r/AskReddit 5h ago

What has become so expensive that you have quietly stopped buying it?

Upvotes

191 comments sorted by

u/Public_Talks 5h ago

Cinema tickets. Two seats plus anything to eat is now the price of a small dinner out, and I noticed I'd stopped going before I ever decided to.🫡👏

u/nyqs81 5h ago

I took my girlfriend to see The Odyssey because we live somewhere where there’s a 70 mm IMAX. The cost of two tickets alone for the showing in the middle of the day on a Wednesday was $52.

u/Realistic_Patience67 5h ago

Damn..that's expensive.

In Wisconsin, some cinemas are discounted on Tuesdays Or Wednesdays. Saw Odyssey with my SO on a really big screen (not IMAX) at $15.

u/octopornopus 4h ago

Regal Discount Tuesdays, usually ~$7 but there's an upcharge for anything other than a standard theater (4D Max, IMAX, etc.)

u/CiggODoggo 4h ago

Does that somewhere happen to be Sydney?

u/OneTravellingMcDs 4h ago

I live in Thailand. An unlimited year pass for me is about ~$60.  

With that pass, a popcorn and 2 drinks is ~$4.50. Cheaper if I use different coupons

u/Positive-Survey3860 1h ago

Chattanooga?

u/YachtPrintsHard765 4h ago

Wild! Tickets were probably $12 and popcorn and drinks $40 right.?! 😅

u/Anewien 5h ago

You can't expect one of the few places on earth able to project it in the native resolution to be priced low...

u/Shatteredreality 5h ago

I agree with you but I just priced my local theater for a mid Wednesday afternoon movie for two with no special projection and it was still $32 just for tickets.

Two IMAX tickets l, not 70mm, is still $49 for a random Wednesday afternoon movie showing.

u/Anewien 5h ago

Don't know what is your country, here I'm paying 5€ for a ticket, any day. With no special things (so no 3D or 4D) IMAX is 15€ but I don't have a real IMAX place near home, cause there is only one in my country.

u/lasuperhumana 4h ago

Lucky you.

u/JBudz 5h ago

What I don't get is that the cinemas are mostly empty.

As profits decline, instead of reducing the price to be more affordable to get seats in chair, the price goes up to float? I don't get it?

u/BusyBit6542 5h ago

Because theaters don't really make money off the tickets. They don't set the prices really. It's the studios, theaters do their best to run specials and try to push people to wait to see movies, after like a week or two, their portion of sales get bigger. But they are basically at the mercy of studios who keep setting record numbers on some movies so, I guess they will keep raising prices.

u/shootemupy2k 4h ago

That’s the thing though, profits aren’t declining. Read an article the other day the Spider-man has earned almost as much as the force awakens (and in less time) despite having sold 54 million fewer tickets.

u/thefunkybassist 4h ago

Is it mostly Youtube trailer ad money now /s

u/shootemupy2k 3h ago

Ad money for the trailer or the pre trailer?

u/CloudBuilder44 3h ago

Because its less work and labor cost to sell 2 seat for 50 bucks vs 50 seats for $1 bucks each.

u/JohnyZoom 3h ago

50 seats buy a lot more popcorn though and it's the biggest part of their profit 

u/CloudBuilder44 3h ago

I mean can $1 ticket seaters afford $20 bucks popcorn anymore? It probably cost the movie theater 15 bucks to make it in this economy 😭😂

u/ChiefStrongbones 3h ago

The first two weeks a movie is out, the studio gets 90% or more of the box office. The theater makes money from concessions. The percentage drops as the movie gets older.

