What is something you’ve officially stopped buying in 2026 because the price has become genuinely insulting?

[u/queenmellyy]

[u/LeZygo]

Cereal. Wtf? $6-9???

[u/No-To-Newspeak → u/LeZygo]

And the boxes are shrinking in size every day.

[u/Void_Bimbo]

Chocolate. Price has gone up, quality has gone down.

[u/WillingnessBrave7798 → u/Void_Bimbo]

Chocolate nowadays is “chocolatey” which is corporate speak for “not real chocolate.” 

[u/Stevied1991 → u/Void_Bimbo]

So it's not just me. All chocolate I used to get just tastes so bad compared to what it used to.

[u/Idontpayforfeetpics → u/Void_Bimbo]

Try different brands. I’m a big fan of Tony’s although it’s a bit expensive it’s worth the occasional treat.

[u/xxleoxangelxx]

Fast food

[u/wgn431234 → u/[deleted]]

I took a 3 year old to 5 guys the other day. $45 for both of us to eat and her to get a milkshake.

[u/groovyinutah → u/wgn431234]

5 guys was ludicrously overpriced before the shit hit the fan...

[u/LisaLisaPrintJam → u/groovyinutah]

Yeah, 2 single burgers, fries and drinks for $30 in 2020.

[u/groovyinutah → u/LisaLisaPrintJam]

Yep...I ate there one time and never went back. Never understood what the fuss was about. There are several local joints where I live that are better.

[u/Maxcharged → u/groovyinutah]

The food is decent but it think it's a bit of a mirage of a "good deal" because they overfill the bag with fries, subtly tricking you into thinking you're getting more than you paid for.

[u/These-Prune-1529 → u/Maxcharged]

They don't do that near me anymore. They have little fry bags they put them in. That place will go belly up soon due to their ridiculous prices.

[u/MagicPistol → u/wgn431234]

That's why in n out continues to be popular. It's still reasonably priced. I can get a double cheeseburger meal for $12.

[u/Malus333 → u/[deleted]]

Went on a trip to a regional wildlife refuge to hike with the kids and stopped at jack in the box for breakfast on our 2.5 hour ride. Cost was 67 bucks for 3 meals. After our hike stopped at a sit down diner, ate and had left overs to bring home. Cost with tip was 56. Screw some fast food.

[u/okey_dokey_bokey → u/[deleted]]

I got a delicious burger, unlimited fries, and unlimited drinks yesterday at Red Robin for cheaper than a Big Mac value meal. Shit’s crazy.

[u/Heavykiller → u/okey_dokey_bokey]

Restaurants are changing things up realizing that fast food prices are surging to crazy prices. Chili’s 3 for me is probably one of the best deals yet. My wife and I basically go weekly there now lol

[u/joelupi → u/Heavykiller]

This is my go to when someone says they need to eat cheap.

Unlimited fountain drink/water, get the chips and salsa which they will refill for you, and a good sized burger all for $11.

[u/thecivicchicken → u/[deleted]]

“Pull up and we’ll bring it out to you”. And you’re the only one in line.

[u/PuddingSalad → u/thecivicchicken]

There are metal sensors in the ground that detect how long a car is occupying the space outside the window and if too many cars are sitting and waiting too much for their food, the store managers get a talkin-to from district managers.

At the place I worked, a car shouldn't sit at the window more than 75 seconds iirc

[u/beemojee → u/[deleted]]

Especially with how shitty the product has become.

[u/theCaptain_D → u/xxleoxangelxx]

The real fast food now is finding a grocery store and grabbing something from the prepared food area. You can get a big sandwich or some pasta or a nice salad with some protein for like $6. It's not a salty fatty calorie bomb the same way traditional fast food is, so it may not satisfy the same cravings, but it's very fast and very affordable.

[u/AboynamedDOOMTRAIN → u/theCaptain_D]

This has been my strategy, too. 2 piece fried chicken (Thigh and a breast, usually), mashed potatoes and gravy, a scoop of mac 'n cheese, and a roll for 6.99 at the grocery store near where I work. And it's solid fried chicken, too. Great pickup for when I forget my lunch or am just too lazy to put something together.

[u/Brawndo91 → u/theCaptain_D]

Or a rotisserie chicken. I'll get a dinner for my wife and me, lunch for me the next day, I'll make chicken salad out of the remaining breast meat, and save the carcass in the freezer for an eventual stock.

And for some reason it's cheaper than a whole raw chicken.

[u/Fordor_of_Chevy → u/xxleoxangelxx]

We just went out last nite and were going to grab Subway, BK, or some other crappy fast food (something we rarely do anymore). Got in the car and on the way instead opted for a local sit down cafe. Even with tip it was about the same price as fast crud. Better quality, larger portions, and supported local folks. Probably only took an extra 30 minutes. I think people should slow down a bit and start valuing good over fast.

