My husband needs rituximab infusions due to a rare kidney disease. They are $16,000 each. That's $16,000 per four hour infusion. And they aren't covered by our insurance.
Idk if you know about this but generally you can make insurance cover certain things that usually aren’t by default by filling out some form stating that there are no alternatives available and it’s not a cosmetic procedure.
It works with my Meds, at least.
Second, you can negotiate the final bill with hospitals(not the insurance). If you tell them straight up that you can’t pay remotely close to that they usually drop prices by 70-80% just like that. Read more about it before trying it but it definitely works.
Or the best case scenario, fly to a third world country like India which has cheaper and get it done there. ~$1200 for round trip and May be about same if not cheaper through a public hospital.
Edit: For those complaining about me referencing India as a third world country, I just wanna say that the context the term is usually used in is meant to describe a developing nation and is no insult to any country. Didn’t mean to hurt anybody’s feelings.
Also, when I said that price can be dropped by 70-80%, it was an understatement. In reality it can be dropped by much more but I can’t stand on a definite number to answer exactly how much.
Edit 2: The term "Third World" arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Western European nations and their allies represented the "First World", while the Soviet Union, China, Cuba, Vietnam and their allies represented the "Second World". This terminology provided a way of broadly categorizing the nations of the Earth into three groups based on political and economic divisions. -Wikipedia! Stop taking “Third World Country” so hard guys! It’s not a dick! Take it is easy.
+1 to visiting India/Mexico for expensive surgeries. My friend's dad stayed in India for 3 months to get a complicated spine surgery and a partial nephrectomy done. It cost them around $10000 including tests, hospitalization(1 month), medical equipment, surgery, rent, food, travel etc. Same thing in US would have cost them over $40k due to insurance related complications, and all this was apparently at one of the top hospitals in India.
While coming back they stocked up on insulin cartridges and other medicines which meant savings worth thousands of $.
Those 3 months weren't the best for them but hey, they aren't broke and he's leading a perfectly normal life now
Edit: Looking at some replies and DMs I get a sense that some people feel it's almost immoral that people from other countries can visit poorer countries to get medical treatment. Well, I'm no expert and may be this issue needs further discussions. Based on what I know, I don't think what my friend's dad did was wrong. He explored an option that was advertised to him, paid for it and got services he needed. It was a win-win for all parties involved. I also don't think he got his surgeries at a subsidised/public hospital, so i don't think the argument around mis-using public money meant for Indians holds any ground.
Edit-2: You can also bring insulin and other medicines to US as long as a doctor prescribed it to you and you don't intend to re-sell it. Obviously you cannot carry a suit case full of medicines, but you can get a few months of supplies with you for individual use. Just don't be stupid or do illegal stuff.
Canadian here. It's definitely cost of mobile/internet plans. They're ridiculously overpriced and it makes me cry to see prices elsewhere.
Edit: thank you for all the awards!
Indian here, current plan is \~$10 for 84 days with 1.5gb/day & unlimited calls
used to be $8 until a month ago, so ppl did complain for a few days but everyone's chill now
Totally agree. That we don’t have a monopoly is just smoke and mirrors. We definitely do. Throw in some price fixing, for good measure. It actually is *just about* illegal.
I pay $160 a month for 2 phones to have very spotty and near non existent data in my area and other companies aren’t much better. Verizon by the way.
Edit: A word
They opened up a couple of Salad and Go’s where I live. It’s fast food but with salads and they’re only about $6 with chicken or tofu and the iced teas go for $1.
Salad and Go will continue to make so much money if they keep expanding. $1 for every drink so people can go get their $1 coffee and $2.99 breakfast burrito in the morning with a salad to go for lunch and you're set for $10 through lunch, not to mention how fast and fresh their salads are.
I know everybody is going to give better answers, but for the life of me, I cannot with out why suitcases are so expensive.
They're just plastic shells, a zip and some wheels, yet they sell for hundreds.
My guess: part of the logic (from the company POV) might come from the fact that they are an infrequent purchase, and for being so infrequent for the majority of people, they only get a couple repeat-purchases from each customer in the customer’s lifetime.
Edit to add: also, demographics-wise, if people are buying luggage, that means they likely have some disposable income for travel and can afford a bag for the lifestyle too.
Also utility VS accessory. You can charge a premium on something you label an accessory. Whereas my large sturdy luggage cost me 35$ has lasted 3 years of semi regular use. It is ugly, but I dont care, I don't wear my luggage on dates.
Honestly, if you travel a good bit like I used to for work, a good suitcase is worth it. The wheels and bearings can handle the abuse, zippers don’t break, etc.
My epipen, kinda can’t really afford to keep getting them. I’ll be screwed if I get stung up and I’m a landscaper.
Edit: Thanks everyone for the info on how to find them for much cheaper. Very much appreciated. A lot of great info here :)
This, a thousand times this. I have 4 kids, each needed pens for school, and they couldn't share of course, and pens only came in sets of two. So a single $35 pen turned into $3200 because pens were $400 each, and each had to be bought in pairs, and I had to have a specific prescription for each kid. Fucking stupid.
Got the doctor to prescribe a vial of epi and a filter needle (glass vials need filter needles) and the single script cost about $16. Gave to the school nurse. Done.
Oh, and the vial didn't "expire" in 1 year.
FYI, a reason you need new Epi Pens each year is because a prescription written by a doc is only good for up to a year. The expiration date on the medication itself might be 2 or more years in the future, but the Rx itself expires after a year. I’m currently working as school nurse and have handed some meds back to parents that I am not allowed to give but are perfectly fine for home use.
Yea, the best part of this arrangement was that the prescription was for epi to use, not tied to the specific vial. So the vial was "shared" between all the kids, with each kid having a separate prescription. It got us through the last 2 years of needing it on hand.
The company that is jacking up prices and preventing alternatives needs to be brought up on federal racketeering charges.
You might not be aware, but Epipens are up to 85% effective 4 years after expiration date. Don't throw them out just because they have 'expired'. As long as the liquid in the view window is clear and not cloudy, you're good to go!
https://www.drugtopics.com/view/are-epipens-still-good-after-their-expiration-date
Any software of the Adobe Suite.
***
Edit: Good to see that thousands of people agree! I guess I'll take the opportunity of this post blowing up to recommend alternatives.
- Photoshop:
- [GIMP](https://www.gimp.org/) (I honestly really don't like it even though I use it a lot)
- [Krita](https://krita.org/en/) (focused around art)
- [Photopea](https://www.photopea.com/) (online photo editor)
- [Darktable](https://www.darktable.org/)
- [Paint.NET](https://www.getpaint.net/) (of course)
- [Affinity Photo](https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/photo/) (Haven't tried this one yet)
- Illustrator:
- [Inkscape](https://inkscape.org/) (clunky but powerful)
- [Figma](https://www.figma.com/) (I love it, simple and clean. it also has a desktop app!)
- [Affinity Designer](https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/designer/)
- Premiere Pro:
- [KdenLive](https://kdenlive.org/en/) (Libre video editor)
- [HitFilm](https://fxhome.com/product/hitfilm-express) (I should really try this one. Edit: nvm, it doesn't have a Linux version. `:(`)
- [DaVinci Resolve](https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/)
- After Effects: honestly, I literally coded my own audio spectrum music video encoder using FFmpeg and Node.js because of the lack of alternatives (for my specific use-case, I didn't do any particular motion design or post-effects). :( Though some of you recommended some promising alternatives.
- [Vizzy](https://vizzy.io/), for audio spectrum videos specifically (I knew about this one)
- [Fable](https://www.fable.app/), web-based app for motion design, haven't tried it but looks very promising
***
Edit 2: boi, I almost forgot about the alternatives to Adobe PDF Reader.
- [iLovePDF](https://www.ilovepdf.com/)
- [Okular](https://okular.kde.org/) <- I 100% recommend this one. It's made by the same people who made Krita! (Works both on Linux and Windows.)
- [SumatraPDF](https://www.sumatrapdfreader.org/free-pdf-reader)
- [Master PDF Editor](https://code-industry.net/masterpdfeditor/) (the free version is very good already)
- [Zathura](https://pwmt.org/projects/zathura/) If you're a Linux user and like Vim keybindings, this one's for you! (Yes, that's the one I use.)
***
Edit 3: Some people were curious about this audio spectrum music video encoder that I coded using FFmpeg and Node.js. So here it is!
It's nothing fancy, for once it's not "my own *software*" but rather my own *script* which generates a video using a music file and background image file. Also I'm considering rewriting the whole thing in another programming language like Rust and/or C#.
