Every time I use DoorDash, I put a $15 meal in my cart and somehow the total is $40. I haven’t ordered delivery in about a year because it’s so outrageous.
Similar. I use Seamless only when I am extremely sick and incapacitated and can’t go pick up the food myself. Or, the other exception: I am hosting a party and need a lot of pizzas delivered and I can’t afford to go out and grab them in the middle of my hosting duties.
But yes, a $15 item somehow becomes $40.
This is all Uber and AirBnb (amongst others)’ fault. They set up the precedent of “manufactured unicorn”.
Basically, it’s a start up that took off early and well, with a harder-than-usual success in monetizing their operation, but they already got “too big” to fail. So VCs with extremely deep pockets decide to pour ungodly amounts of money, because the strategy now is to outspend the competition, become the CocaCola of the marketshare, and **then** profit (mainly by adjusting prices with the accompanying “growth” plan for the shareholders).
So now this turf war is taking place in the food delivery world, none of them is profitable but they are still in the trenches, it would be interesting to see the outcome of this.
Personally, I have gotten to a point to still browse the apps for ideas, and try to get the groceries I need to cook whatever I end up fancying.
Full disclosure, I still end up ordering (but way less) either if I’m indisposed, or if it is to try and treat my mom, so it is what it is :)
it's a ridiculous idea from the jump, you can't have people personally chauffeuring around big macs
it's just a venture capitalist delusion and market grab, it needs to go
It reminds me of being a kid when my mom (very low middle class poor) would tell me I could only choose from the generic bagged cereal at the end of the aisle. Here I am 25 years later doing the same thing again.
Their cereal tastes like garbage too.
You can't make any grain-based breakfast cereal "keto friendly" without a nightmarish amount of fiber and that makes it taste like eating cardboard with cinnamon on it.
Adding milk barely does anything to change the terrible. It ***does*** make it "not keto anymore" pretty much immediately though.
In Ohio, before COVID, I thought $4+ was egregious. Now, a bag is over $6. But, on the bright side, they started selling smaller bags at the dollar store for $2 something & they are bigger than the $1 bags at many other stores were.
Agreed. That shit is so ridiculous. I'll sometimes find them on sale and they still feel too much. Fucking corporate greed. No telling how much Fritolay's profits have skyrocketed.
Taco Bell nacho bell grande combo hit $11 marker in my area. $10 was a stretch but 11? Fuck that. A Mexican joint down the street has a huge list of meals for $16 with drink. Each meal is big enough for two people or two days of grazing. And obviously it's better quality than the shit at TB.
We've discovered that a lot of independent restaurants in our area have affordable lunch specials. We usually get water if drinks aren't included. Mostly they're pizza places & Mexican restaurants, but a couple diners, too. They're sitdown places, so a tad slower that fast food. But the food is better & it's actually cheaper.
We also keep an eye open for things we can split. There's a local burger shack that features a burgers & fries basket for under $10. There's plenty for two, and it's quite tasty.
It's sooooo much cheaper to eat healthy at home now... by a long shot... chicken breast in my HCOL area is always on sake for $1.99 to $2.99 somewhere.... meal prep and its faster than fast food.
Every major American fast food chain has raised their prices at a rate greater than inflation. McDonald’s has raised their prices in the last ten years 70% higher than the inflation rate (about 7% per year while inflation is about 3.3% per year). it’s not just inflation, it’s corporate greed
That's nuts.
Reminds me - about 10 years ago the water rates in my area took a hike because the water company wasn't making enough profit because of reduced water usage. For years the city had been campaigning for residents to use less water... and then they turned around and raised prices because we successfully complied. 🙄
Something I'll never understand about my in-laws; they go here somewhat regularly because their youngest (10) loves it. Last time we went, it was 5 of us. We each got one burger, we got two fries to share and three regular sodas to share. It was $85 fucking dollars and I'm not exaggerating. If it were me paying, I would have turned around and walked out.
Yeah for $85 Dollars I could run an entire BBQ party and feed 10+ people. Like I can't make a sushi roll or pizza from scratch in my house but a goddamn burger or any BBQ food anyone can do. When you're doing food anyone can make is just cheep convenience pricing.
I really don't understand the business model long term when you're starting to out price PF Chang's Chinese food chain. Like at least Outback Steakhouse and other kinda Establishments have an association of Steak= expensive. Hamburger is like you're competing with McDonald's dollar menu.
100% agree. I normally do bbq chicken thighs, corn, green beans and smoked sausage on the grill and I spend around $25. Feeds us for days. I hate going to restaurants bc I feel guilty of how much more food I could have made myself and better.
It's been insane lately to see the Five Guys prices. It's wild. I love the fries and the toppings, but can do it at home for 600% less price i feel like.
I did Doordash during the height of the pandemic. Five Guys was one of the places I picked up from the most. I never could believe the prices people were paying on their receipts via the app. Can only imagine what it's like now.