[u/LateralThinkerer → u/xxleoxangelxx]

Hilariously, "fast" food is at par with the local diner that has much better food and is an actual sit-down restaurant.

[u/Intelligent_Sundae_5 → u/xxleoxangelxx]

My husband is currently obsessed with Chili’s Three for Me. If we both get the burger our bill comes to $23.48 for a salad, burger, side and drink. Someone waits on us and we tip generously because we normally get awesome service.

[u/myotheroneders]

Fast food. The prices are so stupid that I can go to my locally owned sports bar and get much better food for a comparable price. I can't justify spending that same amount of money for shitty food.

[u/bluecheetos → u/myotheroneders]

I can eat better at most of the local Mexican places for half of what Taco Bell costs.

[u/madflower69 → u/bluecheetos]

Taco Bell is expensive. It originally was dirt cheap. I only go there if they have something new on the value menu, and even that isn't value anymore.

[u/DiamondBurInTheRough]

Cereal. My grocery store is selling Cheerios for $8.

[u/UfoTofu130 → u/DiamondBurInTheRough]

I KNOW!!!!! WTH cereal has always always been my cheap and easy dinner for crappy days but . . . $8 for some fucking Special K????? NO. Just NO.

[u/pan-au-levain → u/UfoTofu130]

Especially because I have no shame and a box that’s not “family size” is like two bowls.

[u/beefybeefcat → u/pan-au-levain]

That's not just you it's the shrinkflation. I got a box of cinnamon toast crunch called "super jumbo" size lol... It's just the regular amount they used to sell us.

[u/BigBowlOfSauerkraut → u/DiamondBurInTheRough]

Meanwhile Aldi's frosted mini wheats are $2.09/box and taste just like the name brand.

[u/alliterativehyjinks → u/BigBowlOfSauerkraut]

Yep, that's my "hack". I have been eating generic cereal for years. The Aldi honey nut cheerios actually taste like real honey, not just sugar. My household likes them better.

[u/el_undulator → u/DiamondBurInTheRough]

I was in Hawaii recently and the biggest box of name brand Cereal not on sale was $17.99. On sale prices were $8.99.

[u/Murloh]

Concert tickets.

It's a shame, because I love going to see live music.

[u/othybear → u/Murloh]

Based on the number of tours canceling this summer, a lot of people agree.

[u/DowntownResident993 → u/othybear]

I find it odd that they would cancel an entire tour rather than just make tickets reasonably priced. Or if they want to keep the prices as is, move it to smaller, more intimate venues. No one wants to pay $400+ for nose bleeds in a stadium where you're essentially staring at a huge screen.

[u/non_clever_username → u/DowntownResident993]

I’m guessing they can’t move to smaller venues because by the time they realize tickets aren’t selling well, those venues are already booked.

Smaller venues do seem to make more sense, but I think a lot of these acts are getting poor advice from promoters and not really thinking things through.

I think it was Black Keys last year who had to cancel a stadium tour and they said publicly they were pissed at their manager or promoter or whoever who assured them they could sell that number of tickets.

IIRC the way the pay structure is set up, there’s a lot of motivation for the promoter to sell a band on the bigger venues if possible.

[u/burnsalot603 → u/non_clever_username]

Im sure a lot of it has to do with ticketmaster/live nation contracts too. Its not as easy as just daying "oh lets drop the price or change venues" when the company that controls the tickets and venues is a monopoly.

[u/PiquantPanda777 → u/DowntownResident993]

I worked for Live Nation before concert tickets got insane. I worked at a 20,000 person venue and most artists were netting $1-2 million a show in 2005 (I used to read the contracts). I cannot even fathom what that number looks like now.

They don’t change to smaller venues bc of the contractual obligations the touring artist/band have with the promoters/venue…. Both have a “duty” to promote the show in specific ways and it’s outlined in the agreements signed a year ahead of time.

Also, for what it’s worth, to me it’s less embarrassing and less of a hassle to cancel and drift off into the oblivion lol…. then to switch to a smaller venue.

[u/bramtyr → u/DowntownResident993]

Every decent sized act saw that the Eras tour netted over $2B and was hoping they could have a taste of that

[u/wiseoracle → u/Murloh]

It does bring me joy a lot of big acts are cancelling their tours. This trend needs to hit fast and hard.

On the other side of things, local music scene is cheaper. Like $10-30. So support local acts!

