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I’m the kind of person whose happiness and productivity runs almost entirely on little treats. A cinnamon bun here, an iced latte there—it’s the fuel that keeps me going. But lately? My usual pick-me-ups are starting to feel more like financial decisions. And not the smart kind.
I’m not alone in this, though. More and more folks have started crossing things off their shopping lists, not because they’ve stopped liking them, but because the prices just aren’t worth it anymore. And sadly, we’re not even talking about luxury items.
Scroll down to see what people have officially stopped buying and let us know if you’ve had to call it quits on any favorites too.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Dont go to restuarants anymore because of tipping culture. Also Mcdonalds. I was fine paying for unhealthy food when it was cheap but I aint going broke and k*****g myself at the same time.
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#3
New clothes. There are a few nice thrift stores in my area, and everything I wear comes from there.
#5
Cable TV, we cancelled TV service, kept the streaming service and went from almost $200 a month to whatever Netflix is charging now.
Also taking advantage of the library- free books, movies, video games and passes to do things.
#6
I’m just amazed at how little the wages have increased yet almost everything has skyrocketed in price, it’s ridiculous.
#7
All my local restaurants are closing and I feel guilty for never going but I can’t afford to eat out anymore.
#9
No more movie theaters. Prefer watching things at home via streaming for free or super cheap (YouTube, Netflix, …). No gym membership.
#11
Oreos
I am not paying $5.49 for a package that’s 2/3 the size of the package I had growing up.
#14
Fast food. I already knew I shouldn't be buying it, but moving from $10 to $15+ sealed the deal.
#16
Concert tickets. There's a place near me that used to sell lawn tickets for $5 to $10 for most acts, whether very well known or not. I saw some great shows there like Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie, Megadeth, Steve Miller, and Disturbed for very cheap. Back then you could show up and buy the tickets at the box office. If you wanted pavillion seating that's when it got spendy. These days lawn tickets are $25 to $40 each and after Ticketmaster fees and parking fees the price is now over $100 per pair of tickets. On top of that, the concessions at these concerts are outrageous. They were rather expensive to begin with, but now it's a whole new era and prices for beer and food are nuts. The venue used to let you bring in coolers with snacks and non-alcoholic beverages, but now they have a no outside food and drink policy so you have to buy from the concession stands.
#17
My cat. She’s a senior with kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, arthritis, dental issues, and allergies. But d**n it I would take a bullet for her. I would take a dog attack to the face to protect my cat. I will spend every penny I have on her, call her an expensive m**o and then shower her with a thousand kisses.
#19
Amazon Prime. They both kept raising the prices and also started taking things away (like ad-free video streaming.) It's saved me a lot of money to not have it and I don't miss it. If I want to buy something, it gets added to the cart and I don't check out until I meet the free shipping requirement. Most of the time I end up finding the same product for less at local store.
#20
Delis and such where you order at one spot, pick out your chips or drink from the aisles, pay for your food at a register, pick up your food where you order it, find a table, eat, then bus your own table and there is the “how much tip do you want to leave? 15%, 20%,or 25%” when you check out.
#21
Social activities. Going out to the bars or anywhere in public really. Leaving the house on those outings is bare minimum 100 and up to 300 per trip. I'll just stay home and watch anime.
#25
Unhooked cable, eliminated most subscriptions, sold extra vehicle, dropped alot of insurance coverage we had they ripped us off , eliminated medications, I’m always hungry . food is so expensive ( we are eating a lot of beans & rice which we like; our splurge is Ezekiel Bread, and olive oil . Less showers , less travel . We’ve never had money to waste in restaurants . We just keep trying and doing next right thing . There isn’t any money ‘left over’ because we’re going to need it .
We are fortunate . Life on a farm with hens and eggs . We are not deprived just industrious with what we have . Food prices is frightening but so is my water bill in rural America ( water isn’t safe to drink) we are surrounded by land . This lending watched a bobcat attack a deer .
#26
Using food apps . I would do it once in a while but now simple meal that costs $19.99 with door dash comes
To like $45…
Def no
I’m eating out less and cooking more.
There is no other way to survive this.
#28
Fresh vegetables. Why am I paying $1/ea for a cucumber. Cabbage is almost a dollar a pound. Those used to be my go tos. All the cheap cuts of meat are stupid expensive.
I used to go for “therapy drives.” Usually at night so I could listen to music with the windows down. Absolutely not any more.
My cats. After these are gone I won’t get any more pets. I can’t afford these two and I’m not going to put myself in this position again. Costs for having them has over tripled since 2019.
Thrift stores. Prices are insane for items that suck.
#29
I don’t have a particular thing that I’ve outright stopped buying, but I’ve completely changed how I shop for things and where I go. I’ve stopped going to dollar stores and most big-box stores like Walmart unless there’s something I want that I can only get there. I’ve started going more to liquidation stores and outlets for most of my non-food household items. I watch for sales and loss leaders at more expensive stores, and I get a lot of my staples at Costco.