Studios negotiate better deals for blockbusters, sometimes over 100%.

u/meleecow 5h ago

My wife still likes to go out with the kids, but doesn't eat so she can order food there. I make sure to eat before hand because 2 chicken tenders is literally $25.

u/Lopsided_Platypus_51 4h ago

People complain about movie prices and then you find out they went to the IMAX viewing, took 5 kids, and got everyone concessions.

u/Ghost17088 4h ago

Yeah, I was actually surprised at how cheap it was. I took my son to see Cars over the weekend and it was less than $20 for 2 tickets. 

u/we-fkin-move 5h ago

Idk what you have access to but i often get offers via Octopus/O2/Lloyds/Group - saw Odyssey on IMAX for 6 quid!

u/Shatteredreality 5h ago

US here, my nearest theater, a Regal Cinemas location, is charging $24.50 per ticket for a mid Wednesday afternoon IMAX showing.

u/CorbenCousteau 4h ago

While tickets where I live are more expensive I can still get a weekday mid-day ticket for ~$8. Usually just grab a soda and it's around $15 total after tax. Need to count my blessings before prices getjacked up.

u/Anewien 5h ago

I guess it depends, with my work I get cinema ticket at 5€. And most ppl here have a way to not pay the full price.

u/imwinning216 4h ago

Just saw an article that mentioned the new Spider-Man has made the same amount as The Force Awakens despite selling 35million less tickets. That shows you the inflated ticket prices.

u/SinistreCyborg 4h ago

Check out your local film theater! They usually have cheaper tickets. In Seattle we have SIFF who do movie nights on Tuesdays for $6 and any profit they make goes towards film education programs for youth!

u/azninvasion2000 4h ago

NYC here for IMAX/4DX tickets are $35 a piece. For a date night with 2 tix, concessions, and transport it easily goes over $100 for the night.

I just wait for it to come out on digital, pirate it, and microwave some popcorn and watch it at home.

u/threeLetterMeyhem 3h ago

All the theaters around me do $6 tuesdays even for brand new releases. So... on the rare occaision I go to the movies, I go on a tuesday.

u/LUCAIsMyMom 4h ago

I haven’t been since Covid. I didn’t like going to the movies before the pandemic and I’ve just never gone back.

u/Potential-Pop-1169 5h ago

Beef,It ain’t what’s for dinner anymore.

u/reflectorvest1004 4h ago

I made my usual first batch of chili of the year this weekend and I used ground pork for the first time ever. I genuinely think it tastes better this time.

u/Positive-Run-2411 4h ago

My wife turned me on to using ground turkey and I never looked back. The bowl is so much less greasy after too

u/aasteveo 5h ago

I used to do a pay-day steak dinner every time I got a big check and finished a big project.

But due to cost of beef, I'm a chicken man now.

Currently perfecting my marry-me-chicken recipe & it's not too shabby.

u/Harley297 3h ago

I was about to buy some on sale this weekend but remembered the recent shady mystery supplier to drive down beef prices. Im going to just start saving money and split a half cow from a local farmer with friends

u/Megatanis 3h ago

I can't give up beef. I'd rather go homeless but have a goddamn steak when I feel like it.

u/SubiKai81 5h ago

Eating out, and Starbucks

u/rossmcdapc 4h ago

Eating out is free if you've the right partner.

u/SubiKai81 4h ago

Indeed. 😂

u/saltfish 3h ago

She never let me.

u/tony33oh 5h ago

Coffee anywhere but my kitchen.

u/ra246 5h ago

Fucking orange juice

£4 for a carton?! Fuck off.

u/gedimas 4h ago

I fuck apple juice instead

u/Mononoke-hime 5h ago

$12-20 USD per carton here depending on where you go, for freshly squeezed.

u/Physical_Spinach_337 5h ago

You’re paying just $4?

u/ra246 5h ago

£4

As in 4 British pounds for 1.5 litres? It used to be about £2.50

u/Raiken201 5h ago

£4 is $5.41 USD and it's usually only 1L here, maybe 1.5L. Walmart is $4.34 for 1.35L Tropicana on their site.