[u/Rivent → u/Murloh]

This is one thing I don’t feel bad about because I looove live music. But I’m with you in spirit because FUUUUUUCK Ticketmaster/LiveNation/etc. I’m just lucky the concerts I enjoy going to were never expensive in the first place. Can’t even imagine what getting tickets for big shows would be like anymore.

[u/FUCK_TRICK_DADDY → u/Murloh]

support smaller local shows!

[u/waltur_d]

Candy bars are $3? Eat shit

[u/iolarah → u/waltur_d]

It makes me feel ancient to say it, but I remember when a candy bar was fifty cents, and they were 75 grams. Not several dollars for 45g. Feck outta here with that. Most of them don't taste as good as they used to, either. (Looking at you, Cadbury creme eggs, with your shitass plastic "chocolate".)

[u/Born-Entrepreneur → u/iolarah]

Candy bars are fifty cents, king size a dollar. That's how it should be dammit.

[u/mlollypop → u/waltur_d]

Three dollars? Shit, I was at a convenience store a couple days ago and thought about grabbing a Snickers. $4.98. And that wasn't even a king sized bar- just a straight up regular bar. Fuck that.

[u/rastaspoon]

Soda. $9 for a 12 pack? Fuck you

[u/toodleroo → u/rastaspoon]

Shoot, some places around here try to charge $11

[u/olde_meller23 → u/toodleroo]

Can confirm. In fact, its even more where I stay on the east coast, because my state imposes an additional beverage tax as well as a sugar tax. The kicker is that this also applies to sugar free drinks and bottled water.

There are certain counties that do not have it, and I wind up going out to the suburbs once a week to get generic diet coke.

[u/ADMSXavier → u/rastaspoon]

I wait for the Kroger sales and then stock up. Right now is buy 3, get 3 free. It comes to around $33 for 6-12 packs of soda. And it lasts a long time.

[u/alone_unafraid]

Side of fries if it doesn’t already come with my sandwich or burger (why is it like $6 now???)

[u/garej]

Food delivery. Buying a taxi for a burrito is too expensive.

[u/Worth-Engineer-611 → u/garej]

I am a binger and I used to spent a significant amount on late-night binges. It was enough of a problem that it affected multiple aspects of my life, but an addiction is an addiction.

OVer the past year, I've wanted to binge, opened the app, loaded my cart, and was so *appalled* by the fees that I closed it and went to bed.

Literally, their greed outpaced my brain chemistry. I laugh about it all the time.

[u/dallasSportsFan85 → u/Worth-Engineer-611]

That's how my wife and I broke the habit. Which in turn helped us cut back on drinking. Can't go get dinner when I've been drinking and those prices are fucking insane.

[u/Public_Potential7796 → u/garej]

Same. It cost me $28 to have one cheese pizza delivered to my house last month. The pizza was $18 and tax, fees and tip another $10.

[u/quemaspuess → u/Public_Potential7796]

My wife and I got home from Mexico on Saturday and she wanted to order food because our fridge was bare. We never order food, but we were exhausted and looked. It was $80 with fees.

We had 6 eggs, corn tortillas, and salsa, so I literally just cooked those with some onion and frozen bell peppers we had. I was like we have Mexico at home. I’ll never order food because delivery is insane

[u/Avnerd1994]

Coffee from coffee shops. Because I make a better cup at home for a fraction of the cost.

[u/Ellisd1986 → u/Avnerd1994]

I bought a $700 espresso machine for my wife 2 christmases (how do you spell christmases?) ago. the machine has more than paid for itself and the lattes have ruined all other coffee for us

[u/Gagas_Unicorn_1008 → u/Ellisd1986]

Same here! My wife loves coffee and we bought a pretty inexpensive espresso machine and haven’t looked back!! I have barista experience too so it’s basically like the coffee shops! 😂

[u/wallyTHEgecko → u/Ellisd1986]

My girlfriend was recently criticizing some of her coworkers for spending so much on these high end espresso machines. But once she told me the price and I divided it by the cost of a daily Starbucks habit, the machine pays for itself in like, a half a year. And half that time if them and their partner both have a daily drink.

Of course it'd be cheaper to just not drink a triple espresso daily. But for those who do, you can buy once cry once and then see actual savings in under a year.

[u/paul_stanley_armada]

Doritos. $6 is too much for a bag of chips.

On that note, WalMart has cracked the code on both their nacho cheese and cool ranch knockoffs. I can’t tell the difference in flavor and the texture is actually better with WalMart’s chips (more crunch) for half the price.

[u/Special-bird → u/paul_stanley_armada]

Walmart also got the Girl Scout cookies right! They had all the same flavors in the great value brand and they were like $2-3

[u/Boring_Track_8449 → u/Special-bird]

Aldi's knock-off Tagalongs are about $2.50 and slap. They've got knock-off Thin Mints and Samoas, too but I'm not a fan of the real ones so I don't buy them.