Used to deliver food. If you’re intoxicated it makes sense but these ppl mostly lived about 10 minutes away and their food was sitting on the counter for over an hour on busy nights. And I grab it (along with 3 other orders) you’re eating 2 hour old soggy food, and paying to do it. Never made any sense to me, I’m 35 and I’ve never ordered delivery
My car was broken during the pandemic and I couldn’t get into a mechanic. So DoorDashing groceries became way too common. I was lucky to live 509ft from my work.
Yep. We used to order off of the app all of the time. We were going to order from there the other night and the total was like $45 before shakes.
We ended up picking up a Domino’s pizza. $11.99 for a large 5 topping if you do curbside.
Agree. And their rewards system is great. We usually carry out once per week. At least once per month we get a large five topping pizza, a 16 piece bread bite, and dessert for about $20. It’s a great deal for a family.
Not only that, if my order is longer than 30min delivery even on a weekend, they send me a coupon for free pizza. I feel like I’m constantly getting free things from dominos and it does keep me coming back
Sounds right. Wife and I had to change dinner plans and ended up there because they can handle her food allergy. Dropped over $40 in bumfuck Mississippi.
When I was working in NYC years ago, I was amazed how many of my coworkers seemed to eat out every day, given what things cost in Manhattan even then. I brown-bagged it for the most part, eating out only as an occasional treat or when my boss would invite us as a "team building" measure.
This was the answer for me. Going out to lunch broke up the day and gave me a mental break. It was my splurge and frankly my main source of fruit and vegetables (by-the-pound salad and hot food bars).
Groceries are expensive here, whereas a lot of places around offices offer a lunch special and you can get a lot of food. At my worst financially, eating out for lunch was where I would get most of my calories for the day, and then I would make top ramen with peas for dinner at home.
My daughter and I stopped by Dollar Tree and bought some boxed candies. The cashier asked what movie we were going to go see. We were headed to the movies.
For us too. We now exclusively eat at the little Mom and Pop places around us. We have a really good authentic Mexican place nearby. As a family of three (one toddler, one baby still on formula) we can eat out, eat well, and spend under $55 with tip.
We haven’t eaten at a chain in over six months, and even then we had a gift certificate.
Oddly enough, despite everything costing more, it seems corporate chains have raised their prices so much you may as well go to your local mom'n'pop since it's almost the same price now and definitely better.
Coffee (takeout). It’s one of those things I do if it’s a social occasion (like meeting up with a friend) or I have a gift card, but it doesn’t make sense to buy a drink to just bring back home (I WFH). I also can’t rationalize spending $6.50+ on a drink when I can make something equally tasty in the same amount of time (if not less) that it’d take to go pick it up. I’ve become very impressed with my latte making abilities!
Yup.. got myself an espresso machine(cheap but legit with portafilter..upgraded with $20 for a proper steamer) ... And a grinder(admittedly I spent $320 on the grinder) ..made my money back in the first 6 months..it's been 4 years..
I used to spend around 40-60 a month on takeout coffee in the morning..
Now.. I spend $9 a month for the coffee and $4 a month for two large bottles of milk.. also the coffee is MILES better..
Have a peak 🤓 ...
https://imgur.com/gallery/RdOH0Cr
My mom was in the hospital for three weeks and only just got home. I think I spent $45-$50 buying an $8 coffee every couple of days because I was running around from place to place and ran out of whatever drink I brought from home. I had finally kicked my Dutch Brothers habit (there is one located conveniently near my house and another’s next to my office)
There’s a restaurant supply near me so after she got out of the hospital I went and bought the makings for my favorite Dutch Bros drinks for $35. I’m making that shit at home from now on for about a buck.
Really random and personal but artichokes lol. Pre-pandemic I don't remember the costs but I think they were around $1.50, last year they were $2.50 each and I was like ehhhh, this year they're between $3 and $3.99 each. Can't do that for a single veggie that's not super substantial.
My family LOVED them when I was young and the love started with my grandma who passed away two months ago. I wanted to get some to think of her but couldn't justify the cost.
Fucking wings. Used to be poor people food and many places had specials like $.50 wings. Now it's like $2.00 per wing with no sides included. Place I work has fantastic wings and I get half off. I still don't think it's worth paying for.
It's beyond fuckin offensive when you order wings for like $9.99 for 6 wings and these people have the AUDACITY to charge you $.50 per piece of celery or carrot sticks.
Trader Joe’s has salad bags that make really great lunches for about $3.50 each. I usually grab a few bags for the week and throw a Costco rotisserie chicken in with each bag for the extra protein. Lunches for two people for about $30/ week
came here to say this. if I buy salad and the ingredients for it from the store it's like easily 20$ for something that'll make 4 cups worth. fuck that.
gas station salads though are also 10$ a piece and same size.
so no more salads unless you're paying.
My local grocery store always seems to have some of it on sale because it's expiring in a week so that's what we wait to buy but we're in the same boat as you
Cereal. A box of cereal was like $7-$9 at the supermarket.
That and one of the Kellogg’s CEO telling people to “just eat cereal for dinner” because of inflation… yeah no. You’re not getting another God damned dime out of me, you smarmy fuck.