Saying that it must be an expensive brand, I get 1L for £1.60.

u/Long_Repair_8779 3h ago

The best orange juice in uk supermarkets imo is Sainsbury’s taste the difference, and I think it’s £4.20 for 1.5l? Not great but not terrible pricing for a premium product, and it really is very nice

u/ItsNovak 5h ago

Ground beef. Switched to ground turkey and ground chicken

u/Physical_Spinach_337 5h ago

With a grinder you can make your own cheaper. I wait for the sales

u/scubajay2001 5h ago

How much is the grinder though? I'd imagine given prices, it'd take a while to offset the cost of investment...

u/SingaporeLee 3h ago

got my eletric 1960 meat grinder at the Antique store. 60 USD. Built to last.

u/Physical_Spinach_337 2h ago

You can get a hand grinder for a few dollars at a yard sale if you have a good eye. New a manual is 20-30$
You can spend an unlimited amount

u/The1Bonesaw 5h ago

I have a grinder attachment for my Kitchen Aid Blender. I paid $250 for the blender, and about $70 for the meat grinder.

u/Positive-Run-2411 4h ago

Is there only one meat grinder attachment or is there a specific one you’d recommend? I have the mixer already

u/octopornopus 4h ago

There are metal and plastic KitchenAid branded attachments. I got the cheaper plastic one, but if I had the choice I would have got the metal. 

They come with different screen sizes, for different things. It's pretty versatile. I've used it to make burgers with the course screen, and sausages with the finer screen.

u/Positive-Run-2411 3h ago

Awesome thank you

u/Gone_cognito 5h ago

If you already have a KitchenAid, there are attachments for less than 100 dollars

u/octopornopus 4h ago

A quick note, if you have the smaller Artisan like me, it may struggle and complain. But it does that with most thick dough recipes, already...

u/Azeeti 5h ago

About 200 for a low end one but you would be saving around 4bucks per pound. Also if you buy straight from the farm instead of supermarket for example you can pay 600 for half a cow and get enough meat for the entire year.

u/ItsNovak 5h ago

You show me where you get a half cow for $600. That's a 1/4 cow right now.

u/Positive-Run-2411 4h ago

Yeah up here in the northeast it can be like 1400+ for a half cow sometimes depending on size and quality

u/Azeeti 2h ago

Monata but you have to buy two cows worth for that price.

u/ScintillatingJohn 5h ago

My bills

u/Thick_Artist_8622 5h ago

I came here to say this lmao

u/Flashy-Permission814 5h ago

Why does everything have to be quietly stopped these days? Can you loudly stop doing something too?

u/Link_is_a_dork 5h ago

With the current situation, you should absolutely do it loudly.

u/thefunkybassist 4h ago

HELLO EVERYONE I AM STOPPING BUYING THIS EXPENSIVE THING

u/omgaporksword 5h ago

Agreed! Simply stopping something is perfectly adequate...this whole "quietly" thing is nonsense.

u/coldbose 4h ago

chatgpt-isms "quietly" eking their way into everyday speech

u/Forever__Young 3h ago edited 3h ago

Agree with this. It reads as absolute nonsense to a normal person but the more you read and chat with chatGPT the more natural it becomes to you.

Now you've got people using it in sentences where it doesn't make any sense at all.

So where it makes sense in some circumstances ie 'X company has quietly cut Y product after laying off staff', people now just use it in places it's totally redundant.

u/shakibhillz 5h ago

anything without discount

u/omgaporksword 5h ago

Same here! I refuse to pay full-price for anything these days.

u/twodogsandakid 5h ago

Soda

u/Electrical_Hornet493 5h ago

YES! We don’t drink a lot, but $4.00 for a 2L?! Tf

u/twodogsandakid 5h ago

Seriously barely ever drank it but now only for holidays

u/goodsnpr 4h ago

Store brands are $1 for a 2L.

u/TooDamFast 4h ago

$10 for a 6 pack of 20 oz bottles. Nope.

u/Teberoth 3h ago

Store brand goes on sale for $0.50/@L bottle and is usually about $1.50 when not on sale. An actual coca cola bottle is creeping up on $7, noooo thank you

u/Jinxybug 5h ago

eating out, it adds up fast

u/ChackZz 5h ago

RAM.

