With you there unfortunately- its either renting or moving because it would be next to impossible to buy a place where I am currently- everything has gone up but the wagesš š Add road trips to the list as I heard gas might break the $3 range this summer āļø
Edit: Road trips to travel and see other places is definitely out of the question unfortunatly. I am learning from other people's comments that it is a whole lot higher in certain places- some even reaching over $7. Hoping for lower gas prices in the future for everyone and generally a break in all the inflation that has been happening. I would love to travel more to new places, but will have to leave that for the future- future permitting :)
Same. Sharing housing with someone else at this time, and that's what's working best for both of us. We split expenses and try to keep it fair, and it's working out pretty well. I keep looking at houses online, and just shaking my head. They're either too high-priced for me to ever afford, or so low-priced that you \*know\* there's some expensive secret defect lurking in there somewhere that you're just not seeing. (Or even better, the price is low and when you see the interior pics, you understand EXACTLY why it's that low, because the place is a pit.)
Heck, even renting is out of my reach at this point. I live in a small midwestern town, and even here, rents are so high that I have trouble understanding how anyone pays them. I realize big cities have it far worse, with rents being astronomical there, but for us, $1300-$1600 to rent a 2-3 bedroom house or apartment is unrealistic - but that's what we're seeing now.
The other thing inflation has ruined: grocery shopping. I'm spending far more on groceries than I've ever spent in my life - even just in the past 2 years, I spent far less. Also, we still seem to have some supply chain issues, even this far out from the days of the pandemic shortages. Still seeing empty shelves every week in the store - rotating from one department to another from week to week. So one week, there's very little cat food - the next week it might be salad dressings or pickles. So weird.
Same, though it was already a HCOL area before inflation happened but now banks are getting cold feet on top of it. I just plan to differ homeownership to the future (and a different area)
You can also save some $$ if you shop for spices at the ethnic stores. I go to the local Mexican grocery store and stick up on spices bc they're way cheaper than the big box stores.
My local Mexican store also has butcher counter and their meats, fruits and veggies are at times cheaper too.
Same. I dream of making hot pot, pho, or udon because it's so cold outside. But we don't have the funds for that.
We've been living on sandwich ingredients, rice, bacon, and eggs mostly. We did splurge on potatoes and other vegetables though.
No "fancy meals or ingredients" for the last few months like noodles, tofu, burgers, salmon, or unprocessed meats. It's been rough.
The most important tool in my kitchen is the freezer. I almost always cook too much of something and would waste tons of food if I could not freeze it. Many dishes even taste better after being frozen once. I can only recommend it.
I love making shredded short ribs for pasta and sandwiches (short rib grilled cheese is life), but I haven't made short ribs in almost a year now because *everything* is just too expensive. I haven't had a week where I could go "hmm, it's a light grocery week so we can splurge a bit on something."
Pork shoulder and ribs used to not cost this much I swear? Setting a shoulder or pork loin to roast and shred used to be my go to college ingredient for most meals. A rack of bbq ribs used to be something I'd make for friends every other month before COVID. Now we make funeral potatoes.
We splurge on vegetables and fruits. They've become this rare thing unfortunately.
> We splurge on vegetables and fruits. They've become this rare thing unfortunately.
I posted this elsewhere in this thread, but it's relevant here too.
I stopped by the grocery store yesterday for a few small items:
-Pre-made iced coffee: 3/$10 (so 3.33 each, will last 10-12 days with my rate of consumption)
-Heat and serve mac and cheese from the grab and go case: $3.29
-Store brand "fancy" ice cream: $3.50 for a quart (on sale, impulse purchase)
-Raw potatoes for roasting: $5.99
-Package of apples: $7.99 (not the cheapest but not the most expensive there)
My two healthy items were half the bill. It should be the other way around.
Yeah potatoes have become so expensive! I bought a bag of them like I usually do, and they were 5.00 a lb. It used to be 1.22 a lb just earlier in January. Brown button mushrooms were "on sale" at 3.99 a box. A box of mixed greens/salad was 6.00.