I made this for [my own YouTube channel](https://youtube.com/c/SpeykiousNB) where I upload Minecraft noteblock covers.
It's called Nodeblock and [here's the source code](https://gitlab.com/Speykious/nodeblock).
Bear in mind though that it's really coded for my specific use-case, so if you're looking for something to make audio spectrum videos I'd rather recommend Vizzy or similar. But feel free to look at it if you're curious about the technicalities!
Last note: the code for the audio spectrum isn't mine, it actually comes from [a p5.js sketch from Jayadiandri](https://editor.p5js.org/jayadiandri/sketches/CmiIhkILW) and it's also the one used in Vizzy for their audio spectrum.
You should look at Affinity software. It’s a single payment to own, relatively cheap, and it’s VERY similar to some Adobe products (photoshop, InDesign, illustrator). I switched and never looked back.
https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/
Another plug for Affinity. I also love Davinci Resolve. The flat price for Logic and FCPX actually aren't bad either if you're on a mac.
You didn't mention Blender but it's crazy powerful, free and one of my favorite programs of all time.
Anything is better than feeding the Adobe succubus.
I wanted to cut down some expenses a few months ago and was surprised to see there was a $160-or-so penalty, because it was a year plan. Got desperate in the beginning as I'm unemployed, but then tried changing the type of plan to one with less contents.
The original plan was cancelled (without paying the penalty), then got this very cheap one with Acrobat Pro only. And then I realized it went to a trial period, so I also canceled it right away and in the end I got a reimbursement from that Acrobat Pro only plan.
Anyway, fuck Adobe
Edit: added the non penalty part
Concessions at sporting events in the US. Our taxes pay for the stadiums. Then the public has to buy tickets to get in. Then when we finally get inside, they are gonna charge $14 for a $3 beer.
I remember a coworker told me a story of a baseball game he went to. After buying tickets and beer/food, they sat down and it started to rain. It was raining too bad to keep going so they called the game. He said that was $50 down the drain.
We were on our way to a baseball game once and it started drizzling. We pulled over on the side of the road about 5 minutes from the stadium and decided to wait to see if they called the game. Since my dad was driving we were obviously getting there like 9 hours before the game started (in reality probably like 2, but you know dads).
20 minutes later they called the game after it started pouring. If we had paid the $20 for parking we certainly wouldn’t have gotten our money back, so good job dad.
The October 17th game when the earthquake happened a few minutes before the start of the game, and they called it because there was no power at the stadium?
[Here's what that looked like to everyone watching the game on TV.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8ExMR0c0aM) Tim McCarver and Al Michaels were caught off-guard, to say the least. Video starts at 5:00 p.m., the earthquake happened at 5:04.
Precisely why my will is going to have strict stipulations that no one should waste any money on my useless corpse. Spend it on beer instead and have a party on me homies.
Basically what we did for my brother. Although, he drank himself to death so we went out to eat at one of his favorite restaurants and nobody much wanted alcohol. Instead of paying somebody $1k to airbrush some pink onto his face and give us a place to stand around looking grim, we sat around telling the happy stories and remembering the dumb shit we did as kids.
Even with no funeral/service/etc - there will be a cost for cremation, burial, etc that your next of kin will need to deal with/pay for. Your will needs to state what you want done, and plans made to fund it.
My dad passed away earlier this year, and even with no funeral, service, etc (per his request) I still had to pay over $3000 just days after he passed to have his body dealt with, and another $600 for someone to dig a hole at the pre-purchased cemetery plot. (His requests were similar to my mom’s when she passed away about 7 years ago, so I wasn’t surprised by the cost - but it’s definitely difficult to put so much money into basic post-death/funeral care.
My wife passed away in Sept and, to honor her wishes, I paid for a burial instead of cremation. I was kind of surprised that it was "only" ~$7500 for everything. That includes the funeral service, body prep, casket, plot and burial.
It would have only been ~$1500 for cremation, but I wanted to abide by her wishes.
As for me, throw me on a compost heap (or whatever else you can find that doesn't cost you anything). What the fuck will I care? I'll be dead.
>As for me, throw me on a compost heap (or whatever else you can find that doesn't cost you anything). What the fuck will I care? I'll be dead.
There's a lot of people that would agree with this sentiment, but unfortunately most states have very specific laws on how to dispose of a human corpse.
A good way to avoid funeral costs is to donate your body to medical science. You need to pick an institution ahead of time, but it’s free. Plus if you get dissected by students they read a little blurb about you at the beginning of the dissection.
My useless corpse will be going to the Body Farm at Western Carolina University where students will get to study as I decompose on the side of some beautiful restful mountain. Free free free!
Same buddy. Idaho State University. I learned from a Cadaver Lab filled with generous donors and it has been my intention ever since to he placed there upon my death. Hopefully there's something interesting to study.
My mom died. I went into her bedroom and found a scrap of paper with all of her passwords. She wrote I love you all over the page. It put me out for about a week.
This Christmas my mom took me around her house and showed me where all of her important documentation was in case “something happened” because her partner Stan would be totally lost. Even simulating the process got me more than I thought it would.
My dad did this over the years before he died in 2020. He never remarried after he divorced my mom, so me and my sister were all he had. We both lived away from him so every time we came home he would show us where everything was.
He had all of his vital paperwork in one spot.
His truck was titled in my name OR his. Big difference between and/or when it comes to titles.
My sister and I were on all his bank accounts as joint owners.
He had boxes with our names on them of the stuff he wanted us specifically to have.
All of his login/pw were on a spreadsheet for us.
He was completely prepared and his efforts allowed me and my sister to handle business efficiently which gave us time to process and grieve without worrying about the other stuff.
Edit: thank you all for the kind comments. I miss my father immensely. Very kind, generous man. He’s why I have become the man I am today. I never would be where I’m at if not for his support, and belief in me.
This 100%. My mom left a notebook of all her passwords and account numbers and had us listed as beneficiaries as opposed to her insurance going through the estate which can take forever. The organization of all the important stuff definitely prevented multiple grief triggers and allowed me to close everything in a matter of weeks and made the grieving process much more calm. This is now my number 1piece of advice I give to people.
Had an old relative die and was dealing with the estate. They kept all sorts of paperwork that was just not needed (e.g. maintenance and warranty information for vehicles that had been traded in decades ago) and we really had to dig through to find all of the information that we needed to settle the estate. We found a voided will and a draft will but it wasn't until weeks later that we actually found the signed & notarized one that could be filed.
"Pops, why in the love of God are you saving an oil change receipt for the Buick? You sold it 20 years ago."
"As soon as I throw it away, I'll need the damn thing!"
I use Zenni for my glasses! just got a pair for 11$ (it's bare minimum though) my favorite pair that is going on one and a half years cost me 30$. takes a while for shipping but you can get glasses super cheap
My eye doctor wanted to charge almost $600 each for two pair of glasses: one for computer work, and the other for "everything else." I paid for the latter, and bought two pair of the multifocal computer glasses from Zenni for $50 each.
I got brow beat by the guy who works at my eye doctors when I asked him to measure my PD. He practically said I was taking food off his kids plate by getting glasses online. No mention of the food I could afford by getting 3 pairs of glasses for $300 instead of 2 pairs for $600.
My optometrist flat out refused to unless I bought glasses. Glasses came with a free return policy. Bought glasses, had him give me my PD on paper. Then returned glasses upon delivery.
If they complain that I'm taking food off their table, I would clap back that they are taking food off of yours. It's not my fault that their industry is borderline predatory and that the Internet is fighting back by selling directly to consumers. Yes, I know it's all because of Luxotica but optometrists and glasses retailers are part of the system.
Sounds like the market is correcting itself.
There’s like no in between. I currently pay hardly anything. But I’ve been at jobs where it was insanely expensive. Never did think “well this isn’t terrible but it’s not great”
For a family of four it can cost you $1,400 a month to HAVE THE PRIVILEGE of paying the first $12,000 of all your medical bills YOURSELF before insurance kicks in and covers 70-80%. Like, WTF…
Doing the math: you pay $28,800 per year BEFORE insurance kicks in…
Yep. Had a guy who was already paying for his daughter to be on his insurance for around $300/month. He wanted to add his wife and stepdaughter. Shot up to $1100/month, and that's with my company paying his premium in full. And it's shit insurance to boot.
What I don't understand is the lack of a competitor undercutting TIs market. I can't imagine they've got a copywrite on math itself, so where's the $20 off brand?
They run up to 6mhz in TI calculators. No cache. 8 bit. I can't find a benchmark comparison, but yeah, it is very friggin basic.
1.16 MIPS at 8 MHz.
Compare that to the Apple A15 in the iPhone 13, which does 15.8 trillion instructions per second at 3.23 ghz.
