34 Products That People Stopped Buying After Their Prices Skyrocketed, According To This Thread
Let’s just say it bluntly - many things are so expensive these days that when you are buying them, you need to prepare a few days in advance psychologically. And I'm not talking about luxury items, but just simple things. Things like washing machine capsules, grapes or simply ordering food.
But while everything is becoming more expensive, some items have ballooned in price so much that most folks have simply stopped buying them. I mean, most of the time it’s possible to live without them, but unfortunately this list includes medication or dental care, which are kind of necessities.
Netizens had a discussion online about this topic after one Reddit user posed a question asking others to share something that they have stopped buying because it became too expensive to have it. Scroll through, upvote and share your thoughts in the comments below!
More info: Reddit
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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!
As of this month, streaming services. Between the cost of all of them and amount of ads we STILL have to watch it's a no go. We've had enough of it. We got a VPN and will be returning to the high seas.
I never quit the high seas 👼 I always want to own a copy of the movies / series I love 👍
Concert tickets
I refuse to give Ticketmaster a dime. I still go to a lot of concerts, but they are usually smaller, which is even better.
Frickin mcdonalds, like I aint paying 11 bucks for a half a*s micro cheeseburger meal
Eating out. Not worth the price and food quality is not there anymore. And smaller portions for higher prices.
Medication. My chronic illness requires an infusion @ $10,000 copay every 7 weeks. My yearly income is ~$60,000. In America it's much cheaper to die, I can get a lovely funeral for a 1 time fee of $10,000
I'm an American living in the UK. While I don't want to move back to America, I also cannot. I'm a cancer survivor and I take six medications daily for post treatment problems like radiation treatment damaging my thyroid. I also get regular blood tests and have specialist doctors. Because I would die without my medication I do not have to pay NHS charges for it. I wouldn't be able to afford my health care in the US.
Frito-Lay brand chips. Ridiculously overpriced these days for absolutely no reason whatsoever. Pepsi can go f**k themselves
Food delivery- the fees jack up the price too much for my liking. If I do order food (which I also am doing less) I pick it up
How they can rationalise a Service fee on top of delivery charges is beyond me. What service did you provide? It's done online!
new clothes. i tried to downgrade from
mall to amazon but that stuff is mostly trash. i thrift now, its not as bad as i anticipated, a lot of stuff is discarded with tags, i even ran into a sweater that i wanted years ago
Even thrifting is far more expensive now than a few years ago. Resellers like EBay, Gilt, Poshmark, RealReal are just scalping used clothing. I refuse to participate in thrift auctions or pay twice the value of any item.
New video games. Everything i get is on sale..Turns out that you can wait..
Farewell, daily lattes! My budget cried every time, so I learned to froth my own milk - now I'm a barista on a budget!
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.
Groceries every week. Now I make do with what I can and do more frozen meals
And thanks to Amazon it's only going to get worse! Not only are you expected to pay monthly for the privilege of giving them more money for whatever items you may need, but their aim is to drive all your local stores out of business so that you don't have any other options. And they sell to their resellers who offer the same goods on the same website for twice the price or more.
Name brand anything, generic forever now
If I absolutely must have the brand name, I'll wait until it's on sale and stock up.
I stopped buying new gadgets and electronics every time there's an update. Initially, it was a fascination, but then I realized that technology changes too quickly, and constant purchases become a burden on the wallet. Now, I try to make more mindful purchases and upgrade devices only when necessary.
I really wanted a fit bit or similar smart watch for the health benefits, but then I realized that it would trap me into constant updates and upgrades, which I can't afford. You simply cannot buy just one 'smart' device and EVERYTHING is a forced subscription now.
FitBit doesn't require subscriptions or updates - had mine for 5 years before I lost it. Garmin Vivo was next and no extra fees after purchase or upgrading
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Apple has turned gouging customers into an art form. Hey hey hey here's the newest crapple phone/tablet with features Android has had for 5-7 years now! Isn't it cool? We took out all the features people like in order to insure no one but us can steal all your private info to sell to spammers... Better buy it now!
My Galaxy S8+ was a bit long in the tooth. Slow, crappy interface etc. Before upgrading I gave rooting + LineageOS a go. It is wonderful, feels like a complete new phone, much more responsive, and runs Android 13 (soon 14). It was a lot of work to get everything juuust right, but well worth it. Now I don't plan to upgrade until they have a selfie camera under the screen (just an arbitrary goal that seems to never materialize anyway).
I just upgraded my brother's phone this weekend. He had an iPhone 8 (2017). Apple stopped updating it last year.
Let me ask you this. When there was the last time a phone update actually brought something meaningful to your device? And before you say security, when was the last time you've heard about a massive security breach on older phones? It is easier to make your device obsolete with software updates than physically brick it (altough Apple tried that too) so they are using it for marketing.