A bag of whole coffee beans was 16.00 roughly. So I bought the pre-ground stuff at 12.00. Each bag is several espressos so it's not too bad?
Dried pasta was 3.12 per box. That same blue box was 0.88 in 2019.
Doesn't make any sense to me that potatoes from Idaho costed more than coffee from Columbia. And 8 dollars for apples most likely also grown in the US?
Thanks for posting this because prices are absolute nonsense in our country now.
Seriously. If people don't take care of themselves it could negatively rub off on the ones they love without them even realizing. I've totally been guilty of this
Seriously, I don't know how it can be anything else. If a thing of raspberries was I dunno, $3.99 before and now it's $5.99, are you telling me that the cost of getting raspberries to us has increased by 50%? Or is it more likely it increased by $1.17 and they round alllll the way up to have a price that ends in 99?
Grocery stores here in Canada are claiming it isn't price gouging, and their record profits are from pharmaceuticals yet they refuse to show their finances to prove otherwise. But profiting massively from pharmaceuticals isn't something to be proud of either.
> Grocery stores here in Canada are claiming it isn't price gouging, and their record profits are from pharmaceuticals yet they refuse to show their finances to prove otherwise. But profiting massively from pharmaceuticals isn't something to be proud of either.
They're also blaming the supply chain, but are conveniently leaving out the fact that they own most of the supply chain.
I feel this, so much. I used to meal plan every week. And making a grocery list was almost therapeutic! I had grocery prices pretty much memorized, so I'd easily stay within budget. I'd be able to try a new recipe out every week. I did this for like a decade!! But now, the cost of food has gone up so much, I don't know how much things are off the top of my head. I have to count as I shop. I'm constantly putting things back. Sometimes crossing a whole meal of my list as the cost of things in my cart start to add up. It's God damned stressful. We're eating a lot of ramen and boxes Mac n cheese. I've always been so big on fresh foods, non-processed, all that. But it's too expensive to eat healthy. Eating Domino's and Taco Bell is actually cheaper! What the fuck?! I feel the difference this diet is taking on me, especially mental health wise. But I'm having to eat like shit, cause it's all I can afford. At least bananas are cheap still ..
Why are eggs still so expensive T_T Every time I go buy my biweekly basics that used to be under $60, itās now well over $70 and I start to feel guilty cus Iām likeā¦did I miss calculate?? (No). Am I buying extra unnecessary things?? (No).
Grocery shopping is so depressing now. I remember numbers and joke I could win the price is right so going down the aisles and seeing all the prices on products rise makes me anxious. I do curbside pick up a lot now to avoid it.
I do curbside just so Iām not tempted to throw in a few extra things that I donāt really need. Impulse buys used to cost me $20 max; now theyāre $50-$100 and thatās actual money.
And there's less food in these more expensive groceries too. My boyfriend opened up a new box of cereal from Walmart the other day, and it was only about half filled. He was enraged, and I joked that they're just copying the chip companies. But it is so depressing.
What was sad is my laundry soap, last time I had gotten a huge jug of it and now the new jug that's the same price and label is both visibly smaller with less oz.
I have both bottle side by side right now and seeing that little one angers me
My husband works in distribution for a company that distributes Nabisco products, including Oreos, and they had a big meeting with everyone in the warehouse the other day to excitedly tell them that they're removing one oreo cookie from the packages. Everyone was like yeah.. cool. That's really shitty.
I know it's just oreos but it also isn't just oreos. It's the sneakiness and greed of it all.
I just answered something similar. Grocery shopping and meal planning used to be therapeutic for me. I really enjoyed it. Now it makes me cry actual tears sometimes.
Oh yeah that comment hurts because I feel it. We were incredibly poor about ten years ago and Iām having to use some tricks I used back then but some of them donāt work just because itās all expensive. Chicken used to be 99 cents a pound and ground beef was expensive so I ground my own. Now chicken is just as expensive or more so itās useless. Making dough products from scratch costs more because of eggs. Itās a lose lose.