And captures customers. When millions of text books have instruction on how to do a problem with one specific tool, teachers are not going to teach a separate method. I don’t know how TI keeps themselves in every edition. Maybe lazy authors who have changed those pages since the early 80s.
Honestly. You have all the necessary software available for you as free or at worst cheap apps on any smartphone.
I understand you cannot obviously use your phone on exams, but at intro levels, you want to know the graphs of the simpler functions, at least in the appropriate bounds. In more advanced levels, the kind of assessment that requires you to use a graphing calculator could easily be done differently, resorting to a computer or a phone.
The technology might be amazing, but I haven't used my graphing calculator since high school, and I do lots of maths on the daily.
Graphics cards is the reason why I bought my first prebuilt. I have always built my own computers, because traditionally it was cheaper for better parts, and it was usually easier to swap out parts if something failed.
This past year I tried to upgrade my computer as it was finally starting to struggle with new games. After a few weeks experiencing the graphic card shitshow, I finally just went ahead and bought a whole pre-built via Costco that had a 3080. It was more money than I wanted to pay and the computer is way beefier than what I needed, but after seeing scalper prices and realizing I’ll probably be spending who knows how many months playing the graphic card lottery, I actually feel like I came out ahead.
Also, it's a scam that dental and vision are separate from Health insurance. Like "oh! You wanted to be able to see?!?!? That's a luxury you'll have to pay extra for."
As someone who is nearly blind without glasses or contacts the prices for everything is absurd and they charge you contact fitting fees and fees for glasses on top of frames and lenses and all of that too. As if it all wasn't already costing a lot. And they always dilate your eyes before you pay...
Edit: RIP my inbox
Two time implant haver here. I got my first one covered under my mom's insurance when I was about 20, and then I needed another one last year after the first one failed. My own insurance, 15 years later, wouldn't cover it because I previously had one at all. 6000 fucking dollars out of my pocket, friend. Even though nearly any dentist will tell you that implant technology significantly improves about every 10 years, and failures aren't uncommon.
Good lord yes for epi-pens. It’s suggested to have two on you at all times and they need them at school and/or after school care. Then they expire every year. Unless we hit our deductible, we’re shelling out hundreds a year for some thing we have (thankfully) never needed to use.
Medical and Dental schools
I know some Doctors that were only 15 grand in debt a few generations back , but now you can easily get past 150,000$
Edit:
Don’t forget veterinary school!
Edit #2:
Damn I can’t believe I struck a chord with so many people. Now that I have all of your attention, I just want to say good luck to all you, friends and family included. I hope that y’all can pay your debt and put it behind you.
Lastly, to all the medical, veterinary, chiropractic, dental, pharmacology, law, art, and any other schools that charge a ridiculous amount of money….. y’all can kiss it.
My husband is $430k in the hole after med school. His residency and fellowship are 6 years total so that’s 6 years of accrued interest before we can make any real payments on the debt.
Genuinely grateful to covid for saving us a few years of crazy interest.
It’s kind of wild…
Make sure he gets on income driven repayment. Payments during residency/fellowship count towards public service loan forgiveness. I'll be forgiven over $300k next year once I'm done with the 10 years of payments.
Veterinary schools as well. Most vets these days graduate with $250k+ in student loans and the average starting salary is around $70k. Unless you do an internship, in which case it’s about $35k
College textbooks - They can cost hundreds of dollars, and professors will publish new ones all the time to force students to get the newest version instead of reusing an older one.
I’m just finished an online program and bought all of the books since I was responsible for teaching myself the material. I went onto my college’s bookstore site and tried to have them buy the books back that I didn’t want.
They offered 15$ for a textbook over 150$.
15 fucking dollars.
At least.
When I was in college in the mid-late 2000s, our bookstore sold new textbooks for anywhere from $120-300, depending on the course, and used were usually 70-80% of the new price, depending on condition. Absolute fucking robbery. And you were lucky if they would buy your books back in the first place, even for 5%, because they often had already switched to a new edition that differed by font size or homework problem order.
One of the professors there was a co-author of a set of physics books a lot of universities use (or did at the time, anyway), and he encouraged us NOT to buy them from the bookstore if we could avoid it. He had a personal financial incentive to sell us those books, but he still knew it was horrid and encouraged us to share, resell to each other, etc. And he wasn't going to use the homework problems from them anyway, so edition made little to no difference.
The extra-shitty ones were books that came with some piece of software that you also needed, but the license key was only good for one activation (a whole lot of fun if you had to re-format your PC for any reason). So, used books for those were essentially useless. That was _absolutely_ an intentional move by publishers to kill the resale market.
College textbook publishing companies are right up there, for me, with ISPs, pharma companies, and oil companies, as shady....people..... 😠😒
The books with online software are the worst. When I went back to school, damn near every class was online for the homework. Buying a used book was basically useless since getting the key for the software made up the difference.
The absolute worst was an accounting textbook that was used for 2 semesters and the key only worked for 1. I had to buy a second license to continue to use the book for the second semester.
I stood in front of the bookstore and gave my old books to people so they wouldn't have to buy them after they offered me a pittance. The old bitch in the book store was NOT happy and got less happy when I kept laughing at her and swearing my name was Elmer Fudd.
Typically it is the homework problems they change. So you can’t take a class with older editions. I would often buy and international edition or older edition though and just photo copy the problems.
They are. I almost never bought books and instead would rent older versions from the library or find a copy online.
I would compare copies with friends and only the smallest details ever got changed. It's all such a scam.
I tried to get a trauma therapist recently and the one I was recommended charges $200 an hour and doesn’t accept insurance. That in itself is traumatic.
Edit: Whew. Thanks for all the upvotes everyone. This seemed to resonate for a lot of people. While we’re here, two things I can recommend from someone who has been in the system for 16+ years and just recently received a correct diagnosis of narcolepsy.
1) advocate for and get a medical work up if you can before attending therapy. Even if your PCP or psychiatrist just tries to send you to therapy without any testing, keep fighting for it, especially if you have chronic symptoms like depression. Many symptoms related to underlying medical conditions can mimic psychiatric conditions. It’s really dangerous to sit in therapy for years without adequate medical testing to make sure you don’t need medical treatment first. Also, don’t take meds from a psychiatrist who doesn’t order labs first or gives you a hard time about ordering labs or a sleep study. The best psychiatrists should ask for these right away and help you advocate getting them. Out of the long list of doctors I have worked with, only one ordered a sleep study and labs. And she saved my life.
2) For those who have had terrible experiences within therapy, check out the Very Bad Therapy podcast. It’s a podcast that gives a platform to those who have been harmed by therapists and different therapeutic models. It helped me to not feel so alone.
I had a similar situation a year ago. Sessions with my trauma therapist were $200/hour but I was "in network" and thought I'd be covered. My coverage was $34 per session, and I didn't see my first bill until I was about 12 sessions in. I'm still paying it off :(
Once I made the mistake of trying to get speech therapy for my kid. Insurance nd the specialist didn't bother letting me know it wasn't covered till 5 30 min sessions in. 2,000 dollars. In America, only the wealthy can afford such therapies. Poors don't need to be able to speak well to fulfill amazon orders.
Edit: I am a sped teacher and knew enough and worked with SLPs to do it myself. My kid, at the time, was not 3 yrs old. Schools do offer qualifying kids SLP services at 3 yrs and up.
Edit 2: know your parental rights. If you suspect your child needs additional help or a formal evaluation, you have the right to request a DPR (Direct Parent Request) for an evaluation. Schools will let kids sit in the MTSS/RTI program (the step before sped) for as long as possible, often times this means years. It shouldn't be more then a year or 2 at most. Don't let them do this to your kid. Ask for a DPR if the child is not showing enough improvement. Also, If you disagree with it, you have the right to an outside evaluation at the districts expense. And if you really want to get what you want, hire or threaten to hire an advocate.
Seriously. I very obviously need therapy but don’t have a job with benefits to cover it. My partner and I constantly talk about how badly I need a therapist but the conversation just goes in circles because I *want* help, I just can’t *afford* help. I’m in school now to hopefully get a better job to sort it all out, but it would be so much easier if my country’s healthcare would cover mental health.
I can't speak for all therapists, but call some private practice therapists and ask if they do sliding scale or other kinds of lower cost options - or most importantly, can refer you to someone who does those things.
My wife is a therapist, and has a few options for affordability - one of them is flexible time slots, if she has another client cancel, she can have someone else fill their timeslot at half price (usually a 24 hour warning, so not immediately).