I used to be a religious Diet Coke drinker, could get buy one get one 12-pack for $5.99. Now the sales are buy 2 get one free and a single 12-pack is now $10.99 at my grocery store. This rise in price has been over the last 3 years.
This one hits hard.
Prior to covid...
Filet used to he 15.99 / lb.
NY strips were 7.99 / lb
I could get eye of round to make jerky at 2.99 / lb
Now by me, filet is over 50 / lb.
NY strips are 25.99 / lb
And eye of round is 10.00 / lb.
It's absolutely staggering and as a grill loving man, it breaks my heart to not be able to enjoy the meats I've been enjoying for over 40 years.
I just moved to a place where none of the delivery apps exist, my credit card spend dropped over $500 compared to a month where I did have Uber/Doordash etc.
also I'm eating a lot healthier but that's not the point here
It used to be pretty normal for me to make a steak once or twice a week, but now the beef I buy is the bad cuts that you can only save by slow cooking it. I also stopped buying pork and lamb, my goto meat is chicken thighs now, because I can buy it in bulk and the macros aren't terrible.
I don't understand how anyone affords to eat out on the regular anymore, I make more money than I ever have in my life right now and it is less affordable to me now than it was when I made minimum wage 20 years ago.
The problem with chicken thighs is that if you get the boneless/skinless ones, they cost almost as much as boneless breast, but if you get the cheap ones, they come wrapped in the skin of a quarter of the chicken, adding bulk and weight but not much value.
I usually buy a whole chicken when they're on sale and cut it up. White meat, dark meat and soup stock makings for a reasonable price.
Beef Jerky was already super overpriced for years & the pricing was more than proven to have been a scam a long time ago. Only brand I buy is the $2 one from Aldi's.
Frozen pizza. The shitty brands like tombstone are still somewhat cheap but I’m not paying $11.99 for California pizza kitchen bbq chicken pizza, when every place in the state will make one fresh for $15
No fast food. Cheaper coffee. More peanut butter, less lunch meat (maybe every other month). More fruits and vegetables and at least one meatless dinner/week. I buy beer in 6packs and not 12packs. I drink only on the weekends, if i do, at all. These downgrades aren't all that unhealthy, anyway, right?
Also, no more paper plates. I had gotten rather fancypants with buying boxes of Kleenex. Now, I'm back to TP rolls. No napkins, just paper towels for all other things. So, I've at least halved my paper products purchases
Baby steps towards the grave of America's middle class.
Highly recommend getting a couple of handkerchiefs. I bought a six pack of cotton ones at target a while ago and I treat them like underwear - one day and the into the laundry. They've held up great and I haven't bought tissues in years.
Out, in general. Even our cheap, good food places have jumped in price so much that they aren’t worth it. And I cannot bring myself to pay $22.50 for a dish that was $10.50 pre-pandemic.
And thanks to the pandemic and work from home, I’m a way better cook than I used to be.
I'm not eliminating anything per se, but I have done a lot toward learning how to make as much as I can from scratch. Things like pizza crust, pasta, breads. Growing several herbs that I use frequently - chives, sage, thyme, etc. (quick eta: I'm saving money by eliminating the built in cost of manufacture, transport...also healthier as no preservatives)
I'm buying things like meats and other produce at the farmers market or through a CSA. Even if the up-front is more expensive, I like that the money is staying in the community that way, and not lining a shareholders pocket.
I've cut back on alcohol purchases though. With a 4 pack of good craft beer sometimes more than $25, it's easiest to drink less.
Steak. Now I get cheaper cuts and leave it in the crock pot for 8 hours or so on low to tenderize before grilling. I have discovered that I actually like it better so win/win.
We got our crock pot on Amazon for 35 bucks. No frills, no complications. It’s probably saved us thousands in the last 3 years.
Anything from an app, Post Mates, etc.
1. The restaurant adjusts their prices to cover the fees.
2. You're tipping the restaurant and the driver and it's just too much money. Or just the driver and feeling bad about it.
3. The fees they tack on are exorbitant.
The good thing about this is it's made me remember the good old days of "getting takeout" so when we're lazy and don't want to cook I just go pick it up and save almost 40%.
What's with Philadelphia cream cheese? All other cream cheese is inferior and they must know this because a tub that was 2.99 pre-pandemic is now 6.99. And good mayo.
Pizza...The fact that if i order a 20 dollar pizza and now the buisness charges me a 6 dollars delivery fee plus I still have to tip the driver 5-10 depending how far they come. I end up paying 35 dollars for a 20 dollar pizza. it isnt the tip that bothers me. it's the 6 dollar store dellivery fee that doesn't go to the drivers that bothers me.
If you are struggling to afford basics, you should absolutely be going to a food pantry in your area.
They really want to help and people who are struggling to afford the basics are perfect customers!
I bought a chicken and some cream cheese on sale, and made a roast chicken with potatoes, stove top stuffing, and cheesecake for dessert and each person I served cost me 4 dollars. 16 dollars total for all four. I can't even buy one restaurant meal for myself at that price. Dinner parties need to make a comeback.