#30
Grocery shopping, i miss have backups for things i use. Now im forced to buy what i need for the current pay run. I miss not breaking the bank on food man. Its tough out here. Concerts and gigs, forget about it😅.
#32
Baked goods. I have celiac disease, and gluten free ones were barely worth the price five years ago. Now none of them are worth it at all.
I have learned to make my own crackers and pizza crusts, and I don't miss bread at all. I'm also experimenting with making my own granola bars.
#34
Soda. Love a cold can of coke sometimes but at 8 bucks for a 12 pack they can suck a bag of d***s.
Enjoy Cold Water.
#35
Chips. I'm sorry but I'm not paying $6 to $8 for a bag of potato chips. I buy the store brand if I buy them at all.
#36
Books 😭😭 i only download them now. I want to support authors but im too broke to do that. Huhu i just changed perspective that i am somehow saving trees (for my guilt).
#37
I started doing my nails myself. It used to be I could get a nice manicure and pedicure for under $100 and it would last a few weeks. Now if I tried to go it would be well over $100 plus tip. It’s not worth it for me to spend that much every time I want to get my nails done. Now I do them myself and I save nail salon trips for special occasions.
#38
This is super specific, but representative of other things I have cut out. Aldi canned mushrooms. They used to be 33 cents. I’d keep them on hand to toss in spaghetti sauce or casseroles. They are now $1.19 for the same tiny can. Over a 300% increase? No thanks.
#39
Honestly I used to buy so many more vegetables and fruit. Now I only get the cheapest ones and rarely fruit.
#40
My life. I don’t mean my lifestyle I just mean my life in general. Just existing is becoming too expensive.
#41
Pizza delivery. I believe there was a point where restaurants stopped hiring drivers. Delivery was somehow linked to GrubHub or Uber. (I didn't have any sort of app.) I really didn't notice the first couple of times because it wasn't that bad. But, after the third or fourth time, the price really flew up. This was a few years ago and I haven't ordered delivery since.
Also, the price of pizza toppings is ridiculous just for each additional topping. I love to buy the pre-made pizza crusts in a bag and add the toppings from there. I keep many things on hand that can be used for pizzas. My favorite is to use Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce instead of pizza sauce, and then I add mozzarella cheese, onions, banana peppers, and I grill chicken breast on the grill for my meat. I figured this out by mocking the local pizza place's recipe. Mine is better and I can really load those toppings on it!
#42
Fritos are not worth 6$ a lb. Why would I buy those when I can get grapes or strawberries for less?
#43
The entire point of convenience foods is that they’re cheap and accessible. Now whole foods are cheaper. Our collective health is going to improve.
#44
Beef jerky. Used to be a low carb snack. Too expensive, bought a dehydrator, make my own now. Tested the 1st so many batches out on friends and family. No fatalities, so I ate it.
#45
Steak.
Usually sticking to cheaper roasts when I want my red meat fix because I can't justify the cost of a ribeye in these times.
#46
M&Ms. I love them but so much more money for less product. Also ice cream for the same reasons, plus most brands whip air into it, so you’re not even getting what you think you’re getting.
#47
Entertainment events were always expensive but I always felt like I could go once in a while. Nowadays though they are all crazy expensive, whether it's music, comedy, theater etc.
#48
I love Trader Joe’s. But I recently went to Aldi, and now I guess I shop at Aldi for the rest of my future. This not really a sad realization, they do carry a few of the same things.
#49
I used to Instacart groceries because I don't have a car, and at the time (this was about 3-4 years ago) I thought it made sense. They already hike the prices on Instacart but with grocery costs rising faster than ever in Canada, it's actually bonkers how expensive it is to order. I walk to the nearest grocery store, get my stuff, and take an Uber home (if it's a small grocery run, I'll walk home, too) and save probably at least $30 each time. I can't even imagine using the app now.
#50
Name brand cereal (I have to have cereal, it’s not negotiable). Sometimes I can get name brand from Costco and not feel so bad.
#53
If I find an overpriced item in a store, I walk out of the store and keep looking for a better store.
I do most of my shopping at Costco now. Membership is $5/m. I use mealpal for lunch. And inkind for restaurants. All offer heavy discounts.
#54
I noticed that the streets are cleaner because no one is buying gum anymore...
LIke before they used to be black spots from people spitting gum out.
Gum is horribly expensive.
#55
Cars.
it's just astonishing to me how the manufacturers just decided to stop making economy cars and despite everyone complaining about how expensive cars are getting, all those people just agreed to buy more car than they would've preferred.
#58
Fast food. My boyfriend and I now just keep pizza rolls, fries, jalapeno poppers, chicken nugs etc stocked in the freezer now that fast food is so pricy. We only go if we use the McDonalds app.
#59
As long as people keep paying these ridiculous prices for things…the pain will remain…it’s time for a reset .
#60
P&G products. Even though I bought Aldi and store brands 98% of the time anyway, there were a few holdout P&G products, like Charmin toilet paper. Tried the Member’s Mark equivalent from Sam’s, and am never going back. .
