As budgets around the country get stretched ever thinner, people are forgoing things they used to buy regularly.
Here are the top things people stopped buying because it’s too expensive.
Cereal
The breakfast staple costs too much for most families. Parents who at one point could feed their kids cereal for two bucks a week now pay over $7 a box, and with shrinkflation, it doesn’t even last the week.
House
Many potential homeowners decided they can’t afford to buy a house. Rising interest rates didn’t do much to curtail the outrageous cost of housing in most areas and only pushed the American Dream further out of reach.
Concert Tickets
Long gone are the days when you could see a favorite band for fifty bucks. Now, tickets retail for over $100, but after the outrageous fees and cost of parking, people pay upwards of $200 for one night out. And that doesn’t even account for when scammers buy up all the tickets first.
Rising prices and the fact that it’s a want rather than a need make many forego the experience.
Chips
Salty Snacks used to be cheap treats. Now, name-brand chips cost over five bucks at convenience stores.
On the plus side, it’s probably better for our health if we don’t eat them anyway.
A Car
People are keeping their cars longer and finding alternative means of transportation due to the rising costs. Both new and used vehicles are expensive nowadays, and even beaters go for upwards of $5,000.
Mani/Pedis
When prices rise, people stop buying luxury items and services. While many love feeling pampered with a mani/pedi, it’s one of the first things to go.
Meat
People are replacing beef and chicken with alternative proteins like lentils and beans. Even cheaper cuts traditionally used for soups and stews are too expensive.
Lunch
Some are stretched so thin that they’ve cut out essential meals. Some skip breakfast, while others skip lunch to save money on food.
Dining Out
When you can barely afford to eat, you cut out on non-essential food like dining at restaurants. Some folks who can afford restaurants even opt out because the price is too high for what you get.
Why spend $100 for subpar food when you can make something that tastes better at home for half the cost?
Travel
People can barely afford to live, so they’re cutting non-essential travel. Rising costs for airfare and hotel stays make it less attractive for even those who can afford it.
Kids
Children are expensive. More and more people are putting off parenthood because they can’t afford to feed themselves, much less a child.
Delivery
Many pizza places used to offer free delivery. You’d tip your driver a five spot and enjoy a delicious pizza for less than five bucks.
Now, most companies charge outrageous delivery fees that don’t even go to the driver, and anyone who does delivery expects a 20-25% tip.
Don’t even get us started on Doordash fees.
Fast Food
Fast food used to be the staple of cheap and easy meals. Unfortunately, as more and more companies do away with dollar menus and charge outrageous prices for a small fry, it’s no longer a cheap option.
A trip to McDonald’s for two can cost upwards of thirty bucks, and the food absolutely did not improve to match the hefty price tag.
Pop
Brand name pop (or soda, for our California and New England friends and Coke for our SOuthern friends) is too expensive.
No one wants to pay nearly ten bucks for a 12-pack. It’s probably for the best, though, as pop is one of the most unhealthy things you can consume.
Video Games
Even the quintessential stay-at-home hobby is too expensive. People can no longer afford a $70 game and instead play hand-me-downs from family or buy used online.
Medical Care
The outrageous cost of healthcare has always been problematic, but people forego health insurance and preventative care because they can’t afford it.
Everything
Inflation is affecting everything. Far too many Americans are cutting all non-essential spending because they can’t afford to live. They’re skipping meals and bargain-hunting on essentials like groceries and housing.
The situation is untenable.
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Source: Reddit
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