u/bkcir 5h ago

The vehicle or the computer memory?

u/swider 4h ago

The Wings album, actually.

u/mylarky 4h ago

The animal,

u/BearOfReddit 5h ago

Spam. It’s $5/lb whereas beef is $7/lb

u/TheSwearJarIsMy401k 5h ago

Seriously I thought “ah fuck my Hawaiian buddy had us eating fried spam and rice for a  weekly meat meal in college back when ramen was our staple, I can do that again.” And then I laughed because actually, I fucking cannot.

u/BearOfReddit 5h ago

If I’m trying to keep it cheap as possible but still somewhat enjoyable I get a 48 pack of ramen for $12-$15, a couple bags of frozen veggies, eggs, and some sort of seasoning to cut back on salt intake

u/TheSwearJarIsMy401k 5h ago

I ordered a big bag of freeze dried soup vegetables which was a boss move except it had seasonings in it I didn’t ask for and too much red pepper. It’s still good, though, and the next time I order it I’ll know what to check for. It was like $12 and there’s a ton of it. I have chronic low sodium so I just do the packet and a little sesame oil, and sometimes rice vinegar if I’m feeling it. Soft boiled egg, hell yes. 

When I was younger all of that was way too expensive, it was “pay bills, go for walk, look for enough stray pennies to buy a pack of 10¢ ramen”

u/BearOfReddit 5h ago

Freeze dried is still too expensive for my taste. $1.50-$2.50/oz vs 10¢/oz for frozen isn’t a difference I can ignore

u/TheSwearJarIsMy401k 5h ago

It was like 2 pounds and all the moisture is gone so I think if we’re looking at just vegetable matter it comes pretty close to even, and I like the texture of it. I used to do frozen vegetables but they never have the right mix. 

Sometimes I just do broccoli, though.

u/JNorJT 5h ago

Everything

u/knight714 5h ago

Streaming services. I've stuck with Criterion Channel and Apple TV because they're still good value (at least in the UK).

For the rest, I'm sailing the high seas on the odd occasion there's something I really want to watch.

u/Raiken201 5h ago

I've just cancelled Netflix, it's £21/month now for the 4k version and there's not that much content I'm interested in.

Even the with ads 1080p version is £8.

u/RubberKangaroo 5h ago

I just gave up on Netflix entirely, the amount of times they’ve just cancelled a show midway through or removed it from rotation means they don’t deserve my money. 

Yet they’ll keep some of the shittest slop on for years somehow. 

u/TheDamnAngel 5h ago

Red meat.

u/Regina_Filang-e 5h ago

Coffee outside

u/Successful_Struggle9 3h ago

Coffee inside (home) is getting so expensive, too.

u/OrangeHer 5h ago

pretty much any food without discount, i have to really crave something to actually buy it full price

u/watchwatertilitboils 5h ago

Concert tickets

u/Horror_Button5392 5h ago

This. I used to go all the time but I can’t pull the trigger anymore.

u/Appropriate_Cow94 5h ago

Movie tickets.

u/Think-Cold-6158 5h ago

Minor home repair work; better off watching YouTube how to’s or use ChatGPT and teach yourself how to do minor things around the house

u/elly678 5h ago

And home services like housekeeping and gardening. I understand these are luxuries but they are no longer an option. Back to scrubbing my own floors and mowing my own lawn.

u/Think-Cold-6158 5h ago

Agree. I enjoy the yard work stuff anyway.

