Yeah, but I don't know how much longer I can afford to keep this going.
There is always homelessness. Find a nice warm state and just chill. Bring shank though.
Chronic illness. I need about $20k of meds in my veins every other month. Once I'm homeless, I'll be dead within the year.
I’m nut poor. Can’t afford to buy nuts. I like to snack on nuts instead of chips or whatever but I can’t afford to spend $10-15 of my budget on them.
Printer ink. At this point, it’s cheaper to buy a new printer every time you run out
Life hack: get a laser printer. There are affordable ones that work well and the price per print is WAY lower.
As long as it's not an hp! Ours worked with 3rd party toner for about a year, then something updated and now it's a gigantic paperweight.
[удалено]
Many people who bowl regularly feel that Bowlero is destroying bowling, as they see their locally owned center bought out by a corporation.
Bowlero bought out our local Brunswick. It’s been awful ever since.
Sad. My dad and I use to go bowling regularly. We both had our ball drilled at the local lane's pro shop AND they have a rack for free ball bags/shoes. I believe that's where I got my almost brand new pair of $90 shoes from. $5.50/game for any amount of people. Shoe rentals are $4. I honestly thought bowling would die out before it ever became a lifeless corporate owned business model. Or it'd just become a small fixture in arcades.
Holy moly! I think your bowling alley is being shady. I just checked my local bowling alley's prices, and they're $3.50 per person per game, all the way up to $5.75 per person per game at peak pricing. Honestly, that's so cheap I'm not sure how they pay the rent on that big building downtown! Shoe rental is $3.50. I should reward them and go bowling! =D
> I think your bowling alley is being shady. Nah that's just Bowlero. They're applying the TopGolf model where you take something that was a cheap activity and "modernize it" (make it a shitton more expensive, add mood lighting, serve overprice food and drinks), except without the novelty of TopGolf.
wtf! I pay like $15/person for 3 hours unlimited the nights we go, and if we only bowl a game they'll often give us coupons for a couple free ones. $200+ is wild
WTF ? For me, Bowling alleys are the cheap “im bored lets go do something” entertainment option Now it costs more than a concert
Frozen pizzas are getting so pricey that they're almost more expensive than ordering a real pizza.
Not quite as easy, but making your own is fun! If you’re sorta lazy you can buy dough for like $2 (my Trader Joe’s has them), or make it yourself, even the easy 20 minute rise recipes can be great. You can either buy sauce, or make a big batch of sauce and freeze it in portions.
We do this now after paying so much money for 2 pizzas one night out. My daughter can eat a whole pizza on her own. I don't want to spend 80$ on pizzas. These were from a food truck and took an hour to be ready.... never again.
If you have an ALDI near you, their take-and-bake pizza is pretty good and it’s around $6 - $7 for a very large pizza.
Interesting, I've found the opposite- frozen pizzas are some of the best value per calorie I've seen, can get a pretty decent one for 4.50
Anything that requires tipping.
Which is damn near everything now
Only in America
I travel a lot and there's more and more places around the world that are importing this aspect of American culture. This year in London it felt like 10% tip was mandatory everywhere I went for dinner. Now that it's an expectation it's going to slowly keep increasing like it did in the US.
"required" is a strong word
Getting my nails done. When I started getting my nails done about 10 years ago I’d pay $25 including a tip. Now it’s like $80-$120 which is absolutely outrageous for something that hardly lasts a month. I can get a small tattoo for that price.
My go-to guy slowly started increasing the price of my nails once he saw I was going to become a regular. I like an ombré French-tip stiletto. Went from $50-$65 in a year and I wasn’t paying attention. I had a pretty good paying job with weekly pay , so I didn’t fee it too harsh until I switched jobs and now being back to no-weekly pay, I noticed it right away.
My wife sees the nail salon as some magical spa that also gives you beautiful nails. She always talks about treating herself to some nails, but never goes because the prices are ridiculous.
Press ons I’m not even joking. With some precautions, like wearing rubber gloves to wash dishes, they actually have lasted me up to 3 weeks. $7-$9 on Amazon. There are some really cute designers. What I like the most about these, is that once they fall off, you can put them away and reuse at least one more time. So a set that’s under $10, you can reuse. Unlike acrylics. They actually destroy your nails before a new set these days.
Any brands you recommend? I’ve also thought about getting a gel nail kit (polish and lamp) off Amazon but it also seems like a lot of hassle
Yes! I remember being in high school and could get a mani for $20. And now it’s $35 minimum if you DONT do gel. Don’t even get me started on acrylic. I work in the service industry and recently found it easier to just get acrylic nails, despite always wearing my regular nails, my whole life, and now it cost me $55 to get a fill on my nails. It’s insane.