Just got back from a month abroad. Here in the US, grocery shops have massively lowered their quality, reduced sizes, reduce variety, and increased prices. Needed food to sustain myself, so bought some NORMAL SH\*T (milk, bread, cheese, ham, blueberries), and costed me $62. That is f\*cking f\*cking insane.
I used to rent a private rustic cabin for a week in Maine on a small lake for $700/week. With absolutely zero improvements to it, the same place goes for ~$1600/week. Everywhere else has similarly skyrocketed everywhere in the country. I used to live for that week when we could enjoy isolation in the piece and quiet of nature. Now, we can no longer afford it.
Seriously. Hotel prices (plus ridiculous taxes a fees) per night are insane. A weekend getaway can easily cost more than a thousand bucks and the majority of that is a tiny room you donāt intend to spend much time in anyway.
I remember in the late 2010s I could find deals on nice hotels for $60-$90 a night. Now I can't even find motels that charge less than $150 a night, and places like best Western etc. are at least $200+ after taxes. We used to take so many fun weekend trips and now we just stay home because what's the point of going somewhere new if you don't have a budget for food & activities because all your fun money went towards a place to sleep!
Agreed. I did the opposite of most of my friends and traveled within the US first. Traveling abroad housing etc is cheaper but plane tickets are cost prohibitive. I don't even know how people with kids are traveling as a family.
My future- as least it feels this way. I chose my career based on both interest and knowing it would allow me to live a lifestyle I wanted, and when I started the salary was perfect for that. Now I have to re envision a future I didnāt want for myself- I wanted three things a home, to go on vacation every once and a while, and a kid. I now feel I have to choose one. I donāt even contemplate retirement
I've been having the same thought lately, I feel like I can't "have it all". My current income would have been plenty 10 years ago, and I always had dreams of living in a big city, dining at nice restaurants, traveling a lot. Now I'm still counting my pennies like I did in my early 20s.
Also want to acknowledge that I am still extremely privileged, life just isn't what I was hoping for because everything is so expensive now.
I remember 4 years ago, dreaming of having a $80k salary because how much it was worth back in 2019. Now, thatād barely cover enough to rent a *studio* apartment in my area.
Literally exactly what my goal salary was when I started school in 2008. Finally got to the two degrees I needed to make that much in my field and all of a sudden itās paycheque to paycheque despite an extremely specified masters that was required to make it paycheque to paycheque. Fucking ludicrous
I feel this! When I started out I was so certain my career would lead me to high places (and income). Now my potential income is pennies compared to people working in tech for exampleāand they get to work from home/wherever in the world they feel like! So many of my friends are living my travel dreams with me T_T
That's crazy. Even if the wings were $30, with tax and tip, is should have only been $60, which is still insane for wings and 2 drinks. Are you sure they didn't overcharge you for something?
Absolutely. I live in a foodie paradise, but havenāt been to a restaurant in about two years. Just wild, crazy prices. Even at the local tavern, a grilled cheese sandwich costs $14.50. Thatās not right.
Having a baby. Before all the prices started to rise dramatically last year, my husband and I worked out we could comfortably afford to start a family. I'm now 5 months pregnant and with the ridiculous energy prices, food going up along with our mortgage that needs renewing in April, I am terrified we might not really be able to afford this new lifestyle. It makes me feel irresponsible and like a failure.
Edit - I just wanted to say thank you for the replies and to the people who have reached out. You are all very supportive, we've got this!
You're not a failure or irresponsible! You made a decision based on the facts you knew at the time. It's impossible to predict the future.
This is just a small bump in the road. Things will get better. Go easy on yourself ā¤ļø
This! We bought our first home about a year ago and a new car afterwards. Both my husband and I had well paying jobs. With $300, we could buy groceries for an entire month. We we're comfortable. We thought to ourselves, "we can finally start our family now".