Ask me to paint one wall though…

u/Realistic_Patience67 5h ago

Taco Bell Chalupas. $8.00 ⁉️⁉️

I put in another $2 and get a fully loaded burrito from Qdoba OR Chipotle!!

u/cwsjr2323 3h ago

When soda pop went over $2.99 a 12 pack, it stopped being a casual beverage. I still like an occasional Dr Pepper or Shasta Root Beer, but maybe one can, twice a month. Cold brewed or hot tea is under 2¢ a cup.

u/Vgta-Bst 5h ago

Electric toothbrushes and their heads replacement.

u/HogCrankage 5h ago

$4-5 every 3 months is def more expensive than a $1 toothbrush, but also cheaper than a big dentist bill. Is there anything you can cut out to save $5 /3 months?

u/Vgta-Bst 5h ago

I live on an island where Amazon doesn't deliver, and all they sell is top brand stuff. 60$ brushes with 20 dollar replacement heads. I'll stick to manual brushes until I go back to the mainland.

u/HogCrankage 5h ago

Right on. That wasn't mentioned in the OP. If you are intent on using electric, go to Costco where you get a 9 or 10 pack for about $40.

u/niqueyq 4h ago

Im in Australia and buy the generic brand 20 pack for $16.

I don't understand how is so expensive elsewhere

u/DirectorSuch1005 5h ago

Chicken Wings

u/frsnrt 5h ago

Handbags

u/FromMyTARDIS 5h ago

Taco Bell

u/Visual-Reserve-2800 4h ago

This made me sad it was my favorite guilty pleasure.

u/Successful_Struggle9 3h ago

Same, when I wanna do something fun, Taco Bell

u/janzeera 5h ago

Gas

/junked the car

u/I_am_not_doing_this 5h ago

asian take out and döner. I used to get a box full of noodle and chicken finish in for 2 meals for 2 euro in a small town in germany 8 years ago. Now they are at least 8 euro with half of the size and barely chicken in it

u/MunKv3 5h ago

marmite

u/ElderBerry2020 5h ago

I stopped getting my nails done. I used to go to the nail salon every 2-3 weeks and it’s just an expense that no longer added value to my life.

u/crazydog99 5h ago

Legos

u/asiancutieex_o 4h ago

eating outside every day. Since I started taking care about me I started carrying pre-made meals with me if I know I will be somewhere. It saves me so much money once the time adds up

u/RelativeCritical9980 4h ago

New clothes. The only thing I buy new is undergarments. Everything else is from thrift stores or secondhand markets.

u/Exact_Masterpiece497 3h ago

Sporting events! Fuck all those millionaire players and billionaire owners

u/Hot-Diggity_Dog 3h ago

Skirt steak. Used to be the cheapest back in the day. Then the rest of the world caught on and now people love it. Not paying $12.99 a pound when I used to get it for $3 a pound

u/ShinyDemeanor 5h ago

Snacks

u/First_Drive2386 5h ago

(Most) Burgundy.

u/jokesearcher 5h ago

Prime Meat

u/Timely_Possession357 5h ago

Petrol 😂

u/Patient_Exchange_399 5h ago

Name Brand soaps, trash bags, and storage bags also those little extra things like scent boosters.

u/vermilava 5h ago

Pokémon cards

u/Epicporkchop79-7 5h ago

Brisket. It used to be significantly cheaper than steak at the cost of at least a day of smoking. Why would I pay steak prices for 10x the work?

u/impala_leopard_9545 5h ago

Any chocolate in WH Smiths!

u/UnixCurmudgeon 5h ago edited 5h ago

RAM for my computer, Raspberry Pi 5s

u/BirdDogWestQ 5h ago

Nespresso

u/aasteveo 5h ago

Subscriptions. Inflation has turned me into a pirate. Arrrgh 🏴‍☠️🦜

u/Away-Power7890 5h ago

Cheese-it’s

u/UnixCurmudgeon 5h ago

I shop at Aldi now.

u/Upbeat_Bat_7341 5h ago

Taco Bell. I swear you’d think it was steak and lobster with these prices

u/LunaVague 5h ago

Going out for decent coffee. $7 for a basic latte with oat milk is just pure madness at this point

u/Naive-Aside6543 5h ago

Pretty much food

u/itchyfrog 4h ago

Lamb.

u/Material_Push2076 4h ago

Healthcare

u/YachtPrintsHard765 4h ago

Eating out as a family

u/CaseLongjumping8537 4h ago

Some brands of chocolate are now 5 euros per piece, that’s a nope from me. Takeaway coffees

u/ThanosDi 4h ago

Whey protein, yeah I know, first world problems, but the price was doubled!

u/ledow 4h ago

Pretty much everything related to going out. Driving around just for the fun of it. Eating out, whether restaurant or takeaway. Even buying a coffee on any kind of regular basis. Going to the theatre/cinema/etc.