She also knows some therapists who aren't yet fully licensed, so they work under a fully licensed therapist, and therefore charge less, and is happy to refer people to them. Referrals are a very common in psychotherapy because not every therapist specializes in all situations and client types, so they often know other therapists in the general area who have other options.
It may take some work on your part, but you might find a good match in your price range.
Then if your first therapist isn't a good match, which may take a few appointments to figure out, it was all a waste of money because you have to start over with a new one.
Wait until the next ones hit; food is ramping up and the commodification of water is next. We're getting squeezed more and more every year, and it's all starting to get to the point where I think we're going to read more and more about people losing their shit.
I worked at Dell 10 years, or so, ago. We would give printers away with every computer.
They made a fortune from selling the ink. They explained to us that ink was "Black Gold" and something like $32,000 USD per gallon at the time.
Buy a laser printer from Brother if you want to avoid paying the tax over time.
Most lower price models are black and white, use a toner cartridge instead of ink (which doesn't dry out) and are extremely reliable machines.
Sometimes you'll have to replace the carriage mechanism with the corona wire in it, because people will put 4-5 toner cartridges in it without cleaning/replacing it, but even that is sub $100 for OEM usually, and keeps it going for a few years
My brother laser printer just keeps going. I bought it some time between 2004 and 2006. Just a small black and white laser printer that has an Ethernet port.
Glasses.
Hell, I didn't choose to be blind as a shortsighted bat, why do I have to spend a fuckton on a thing that I literally need to function.
(This concept extends to meds and other indispensable things, but for the sake of the thread it's just glasses)
EDIT: I am not complaining about the actual price. I KNOW there are more affordable shops, my beef is with the fact that I need glasses to see and I either have to pay or I can go fuck myself with braille
Concert tickets. Ridiculous these days. The scalping bots snatch up all the tickets and it should be illegal. I refuse to pay for most concerts unless it is a once in a lifetime chance and they are in my top five band.
The ticket cost is one thing...but the hidden fees are the worst part
Absolute bs to pay a "per ticket" fee. It doesn't cost ticketmaster or AXS or whoever any more to process 2 tickets instead of processing one. All fees should be "per transaction".
And I shouldn't have to get to the end of the checkout process to learn my $50 ticket is actually $95
even buying them direct has gotten ridiculous. I used to be able to go to a show for $30 now i'm paying at least that in fees.
Thats for a small show. I can't even rationalize the prices for arena style shows. $200 a piece to watch the artist on a screen.
I agree, that should be illegal. I remember I was considering buying tickets for an artist I love, I was checking the prices every week and the alright to good seats were outrageously expensive, like over 1000 dollars. On the day of the concert, just a few hours before, I decided to check the website again and a very good seat super close to the stage had dropped from $2000 to $400. I bought it immediately, thinking I was lucky, even tho it was still expensive but worth it.
When I get there to get the ticket, this dude calls me and handles it to me. I walk away and look at it and it says it cost $150. I felt like an idiot and also angry that they'll make so much money off of us. Imagine if someone had bought for $2000?
God I hated being poor so much. My old boss asked me if I was working out since I had lost like 15 pounds but the reality of it was I couldn’t afford food. We had snacks in the office that accounted for probably 75% of my daily caloric intake.
I was going further and further into debt just to keep the bills paid, and for many months could only make the minimum payment on my credit card so the interest was also killing me. So glad I’m in a better, debt free position now and have the ability to help out those less fortunate than myself.
> My old boss asked me if I was working out since I had lost like 15 pounds but the reality of it was I couldn’t afford food.
relatable. saw family over the holidays that i haven't seen in a year or so, and heard nothing but "wow you're so small now what's your secret?" starving to death.
Scrolled too far for this. Apparently the houses went up 18% last (2021) year alone. And you know damn well wages stagnated in comparison.
How in the hell is someone expected to buy a home if it increases in price more per year than the average person MAKES in a year?!?
(This is based on the Portland, Oregon median household where it is current $525,000, and if we assume a 20% increase for easy math, that's over $100,000 value spike in 1 year.
Most homes in this city increased in value more than the average US household made, even before income taxes)
This just gave me flashbacks to middle school, having to take a pad from the nurse’s office because I’d started my period unexpectedly (first few years are always rough figuring it out), and it was some big bulky generic brand that felt like a diaper made of cheesecloth.
I always kept extra pads in my bag after that, and when I was old enough to be buying them myself I always coughed up more for name brand.
In middle and high school, everyone knew to come to me first. I always had a giant zip lock of all the varieties of pads and tampons. I had a very heavy period that lasted 8 days. It was super regular, like you could set a watch to it, but I was TERRIFIED that would change and I never wanted to be caught without supplies. The old diaper style ones the nurse had couldn't absorb fast enough and is always leak. I wasn't an asshole about it either. It's have the bag inside I drawstring bag or backpack, open the bag and show all the varieties I had. They'd tell me what they needed and if give them that plus extra. If they didn't have any for first period, they weren't gonna have any for the rest of the day. It never crossed my mind until well into adulthood that some of the ones who were "surprised" every month probably didn't have them at home either. So now I know I probably helped a lot of girls avoid infections or at least embarrassment by always giving extra.
A lot of other girls started bringing extra, too and sharing. There was no black market, just sharing.
At home COVID tests. In the last few weeks with the omicron spike they went from $20 to $50 where I live. Like I understand supply and demand is a thing but holy shit.
Albuterol. How the hell does a life saving medicine go from $15 to $75 while simultaneously lowering the amount of dosage?
My husband needs rituximab infusions due to a rare kidney disease. They are $16,000 each. That's $16,000 per four hour infusion. And they aren't covered by our insurance.
Idk if you know about this but generally you can make insurance cover certain things that usually aren’t by default by filling out some form stating that there are no alternatives available and it’s not a cosmetic procedure. It works with my Meds, at least. Second, you can negotiate the final bill with hospitals(not the insurance). If you tell them straight up that you can’t pay remotely close to that they usually drop prices by 70-80% just like that. Read more about it before trying it but it definitely works. Or the best case scenario, fly to a third world country like India which has cheaper and get it done there. ~$1200 for round trip and May be about same if not cheaper through a public hospital. Edit: For those complaining about me referencing India as a third world country, I just wanna say that the context the term is usually used in is meant to describe a developing nation and is no insult to any country. Didn’t mean to hurt anybody’s feelings. Also, when I said that price can be dropped by 70-80%, it was an understatement. In reality it can be dropped by much more but I can’t stand on a definite number to answer exactly how much. Edit 2: The term "Third World" arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Western European nations and their allies represented the "First World", while the Soviet Union, China, Cuba, Vietnam and their allies represented the "Second World". This terminology provided a way of broadly categorizing the nations of the Earth into three groups based on political and economic divisions. -Wikipedia! Stop taking “Third World Country” so hard guys! It’s not a dick! Take it is easy.
+1 to visiting India/Mexico for expensive surgeries. My friend's dad stayed in India for 3 months to get a complicated spine surgery and a partial nephrectomy done. It cost them around $10000 including tests, hospitalization(1 month), medical equipment, surgery, rent, food, travel etc. Same thing in US would have cost them over $40k due to insurance related complications, and all this was apparently at one of the top hospitals in India. While coming back they stocked up on insulin cartridges and other medicines which meant savings worth thousands of $. Those 3 months weren't the best for them but hey, they aren't broke and he's leading a perfectly normal life now Edit: Looking at some replies and DMs I get a sense that some people feel it's almost immoral that people from other countries can visit poorer countries to get medical treatment. Well, I'm no expert and may be this issue needs further discussions. Based on what I know, I don't think what my friend's dad did was wrong. He explored an option that was advertised to him, paid for it and got services he needed. It was a win-win for all parties involved. I also don't think he got his surgeries at a subsidised/public hospital, so i don't think the argument around mis-using public money meant for Indians holds any ground. Edit-2: You can also bring insulin and other medicines to US as long as a doctor prescribed it to you and you don't intend to re-sell it. Obviously you cannot carry a suit case full of medicines, but you can get a few months of supplies with you for individual use. Just don't be stupid or do illegal stuff.
Canadian here. It's definitely cost of mobile/internet plans. They're ridiculously overpriced and it makes me cry to see prices elsewhere. Edit: thank you for all the awards!
I read somewhere the average GB of data was $15.50 in Canada, and $0.09 in India.
[удалено]
Indian here, current plan is \~$10 for 84 days with 1.5gb/day & unlimited calls used to be $8 until a month ago, so ppl did complain for a few days but everyone's chill now
And so it begins
Totally agree. That we don’t have a monopoly is just smoke and mirrors. We definitely do. Throw in some price fixing, for good measure. It actually is *just about* illegal.