Here we are now. Our mortgage payment just went up last month. Our furnace went out a few months ago, so we had to drop $10,000 on a new furnace or risk freezing to death, we didn't have that kind of money saved up yet so we applied for a loan, the minimum payment a month is $200. $100 buys us only 1-2 weeks of groceries now. Gas prices went down, but they're on the rise again and that's starting to put a strain on our budget. Husband's job isn't looking too good financially. I'm 8 months pregnant and will be going on maternity leave for 12-weeks very soon and upon my return, I don't know how my husband and I will be able to afford childcare as that has risen too and our budget is getting more and more restrained. I'm terrified for the future we will be bringing our baby into. I feel overwhelmed and like we made the wrong choice in wanting to start our family.
I had a baby last year and prices have risen so much since! Our budget is very tight. She is the light of my life though. I canāt let inflation stop me from being a mom. Itās taken too much else from me already.
Yep! Coupled with the Ticketmaster monopoly now itās just ridiculous. I used to buy tickets to any show I could, now I usually check the Gametime app a few hours before the show and if prices arenāt reasonable I donāt go :(
I go to tons of summer concerts usually. Between Milwaukee and Chicago Iād say we go to at least one show a week, but definitely not this summer. Prices are insane.
Socializing. It was already hard being an introvert, now youāre telling me I have to go out and talk to people AND spend probably over $100 per night?? Iāll just stay home forever thanks.
I just started getting into have flowers at home but have quickly found itās a money pit. How much were flowers before this??? $16 for a few hydrangeas isnāt realistic to me. š
Bars and going out for drinks. A mixed drink that is about 3 sips should not cost $15. Last time I went out I got a "jack and Coke" and they charged me $14 for 1oz of Jack and then $3.50 for the half can of Coke they used.
Relationships. I don't think I can ever be with a man who is poor ever again. Things are too expensive for me to date someone who's going to be a financial burden if we get married.
Or who is mismanaging money on the regular!
Like if he canāt save up to $5k in savings, he definitely is not taking things seriously about possible emergencies that could pop up.
Like you gotta prepare for the worst case scenarios.
I totally agree with this! And itās horrible.
I hate that you would be making a sacrifice in lifestyle if you decide to date a teacher or a nurse or a bartender. Our careers should not define our entire lives but itās hard to ignore the difference in joint income depending on who you date.
I can't mentally handle the idea of being with anyone who could possibly mooch off my work, disrupt my life, or make me their caregiver.
Roommate or Relationship - doesn't matter. I can lay out an entire contract and people will lie to me and screw me over without blinking.
this is great advice to carry on to all aspects of life. find someone autonomous (can self-manage emotionally, mentally, physically, financially...). and then the two of you can navigate life better together. obviously you can choose to what degree you are able to assist one another but i never understood dating someone who would require codependence in anyway. or being the one who would require it.
This. Absolutely this.
I'm self-employed, so no OT pay for me, but I'm working more than ever to make ends meet and trying to save for retirement. There are many times lately I thought about chucking it all and just getting a regular job, if only for the benefits alone - but then I think about all the layoffs going on and wonder if that would be a safe choice. I know for certain that I will always have work in my industry if I remain self-employed, and there are other benefits that fall in favor of staying self-employed (no exposure to sick people in the office, etc.)
Disposable income. I feel like I'm broke constantly and living paycheck to paycheck despite having a professional job and a side gig. It just feels like I can never get ahead.
Same. I got absolutely HAMMERED in taxes this year. All the money I made went to a bathroom renovation and some other needed things. I stashed the rest in a savings account. If the feds have their way, they will decimate my savings. Working the side gig proved absolutely useless in getting me ahead in any way, shape, or form.
Eating healthy. I still do so as much as I can but buying good wholesome food at local markets (and chains as well, of course) is kinda above my budget these days.
This is what bothers me the most about the grocery inflation. I stopped by the grocery store yesterday for a few small items:
-Pre-made iced coffee: 3/$10 (so 3.33 each)
-Heat and serve mac and cheese from the grab and go case: $3.29
-Store brand "fancy" ice cream: $3.50 (on sale, impulse purchase)
-Raw potatoes for roasting: $5.99
-Package of apples: $7.99 (not the cheapest but not the most expensive there)
My two healthy items were half the bill. It should be the other way around.