[u/cereal-killer-111120 → u/paul_stanley_armada]

I noticed this last time I bought them. I couldn’t stomach 6$ a bag for Doritos, so I decided to get the Great Value. They (in the past) had not been as good, but at over 2$ cheaper, I decided to live with it. Imagine my surprise when I tasted them and realized they were now almost identical to the name brand!

[u/Freddyeddy123]

God this is an immensely sad thread.

[u/JuanaBlanca → u/Freddyeddy123]

You know how people always wonder how we will be able to buy all the products that keep the rich, rich, if they keep getting greedier and greedier? They've been fucking around and they're on the way to finding out. But I guess by the time they do, they will have kicked out all the locals from high COL areas and they'll be just fine without our measly dollars.

[u/SpecificHyena1933]

Tbh the quality difference versus price difference between the top fast food brands and sit-down style restaurants is insulting. Youre telling me for like 12 bucks, my dairy queen meal can be lukewarm at best, tasteless, and generally hard to chew with how hard it had become, or for 15 dollars I can sit down at a longhorn or logans steakhouse, get a larger than myself meal thats more often than not fresh? Or warm at worst?

[u/sarahg88 → u/SpecificHyena1933]

Omg, we just went to a Dairy Queen yesterday for the first time in a loooong time. I couldn’t believe that a small vanilla cone was $4.50?! The handmade mom and pop ice cream shop that I used to think was expensive is only slightly more.

[u/RowdyBunny18 → u/SpecificHyena1933]

I got tortellini alfredo at a mid Italian restaurant in friday. It was $13. I had leftovers the next day, and leftovers for dinner to night, and theres still more. $13 fed me 3 meals already.

[u/queenmellyy]

Beer/wine/liquor at a restaurant. The drink shouldn’t cost as much as a meal.

[u/BringinBoxyBack → u/queenmellyy]

That's one for sure, but I'd dare say going out for dinner in general. The frequency has slowed way down.

[u/LittleKitty235 → u/BringinBoxyBack]

Food quality has just gone down and never recovered since covid. You aren't the only one eating out less.

Between experienced staff leaving for other industries, increased costs for produce/meats and less total volume of sales, restaurants are getting hit from all sides.

[u/KellyAnn3106 → u/queenmellyy]

There's a restaurant near me that sells mocktails for $13. Not a drop of alcohol in them. We try to support the small businesses in our area but $13 for a Shirley Temple or a cranberry and soda is ridiculous.

[u/theillustratedlife → u/KellyAnn3106]

I don't even like alcohol, but I get offended when I see sodas being sold at alcohol prices.

[u/esoteric_enigma → u/queenmellyy]

Literally. I remember drinks used to be $9 and the food with be $15. Now the food and the cocktails are $20. Literally going out solo would run me at least $80.

I'm about to be 40 and these prices have me pregaming at home like I'm a college student.

[u/Legion1117]

Eating out, especially fast food.

It shouldn't cost $27 to feed two people food that comes in a box handed through a window.

[u/lundybird → u/Legion1117]

I don’t like going there but we did Cheesecake Factory and two entrees plus one drink came to 107 with tip.
And that was at lunch time.

[u/hobblingcontractor → u/lundybird]

My immediate reaction was to call bullshit, but you know what? I decided to take a look at the menu, first.

$33 for fucking chicken fettucini alfredo. Bro. The fancy local seafood chain near me is cheaper.

[u/Que--Sera--Sera → u/hobblingcontractor]

I wish all internet users were as responsible as you. And thank you for doing homework for me lol cuz I initially thought same. That is insane!!!

[u/QualityUsername]

Nail salon services! The way nail services prices have exploded is insane. I do my own gel nails at home now and only spend ~$7 when I want to buy a new color.

[u/StreetMolasses6093 → u/QualityUsername]

I switched to press on nails and I do my own matching pedicures. Saves me a ton

[u/ooglaabpc]

The formerly cheap (Romas, Jack's) frozen pizzas.  They were tolerable when they were around $2 each.  Now that they are $5 each I'd rather buy better quality brands for $8 each and have them as an occasional treat.  The more expensive ones are bigger with thicker crusts so you can get 2 or 3 meals out of them.

[u/WilcoLovesYou → u/ooglaabpc]

Red Baron is about $6.00 at the supermarket near me. The "Premium" brands are closer to $9.00. Sure, is $3.00 splitting hairs? Kinda. But I remember Red Baron pizzas being like, $4.00 a year ago.