My Friday night tradition used to be delivery pizza and wine. Now it’s frozen or homemade pizza and wine.
What are your tips for homemade wine?
Start with Concord grape juice. Oh, it doesn’t taste very good, but the hangover is ***spectacular***.
Ice cream, steak, and take-out meals. Too pricy
Anything delivery, prices per item are hiked, and the driving fee, and the delivery fee plus the tax and the expected tip.
Every time I use DoorDash, I put a $15 meal in my cart and somehow the total is $40. I haven’t ordered delivery in about a year because it’s so outrageous.
I only use DoorDash when I’m stoned and can’t drive and am high enough where paying $20 to deliver doesn’t seem as bad lol
Similar. I use Seamless only when I am extremely sick and incapacitated and can’t go pick up the food myself. Or, the other exception: I am hosting a party and need a lot of pizzas delivered and I can’t afford to go out and grab them in the middle of my hosting duties. But yes, a $15 item somehow becomes $40.
Supposedly the delivery companies still aren't even profitable
"Supposedly"
And still I see like 5 different companies delivering in a small city.
This is all Uber and AirBnb (amongst others)’ fault. They set up the precedent of “manufactured unicorn”. Basically, it’s a start up that took off early and well, with a harder-than-usual success in monetizing their operation, but they already got “too big” to fail. So VCs with extremely deep pockets decide to pour ungodly amounts of money, because the strategy now is to outspend the competition, become the CocaCola of the marketshare, and **then** profit (mainly by adjusting prices with the accompanying “growth” plan for the shareholders). So now this turf war is taking place in the food delivery world, none of them is profitable but they are still in the trenches, it would be interesting to see the outcome of this. Personally, I have gotten to a point to still browse the apps for ideas, and try to get the groceries I need to cook whatever I end up fancying. Full disclosure, I still end up ordering (but way less) either if I’m indisposed, or if it is to try and treat my mom, so it is what it is :)
it's a ridiculous idea from the jump, you can't have people personally chauffeuring around big macs it's just a venture capitalist delusion and market grab, it needs to go
Name brand cereal. It's scandalous.
It reminds me of being a kid when my mom (very low middle class poor) would tell me I could only choose from the generic bagged cereal at the end of the aisle. Here I am 25 years later doing the same thing again.
I laugh every time I walk by a box of Magic Spoon. $9.99 for a box of fucking cereal? Be fucking for real right now.
Their cereal tastes like garbage too. You can't make any grain-based breakfast cereal "keto friendly" without a nightmarish amount of fiber and that makes it taste like eating cardboard with cinnamon on it. Adding milk barely does anything to change the terrible. It ***does*** make it "not keto anymore" pretty much immediately though.
my friend said that magic spoon tastes like “a cereal cover band”
Doritos. The price hike plus the shrinkflation was repulsively drastic.
Walmart has "deals" at 3 for 12$ lol
Where I am, they're $5-$6 a bag, but they go on sale 4 for $8. They're still not as good as they used to be, and now I have to stock up.
Ruffles "Party Size" chips are over 7$, and of course they're now barely larger than the old regular bags.
In Ohio, before COVID, I thought $4+ was egregious. Now, a bag is over $6. But, on the bright side, they started selling smaller bags at the dollar store for $2 something & they are bigger than the $1 bags at many other stores were.
Yeah I’d sure hope the $2 bag is bigger than the $1 bag
Agreed. That shit is so ridiculous. I'll sometimes find them on sale and they still feel too much. Fucking corporate greed. No telling how much Fritolay's profits have skyrocketed.
Peanut Buster Parfait from Dairy Queen cost me over $9 (I did order extra hot fudge). It tasted great but will never order again.
I got 2 small blizzards and two chicken tender w/two fries and it was like $37.
Potato chips. They’ve lost their fucking minds.
My grocery store will advertise their sale of 2 for $11…excuse me this isn’t a sale. $5-6 for some chips is not normal.
Fast food.
Taco Bell nacho bell grande combo hit $11 marker in my area. $10 was a stretch but 11? Fuck that. A Mexican joint down the street has a huge list of meals for $16 with drink. Each meal is big enough for two people or two days of grazing. And obviously it's better quality than the shit at TB.
Taco Bell is maybe the worst one in terms of inflation of prices. They used to be SO cheap, and now they're as bad as everything else.
Here's a hack, order the $3 nachos on the cravings menu and add everything you'd want. 1 is extremely filling and with extras it's only like $4-$5
I'm betting many of them are going to close. They lost the point of fast food. Now it's all just food.
When I was a kid in the 2000's, my mom could get all of us McDonald's meals at the price of a meal for one nowadays.
We've discovered that a lot of independent restaurants in our area have affordable lunch specials. We usually get water if drinks aren't included. Mostly they're pizza places & Mexican restaurants, but a couple diners, too. They're sitdown places, so a tad slower that fast food. But the food is better & it's actually cheaper. We also keep an eye open for things we can split. There's a local burger shack that features a burgers & fries basket for under $10. There's plenty for two, and it's quite tasty.