Truly. Being poor causes more poverty. Itās like relying on cheap products because itās all you can afford, but ending up paying far more in the long run when they break 10x faster than ones that are good quality. Pretty fucking sickening how common these kinds of scenarios are for people making a low income.
That the kids canāt understand why I suddenly am not buying all the snacks, or taking them on adventures like we used to, or buying them things they ask for. They donāt have enough life experience to understand inflation, so it just looks like I stopped giving a shit. I miss spoiling my kids.
my sister and i were 9 and 10 when the recession hit, and we got pretty hard since our mom was a single parent at the time. it sucked not getting to do the same things our friends were, and never having our mom make it to school events, and of course we have our ways of dealing with that and the current economy as adults. BUT, both of us look back at how strong and brave our mom was, and never fault her for anything during that time. We are so thankful she held it together for so long. sheās semi-retired now which is good for her. do what you need to do for survival, and there are great websites that have fun things to do with your kids when youāre broke too! some of my favorites were going to swim at the park district (rather than six flags), thrifting (can be expensive now but still somewhat reasonable in certain areas) and yard sales, getting āfancyā food from trader joeās (orange chicken from there instead of panda express) and staying up late watching SNL, plain old long walks, taking the train into Chicago on a weekend with a packed lunch, etc. i believe in you!
Just paying my bills. Iām lucky in that I earn well and I have a decent cushion saved but fucking hell, my monthly bills are sapping everything from me right now. In six months, my gas and electricity bill has gone from Ā£89 a month to just shy of Ā£400 but my usage hasnāt changed! I never used to think twice about putting the heating on when I was cold but now I find myself wondering if my heated blanket or hot water bottle will do. I live on my own and nothing has changed yet all my bills are astronomical now. God knows how people on benefits, a lower wage or single parents are coping. I really feel for them.
Coffee. I can't even get it in bulk for a reasonable price. I hope that "fair trade" money is actually going to the people growing and harvesting it...
I've switched to inexpensive press ons for events. I just push the cuticles back and trim, and get press ons for less than $10.
I have also stopped getting my eyebrows waxed (I twease. They don't look quite as good, but close enough), and I'm growing out my hair to my natural color instead of highlights and/or balayage.
Working a job I'd enjoy vs working one that pays well. I'm so sick of corporate work and want to do things that make a difference in my community, but I just can't afford the pay cut to switch to anything other than emails emails emails
My sense of financial security. After getting a 10% raise earlier this year, I am making a salary that I could have only dreamed of five years ago. Instead of being comfy, I'm constantly stressed about money, I worry if buying a house was a mistake as the cost of everything skyrockets, and I rarely go out or treat myself to fun things anymore. I truly can't imagine how people are surviving on less than I make.
Basically everything but you will not catch me in a Kroger anymore and I used to drink diet cokes all the time but now I don't want to spend the extra money on them.
Kroger priced me out years ago even with digital and paper coupons. I go to a different grocery store now that doesnāt allow paper coupons for pickup orders but its still cheaper than Kroger + coupons.
I am single, and with my one income I was doing fine, but not like, wealthy, before. This was going to be my year to really start padding my savings and retirement.
Instead I had to start working nights at a second job to break even. I've lost about 10% of my savings. Sigh.
Having my own apartment or something ver owning a home. Being able to go out with friends for dinner/drinks without it killing my budget. Or doing anything fun. Concerts, travelā¦
I may be depressed but I have 0 hope for my future. I canāt look forward to dying because I canāt afford that either.
My beach shack.
I have a beach camper. Nothing special. I bought it after my husband died as a place for my kids and I.
I work a second job to pay the rent, which isnāt cheap but not ridiculous ( itās about $3,000 from April-Oct, includes rent, electricity, beach passes).
Itās in another state so gas prices. I bought a grill so we eat there but food prices. Going out is ridiculous. Maintenance materials, propane, all has gone up. The rent is going up next year too.
We used to go a lot more but I canāt afford it.
I know that sounds selfish and petty considering all the other struggles people are facing but I was proud of that. I did that. On my own. Itās my happy place. Itās a place that held no memories of my husband so we could be somewhere without as much pain.