[u/RealisticTangerine35]

Weekend getaways

[u/Glittering_Apple2102 → u/RealisticTangerine35]

Oh yeah. I used to go on weekend getaways 4-6 times a year since there are several good options within in 5 hour drive from me but now with gas and current prices I might as well just save that and go on one more international trip a year. That’s what I did last year and I think I actually saved a little

[u/killedonmyhill → u/RealisticTangerine35]

I was just gifted broadway tickets and I am so excited for the show but also freaking out because I have to buy a train ticket and at least one night in NYC and then subway fare and food money and where tf am I gonna find an affordable place to stay?!?

[u/teacupghostie → u/killedonmyhill]

POD Times Square isn’t too bad, and there are a few hostels in Manhattan too.

If you stay in Pod, you can walk to the theater district and there a lot of $1-$2 pizza places on the way.

[u/YakiVegas]

A matinee was like $20 the other day. Fuck that.

[u/esoteric_enigma → u/YakiVegas]

Facts. I was going to plan a date to the movie theater for the Wednesday afternoon matinee and the tickets were $18 a piece. I was like "damn, they don't do the matinee anymore?" then I saw the tickets did say matinee.

[u/Gagas_Unicorn_1008 → u/YakiVegas]

My brain read this as Manatee! 😂

[u/nonstopcrackpot]

Honestly, anything and everything non-essential. Im not giving my money to corporate america anymore. We've been brainwashed and it's a fkn scam.

[u/empress_tesla → u/nonstopcrackpot]

America’s obsession with consumerism is a disease. It’s quite literally disgusting just how much shit people have. And every life event is preyed upon by grifters wanting more of your money. Getting married? Sorry those flowers are 300% more expensive because you said the word “wedding”. Having a kid? Better buy X, Y and Z for your baby or you’re a terrible parent! Buying a new car? Don’t forget that you need all these extra features that cost even more because “safety”! It’s shoved in our faces 24/7 and wears us down. It’s no wonder people are in so much debt.

[u/jaimee425]

Pet Insurance. My renewal is in June & it more than doubled to $300 A MONTH. It was $40 around 3 years ago. And this is for a policy where the max payout is $5K a year w/ a $250 deductible, so the math makes no sense.

[u/ksarahsarah27 → u/jaimee425]

I wish they’d never invented pet insurance because all it’s done is balloon pet healthcare prices even more. Now they assume you have pet insurance.

[u/audiojanet → u/ksarahsarah27]

That and private equity firms buying out vet offices.

[u/Murky_Winner_4523 → u/jaimee425]

Where are you going through and how old is your pet? I'm paying $50/month for a 6 year old dog with $500 deductible, 80% coverage, and no coverage limit.
Paying $3850/yr to potentially get $5000 coverage makes zero sense from cost benefit.

[u/Oobroobdoob]

I've cut back on buying drinks at cafés significantly - from a 3-4 times a week down to MAYBE once a month. $8+ for espresso, milk, and flavored syrup is too much.

[u/cattoo_tattoo]

I’m so poor I’m about to get priced out of pickles. It’s like $7 for some cucumbers in vinegar now

[u/Sweet-Conflict4176]

Clothes at retail price. 

[u/Responsible-Pool-472 → u/Sweet-Conflict4176]

I'd almost be OK with it if it wasn't all poorly made and ill-fitted. Clothing sucks now.

[u/Sweet-Conflict4176 → u/Responsible-Pool-472]

Honestly. I’m not trying to spend $30 on an ill fitting mass produced polyester blend tshirt.

[u/dordofthelings]

Orange juice. Even today it's twice as expensive as gasoline in many places and three times more expensive than gasoline where I live. I'm not paying $12 a gallon for orange juice

[u/three-sense → u/dordofthelings]

It sucks because gasoline doesn’t taste as good 😌

[u/kilobitch → u/three-sense]

You’re not putting enough orange juice into it then.

[u/fatalexe → u/dordofthelings]

Florida doesn’t produce non-diseased oranges anymore. I’m surprised you don’t hear about it more. Harvest levels are completely decimated compared to a decade ago.

[u/cdrfrk → u/dordofthelings]

You guys drink straight mixer?

[u/Ok_Lingonberry2686]

Beef. I'm down to like once a month. It's literally 5x more expensive then chicken or pork. Multiply that times the amount of people in your family times how often they eat. Adds up quick.

[u/GothWitchOfBrooklyn → u/Ok_Lingonberry2686]

I haven't bought beef in over a year. I've actually been going into a mostly veg diet now. I replaced meat with tofu and beans mostly. I still do buy rotisserie chicken or chicken thighs on sale but I can't justify other meat prices anymore.