#62
I dont eat at Yum Brands owned chain restaurants. They don't care about food quality and have upper prices the cheapest of their acquisitions (like Wendy's and Taco Bell)
They treat their workers awfully and use the cheaper ingredients then cash in on fetishizing/romanticizing food nostalgia.
Red Robin places used to be 15$ burger meals. Noe anything in the cheapest places runs you 15 to 18 and dollar menus are 3$ menus. A shake or frosty is nearly 6-8$.
I go to our local Braums and enjoy 1.35 ice cream cones and 6$ full burger meals. Only.
Or get a cheap slice and a tea for 3$ at Casey's
Or usually just cook at home.
#65
I’ve cut WAY back on purchasing carbonated beverages. I think I’m down two one flat of Diet Coke and two flats of LaCroix a year. I miss Fresca, but oof that price….
#70
Life has gotten drastically more expensive despite the fact that i make more money than i ever have; but things aren’t adding up. Suddenly living seems too expensive.
But if i had to pick one thing rn, tinned sardines lol. What happened to the dollar tins? They’ve all disappeared. .
#74
I used to love amusement parks but with the insane prices I had to stop going. Also the amusement parks in my are have gone significantly downhill and have just become more expensive. I am talking like $15 for a hotdog expensive.
The parks have not added anything significant to make them worth visiting. They are literally the same as they were 20 years ago. Just more expensive and more deteriorated. Maybe 2-3 rides were added since the year 2000. Since I already experienced the parks there is no reason for me to go back.
The county fair has increased from $5 admission with $5 parking in 2019 to $22 admission in 2024. This event is for sure no longer worth it. The ticket only gets you in the gate, once you get in the gate everything else is more money. The food prices are also like the above, so its not worth going.
Tickets to amusement parks are even worse.
I also had to stop going to carnivals because of the prices. The prices here are even worse than amusement parks, we are talking $20 for a turkey leg. $8 for a simple 2 minute amusement ride is not worth it.
I live in upstate NY and the average income of my area is 25k-50k, so I don't live in an HCOL. Everything is simply too expensive for the income level of of my area.
For a good value of entertainment I suggest looking for a free to play arcade. These places typically charge $10-20 for all day admission depending on what they have which is a good value. But you have to like playing arcade games. Most people like playing arcade games.
There are a few good amusement parks in the country that do not overcharge and have a good selection of well maintained rides, but unfortunately I don't live near them, they are few and far between, and travel is also really expensive.
#75
Coke. I'm trying to get used to store brand.
Fast food. I went to Five Guys and paid $15 for a small burger and small fries.
#76
Snacks. (Although I was finding some great clearance popcorn recently. $1.50 a bag? Yes please) I’ll buy them if I’m in emotional distress 🙄 but other than that I don’t miss them and my bank account is happy. Plus I get enough free c**p to eat at work.
I also don’t buy new clothes anymore. Just at a consignment shop a couple times a year. Definitely less Amazon c**p. Way less protein bars. (You want almost 2 bucks a bar? Um no) Rarely granola anymore. No coffee when I go out for brunch. No extras in coffee or smoothies I buy on rare occasion. (Last night we used my roommate’s free bday smoothie coupon and they wanted 55 CENTS to sub Splenda for sugar. We ended up getting it for free. The app doesn’t charge you. Glad it was free because they messed up the smoothie anyway.) Almost never go out to eat anymore unless I have a coupon. I’m usually disappointed by the food too.
I also don’t go out and do activities as much anymore but I’m realizing I might be missing out on some things there. So I’m rethinking that one. Getting crazy and going bowling tomorrow. 40 bucks for an hour and shoes not included. Shoes are $4 bucks. Cheapest place I could find. The others were 65 to 170. The 170 was for 90 mins but my jaw still dropped.
#77
Dining out, either fancy or fast food. We'd go ~once a week to Taco Time for dinner out of laziness & luxury, but now it's $30 for lukewarm food. We're getting more into the grocery store take n bake meals now.
#79
Fast food. I don’t like it much in the first place, honestly, but I recently got a new job and it’s either fast food or frozen food until my body adjusts. And both are feeling SO expensive. Not someone who minds paying a lot for good food but when Starbucks and Chipotle become the same price that “real” food used to be, it’s painful. .
#80
My morning can of diet Dr Pepper is getting so expensive. Kills me to spend $9 on a 12 pack.
What do you think ?
Boo 10 months ago
America has always been known for having cheap everything, whereas other countries have tended to be more expensive. America is now finding out what realistic pricing is. When I first moved to the UK, I used to think that Britain ripped everyone off as prices were so much higher than in the states, not realising that we imported almost everything. Yes, I was young-ish and stupid.
Boo 10 months ago
America has always been known for having cheap everything, whereas other countries have tended to be more expensive. America is now finding out what realistic pricing is. When I first moved to the UK, I used to think that Britain ripped everyone off as prices were so much higher than in the states, not realising that we imported almost everything. Yes, I was young-ish and stupid.
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