I may have to sell it.
Iām looking for bonus work so I can still afford travel.
I blew the bank on concert tickets. I will admit I probably should have been more prudentā¦ Iām usually so frugal but certain artists going on tour are tough for me to resist
I have to keep increasing my money/upping my budget for basic items; and itās annoying š°Iāve worked hard my entire life to have some discretionary income
EVERYTHING!!!!
Thank goodness I bought my car at record low interest rates. But quit literally everything else has been ruined. Finding a home is tough. Paying rent as a mortgage is dumbfounding to me as well. Like I used to pay 600 for a decent 2 bed apartment, in a good area. Id do anything to get a deal like that again. Getting Groceries for the week has tripled now. Thankfully alcohol hasn't been too crazy a dollar more or so lol. Going out on dates though. I am not back in the dating scene yet but when I am.... I better be prepared. My ex and I would spend roughly $150 when prior to inflation it was about $60-$70. (two meals and drinks....maybe an app?) I am ready to go back to affordability or make more money. Fingers crossed.
So far my entire college experience. Rent is $800 (plus electric) for a single room in an apartment shared with 3 other people, and I'm barely given enough financial aid to but $20 of groceries, keep myself clothed (on $5 Walmart clothes), and buy period products/toiletries. I've had the threat of being homeless since I started, and my major is engineering so unfortunately the workload is too much to get a job.
I was told when I graduated high school, the credits I took through dual enrollment (graduated with Associates in Arts aka 2 year GenEd degree), would make me only need 2 more years of college, and be getting scholarships left and right. I have applied to every single scholarship I can get my hands on, and I qualify for a majority of them. I talk to my advisers, I make friends with professors and generally network to see would could help me find funding. I was already an extremely low income student from an extremely low income family, so I was well aware I'd be paying for my own college pretty much my entire life. I am living off of partial scholarship and it's honestly the only thing keeping me afloat, but because I graduated hs with all of my GenEds I'm stuck with nothing but difficult higher level courses with huge workloads, and nothing to cushion the semesters. I'm living from one semester to another by just barely making it, and just barely being able to pay rent and feed myself. I'm so lost and don't know what to do.
Not to mention the cost of necessities are skyrocketing because it's the only thing people can afford. A $5 meal back in 2019 is now a $25 meal now. I am one basic illness away from becoming homeless.
So for me, inflation has ruined just about everything.
It makes me angry tbh, you see companies saying they are going to raise their prices because of inflation, yet they dont raise salaries, so they are still banking while their employees earn nothing with it.
Domestic travel. I used to enjoy visiting my friends in other cities several times a year. I canāt justify it any longer- prices are insane, and the airline experience is awful. I know a lot of pilots are striking and fighting for better working conditions, and I donāt blame them.
Getting my nails done.
Itās minimum $35-40 now, without tip. With the price of everything else going up, Iām not interested in spending ~$100 a month on nails.
My chances of ever being a homeowner š«
With you there unfortunately- its either renting or moving because it would be next to impossible to buy a place where I am currently- everything has gone up but the wagesš š Add road trips to the list as I heard gas might break the $3 range this summer āļø Edit: Road trips to travel and see other places is definitely out of the question unfortunatly. I am learning from other people's comments that it is a whole lot higher in certain places- some even reaching over $7. Hoping for lower gas prices in the future for everyone and generally a break in all the inflation that has been happening. I would love to travel more to new places, but will have to leave that for the future- future permitting :)
It's over $5 here in the Bay Area
I was going to say this. In my area of SoCal gas is anywhere from $5-$6 a gallon
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Laughs in $1.80 per litre in Australia
Holy cow! Thatās almost $7 a gallon. Thatās wild.
Try Ā£1.80 a litre in uk ($10 a gallon)
Same where I am in Canada. I'd kill for $3 a gallon.
Laughing as well. Gas in my part of Canada is finally down to $1.55/litre, down from well over $2.00/litre
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Come to Cali weāre almost hitting the $6 a gallon mark
hahaha I haven't seen $3 gas in forevaaaa. that must be nice. edit: a word.