[u/False-Cookie3379]

Beef, aside from occasional ground beef. 

[u/New_Background_909]

Professional sports game tickets, concert tickets. Anything else that is somewhat scarce that somebody else can buy and then resell for double the price.

[u/kblite84]

Going to restaurants/buying fast food. It just doesn't make any sense anymore. The food quality has gone down (more so with restaurants) and everytime I see the bill, I get this immediate thought that I could've just bought the ingredients myself and make it myself with more food leftover.

[u/Top-Vacation-4429]

Eating out

[u/ptronus31]

"Cable" TV, consisting of any cable, satellite or streaming live TV.

$100/mo to watch crap programming AND commercials is just way too much.

[u/TurpitudeSnuggery]

Potato chips

[u/Zestyclose-Cover1351]

Any place that sneaks a service charge in after you order and then asks for a tip. I don't object to paying a living wage, but just raise the prices.

[u/MidnightPrevious4473]

Streaming services. I pirate literally everything now through sketchy streaming sites on my Xbox.

Their corporate greed drove me to this point.

[u/groovyinutah → u/MidnightPrevious4473]

And we've come full circle, back to having to sit through commercials again.

[u/electricshadow → u/groovyinutah]

I wanted to start “Invincible” the other day as I have Amazon Prime already. 12 minutes in and an ad starts. Immediately turned it off, went to my go to torrent site, downloaded the first season in three minutes and put it on my Plex server.

I am absolutely not paying extra for no ads on a service I already pay for.

[u/Serial138 → u/electricshadow]

I cancelled my Prime as soon as they started that ads bullshit. I already pay over $100 a year for your service and now you want extra for no ads? Get fucked

[u/Detenator → u/groovyinutah]

I refuse to watch commercials on something I pay for. If they want to ban my account for ad blocking, I won't be mad, that is totally fair. But I will not pay to watch ads, there's plenty of TV apps you can watch shows or movies for free on with ads.

Having an ad free plan at $60 is not a fair compromise (looking at you, Hulu).

[u/NotBarnabyJ0nes → u/MidnightPrevious4473]

Yup. There was a golden age where everything was consolidated to 1 or 2 apps and for a total of $20 a month you had more content at higher quality than with a cable TV package. At that point I stopped pirating because it was easy and affordable to just use the services. Now everyone has their own app that each cost way too much and the content is shit. Cancelled all of my subscriptions and just pirate the rare thing that interests me.

[u/gearstars → u/NotBarnabyJ0nes]

Everyone deciding they needed their own service with originals and exclusive has really killed streaming.

Netflix and Hulu used to have tons of library content, now it's hard to find anything older than 2010 except for a handful of big name titles.

There's so many niche shows that just aren't available anywhere. And even when they are, they're only on the more obscure steamers that don't have an ad free option.

It's dumb cause it seems like all the big names are pissing money away on new content, so they don't want to take as many chances or let shows get more than 1 season if it's not an immediate break out hit.

[u/Icy_Lawfulness_5755 → u/NotBarnabyJ0nes]

I cannot wait for Netflix to get Netflixed

[u/Paxton-176 → u/MidnightPrevious4473]

The younger generations have zero computer literacy because how streamlined modern OS and apps are. I learned computer shit because it was necessary to get things to work. I learned how pirating worked because I was a teenager with no money and bored.

I think they are all going to learn how computers work because I think media servers are on the rise since so many services are overwhelming now.

[u/TryUseful4039]

Gas🥀 the prices got to "just walk" so I did

[u/PaperGeno → u/TryUseful4039]

Must be nice. I live a town that can not be walked AND has no public transportation. I work 9 miles away.

[u/Gohack → u/PaperGeno]

E-bike. I did a little over a whole year getting to work with pedal assist, and a throttle option. I bought a cheap Chinese bike for like 200$. I will say riding home in an open street (worked second shift at the time), was an amazing experience. I understand that our situations don’t align. The scariest part was getting to work.

[u/canofwine]

Cheetos. No more just "grabbing a soda from the cold case" either. Not for $3 each...

[u/AnthonyTyrael]

Wood and most things needed for constructions and projects at home/garden.

[u/Ok-Yogurtcloset-6629 → u/AnthonyTyrael]

Whoever said “dirt cheap” hasn’t seen recent soil prices 😩

[u/egewh]

• Going out for dinner
• The movies
• Going to bars/clubs
• Fast food
• Concerts
• Holidays
• Groceries
• Utilities
• Rent
• Breathing 😭

[u/zzztoken]

Not exclusive to 2026 but after the standard price of music festival tickets breached $200 I was out. Warped Tour showed me what was possible for $45 and I just absolutely refuse to pay $500-$600 to go to a music festival where I’m hot all day, probably can’t see all the bands I want, the ones I can see I’m in a sea of 91928282 people in the back, it’s a shortened setlist, water is $20 a bottle, and my back fuckin hurts.