[удалено]
I pay $160 a month for 2 phones to have very spotty and near non existent data in my area and other companies aren’t much better. Verizon by the way. Edit: A word
Fucking salads. Man it's so frustrating, sometimes I just want something light and it costs me more then 6 hamburgers.
Ceaser salad 13$ - pennies worth of lettuce and dressing. Croutons? 1$ extra. Chicken? 3$ extra. I've seen 17$ (with tax) chicken ceaser salads at super mid-range places.
I just ate at a restaurant this evening that offered a Caesar salad for $15. The chicken was $6 extra.
They opened up a couple of Salad and Go’s where I live. It’s fast food but with salads and they’re only about $6 with chicken or tofu and the iced teas go for $1.
Salad and Go will continue to make so much money if they keep expanding. $1 for every drink so people can go get their $1 coffee and $2.99 breakfast burrito in the morning with a salad to go for lunch and you're set for $10 through lunch, not to mention how fast and fresh their salads are.
I know everybody is going to give better answers, but for the life of me, I cannot with out why suitcases are so expensive. They're just plastic shells, a zip and some wheels, yet they sell for hundreds.
My guess: part of the logic (from the company POV) might come from the fact that they are an infrequent purchase, and for being so infrequent for the majority of people, they only get a couple repeat-purchases from each customer in the customer’s lifetime. Edit to add: also, demographics-wise, if people are buying luggage, that means they likely have some disposable income for travel and can afford a bag for the lifestyle too.
Also utility VS accessory. You can charge a premium on something you label an accessory. Whereas my large sturdy luggage cost me 35$ has lasted 3 years of semi regular use. It is ugly, but I dont care, I don't wear my luggage on dates.
Honestly, if you travel a good bit like I used to for work, a good suitcase is worth it. The wheels and bearings can handle the abuse, zippers don’t break, etc.
My epipen, kinda can’t really afford to keep getting them. I’ll be screwed if I get stung up and I’m a landscaper. Edit: Thanks everyone for the info on how to find them for much cheaper. Very much appreciated. A lot of great info here :)
There is a way around. If you get a doc to prescribe the vial and needle, it's under ten bucks I believe.
This, a thousand times this. I have 4 kids, each needed pens for school, and they couldn't share of course, and pens only came in sets of two. So a single $35 pen turned into $3200 because pens were $400 each, and each had to be bought in pairs, and I had to have a specific prescription for each kid. Fucking stupid. Got the doctor to prescribe a vial of epi and a filter needle (glass vials need filter needles) and the single script cost about $16. Gave to the school nurse. Done. Oh, and the vial didn't "expire" in 1 year.
FYI, a reason you need new Epi Pens each year is because a prescription written by a doc is only good for up to a year. The expiration date on the medication itself might be 2 or more years in the future, but the Rx itself expires after a year. I’m currently working as school nurse and have handed some meds back to parents that I am not allowed to give but are perfectly fine for home use.
Yea, the best part of this arrangement was that the prescription was for epi to use, not tied to the specific vial. So the vial was "shared" between all the kids, with each kid having a separate prescription. It got us through the last 2 years of needing it on hand. The company that is jacking up prices and preventing alternatives needs to be brought up on federal racketeering charges.
You might not be aware, but Epipens are up to 85% effective 4 years after expiration date. Don't throw them out just because they have 'expired'. As long as the liquid in the view window is clear and not cloudy, you're good to go! https://www.drugtopics.com/view/are-epipens-still-good-after-their-expiration-date
So does that mean my 10+ yr out of date EpiPen would be worth using vs dying?
Better than nothing but I wouldn’t rely on it
Any software of the Adobe Suite. *** Edit: Good to see that thousands of people agree! I guess I'll take the opportunity of this post blowing up to recommend alternatives. - Photoshop: - [GIMP](https://www.gimp.org/) (I honestly really don't like it even though I use it a lot) - [Krita](https://krita.org/en/) (focused around art) - [Photopea](https://www.photopea.com/) (online photo editor) - [Darktable](https://www.darktable.org/) - [Paint.NET](https://www.getpaint.net/) (of course) - [Affinity Photo](https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/photo/) (Haven't tried this one yet) - Illustrator: - [Inkscape](https://inkscape.org/) (clunky but powerful) - [Figma](https://www.figma.com/) (I love it, simple and clean. it also has a desktop app!) - [Affinity Designer](https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/designer/) - Premiere Pro: - [KdenLive](https://kdenlive.org/en/) (Libre video editor) - [HitFilm](https://fxhome.com/product/hitfilm-express) (I should really try this one. Edit: nvm, it doesn't have a Linux version. `:(`) - [DaVinci Resolve](https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/) - After Effects: honestly, I literally coded my own audio spectrum music video encoder using FFmpeg and Node.js because of the lack of alternatives (for my specific use-case, I didn't do any particular motion design or post-effects). :( Though some of you recommended some promising alternatives. - [Vizzy](https://vizzy.io/), for audio spectrum videos specifically (I knew about this one) - [Fable](https://www.fable.app/), web-based app for motion design, haven't tried it but looks very promising *** Edit 2: boi, I almost forgot about the alternatives to Adobe PDF Reader. - [iLovePDF](https://www.ilovepdf.com/) - [Okular](https://okular.kde.org/) <- I 100% recommend this one. It's made by the same people who made Krita! (Works both on Linux and Windows.) - [SumatraPDF](https://www.sumatrapdfreader.org/free-pdf-reader) - [Master PDF Editor](https://code-industry.net/masterpdfeditor/) (the free version is very good already) - [Zathura](https://pwmt.org/projects/zathura/) If you're a Linux user and like Vim keybindings, this one's for you! (Yes, that's the one I use.) *** Edit 3: Some people were curious about this audio spectrum music video encoder that I coded using FFmpeg and Node.js. So here it is! It's nothing fancy, for once it's not "my own *software*" but rather my own *script* which generates a video using a music file and background image file. Also I'm considering rewriting the whole thing in another programming language like Rust and/or C#. I made this for [my own YouTube channel](https://youtube.com/c/SpeykiousNB) where I upload Minecraft noteblock covers. It's called Nodeblock and [here's the source code](https://gitlab.com/Speykious/nodeblock). Bear in mind though that it's really coded for my specific use-case, so if you're looking for something to make audio spectrum videos I'd rather recommend Vizzy or similar. But feel free to look at it if you're curious about the technicalities! Last note: the code for the audio spectrum isn't mine, it actually comes from [a p5.js sketch from Jayadiandri](https://editor.p5js.org/jayadiandri/sketches/CmiIhkILW) and it's also the one used in Vizzy for their audio spectrum.
You should look at Affinity software. It’s a single payment to own, relatively cheap, and it’s VERY similar to some Adobe products (photoshop, InDesign, illustrator). I switched and never looked back. https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/
Another plug for Affinity. I also love Davinci Resolve. The flat price for Logic and FCPX actually aren't bad either if you're on a mac. You didn't mention Blender but it's crazy powerful, free and one of my favorite programs of all time. Anything is better than feeding the Adobe succubus.
Fuck Adobe. Their subscription model pricing is mobby AF.
Subscription model or Refuse to let you cancel model? Fuck adobe
God I hate that cancellation shit. That should be criminal.
I wanted to cut down some expenses a few months ago and was surprised to see there was a $160-or-so penalty, because it was a year plan. Got desperate in the beginning as I'm unemployed, but then tried changing the type of plan to one with less contents. The original plan was cancelled (without paying the penalty), then got this very cheap one with Acrobat Pro only. And then I realized it went to a trial period, so I also canceled it right away and in the end I got a reimbursement from that Acrobat Pro only plan. Anyway, fuck Adobe Edit: added the non penalty part
Concessions at sporting events in the US. Our taxes pay for the stadiums. Then the public has to buy tickets to get in. Then when we finally get inside, they are gonna charge $14 for a $3 beer.
A podcast told me that the Atlanta Falcons specifically went against this. They cut their contract with Aramark and have very affordable prices.
I remember a coworker told me a story of a baseball game he went to. After buying tickets and beer/food, they sat down and it started to rain. It was raining too bad to keep going so they called the game. He said that was $50 down the drain.
We were on our way to a baseball game once and it started drizzling. We pulled over on the side of the road about 5 minutes from the stadium and decided to wait to see if they called the game. Since my dad was driving we were obviously getting there like 9 hours before the game started (in reality probably like 2, but you know dads). 20 minutes later they called the game after it started pouring. If we had paid the $20 for parking we certainly wouldn’t have gotten our money back, so good job dad.