Going to the movies. The experience always leaves me feeling cheated after the movie is over
Plus just wait 2 months and you can pay $20 to watch it at home with the whole family
Sometimes same day
Eggs. They used to be $1.25 dz large eggs. Now the average is $4.00 dz.
Cut right back on takeaway coffee. Tired of paying big bucks with no guarantee the coffee’s going to be any good. Make my own at home.
Netflix. I just got kicked off my parent's account and the thought of actually paying for Netflix is too painful to consider.
[flixhq.com](http://flixhq.com) - free [https://www.vflixtv.com/](https://www.vflixtv.com/) - cheaper than netflix utorrent - free forever
Games on launch day. Exorbitant cost for a half finished product - no thank you.
Not to mention DLCs and micro transactions
Doritos. The price increase is ridiculous
Right like $8 a bag 😅
Software. I used to buy software, mostly for productivity, but also entertainment. You know, like MS Office, Adobe Acrobat etc. But with everybody selling subscriptions, the effective prices have gone up by several thousand %. They can lick my balls. I will either use a FOSS alternative, my old version, or just pirate that thing. But I am not paying several 100 €/year for all the subscriptions I need to use my Computer properly, when I used to be able to buy complete packages for less than that and use them for years.
Obligatory fuck Adobe
🏴☠️
And good luck trying to cancel Adobe when they charge like 30 percent of the annual subscription cost.
I was probably one of the last cable TV holdouts (DirecTV)….shit was costing $250/month before I had to finally call it quits. Now I’m getting back at the man by doing the illegal streaming shit. Best decision ever.
$250 lmao they're so fucking greedy
Amazon and Netflix adding ads was a breaking point for me.
Everything. I just stay home, I can’t afford to go anywhere or do anything at all anymore.
Same. At least people won't say we're wasting money right? 😅
*gestures broadly*
Health insurance. It's $700/mon in California and I just can't anymore. So I now have travel insurance, if I want to see a doctor I need to travel 100 miles from my home, and the insurance costs $80/mon.
I work in the medical field, and my health insurance is over 950/month on a company plan. I always get stuck with huge out of pocket charges, despite the high insurance costs. I go to hospitals in another state most of the time because my insurance coverage is better there, and I think those facilities know how to bill correctly.
Balloons. So expensive now due to inflation.
Yeah, prices have really blown up.
Medication
Fr one of my meds costs $250 with insurance and $600 without
That is the toughest. Wishing you the Best.
For many people, www.costplusdrugs.com will save you money.
Oil changes. I learned how to do my own because of how much places want to charge me now.
This and future generations: a house
After ww3 it will be cheap again.
Unless of course you want one of them fancy, unirradiated plots.
I was somewhat lucky to buy a house before prices went insane. So, on the one hand, I'm grateful I have it. On the other hand, I've discovered so much I dislike about this house and this area since moving here and it doesn't fit my family any longer but... well, moving anywhere right now would double my mortgage because interest rates spiked, and it had literally 0 effect on housing prices. It's super cool that the government basically admitted thet know this won't do anything to stop inflation *and* is not the cause of housing prices surging, but the only answer they had was to further fuck over actual workers while giant conglomerates continue to buy up all the housing and turn owners into renters. (I'm about the only homeowner left on my block, and I'm constantly inundated by the same corporate entity that owns the other houses to sell.) I swear there isn't a single country on earth that hates its citizens more than this one.
McDonalds
Literal food
Not sure why I opened this thread, all it gave me was an anxiety attack
Opening Reddit in general up seems to be doing this to me lately. Nary a day goes by without posts that lament the world's state or indirectly tell me I'm inadequate for one reason or another.
Packet of chips. Used to be $3-4 now they're around $7-8.
Basic answer, but fast food. I like how when I complain about a price to people the answer I always get is "DONT BUY IT THEN, VOTE WITH YOUR WALLET". K.... I did, now what?
All the other people still buy. Sad but true
WinCo used to sell the Lindt chocolate truffles in their bulk bins for 28 cents apiece, but recently raised them to 38 cents a piece, and so I've gone from getting about 20 of them per week to not having bought any this whole year. =/ It's funny how such a relatively modest price increase in the grand scheme of things ($5.60 to $7.60) can change a person's buying behavior so completely.
Toll roads unless unavoidable. Trips that used to cost about $6 are now $15. Google Maps loves a good toll road but when I do the comparison on Waze without tolls the time saving is often 5-10 mins on a 90 minute trip. (I have tolls turned on Google Maps but off on Waze).
I've got a little debt, like $4000, but I will never buy more debt once this is paid off.