Went to a wedding the other weekend and it cost me over £1000, all-in, for what I needed. Don't begrudge the couple that, but by the time you drive down, get a place to stay for a couple of nights, suit up, pay for drinks, drive back, etc. you're into silly-money, not to mention huge amounts of your holiday / weekend time, etc. I wouldn't be able to afford to go to a wedding like that more than once a year. And, again, I don't blame the couple - they must have spent a FORTUNE themselves on everything else.

Pretty much - if it involves something where a member of staff has to serve you, or you're watching professional people do something, it's too expensive to do with any kind of regularity.

Making a sandwich and eating it in a park or forest costs me basically nothing (I've already paid for the sandwich components, and I'd have to eat something anyway). Doing that in any other way could cost me £10-15 a time. I can't be paying £10 just to eat something and sit down for half an hour. And I'm not paying even more for an "experience" without something tangible behind it.

As I get older, more and more, I'm just spending that money on things for myself or my house instead.

When I went to the wedding, I decided to see what was on at the theatre the night before - so I could go do something in that little "safety time gap" I'd left myself in case the roads were bad, etc. It cost me £35 for a theatre ticket and £10 parking. That's actually not all that bad, and I deliberately didn't eat or drink anything (it was about £5 for a can of cola, more for an ice-cream). But still... not the kind of thing I can be doing even once a week. Instead, after going to that, I went to a big supermarket and bought several litres of cola for £2.

u/Andy016 4h ago

Red meat and dairy.

Insane because I live in NZ and we produce an absolute mind boggling amount, yet it's insanely expensive 

Stopped buying it a few years ago and urs much worse now then when I stopped.

u/gorkt 4h ago

I used to eat out about once a week, nothing fancy, just chain places mostly . Now we do takeout instead, and only eat in restaurants for celebrations.

u/Vyncent2 3h ago

Every food item that's from a big brand, even discounted it's way more expensive than store brands, and they're just as good

u/DannyHewson 2h ago

In the UK, Heinz products. Beans. Ketchup. Stuff like that. All way too expensive now.

Also Branston beans are better.

u/Kommanderson1 2h ago

Cereal. Fast food. Game tickets. Any shoes or clothing at retail price.

u/no1kat 2h ago

Beef

u/Adnaoc 1h ago

Fast Food

u/DACjr1953 1h ago

Any beef but ground beef. Gone is the pot roast on Sundays. Now I just windowshop.

u/PloxNox65 5h ago

condoms

u/Loubacca92 5h ago

Condoms are still cheaper compared to getting an abortion or having a child

u/Physical_Spinach_337 5h ago

He probably can’t afford a girlfriend anymore

u/Hungry-Demand-227 5h ago edited 5h ago

Nothing! Never really wasted money on things that were a waste of money. SeriousXM got cancelled when they x8 the monthly rate. But I still buy an occasional Porterhouse steak!

u/Serzern 5h ago

I used to eat out a lot. Probably to much but I found it hard to cut back. Now I don't eat out at all its just to expencive.

u/shannny_3 5h ago

Too, too

u/twizler241 5h ago

Glass as in glass to smoke weed out of

u/Emotional-Prompt-444 4h ago

Bleach. Frickin bleach. I live in a hard water area that so I pretty much stopped buying white clothes like underwear and socks because they always turn ghastly gray. But I do buy bleach tablets and use those laundry when needed.

u/Hinnorel 4h ago

Artisanal gelato here in Italy. I buy it once a month (twice if I am particularly inspired). 5 years ago I ate it almost everyday in summer. I understand that milk's price has raised a lot, but you can't ask 3.5/4 euros for a small cone. Come on!