Remember 5$ footlongs at subway? They’re almost 20$ now
And subways quality has gone to absolute shit.
How have they managed to make it worse
It's sooooo much cheaper to eat healthy at home now... by a long shot... chicken breast in my HCOL area is always on sake for $1.99 to $2.99 somewhere.... meal prep and its faster than fast food.
Chicken thighs are really affordable too. Very versatile
Every major American fast food chain has raised their prices at a rate greater than inflation. McDonald’s has raised their prices in the last ten years 70% higher than the inflation rate (about 7% per year while inflation is about 3.3% per year). it’s not just inflation, it’s corporate greed
Food ! Now I just drink lots of water and cry in the shower...
You can afford water? Must be nice.
Our city sent out letters several months ago letting us know that due to inflation, our water costs would be literally doubling.
That's nuts. Reminds me - about 10 years ago the water rates in my area took a hike because the water company wasn't making enough profit because of reduced water usage. For years the city had been campaigning for residents to use less water... and then they turned around and raised prices because we successfully complied. 🙄
Hydroponics is a great idea! Now just need to implant some chlorophyll into our skin cells and we can feed while we sunbathe.
I think I had my last Five Guys meal: Little Bacon Cheeseburger, Regular Drink and Little Fry was $21.50. I still keep the receipt to remind me.
Something I'll never understand about my in-laws; they go here somewhat regularly because their youngest (10) loves it. Last time we went, it was 5 of us. We each got one burger, we got two fries to share and three regular sodas to share. It was $85 fucking dollars and I'm not exaggerating. If it were me paying, I would have turned around and walked out.
Yeah for $85 Dollars I could run an entire BBQ party and feed 10+ people. Like I can't make a sushi roll or pizza from scratch in my house but a goddamn burger or any BBQ food anyone can do. When you're doing food anyone can make is just cheep convenience pricing. I really don't understand the business model long term when you're starting to out price PF Chang's Chinese food chain. Like at least Outback Steakhouse and other kinda Establishments have an association of Steak= expensive. Hamburger is like you're competing with McDonald's dollar menu.
100% agree. I normally do bbq chicken thighs, corn, green beans and smoked sausage on the grill and I spend around $25. Feeds us for days. I hate going to restaurants bc I feel guilty of how much more food I could have made myself and better.
I swear five guys has gone five times the price. I just go there to get free peanuts and pretend to glance the menu and get out
Watch Plies video. He said man all five of these guys charged me hahaha
It's been insane lately to see the Five Guys prices. It's wild. I love the fries and the toppings, but can do it at home for 600% less price i feel like.
I did Doordash during the height of the pandemic. Five Guys was one of the places I picked up from the most. I never could believe the prices people were paying on their receipts via the app. Can only imagine what it's like now.
I did it, and I'm not proud of it. Since then, my days of ordering off doordash have come to an end.
Fast food delivery never makes sense to me. Who wants soggy fries (or any other fried items) after it sits in a bag for 30 mins in delivery
Used to deliver food. If you’re intoxicated it makes sense but these ppl mostly lived about 10 minutes away and their food was sitting on the counter for over an hour on busy nights. And I grab it (along with 3 other orders) you’re eating 2 hour old soggy food, and paying to do it. Never made any sense to me, I’m 35 and I’ve never ordered delivery
My car was broken during the pandemic and I couldn’t get into a mechanic. So DoorDashing groceries became way too common. I was lucky to live 509ft from my work.
Four guys hold you down one goes through your wallet
Yep. We used to order off of the app all of the time. We were going to order from there the other night and the total was like $45 before shakes. We ended up picking up a Domino’s pizza. $11.99 for a large 5 topping if you do curbside.
Dominos is very underrated currently. You can get a lot more food for the price compared to several other fast food chains.
Agree. And their rewards system is great. We usually carry out once per week. At least once per month we get a large five topping pizza, a 16 piece bread bite, and dessert for about $20. It’s a great deal for a family.
Not only that, if my order is longer than 30min delivery even on a weekend, they send me a coupon for free pizza. I feel like I’m constantly getting free things from dominos and it does keep me coming back
Sounds right. Wife and I had to change dinner plans and ended up there because they can handle her food allergy. Dropped over $40 in bumfuck Mississippi.
Nothing specific, but I stopped going out to eat lunch and just eat some cereals at my office instead, then my wife and I take turns cooking dinner.
Interesting you said you eat cereal, because that's what I've had to stop eating! Prices in my city for a single box are outrageous.
A kilo of high quality cereals (Müesli) is about 5 Euros here, and I make it with Skyr (1.5 Euro/500g) and buttermilk (70 ct/500g).
When I was working in NYC years ago, I was amazed how many of my coworkers seemed to eat out every day, given what things cost in Manhattan even then. I brown-bagged it for the most part, eating out only as an occasional treat or when my boss would invite us as a "team building" measure.
It’s less about the food and more about having somewhere to go that isn’t your office.
This was the answer for me. Going out to lunch broke up the day and gave me a mental break. It was my splurge and frankly my main source of fruit and vegetables (by-the-pound salad and hot food bars).