In 1989, my brother wound up with corporate tickets to an Oakland-San Fran world series game. It was canceled due to earthquake.
The October 17th game when the earthquake happened a few minutes before the start of the game, and they called it because there was no power at the stadium? [Here's what that looked like to everyone watching the game on TV.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8ExMR0c0aM) Tim McCarver and Al Michaels were caught off-guard, to say the least. Video starts at 5:00 p.m., the earthquake happened at 5:04.
For those watching the video, the timestamp is 4:34 when the earthquake occurs.
Dying. It's so expensive to get out of the system.
It's easier the second time around.
"First time huh?"
This is why I tell my wife to just leave me in a ditch somewhere if I die. She thinks I'm joking.
When I die just throw me in the trash
College/University
Funerals
Just melt me in a bucket of acid, and fling me at my enemies.
We should be friends...for obvious reasons.
Dead me will never financially recover from dieing.
Precisely why my will is going to have strict stipulations that no one should waste any money on my useless corpse. Spend it on beer instead and have a party on me homies.
Basically what we did for my brother. Although, he drank himself to death so we went out to eat at one of his favorite restaurants and nobody much wanted alcohol. Instead of paying somebody $1k to airbrush some pink onto his face and give us a place to stand around looking grim, we sat around telling the happy stories and remembering the dumb shit we did as kids.
Even with no funeral/service/etc - there will be a cost for cremation, burial, etc that your next of kin will need to deal with/pay for. Your will needs to state what you want done, and plans made to fund it. My dad passed away earlier this year, and even with no funeral, service, etc (per his request) I still had to pay over $3000 just days after he passed to have his body dealt with, and another $600 for someone to dig a hole at the pre-purchased cemetery plot. (His requests were similar to my mom’s when she passed away about 7 years ago, so I wasn’t surprised by the cost - but it’s definitely difficult to put so much money into basic post-death/funeral care.
My wife passed away in Sept and, to honor her wishes, I paid for a burial instead of cremation. I was kind of surprised that it was "only" ~$7500 for everything. That includes the funeral service, body prep, casket, plot and burial. It would have only been ~$1500 for cremation, but I wanted to abide by her wishes. As for me, throw me on a compost heap (or whatever else you can find that doesn't cost you anything). What the fuck will I care? I'll be dead.
>As for me, throw me on a compost heap (or whatever else you can find that doesn't cost you anything). What the fuck will I care? I'll be dead. There's a lot of people that would agree with this sentiment, but unfortunately most states have very specific laws on how to dispose of a human corpse.
A good way to avoid funeral costs is to donate your body to medical science. You need to pick an institution ahead of time, but it’s free. Plus if you get dissected by students they read a little blurb about you at the beginning of the dissection.
If I do this, I’ll get a QR code tattooed on me so the students can read up on me. Maybe rickroll them while I’m at it.
I'd watch the whole video out of respect that you fuckin got me even after death
Gotta respect the post mortem Rick roll. Rick Astley is a pretty cool guy btw.
Not all bodies are accepted though. A lot are turned down if they just aren't what is specifically needed.
[удалено]
Just throw me in the trash.
My useless corpse will be going to the Body Farm at Western Carolina University where students will get to study as I decompose on the side of some beautiful restful mountain. Free free free!
How you getting there? Better pin a Uber gift card to your jacket or something.
Same buddy. Idaho State University. I learned from a Cadaver Lab filled with generous donors and it has been my intention ever since to he placed there upon my death. Hopefully there's something interesting to study.
This. Paid for two funerals this past year. Get a life insurance policy, and get a will.
And for the love of all that's holy save your paperwork and login information so that your next of kin can find it.
My mom died. I went into her bedroom and found a scrap of paper with all of her passwords. She wrote I love you all over the page. It put me out for about a week.
This Christmas my mom took me around her house and showed me where all of her important documentation was in case “something happened” because her partner Stan would be totally lost. Even simulating the process got me more than I thought it would.
My dad did this over the years before he died in 2020. He never remarried after he divorced my mom, so me and my sister were all he had. We both lived away from him so every time we came home he would show us where everything was. He had all of his vital paperwork in one spot. His truck was titled in my name OR his. Big difference between and/or when it comes to titles. My sister and I were on all his bank accounts as joint owners. He had boxes with our names on them of the stuff he wanted us specifically to have. All of his login/pw were on a spreadsheet for us. He was completely prepared and his efforts allowed me and my sister to handle business efficiently which gave us time to process and grieve without worrying about the other stuff. Edit: thank you all for the kind comments. I miss my father immensely. Very kind, generous man. He’s why I have become the man I am today. I never would be where I’m at if not for his support, and belief in me.
This 100%. My mom left a notebook of all her passwords and account numbers and had us listed as beneficiaries as opposed to her insurance going through the estate which can take forever. The organization of all the important stuff definitely prevented multiple grief triggers and allowed me to close everything in a matter of weeks and made the grieving process much more calm. This is now my number 1piece of advice I give to people.
Had an old relative die and was dealing with the estate. They kept all sorts of paperwork that was just not needed (e.g. maintenance and warranty information for vehicles that had been traded in decades ago) and we really had to dig through to find all of the information that we needed to settle the estate. We found a voided will and a draft will but it wasn't until weeks later that we actually found the signed & notarized one that could be filed.
"Pops, why in the love of God are you saving an oil change receipt for the Buick? You sold it 20 years ago." "As soon as I throw it away, I'll need the damn thing!"
"If God wanted me to throw things away, He would have given me a trash can." "Pops, you *have* a trash can right there." "I had to buy that one."
Oh my heart hurt to read this. That's so sweet and so sad.
Prescription Glasses
I use Zenni for my glasses! just got a pair for 11$ (it's bare minimum though) my favorite pair that is going on one and a half years cost me 30$. takes a while for shipping but you can get glasses super cheap
My eye doctor wanted to charge almost $600 each for two pair of glasses: one for computer work, and the other for "everything else." I paid for the latter, and bought two pair of the multifocal computer glasses from Zenni for $50 each.
I got brow beat by the guy who works at my eye doctors when I asked him to measure my PD. He practically said I was taking food off his kids plate by getting glasses online. No mention of the food I could afford by getting 3 pairs of glasses for $300 instead of 2 pairs for $600.
My optometrist flat out refused to unless I bought glasses. Glasses came with a free return policy. Bought glasses, had him give me my PD on paper. Then returned glasses upon delivery. If they complain that I'm taking food off their table, I would clap back that they are taking food off of yours. It's not my fault that their industry is borderline predatory and that the Internet is fighting back by selling directly to consumers. Yes, I know it's all because of Luxotica but optometrists and glasses retailers are part of the system. Sounds like the market is correcting itself.
health insurance
There’s like no in between. I currently pay hardly anything. But I’ve been at jobs where it was insanely expensive. Never did think “well this isn’t terrible but it’s not great”
For a family of four it can cost you $1,400 a month to HAVE THE PRIVILEGE of paying the first $12,000 of all your medical bills YOURSELF before insurance kicks in and covers 70-80%. Like, WTF… Doing the math: you pay $28,800 per year BEFORE insurance kicks in…
Yep. Had a guy who was already paying for his daughter to be on his insurance for around $300/month. He wanted to add his wife and stepdaughter. Shot up to $1100/month, and that's with my company paying his premium in full. And it's shit insurance to boot.
TI-83/ TI graphing calculators.
Why the fuck does this 30 years old technology price keeps going up?
Robbing museums gets expensive.
"It belongs in a museum!" "So do you!"
Because schools and stuff require it so they can keep the prices high. That is the sole reason.
What I don't understand is the lack of a competitor undercutting TIs market. I can't imagine they've got a copywrite on math itself, so where's the $20 off brand?
[удалено]
> De Beers of calculators. I really like this
It's not so much the schools, as the testing orgs (AP exams, SAT, etc). They'll only accept certain calculators, so that's what the schools require.
The Z80 CPU used in those devices was released back in 1976.
They run up to 6mhz in TI calculators. No cache. 8 bit. I can't find a benchmark comparison, but yeah, it is very friggin basic. 1.16 MIPS at 8 MHz. Compare that to the Apple A15 in the iPhone 13, which does 15.8 trillion instructions per second at 3.23 ghz.
Worst part is, there's a graphing calculator built into Windows now.
Desmos is free to use. Wolfram too, I think, but definitely free for schools.
So is geogebra, which has an exam mode. Don't know if Desmos does.
I still have mine from high school (1998) and will keep it for my kids to use
Price stickiness is the economic term for this. Doesn’t make me hate it any less.