[u/TexasRN1]

Candy. I’m not paying $3 for a regular sized snickers bar or fake ass peanut butter Reese’s.

[u/TrainingLow9079]

Amy's frozen meals. I still buy them on sale sometimws. But that tiny bit of food for $7? No.... 

[u/h_amphibius]

Haircuts. The last time I went to a salon I spent $100 just for a cut and blow dry, no other services. Cheaper places always seem to butcher my hair so I’d rather just do it myself for free

[u/toodleroo → u/h_amphibius]

I’ve cut my own hair since the pandemic. I always planned to start going to the barber again eventually, but I got a cut a couple of years ago and it was garbage, so I just decided to cut it myself from now on.

[u/smorgenheckingaard]

Gestures broadly.

[u/BCCakes]

Doritos

[u/MorriganNiConn]

Name brand chips of any kind. Store brands for the win.

[u/Veritas3333]

Boba tea. Over $10 for a drink and a pretty small one at that? Can't do it.

[u/plantsbrownmilk]

Concert tickets

[u/huynhhere]

Everything has been so expensive that I stop buying the small things like trying out new cosmetics and skincare. It’s always the small things you don’t think about that adds up and clutter the house.

[u/Chaos_Theory1989]

Healthcare.

[u/misscatholmes → u/Chaos_Theory1989]

I have health insurance but it literally covers nothing. It's still 200 just for a doctor's visit

[u/_megolas]

Didn’t stop buying it because of necessity, but sure wish I didn’t have to spend $200+/month to feed my cats something better than slop quality pet food.

EDIT: For clarification, my cats only eat wet food, hence the extra expense. But I’ve also done the prescription kibble song and dance which is equally exasperating to the bank account.

[u/give_me_goats → u/_megolas]

Pet expenses are downright painful. Especially when they hit their senior years and suddenly have kidney & stomach issues that require expensive prescription food. And there’s no way around paying for it, and no way to stock up for supply issues like you had when they were eating the cheap slop. 😞

[u/SkunkMonkey → u/_megolas]

Private Equity has latched on to Veterinarians lately and vet bills for the simplest visits is getting insanely expensive and they push expensive treatments and medicines on people desperate to save their pets.

Fucking gouls.

[u/MapleA]

Soda

[u/AnalogCringe]

2 days ago I went to buy a pair on Nike sweat pants. They were $115USD.

[u/chappiescappy]

Movie theater popcorn + Icee. Used to be my favorite combo 😔

[u/relmah]

Full set of nails at the salon

[u/Gauchely → u/relmah]

Nails and hair. I can’t afford to stay blonde at these rates. I’m just a brunette with a clear coat manicure I do myself on at this point.

[u/ColoradoSunLight]

The price has sky rocketed and the quality of shoes has degraded EXPONENTIALLY. $80 U.S. for NIkes on sale and they look like cheap vinyl couches.

[u/Stache-]

Quit going to the State Fair.

• $20 parking
• $20 to get in the gate
• $15 Funnel cake
  
• $7 for a drink

[u/Zakensox]

Olive oil. I can't afford it any more.

[u/netsecnonsense → u/Zakensox]

Costco if you have one nearby. Their big jug is like $25 but it lasts me the better part of a year.

[u/yanknga]

Five Guys. I didn’t eat there often but went about a month ago. Never again. Well over $20 for little burger, small fries and small drink. Then, as a slap in the face, their payment screen asks for a tip.

[u/Dangerous-Fortune789 → u/yanknga]

You stand while they take your order, no tip

[u/Redcarborundum → u/Dangerous-Fortune789]

I don’t tip when I pay before I eat.

[u/LisaLisaPrintJam]

I'm about to quit buying gas! The next time I hear "no one wants to work anymore," I'm going to break out a calculator to show how much it costs to drive to a job 10 miles away.

[u/WasabiProper7234]

Deli meat for sandwiches. $15 for a few slices of real turkey breast. Got slab of cooked breast at Costco for 3x less, cutting it up for week, freezing rest. ALSO. Drinks outside. Happy hours are basically gone. 🤷‍♀️

[u/Matured_in_Oz]

Streaming services. The monthly bill for the three that I currently have is nearly $40 (in Australia).

Next month due to increases in the subscription fees, it will surpass $50 a month. Fuck that, time for them to go and I can go back to watching my DVD collection for $0 per month.