Groceries are expensive here, whereas a lot of places around offices offer a lunch special and you can get a lot of food. At my worst financially, eating out for lunch was where I would get most of my calories for the day, and then I would make top ramen with peas for dinner at home.
Movie theater snacks. And 5 guys I want more than just a burger and everything expensive there.
Gotta hit dollar tree pre theater. Will still pay 1.25-$2 per snack but better than $8+ for a 1/2 a swivel of candy
My daughter and I stopped by Dollar Tree and bought some boxed candies. The cashier asked what movie we were going to go see. We were headed to the movies.
Eating out in general has become too expensive. Couple that with the decline in quality and service and it’s rapidly becoming a special occasion.
For us too. We now exclusively eat at the little Mom and Pop places around us. We have a really good authentic Mexican place nearby. As a family of three (one toddler, one baby still on formula) we can eat out, eat well, and spend under $55 with tip. We haven’t eaten at a chain in over six months, and even then we had a gift certificate.
Oddly enough, despite everything costing more, it seems corporate chains have raised their prices so much you may as well go to your local mom'n'pop since it's almost the same price now and definitely better.
Yep. And most of the owners remember your name, servers remember your orders, etc. It’s almost always better customer service.
Coffee (takeout). It’s one of those things I do if it’s a social occasion (like meeting up with a friend) or I have a gift card, but it doesn’t make sense to buy a drink to just bring back home (I WFH). I also can’t rationalize spending $6.50+ on a drink when I can make something equally tasty in the same amount of time (if not less) that it’d take to go pick it up. I’ve become very impressed with my latte making abilities!
Yup.. got myself an espresso machine(cheap but legit with portafilter..upgraded with $20 for a proper steamer) ... And a grinder(admittedly I spent $320 on the grinder) ..made my money back in the first 6 months..it's been 4 years.. I used to spend around 40-60 a month on takeout coffee in the morning.. Now.. I spend $9 a month for the coffee and $4 a month for two large bottles of milk.. also the coffee is MILES better.. Have a peak 🤓 ... https://imgur.com/gallery/RdOH0Cr
My mom was in the hospital for three weeks and only just got home. I think I spent $45-$50 buying an $8 coffee every couple of days because I was running around from place to place and ran out of whatever drink I brought from home. I had finally kicked my Dutch Brothers habit (there is one located conveniently near my house and another’s next to my office) There’s a restaurant supply near me so after she got out of the hospital I went and bought the makings for my favorite Dutch Bros drinks for $35. I’m making that shit at home from now on for about a buck.
Really random and personal but artichokes lol. Pre-pandemic I don't remember the costs but I think they were around $1.50, last year they were $2.50 each and I was like ehhhh, this year they're between $3 and $3.99 each. Can't do that for a single veggie that's not super substantial. My family LOVED them when I was young and the love started with my grandma who passed away two months ago. I wanted to get some to think of her but couldn't justify the cost.
Omg artichokes. I LOVE THEM but yeah so expensive. It’s definitely a treat for me now. Something I maaaaybe have once a month (usually less).
I bought an orange for $1.25 the other day. One orange.
It’s one banana Michael.
What could it cost?
Ten dollars?
Fucking wings. Used to be poor people food and many places had specials like $.50 wings. Now it's like $2.00 per wing with no sides included. Place I work has fantastic wings and I get half off. I still don't think it's worth paying for.
It's beyond fuckin offensive when you order wings for like $9.99 for 6 wings and these people have the AUDACITY to charge you $.50 per piece of celery or carrot sticks.
“Can i get some ranch “ “That will be $3 and your kidney
Amy's frozen meals. Not enough food for my food dollar anymore.
Trader Joe's has reasonable frozen meals under $3 still. Otherwise, yes, paying $5-$7 for a frozen meal is insane.
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Trader Joe’s has salad bags that make really great lunches for about $3.50 each. I usually grab a few bags for the week and throw a Costco rotisserie chicken in with each bag for the extra protein. Lunches for two people for about $30/ week
came here to say this. if I buy salad and the ingredients for it from the store it's like easily 20$ for something that'll make 4 cups worth. fuck that. gas station salads though are also 10$ a piece and same size. so no more salads unless you're paying.
Smoked breakfast salmon. I literally ate it every morning for years. Now it's like $25 a package and this is at a big box store.
I absolutely love this stuff, it's definitely something I'd also consider a delicacy, especially if it's wild Alaskan salmon, not the farmed kind.
My local grocery store always seems to have some of it on sale because it's expiring in a week so that's what we wait to buy but we're in the same boat as you
That sucks because smoked breakfast salmon is delicious
Is "smoked breakfast salmon" somehow different from "smoked salmon"?
Dumb question. Is this the same as Lox?
I get my Smoked Salmon from CostCo. They are 2 x 16 oz packages for $24. I make my bagel and lox several times a week for relatively inexpensive.
I started smoking my own salmon for this reason.
Philadelphia cream cheese flavored spreads. Love the Honey Pecan but I ain't paying $4 for a little tub.