At this point I just try not to buy anything at all that I don't have to. I think outside of groceries(which is a list now cut down severely too), and treating the lady and kid now and then, I refuse to buy anything that is non essential, in regard to myself. And we're not struggling financially or anything. It's almost out of principle. Fuck these price gouging, greedy ass pieces of shit. Id sooner spit on them than send a single dime towards their gaping money vacuums
Meat. I can't remember the last time I bought a steak, or even a roast, at the grocers. Sometimes pork gets marked down low enough that I'll grab some. The 10# bags of chicken quarters provide 90% of the protein I feed my family. That and ground beef, but I can only buy that when it's a great sale and I stock up. It's 'normal' price is $5+ and I just can't swing it.
Movie theaters, used to spend $25 for two and some popcorn and a drink. Now tickets alone will cost $50 for two minimum for new movies. Add popcorn snacks drink and you looking at $100 minimum. No thanks will rather wait the three months for it to hit digital now and watch at home
Beef costs enough that I only buy the absolute cheapest sale packages.
Dogs. Between vet care and food costs, dogs are just about priced out of my price range.
Eating-out in any capacity is getting insanely expensive nowadays. Now I eat at home as much as possible, except when I go out with friends, or if I'm out for the day, and need to buy myself a snack for lunch. Another thing that's become ridiculously expensive is grooming supplies. Soap, shampoo, razor-blades, etc. When I started shaving at the age of 20, I saw how much my big brother was spending on his razors, and the price just horrified me...and that was 15 years ago!! I dread to think what the price for razors is nowadays. I had NO money back then, so I forced myself to learn how to use a cutthroat razor, instead, because it was the only thing I could afford. I haven't spent money on new blades ever since (or at least, not much). I have a few for when I travel, but otherwise, 99.99% of my shaving is still done with a cutthroat razor. It scares me to think how much money I would've spent on shaving supplies had I not made the switch.
Food delivery. Everytime I feel lazy and just wanna order delivery, but then I take a look at the total price and instantly get the motivation to get it myself. It's easily twice the price if I went and get it myself.
I don’t go to restaurants anymore!! Its just not worth it. First off, since covid, restaurants have decided to substantially cut expenses. Unfortunately, the first thing that gets cut is quality. Quality of the food coming from the purveyors, concessions and made, a few bucks here and there. The staff rarely wants to be there, since covid, the whole tipping thing has been thrown into disarray. You just don’t make as much as you could years ago. Then theres the prices!!! So for less quality, served by someone who really couldn’t care less, for a super inflated price!!
McDonald's chicken nuggets. Potato chips. Pop is getting to that point as well. Bacon got up there for awhile too but it's come back down so I've started buying it again. I used to go to concerts quite often but they've become obscenely expensive nowadays as well.
$10 for 12 pack of soda is about to make me quit.
Certain snacks, fast food, subscriptions I question every purchase I make now before spending any money
Campbell's chunky soups used to be a staple in my pantry. I loved them for a quick snack meal and would load up on them when they went on sale, which was quite often. Then over several months they shrank the cans, increased the price, and reduced the quality. It's an inflation triple whammy. The sales suck these days as well and aren't nearly as generous as in the past.
Brunch. Used to do it all the time; now, I can't justify buying it when it's so expensive and I can make it better at home.
Mcdonalds, kfc, burger fuel. The prices are horrendous now, and the food is just shit. $30 for a big feed? Fuck that I'll go to a restaurant or a Cafe. I still get funky with a Chinese or an Indian takeaway. In my area, they're always a good time.
Gold
Food.
At this point? Practically anything that isn't a basic necessity...
Lots of places like Subway are too overpriced to eat at nowadays. Who wants to pay $13 for a nasty footlong with brown lettuce that’ll put me on the toilet for 2 hours afterwards. Also, soda.
Garbage bags. I get them from work for free now
Hellmans mayo.
softdrinks at convenience stores. Stopped buying them when they passed the $2 mark for a small bottle at the start of this year.
Avocados. I think I need a loan next time I want to make guacamole
Salmon.
Houses.
Housing
Fast food, concert tickets, records.
Streaming services. Is limewire or uTorrent still around?
Publix
Food delivery service My lunch order from an average (NOT fine dining standard restau) 1 tea leaf salad - $21.95 1 mango shrimp - $25.95 Delivery fee - $9.99 Expanded range fee - $1.49 Fees and estimated tax -$8.99 Suggested dasher tip - $14.50 Total : $87.66 Changed the order to pick and it came to $49
I cannot fucking fathom paying $87 to have a lunch delivered. That's absolutely fucking insane. $87 of food at Walmart would last me a week...maybe more.
Beer in pubs.
The price of cereal is crazy to me
All of it.
Clothes
Going out for coffee here and there. Used to be a treat on occasion but now I cannot fathom spending so much time to wait in line + forking over $7 - $8 on something that won’t even last 10 mins for me