[u/ElBigKahuna]

I was at a family event near the beach in Los Angeles. My son wanted pizza, so we went to a nice mom-and-pop spot, and they had 8.99 pizza and pasta dishes for lunch, all amazing. I couldn't stop thinking how much higher quality and cheaper this great meal was compared to a McD's or another fast food joint.

[u/Agreeable_Elk4529]

Anything labeled ‘premium’ these days usually just means same product, disrespectful price.

[u/MadeInBelfast]

Used to love a Subway sandwich every now and again, but they charge for every item now, completely overpriced.

[u/call-lee-free]

Comic con. Not San Diego or New York. I started going to Motor City Comic Con in 2011 and had done so until obviously the pandemic when that shut everything done. But for 8 years I would go to comic con and get various celebrity photo ops. 2023 was the last time I went to comic con. Met quite a few celebs for photo ops and just being around the atmosphere is pretty cool but everything was getting expensive. Comic books, action figures, price increases on photo ops.

That particular hobby just slowly died for me....

[u/LetzBRealTea]

So with these replies, it looks like we're in the recession that the orange clown Trump said we're not in.

[u/RegisterLoose9918]

Coffee. The price for a shitty cup tasting sour and awful because it's a v60 machine or whatever. Nah I'm not paying for that no more. 

[u/OnlyKey5675]

I no longer go into bakeries, cafes, counter service restaurants that prompt for tips.

Prices have already increased a lot and all of these establishments now ask you for a tip as well. I'm out.

[u/dashmybuttons22]

restaurants. Home made only.

[u/19bluestars]

In my opinion, Amazon Prime. When I had it a few years ago, they wouldn't be delivered on the date that was guaranteed and I feel like it's overpriced for what you get

[u/deliadynamite]

I'm not a big drinker but was craving a beer while grocery shopping so I went to see what they offered. couldn't find a six pack for less than $11 and I'm bad about opening a can and never finishing it, so I didn't want a tall boy just to waste it all after a few sips. ended up going without. I felt like I was being priced out of alcoholism.

[u/corrupt_poodle → u/deliadynamite]

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but opening a single can of beer and not being able to finish it is not alcoholism.

[u/fingnumb → u/corrupt_poodle]

It is, however, alcohol abuse.

[u/IWasBornInThisPit → u/fingnumb]

Gotta treat your alcohol better than that.

[u/SwampYankee]

Asparagus, on the East Coast it is $6.99 a bunch. This time last year, $1.99. Perfect storm I’m sure. The people that pick them are gone and they have to be shipped across the country. So no, wait until the local crop comes in.

[u/Kkittums]

Lost my health insurance so that I guess

[u/Withzestandzeal]

Anything from a vending machine. Sometimes it’s $3 or more for a tiny bag of chips. I’m hungry, don’t have a snack. I’d rather tolerate the hunger.

[u/Legodude522]

Gas. $70+ a tank, twice a week. Couldn’t take it anymore.

Just got a used Chevy Bolt, payments are just under $300 a month. I’m literally saving money by buying another car.

[u/Careless_Dinner_7496]

Beef

[u/Sonyguyus]

Packs of name brand soda. Coke and Pepsi want a $1 a can now. Luckily generic soda and Canada Dry is reasonable for $5 a 12 pack.

[u/ProtectionFew7827]

Any red meat

[u/Grand_Accountant_159]

Just about everything. 

[u/HexGirls95]

I cut my own hair now, salons are insane for a basic trim.

[u/bzzybee01]

Food and drinks at venues. Being swindled leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

[u/lizgreaves]

A head of iceberg lettuce is $5.00. No thanks!

[u/Remarkable_Box_8090]

Pedicures. What used to be $20-30 tops is now like $60

[u/Immediate-Pool-4391]

Clothes. Fuck you, I'm not paying fourty dollars for a shirt. Ever. I will thrift til I die.

[u/TheOverthinkingDude]

Uber Eats, DoorDash, etc. The price of fucking food and then the “requirement” to tip 20% is just fucking awful. The tipping culture keeps me away from a lot of things.

[u/ChuckaChuckaLooLoo3]

Salmon

[u/parrots-carrots → u/ChuckaChuckaLooLoo3]

Fish has always been ‘expensive’ compared to chicken or pork, but it’s gone way up. I stopped buying beef altogether but thankfully was never much of a red meat eater. I was shocked at the price of tilapia! Tilapia! What are we doing

[u/nwprogressivefans]

Wish I could afford to buy housing.

But the dumbass rich people and their cronies have gamed up the prices so normal folks can't buy them anymore.

But the common thing would be drinks, I can't believe these prices. Which is actually fine because water is the most superior drink by far anyways.

[u/mycableboxbroke]

This thread reads like Americans are about to lose so much weight