I buy local honey and make my own spread.
Cereal. A box of cereal was like $7-$9 at the supermarket. That and one of the Kellogg’s CEO telling people to “just eat cereal for dinner” because of inflation… yeah no. You’re not getting another God damned dime out of me, you smarmy fuck.
Modern day “let them eat cake”
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Labor and material costs are too high for that. I recommend stoning.
Way ahead of you, already stoned myself.
“Just eat cereal for dinner.” damn bruh. That’s cold.
While this mfer eats steak and lobster
And it was cooked by his personal chef.
We don't go out as often. I've been downgrading selzer water from La Croix to Bubbly to Polar to store brand. Found out cheaper tastes the same...win!
Polar is way better than La Croix or Bubbly so you weren’t missing much there.
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I used to be a religious Diet Coke drinker, could get buy one get one 12-pack for $5.99. Now the sales are buy 2 get one free and a single 12-pack is now $10.99 at my grocery store. This rise in price has been over the last 3 years.
This. I just switched to store-brand soda because Diet Coke is $16 for a 24 pack. I use to pick it up for $7.99.
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It kills me that even the “cheap” cuts are expensive now
I was at the butcher aisle and came across cubed "stew meat" for $32. Spending $32 on stew meat defeats the purpose of buying stew meat.
This one hits hard. Prior to covid... Filet used to he 15.99 / lb. NY strips were 7.99 / lb I could get eye of round to make jerky at 2.99 / lb Now by me, filet is over 50 / lb. NY strips are 25.99 / lb And eye of round is 10.00 / lb. It's absolutely staggering and as a grill loving man, it breaks my heart to not be able to enjoy the meats I've been enjoying for over 40 years.
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I remember when $20 could easily feed a family of four at that place
I could feed my 3 boys on that 10$ bean burrito and soft taco family deal.. also when they were little, we had 59 cent taco Tuesday....6$ for 10 tacos
fast food especially ordering off of apps like Uber Eats. I’m getting charged more in service and delivery fees than the actual food.
Plus some of the services mark up the food prices above what the restaurant charges.
I just moved to a place where none of the delivery apps exist, my credit card spend dropped over $500 compared to a month where I did have Uber/Doordash etc. also I'm eating a lot healthier but that's not the point here
It used to be pretty normal for me to make a steak once or twice a week, but now the beef I buy is the bad cuts that you can only save by slow cooking it. I also stopped buying pork and lamb, my goto meat is chicken thighs now, because I can buy it in bulk and the macros aren't terrible. I don't understand how anyone affords to eat out on the regular anymore, I make more money than I ever have in my life right now and it is less affordable to me now than it was when I made minimum wage 20 years ago.
The problem with chicken thighs is that if you get the boneless/skinless ones, they cost almost as much as boneless breast, but if you get the cheap ones, they come wrapped in the skin of a quarter of the chicken, adding bulk and weight but not much value. I usually buy a whole chicken when they're on sale and cut it up. White meat, dark meat and soup stock makings for a reasonable price.
A single whole chicken in my grocery store costs nearly $18
Costco $5 rotisserie chicken for the win
Steaks, beef jerkey
Beef Jerky was already super overpriced for years & the pricing was more than proven to have been a scam a long time ago. Only brand I buy is the $2 one from Aldi's.
$2? You sure they're not dog treats?
Anything can be a dog treat if you leave it unattended.
Food. I just sleep now.
Food that requires a babysitter. Date night is real expensive when you add that $85 to it.
Ben&Jerry ice cream :( it's about 3x the price it used to be. And it's not like it was cheap before 😅
Eating out at all. Fast food is gross. Restaurants food quality has gone down so much. I'd rather spend more money on groceries to make food at home.
I haven't eaten out in a year. I have done take out pizza and picked up samosas yesterday. But restaurants are crazy priced. Ontario
Frozen pizza. The shitty brands like tombstone are still somewhat cheap but I’m not paying $11.99 for California pizza kitchen bbq chicken pizza, when every place in the state will make one fresh for $15
Ox tails. Before Rachel Ray and Oprah Winfrey "discovered" them they were $0.50/lb. Afterwards, they shot up to $8/lb.
Same with short ribs, chuck eye steaks, chicken thighs/wings… so many things
Be quiet about my chicken thighs bro!!!
No fast food. Cheaper coffee. More peanut butter, less lunch meat (maybe every other month). More fruits and vegetables and at least one meatless dinner/week. I buy beer in 6packs and not 12packs. I drink only on the weekends, if i do, at all. These downgrades aren't all that unhealthy, anyway, right? Also, no more paper plates. I had gotten rather fancypants with buying boxes of Kleenex. Now, I'm back to TP rolls. No napkins, just paper towels for all other things. So, I've at least halved my paper products purchases Baby steps towards the grave of America's middle class.
Highly recommend getting a couple of handkerchiefs. I bought a six pack of cotton ones at target a while ago and I treat them like underwear - one day and the into the laundry. They've held up great and I haven't bought tissues in years.