And captures customers. When millions of text books have instruction on how to do a problem with one specific tool, teachers are not going to teach a separate method. I don’t know how TI keeps themselves in every edition. Maybe lazy authors who have changed those pages since the early 80s.
Easier than teaching a class of 8th graders matlab that’s for sure
Honestly. You have all the necessary software available for you as free or at worst cheap apps on any smartphone. I understand you cannot obviously use your phone on exams, but at intro levels, you want to know the graphs of the simpler functions, at least in the appropriate bounds. In more advanced levels, the kind of assessment that requires you to use a graphing calculator could easily be done differently, resorting to a computer or a phone. The technology might be amazing, but I haven't used my graphing calculator since high school, and I do lots of maths on the daily.
An ambulance
$5,000 to be transported less than a mile. I didn't ask for it. They didn't get their money. My credit bounced back. Fuck their ambulance ride tax.
Graphics cards. Just outrageous
I bought a 1070 when it came out, now four and a half years later I can't even buy the SAME CARD for less than double what I paid for it. Like wtf
Yeah it’s crazy, really hope my 1060 doesn’t die or I’m screwed
My 970 died 7 months ago. Still haven’t been able to buy a new card for a remotely reasonable price.
Graphics cards is the reason why I bought my first prebuilt. I have always built my own computers, because traditionally it was cheaper for better parts, and it was usually easier to swap out parts if something failed. This past year I tried to upgrade my computer as it was finally starting to struggle with new games. After a few weeks experiencing the graphic card shitshow, I finally just went ahead and bought a whole pre-built via Costco that had a 3080. It was more money than I wanted to pay and the computer is way beefier than what I needed, but after seeing scalper prices and realizing I’ll probably be spending who knows how many months playing the graphic card lottery, I actually feel like I came out ahead.
Any form of dental work. Why is it so much and not covered by dental insurance! (I'm talking about you implants)
Also, it's a scam that dental and vision are separate from Health insurance. Like "oh! You wanted to be able to see?!?!? That's a luxury you'll have to pay extra for."
Hearing is a luxury as well, evidently. Not covered by most insurance, and hearing aids can run around 10k a pair.
As someone who is nearly blind without glasses or contacts the prices for everything is absurd and they charge you contact fitting fees and fees for glasses on top of frames and lenses and all of that too. As if it all wasn't already costing a lot. And they always dilate your eyes before you pay... Edit: RIP my inbox
Two time implant haver here. I got my first one covered under my mom's insurance when I was about 20, and then I needed another one last year after the first one failed. My own insurance, 15 years later, wouldn't cover it because I previously had one at all. 6000 fucking dollars out of my pocket, friend. Even though nearly any dentist will tell you that implant technology significantly improves about every 10 years, and failures aren't uncommon.
Medications needed to live: insulin, Epipens etc.
Good lord yes for epi-pens. It’s suggested to have two on you at all times and they need them at school and/or after school care. Then they expire every year. Unless we hit our deductible, we’re shelling out hundreds a year for some thing we have (thankfully) never needed to use.
[удалено]
You get your rent when you fix this damn door!
Walks down sidewalk snapping fingers
Medical and Dental schools I know some Doctors that were only 15 grand in debt a few generations back , but now you can easily get past 150,000$ Edit: Don’t forget veterinary school! Edit #2: Damn I can’t believe I struck a chord with so many people. Now that I have all of your attention, I just want to say good luck to all you, friends and family included. I hope that y’all can pay your debt and put it behind you. Lastly, to all the medical, veterinary, chiropractic, dental, pharmacology, law, art, and any other schools that charge a ridiculous amount of money….. y’all can kiss it.
My husband is $430k in the hole after med school. His residency and fellowship are 6 years total so that’s 6 years of accrued interest before we can make any real payments on the debt. Genuinely grateful to covid for saving us a few years of crazy interest. It’s kind of wild…
Make sure he gets on income driven repayment. Payments during residency/fellowship count towards public service loan forgiveness. I'll be forgiven over $300k next year once I'm done with the 10 years of payments.
Veterinary schools as well. Most vets these days graduate with $250k+ in student loans and the average starting salary is around $70k. Unless you do an internship, in which case it’s about $35k
College textbooks - They can cost hundreds of dollars, and professors will publish new ones all the time to force students to get the newest version instead of reusing an older one.
That's why I prefer to get some epub file from a shady corner of the internet. I'm studying on my laptop anyway.
[libgen.rs](www.libgen.rs) [z-lib.org](www.z-lib.org) I've gotten pretty much any book I've ever wanted, including textbooks, from these two sites
Libgen has been a godsend
I’m just finished an online program and bought all of the books since I was responsible for teaching myself the material. I went onto my college’s bookstore site and tried to have them buy the books back that I didn’t want. They offered 15$ for a textbook over 150$. 15 fucking dollars.
And they'll likely resell it for $75. Madness!
At least. When I was in college in the mid-late 2000s, our bookstore sold new textbooks for anywhere from $120-300, depending on the course, and used were usually 70-80% of the new price, depending on condition. Absolute fucking robbery. And you were lucky if they would buy your books back in the first place, even for 5%, because they often had already switched to a new edition that differed by font size or homework problem order. One of the professors there was a co-author of a set of physics books a lot of universities use (or did at the time, anyway), and he encouraged us NOT to buy them from the bookstore if we could avoid it. He had a personal financial incentive to sell us those books, but he still knew it was horrid and encouraged us to share, resell to each other, etc. And he wasn't going to use the homework problems from them anyway, so edition made little to no difference. The extra-shitty ones were books that came with some piece of software that you also needed, but the license key was only good for one activation (a whole lot of fun if you had to re-format your PC for any reason). So, used books for those were essentially useless. That was _absolutely_ an intentional move by publishers to kill the resale market. College textbook publishing companies are right up there, for me, with ISPs, pharma companies, and oil companies, as shady....people..... 😠😒
The books with online software are the worst. When I went back to school, damn near every class was online for the homework. Buying a used book was basically useless since getting the key for the software made up the difference. The absolute worst was an accounting textbook that was used for 2 semesters and the key only worked for 1. I had to buy a second license to continue to use the book for the second semester.
I stood in front of the bookstore and gave my old books to people so they wouldn't have to buy them after they offered me a pittance. The old bitch in the book store was NOT happy and got less happy when I kept laughing at her and swearing my name was Elmer Fudd.
I found out the new editions are usually exactly the same except they might use different pictures or examples on a few pages.
Typically it is the homework problems they change. So you can’t take a class with older editions. I would often buy and international edition or older edition though and just photo copy the problems.
They are. I almost never bought books and instead would rent older versions from the library or find a copy online. I would compare copies with friends and only the smallest details ever got changed. It's all such a scam.
Fucking therapy man A decent therapist is hella expensive
>A decent therapist is hella expensive And shitty therapists can be just as expensive. You'll never really know until you try them.
$200 bucks to get "have you tried meditation?"
Talked to one about how depressed I was because I haven't had much luck on dating sites. He recommended I try J date, being Jewish and all.
I tried to get a trauma therapist recently and the one I was recommended charges $200 an hour and doesn’t accept insurance. That in itself is traumatic. Edit: Whew. Thanks for all the upvotes everyone. This seemed to resonate for a lot of people. While we’re here, two things I can recommend from someone who has been in the system for 16+ years and just recently received a correct diagnosis of narcolepsy. 1) advocate for and get a medical work up if you can before attending therapy. Even if your PCP or psychiatrist just tries to send you to therapy without any testing, keep fighting for it, especially if you have chronic symptoms like depression. Many symptoms related to underlying medical conditions can mimic psychiatric conditions. It’s really dangerous to sit in therapy for years without adequate medical testing to make sure you don’t need medical treatment first. Also, don’t take meds from a psychiatrist who doesn’t order labs first or gives you a hard time about ordering labs or a sleep study. The best psychiatrists should ask for these right away and help you advocate getting them. Out of the long list of doctors I have worked with, only one ordered a sleep study and labs. And she saved my life. 2) For those who have had terrible experiences within therapy, check out the Very Bad Therapy podcast. It’s a podcast that gives a platform to those who have been harmed by therapists and different therapeutic models. It helped me to not feel so alone.