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There was a time when the technological improvements were fast enough to make it well worth keeping up. I remember buying a computer and a couple month later there was a new processor out that was an order of magnitude better. Now - I just replaced my 10+ year old computer when the motherboard died. My new one is functionally no better for what I do, although very, very, much faster at doing it. Still, the old one was more than fast enough. Phones are much the same. I buy new in box phones that are at least 2 - 3 releases old. Just bought a Galaxy S20 to replace my venerable S7 - which I didn't buy when it was current either. Bad battery life and insufficient memory for apps drove this change.
I am about to replace my iPhone 6s Pro. I think I got my money out of it by now. It still makes phone calls and the calendar/to-do works fine, which is what I use it for. I have an iPad pro for music, painting and reading, I prefer to invest in that than a new phone, but I am getting close to the finish line.
It's an interesting problem. Because software demands are increasing hardware demands increase too. Do you buy a flagship device and hope it lasts a long time before it starts to feel slow, or do you buy a cheap device that will feel slow within 12 months? Personally I like to buy one step below the "halo" products since that gives really high performance while not costing an arm and a leg like the halo ones. Then trying to make that last 4 or 5 years.
The truth is that technology doesn't change fast enough to warrant new models every year. By and large, the required technology is already present in a given phone, the only thing different is what is allowed for use by the OS. And if the technology isn't already present in the phone it's still the same old stuff. No phone manufacturer, nor anyone else for that matter, is inventing anything new for phones and other small electronics.
Seems like there haven't been any major technological leaps in awhile anyway. Pretty sure my iPhone X works as well as whatever's out now. My son has an iPad 2 that I cast off. Works just as well as this one I got a few years ago. No need to keep "upgrading." Nothing's "up." I thought I had 5G. Ends up I've been using 3G. I kept it. Works fine. One of my friends just upgraded to 5G. I see her over Zoom on my fiber internet (fiber IS a good upgrade- highly recommend). Her connection is c**p. I don't have that issue with other folks.
Cocktails. $15-$18 seems like the norm at restaurants now.
That's why I stop at the Liquor store, grab a couple bottles and go home to drink, don't even need a Designated Driver then 😁
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 2 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.
Edit to add: 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 not really viable for quick fun entertainment. And regarding Groupon deals: I checked the app and Bowlero isn’t running any deals there currently.
I just checked to see what the pricing would be during peak time, and it’s even more insane: $242 for two people, one lane for 2 hours, with two shoe rentals. They added an “event fee”but it’s in no way an event. I hear it’s cheaper if you just show up, but for them to even have that listed is crazy.
$60 is insane in and of itself. There is no way I'd pay that much for two hours of bowling.
Dental care.
Check to see if your city or town has an income-based dental clinic. The town I lived in for a decade (pop. 50,000) has one and they provided a good service for a reasonable cost. (Siding scale) the biggest downside was the wait for a first visit, but after that they would schedule you for your upcoming visits so you’d be guaranteed a spot.
Soda. I choose not to buy it. Used to buy cases from sam's or Costco when it was in the realm of $10 a case of 36. Less at $12. Have not bought soda in cans since the pandemic made them hit about $17 a case here in Texas.
Three meals a day.
Please never be afraid to ask for assistance. There are so many foodbanks and charities out there. There is no pride lost in needing help or assistance.
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 tip and taxes. My last nail visit cost nearly $100 after 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
Household repairs and yard work.
When contractors started charging more per hour than experienced lawyers, I decided the hell with it. I can’t justify spending $350 for 15 minutes worth of minor repair work or $50 per hour to trim hedges. I restrict repairs to things that *must* be fixed, such as plumbing.
The biggest problem with repairs is that not only have prices tripled beyond what the work is worth, but that there’s a high probability they’ll do a poor job or create new problems that didn’t exist.
there is a higher possibility that you as the DIY'r will cause new problems and do a poor job. You are paying the plumber a lot because he has insurance and knows what he is doing. Sure some jobs can be done by the average home owner but keep your skill level in mind. Just because you saw a youtube video doesn't mean you know what you're doing. Know your limits. source- guy who is paid to unfuck a lot of things that DIY'r f**k up.
Printer ink
Amy's frozen meals. Healthy, and used to be affordable.
Non-dairy meals like Amy's. I absolutely love mac and cheese but I can only have non-dairy mac and cheese and now the price is $7 for a microwavable mac and cheese that I can have. 😡 It's now the rare luxury. I haven't found a good recipe for non-dairy mac and cheese. So they might be adding sugar etc like one commenter has said. But damn I miss mac and cheese
Deli lunch meat. Too expensive.
I used to adore exploring the cheese aisle, trying out unique flavors and textures.
Panera.
So overpriced and they have been raising prices so much over the last couple of years.
A constantly updated gaming PC (like maybe all new parts every 2 years). Now it's just until something breaks or won't run a game I like.