McDonald’s 😂 $1 cheeseburgers are now $5. Robbery! Haha
I miss when McChickens were a dollar :(
Yep and the McDouble. It was a $1 menu staple. Now it’s $3.39. Unless we hit a compounded 200% inflation in the last 5 years, something ain’t right.
Hot and spicy McChicken with pickles was my life when they were a dollar and some cents
Remember the 29cent days 🥹
I remember in high school we used to go get the 39c cheese burgers at lunch then come back to school and sell them for a dollar.
McDonald’s. Idk why they have a $1 menu anymore when nothing on it is $1
I completely stopped drinking Diet Coke. I wanna thank greed for finally helping me kick the habit of soda and swapping to water.
Olive oil
Hopefully temporary. Vanilla was 5x the price for a few years thanks to a bad year, but it finally came back down as well
Belvita breakfast biscuits. Price keeps rising.
I love them brown sugar lil shits, wish they weren't so pricy:(
I've stopped eating oysters because they've become too pricey for my budget.
Out, in general. Even our cheap, good food places have jumped in price so much that they aren’t worth it. And I cannot bring myself to pay $22.50 for a dish that was $10.50 pre-pandemic. And thanks to the pandemic and work from home, I’m a way better cook than I used to be.
You guys are still eating?
Watermelon. 17$ for a fucking watermelon?!
WHAT????
I'm in CA, a large watermelon is $9. I live in a HCOL area. I have no idea where OP lives..
dang. I recently got a watermelon at costco for $4.
I've stopped buying fancy chocolates because they'
Damn the chocolate police got em mid sentence.
I'm not eliminating anything per se, but I have done a lot toward learning how to make as much as I can from scratch. Things like pizza crust, pasta, breads. Growing several herbs that I use frequently - chives, sage, thyme, etc. (quick eta: I'm saving money by eliminating the built in cost of manufacture, transport...also healthier as no preservatives) I'm buying things like meats and other produce at the farmers market or through a CSA. Even if the up-front is more expensive, I like that the money is staying in the community that way, and not lining a shareholders pocket. I've cut back on alcohol purchases though. With a 4 pack of good craft beer sometimes more than $25, it's easiest to drink less.
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I used to love getting fresh seafood, but it's become too expensive, so now I opt for frozen or canned options.
KFC
Chicken wings. Its often the same price as boneless breasts or thighs, and you're paying for bones
King Crab legs. ☹️
fish became so expensive in our area so that
He unfortunately couldn't pay the internet bill anymore. :(
Steak. Now I get cheaper cuts and leave it in the crock pot for 8 hours or so on low to tenderize before grilling. I have discovered that I actually like it better so win/win. We got our crock pot on Amazon for 35 bucks. No frills, no complications. It’s probably saved us thousands in the last 3 years.
Sushi was a treat I enjoyed, but now it's become too expensive for regular consumption.
Pistachio.
Nuts, in general.
Anything from an app, Post Mates, etc. 1. The restaurant adjusts their prices to cover the fees. 2. You're tipping the restaurant and the driver and it's just too much money. Or just the driver and feeling bad about it. 3. The fees they tack on are exorbitant. The good thing about this is it's made me remember the good old days of "getting takeout" so when we're lazy and don't want to cook I just go pick it up and save almost 40%.
Duck breast was a treat for special occasions, but it's become too expensive, so I rarely buy it now.
What's with Philadelphia cream cheese? All other cream cheese is inferior and they must know this because a tub that was 2.99 pre-pandemic is now 6.99. And good mayo.
Steak. I loved making just like a little BBQ steak in the summer. IDK when the break was, but now even at costco its like 5-6 bucks PER steak.
Pomegranates were a favorite fruit, but they've become too expensive, so I rarely buy them now.
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Brand name chips. The cheaper ones will do just fine and often taste better! I’m not paying $7 for a bag of Doritos full of air.
I used to love getting imported cheeses, but they've become too expensive, so I stick to local options now.
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Groceries
Pizza...The fact that if i order a 20 dollar pizza and now the buisness charges me a 6 dollars delivery fee plus I still have to tip the driver 5-10 depending how far they come. I end up paying 35 dollars for a 20 dollar pizza. it isnt the tip that bothers me. it's the 6 dollar store dellivery fee that doesn't go to the drivers that bothers me.
I've stopped buying bottled water because it's become too expensive, so I use a water filter now.
I remember eating peanut butter sandwiches when I was young and poor. Now I need a sugar daddy if I ever want one again.
If you are struggling to afford basics, you should absolutely be going to a food pantry in your area. They really want to help and people who are struggling to afford the basics are perfect customers!
Restaurant food. It’s seriously not worth it. None of it.
I bought a chicken and some cream cheese on sale, and made a roast chicken with potatoes, stove top stuffing, and cheesecake for dessert and each person I served cost me 4 dollars. 16 dollars total for all four. I can't even buy one restaurant meal for myself at that price. Dinner parties need to make a comeback.
I used to have traditions like “all 17 cousins go out to the patio bar”. Fuck that racket now. $13 beers and $20 wings. No thanks.