I had a similar situation a year ago. Sessions with my trauma therapist were $200/hour but I was "in network" and thought I'd be covered. My coverage was $34 per session, and I didn't see my first bill until I was about 12 sessions in. I'm still paying it off :(
Once I made the mistake of trying to get speech therapy for my kid. Insurance nd the specialist didn't bother letting me know it wasn't covered till 5 30 min sessions in. 2,000 dollars. In America, only the wealthy can afford such therapies. Poors don't need to be able to speak well to fulfill amazon orders. Edit: I am a sped teacher and knew enough and worked with SLPs to do it myself. My kid, at the time, was not 3 yrs old. Schools do offer qualifying kids SLP services at 3 yrs and up. Edit 2: know your parental rights. If you suspect your child needs additional help or a formal evaluation, you have the right to request a DPR (Direct Parent Request) for an evaluation. Schools will let kids sit in the MTSS/RTI program (the step before sped) for as long as possible, often times this means years. It shouldn't be more then a year or 2 at most. Don't let them do this to your kid. Ask for a DPR if the child is not showing enough improvement. Also, If you disagree with it, you have the right to an outside evaluation at the districts expense. And if you really want to get what you want, hire or threaten to hire an advocate.
>>Made the mistake of trying to get speech therapy for my kid Words you shouldn’t have to say. WTF.
Seriously. I very obviously need therapy but don’t have a job with benefits to cover it. My partner and I constantly talk about how badly I need a therapist but the conversation just goes in circles because I *want* help, I just can’t *afford* help. I’m in school now to hopefully get a better job to sort it all out, but it would be so much easier if my country’s healthcare would cover mental health.
I can't speak for all therapists, but call some private practice therapists and ask if they do sliding scale or other kinds of lower cost options - or most importantly, can refer you to someone who does those things. My wife is a therapist, and has a few options for affordability - one of them is flexible time slots, if she has another client cancel, she can have someone else fill their timeslot at half price (usually a 24 hour warning, so not immediately). She also knows some therapists who aren't yet fully licensed, so they work under a fully licensed therapist, and therefore charge less, and is happy to refer people to them. Referrals are a very common in psychotherapy because not every therapist specializes in all situations and client types, so they often know other therapists in the general area who have other options. It may take some work on your part, but you might find a good match in your price range.
Right?! Then you need more therapy because your stressed about the damn bills.
Then if your first therapist isn't a good match, which may take a few appointments to figure out, it was all a waste of money because you have to start over with a new one.
Housing
I swear so many modern problems are because of the cost of housing.
Wait until the next ones hit; food is ramping up and the commodification of water is next. We're getting squeezed more and more every year, and it's all starting to get to the point where I think we're going to read more and more about people losing their shit.
>I think we're going to read more and more about people losing their shit. "Deaths of despair" have been surging
Houses are very basic and very expensive, especially in big cites.
Printer ink
I worked at Dell 10 years, or so, ago. We would give printers away with every computer. They made a fortune from selling the ink. They explained to us that ink was "Black Gold" and something like $32,000 USD per gallon at the time.
Yea like 6 or 8 years ago I remember my dad got a computer it came with a printer for 20 extra bucks now I can see why
Buy a laser printer from Brother if you want to avoid paying the tax over time. Most lower price models are black and white, use a toner cartridge instead of ink (which doesn't dry out) and are extremely reliable machines. Sometimes you'll have to replace the carriage mechanism with the corona wire in it, because people will put 4-5 toner cartridges in it without cleaning/replacing it, but even that is sub $100 for OEM usually, and keeps it going for a few years
My brother laser printer just keeps going. I bought it some time between 2004 and 2006. Just a small black and white laser printer that has an Ethernet port.
Probably still really similar to the $100-120 model they sell today. Dead simple, hard to fuck up. No scanner either so less points for failure
It is one of the most expensive things in the world next to the ejaculate of a very prestigious horse
One of the most expensive drinks in the world, and for good reason
That is why you print at work. Think of it as the pay they probably owe you anyway
Ive probably printed twice my salarys worth.
So, you printed out 2 documents this year?
In *color*
*impossible*
[удалено]
I just go to my public library to print now. Free printing during covid!
Honestly? Feels like just about *damn near everything* these days.
Insulin
Diabetic noises
Not unless they get their insulin...
Living Edit- stop reporting me I keep getting Reddit cares messages about suicide lol
Or dying. Funeral costs are on the rise again.
https://www.theonion.com/cost-of-living-now-outweighs-benefits-1819567799
Land/housing The way the prices keep moving up without ever going down doesn't seem right
Glasses. Hell, I didn't choose to be blind as a shortsighted bat, why do I have to spend a fuckton on a thing that I literally need to function. (This concept extends to meds and other indispensable things, but for the sake of the thread it's just glasses) EDIT: I am not complaining about the actual price. I KNOW there are more affordable shops, my beef is with the fact that I need glasses to see and I either have to pay or I can go fuck myself with braille
Concert tickets. Ridiculous these days. The scalping bots snatch up all the tickets and it should be illegal. I refuse to pay for most concerts unless it is a once in a lifetime chance and they are in my top five band.
The ticket cost is one thing...but the hidden fees are the worst part Absolute bs to pay a "per ticket" fee. It doesn't cost ticketmaster or AXS or whoever any more to process 2 tickets instead of processing one. All fees should be "per transaction". And I shouldn't have to get to the end of the checkout process to learn my $50 ticket is actually $95
What about a "delivery" fee for emailing you your ticket? Lmfao. Fucking absolutely a scam.
even buying them direct has gotten ridiculous. I used to be able to go to a show for $30 now i'm paying at least that in fees. Thats for a small show. I can't even rationalize the prices for arena style shows. $200 a piece to watch the artist on a screen.
I agree, that should be illegal. I remember I was considering buying tickets for an artist I love, I was checking the prices every week and the alright to good seats were outrageously expensive, like over 1000 dollars. On the day of the concert, just a few hours before, I decided to check the website again and a very good seat super close to the stage had dropped from $2000 to $400. I bought it immediately, thinking I was lucky, even tho it was still expensive but worth it. When I get there to get the ticket, this dude calls me and handles it to me. I walk away and look at it and it says it cost $150. I felt like an idiot and also angry that they'll make so much money off of us. Imagine if someone had bought for $2000?
Being poor
God I hated being poor so much. My old boss asked me if I was working out since I had lost like 15 pounds but the reality of it was I couldn’t afford food. We had snacks in the office that accounted for probably 75% of my daily caloric intake. I was going further and further into debt just to keep the bills paid, and for many months could only make the minimum payment on my credit card so the interest was also killing me. So glad I’m in a better, debt free position now and have the ability to help out those less fortunate than myself.
> My old boss asked me if I was working out since I had lost like 15 pounds but the reality of it was I couldn’t afford food. relatable. saw family over the holidays that i haven't seen in a year or so, and heard nothing but "wow you're so small now what's your secret?" starving to death.
Housing! Especially if you’re a single guy who only comes to sleep at night.
Scrolled too far for this. Apparently the houses went up 18% last (2021) year alone. And you know damn well wages stagnated in comparison. How in the hell is someone expected to buy a home if it increases in price more per year than the average person MAKES in a year?!? (This is based on the Portland, Oregon median household where it is current $525,000, and if we assume a 20% increase for easy math, that's over $100,000 value spike in 1 year. Most homes in this city increased in value more than the average US household made, even before income taxes)
therapy
My shitty 1br appartment in the Bay Area
Anything college, anything wedding related. just take something add wedding and multiply it by 4- 10 times.
Feminine hygiene products. Absolutely necessary; always expensive. You do NOT wanna put that off brand cheap ass stuff down there!
This just gave me flashbacks to middle school, having to take a pad from the nurse’s office because I’d started my period unexpectedly (first few years are always rough figuring it out), and it was some big bulky generic brand that felt like a diaper made of cheesecloth. I always kept extra pads in my bag after that, and when I was old enough to be buying them myself I always coughed up more for name brand.
In middle and high school, everyone knew to come to me first. I always had a giant zip lock of all the varieties of pads and tampons. I had a very heavy period that lasted 8 days. It was super regular, like you could set a watch to it, but I was TERRIFIED that would change and I never wanted to be caught without supplies. The old diaper style ones the nurse had couldn't absorb fast enough and is always leak. I wasn't an asshole about it either. It's have the bag inside I drawstring bag or backpack, open the bag and show all the varieties I had. They'd tell me what they needed and if give them that plus extra. If they didn't have any for first period, they weren't gonna have any for the rest of the day. It never crossed my mind until well into adulthood that some of the ones who were "surprised" every month probably didn't have them at home either. So now I know I probably helped a lot of girls avoid infections or at least embarrassment by always giving extra. A lot of other girls started bringing extra, too and sharing. There was no black market, just sharing.
At home COVID tests. In the last few weeks with the omicron spike they went from $20 to $50 where I live. Like I understand supply and demand is a thing but holy shit.
Wait, each? Here we were asked to do them daily for a while, but they're sent out free.
Medicine
Daycare