Blonde bayalage. $500 a pop, $350 touch ups…insane how much hair salons have increased prices in the last 5-10 years
Nice to get something interesting again on BP instead just Viral Tiktok nonsense
Thank goodness lubricant hasn't gone up, we need that to be as cheap as possible as the companies f**k us well and truly in the a*s with these price hikes
The good news is that eventually because so many folks will stop spending money, the greedy corporations will have to start lowering prices. It's a cycle that happens from time to time with each time the prices being pushed higher due to the increase in workers wages. It's a punishment from the oligarchy.
I’ve been seeing commercials about stores lowering their prices. Specifically wegmans and ikea
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And in Australia by home insurance. Up 30% in one year, as against up 15% a year in the previous three years.
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My sister just bought a second hand car and I was amazed, it cost the same as my new car did in 2016!
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I feel weird now - most of these I haven't ever bought before. Am I just super-boring? Super-frugal? Smart? Dumb? I don't know. But I am glad now that I never did because I can't miss it now.
Welcome to my world. I shop like crazy for everything I buy. Food is my biggest expense. I live in the middle of nowhere and the closest food store is so overpriced it's unholy so when I go into "the city" I check ads their and do my grocery shopping there. I needed a dishwasher but needed a small (countertop) model. I shopped nearly a year before I finally pulled the trigger. Stuff just is too expensive since 2021.
Load More Replies... There are certan cuts of meat that USED to be cheap. They're naturally tough and lack marbling, but they taste great if you know how to prepare them: London broil, flank, whatever the hell lomo is, sirloin tip. But locally, I'm seeing $8-$10 a pound for london broil!!! The whole point of why it's called "london broil" is because the meat is too poor-quality for other styles of cooking! (Eye round has also soared in price, but I NEVER bought eye round!)
And despite their protestations, it's not inflation caused by the present government's policies, it's plain old greed. Execs are making absurd salaries and their stockholders (90% are hedge funds, not small investors as they claim) are raking it in.
This is NOT because of minimum wage hikes. But it IS because of the devastating effects of "free money" policies.
What about holidays abroad and weekends away? Didn't bother renewing my passport last time it lapsed. Also decent underwear, makeup and shoes.
Unfortunately, most people don't realise that all pries go up 2-3 months before an increase in minimum wage. When that happens, higher paid people and people on fixed income don't get a raise. Prices go up more than the wage increase and everybody has less spendable income. I joined the Navy before getting married we could afford a nice apartment, good food, movie nights, utilities and more. That was 1968. I make fair money now now but can barely afford food, rent and medicines. No nights out, nothing.
Nice to get something interesting again on BP instead just Viral Tiktok nonsense
Thank goodness lubricant hasn't gone up, we need that to be as cheap as possible as the companies f**k us well and truly in the a*s with these price hikes
The good news is that eventually because so many folks will stop spending money, the greedy corporations will have to start lowering prices. It's a cycle that happens from time to time with each time the prices being pushed higher due to the increase in workers wages. It's a punishment from the oligarchy.
I’ve been seeing commercials about stores lowering their prices. Specifically wegmans and ikea
Load More Replies... And in Australia by home insurance. Up 30% in one year, as against up 15% a year in the previous three years.
Load More Replies... My sister just bought a second hand car and I was amazed, it cost the same as my new car did in 2016!
Load More Replies... I feel weird now - most of these I haven't ever bought before. Am I just super-boring? Super-frugal? Smart? Dumb? I don't know. But I am glad now that I never did because I can't miss it now.
Welcome to my world. I shop like crazy for everything I buy. Food is my biggest expense. I live in the middle of nowhere and the closest food store is so overpriced it's unholy so when I go into "the city" I check ads their and do my grocery shopping there. I needed a dishwasher but needed a small (countertop) model. I shopped nearly a year before I finally pulled the trigger. Stuff just is too expensive since 2021.
Load More Replies... There are certan cuts of meat that USED to be cheap. They're naturally tough and lack marbling, but they taste great if you know how to prepare them: London broil, flank, whatever the hell lomo is, sirloin tip. But locally, I'm seeing $8-$10 a pound for london broil!!! The whole point of why it's called "london broil" is because the meat is too poor-quality for other styles of cooking! (Eye round has also soared in price, but I NEVER bought eye round!)
And despite their protestations, it's not inflation caused by the present government's policies, it's plain old greed. Execs are making absurd salaries and their stockholders (90% are hedge funds, not small investors as they claim) are raking it in.
This is NOT because of minimum wage hikes. But it IS because of the devastating effects of "free money" policies.
What about holidays abroad and weekends away? Didn't bother renewing my passport last time it lapsed. Also decent underwear, makeup and shoes.
Unfortunately, most people don't realise that all pries go up 2-3 months before an increase in minimum wage. When that happens, higher paid people and people on fixed income don't get a raise. Prices go up more than the wage increase and everybody has less spendable income. I joined the Navy before getting married we could afford a nice apartment, good food, movie nights, utilities and more. That was 1968. I make fair money now now but can barely afford food, rent and medicines. No nights out, nothing.
