When something becomes a burden to you, whether financially or emotionally, the best course of action is to leave it. When the economy deteriorates so much, you are forced to make choices and possibly adjust your lifestyle.
You drop off luxury items and scale down on things you consume occasionally. A frugal person looks for ways to save money, and when things become too expensive, you find a way to adjust. Here are examples of things (products and services) that people no longer find value in because of how expensive they have become.
All Fast Food
Fast food used to be a ‘cheap treat’, but when you spend $30 for a meal for two people at McDonald’s, you realize how expensive it can be. They have become as expensive as higher-end food with fresh ingredients but still have low-quality taste and come in smaller portions.
Thrifting
Thrifting used to be the best way to get high-quality items at a low price. Nowadays, these stores are selling their products at prices almost similar to high-end stores. People who flip products from thrift stores are responsible for this price hike. They buy things they do not need and sell them at exorbitantly high prices on eBay and Amazon.
Ordering Delivery
It used to be the same price as ordering in person with a small fee and tip per item. Now, most places have signed with a “service,” so they no longer do it themselves, and now you have to go thru Door Dash or Uber Eats. This adds on additional fees. Larger tips are expected for what, in most cases, amounts to worse service than back when restaurant or pizza joint did their own delivery.
Concerts
By the time all the extras and fees are applied, they’re out of reach. Paying $1000 to go see an artist seems ridiculous for some people.
Farmer’s Markets
Everything was like 1/4 what it’d cost at the store, grown closer, and by smaller local farms.
Then everything changed when it became trendy; now it’s more expensive than stores, and people question if the products are even from local farms or Costco.
Pizza
Paying $18-22 on average for something that is so incredibly easy and cheap to make is ridiculous. Add $2-3 for a small topping, and you will realize why people don’t want to buy as much pizza as they used to. You can make wonderful pizza at home using any of the thousands of free recipes available online.
Eating Out
People have reserved eating out for special occasions because dinner is too expensive nowadays. Eating out occasionally will surely put a dent and strain on your pocket. Learn to cook and prepare delicious meals at home. You will enjoy healthier and less expensive meals.
Airbnbs
These seem to be getting out of hand lately, and the competition from hotels is not doing them justice. A hotel comes with clean sheets and room service for almost the same cost. You could also access other free amenities, such as a gym, swimming pool, and sauna at a hotel, but you cannot find those at an Airbnb.
Buying a New Car
The cost of buying a new car has skyrocketed. People no longer want to spend so much money on something that depreciates immediately when they drive off the yard. People are opting to buy well-maintained second-hand cars instead.
Soft Drinks
Companies are spending 7 cents to make carbonated water, add flavor, pack them into 10-cent cups, and sell for $3.
Getting Regular Haircuts
When cutting hair was affordable, people could visit their barber as frequently as they wanted. Now, with a $40 price tag, you have to think twice before visiting your barber for a haircut. Frugal people are opting to buy shaving machines and do it themselves to save on costs.
Netflix Subscription
Netflix seems to raise their prices as they like without bothering about what their users think. No wonder people are exiting the platform in droves.
Giving Birth
Many people have commented on how hard it is to raise a kid in such chaotic economic times, and most say they have decided not to give birth until they are comfortable. They say the joy of having a child is overshadowed by the stress they will have to raise these kids.
Housing in Major Cities
The cost of rent in major towns has skyrocketed in a few years. This makes it hard for people to find decent housing despite making decent wages.
Movies in Theaters
If you are a movie lover, you are better off staying at home and watching online from your favorite subscription service. Movies in theaters are expensive, especially if you have to buy drinks and snacks from the concessional stand inside these theaters. You can no longer afford to frequent movie theaters as you used to.
Home Ownership
Interest rates and prices are forcing you to rent for the rest of your life.
IKEA
The prices have gotten to the point where one can just spend a bit more and get real furniture. $600 for a particle board dining table that will be destroyed the first time water spills on it. You might as well drop another $200 and buy one made from real wood. $1000 for a sofa full of fiber fill that will sag within 2 weeks, or spend a bit more for a top-quality flex steel couch.
College Education
The time, the debt, and the long-term impact (you have this degree forever for this specific thing) seem like more baggage than not having any of it. The return on investment may not be worth it for some people. And you may be paying student loans for a very long time.
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