“It Costs Too Much” Top Things People Stopped Buying Due To Rampant Inflation

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

healthy looking cereal in a bowl with fruit and yogurt
Photo Credit: Anna_Pustynnikova via Shutterstock.com.

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

exterior of a large, pretty grey house
Photo Credit: Artazum via Shutterstock.com.

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

Crowd of raised arms at a concert.
Photo Credit: Melinda Nagy via Shutterstock.com.

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

Different chip varieties in little bowls on a table - view from above.
Photo Credit: The Image Party via Shutterstock.com.

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

A smiling man hugs the hood of his new car.
Photo Credit: GBJSTOCK via Shutterstock.com.

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

A busisness man getting a manicure.
Photo Credit: Ilya Karnaukhov via Shutterstock.com.

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

A woman is about to stick a meat thermometer in a roasted chicken.
Photo Credit: Africa Studio via Shutterstock.com.

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

sandwich and apple peeking out of a brown paper lunch bag laying on a table
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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

man looking at a paper menu at an upscale restaurant.
Photo Credit: Rawpixel.com via Shutterstock.com.

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

A man and a woman dressed like they're traveling with unhappy expressions.
Photo Credit: Cast Of Thousands via Shutterstock.com.

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

Happy mom lifting her infant in a field.
Photo Credit: Evgeny Atamanenko via Shutterstock.com.

Children are expensive. More and more people are putting off parenthood because they can’t afford to feed themselves, much less a child. 

Delivery

A man riding a bicylce with a food delivery case on his back.
Photo Credit: Daisy Daisy via Shutterstock.com.

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

Man looking sideways holding burger and fries.
Photo Credit: Odua Images via Shutterstock.com.

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

three glasses of cold pop with ice in them
Photo Credit: 4F.MEDIA via Shutterstock.com.

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

kids laying on the floor with video game controllers while parents sit on a couch in the background
Photo Credit: 4 PM production via Shutterstock.com.

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

A seasoned male doctor in a white coat stands in front of a blurred group of younger residents.
Photo Credit: PeopleImages.com – Yuri A via Shutterstock.com.

The outrageous cost of healthcare has always been problematic, but people forego health insurance and preventative care because they can’t afford it. 

Everything

Sad man in a suit showing an empty wallet.
Photo Credit: AJR_photo via Shutterstock.com.

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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An anxious looking woman turns the pockets of her jeans inside out to show she's penniless.
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