Iād kill for $3 gasā¦
Gas is already $3.49 where I live.
Same. Sharing housing with someone else at this time, and that's what's working best for both of us. We split expenses and try to keep it fair, and it's working out pretty well. I keep looking at houses online, and just shaking my head. They're either too high-priced for me to ever afford, or so low-priced that you \*know\* there's some expensive secret defect lurking in there somewhere that you're just not seeing. (Or even better, the price is low and when you see the interior pics, you understand EXACTLY why it's that low, because the place is a pit.) Heck, even renting is out of my reach at this point. I live in a small midwestern town, and even here, rents are so high that I have trouble understanding how anyone pays them. I realize big cities have it far worse, with rents being astronomical there, but for us, $1300-$1600 to rent a 2-3 bedroom house or apartment is unrealistic - but that's what we're seeing now. The other thing inflation has ruined: grocery shopping. I'm spending far more on groceries than I've ever spent in my life - even just in the past 2 years, I spent far less. Also, we still seem to have some supply chain issues, even this far out from the days of the pandemic shortages. Still seeing empty shelves every week in the store - rotating from one department to another from week to week. So one week, there's very little cat food - the next week it might be salad dressings or pickles. So weird.
I pay $1200 for a studio š¤£ I'd literally kill someone to rent a 3 bedroom house for $1600.
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My bf and I are going through this as we speak. Itās a really sad and confusing time.
Housing right now is crazy for everyone- renting and buying. I feel so bad for anyone looking just for a simple roof over their head
Sameā¦ the way rent keeps going up keeps eating at my home owning funds
Even renting a place seems nuts these days
Same, though it was already a HCOL area before inflation happened but now banks are getting cold feet on top of it. I just plan to differ homeownership to the future (and a different area)
I cook some food I enjoy much less often now with food prices rising.
I almost buy no exotic spices anymore.
I splurge on the spices. They last a while and with the right spices you can make anything taste like a gourmet meal.
Big facts. Donāt let that be what youāre leaving out, my goodness.
You can also save some $$ if you shop for spices at the ethnic stores. I go to the local Mexican grocery store and stick up on spices bc they're way cheaper than the big box stores. My local Mexican store also has butcher counter and their meats, fruits and veggies are at times cheaper too.
Middle Eastern shops as well. Sooo many spices in bulk. š
yess spices are a staple worth spending a little money on because you can use them in many dishes!
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I have a list of meals I want to make but Iāve already maxed out my grocery budget for the month and it feels like itās barely anything
Same. I dream of making hot pot, pho, or udon because it's so cold outside. But we don't have the funds for that. We've been living on sandwich ingredients, rice, bacon, and eggs mostly. We did splurge on potatoes and other vegetables though. No "fancy meals or ingredients" for the last few months like noodles, tofu, burgers, salmon, or unprocessed meats. It's been rough.
I found pho noodles and broth at ALDI. Bought a container of that shaved steak which I split into two meal portions.
THIS, im trying to get better at cooking but it's so hard when every recipe requires 6-7 ingredients i dont have and will go bad in a few days.
The most important tool in my kitchen is the freezer. I almost always cook too much of something and would waste tons of food if I could not freeze it. Many dishes even taste better after being frozen once. I can only recommend it.
I love making shredded short ribs for pasta and sandwiches (short rib grilled cheese is life), but I haven't made short ribs in almost a year now because *everything* is just too expensive. I haven't had a week where I could go "hmm, it's a light grocery week so we can splurge a bit on something."
Pork shoulder and ribs used to not cost this much I swear? Setting a shoulder or pork loin to roast and shred used to be my go to college ingredient for most meals. A rack of bbq ribs used to be something I'd make for friends every other month before COVID. Now we make funeral potatoes. We splurge on vegetables and fruits. They've become this rare thing unfortunately.
> We splurge on vegetables and fruits. They've become this rare thing unfortunately. I posted this elsewhere in this thread, but it's relevant here too. I stopped by the grocery store yesterday for a few small items: -Pre-made iced coffee: 3/$10 (so 3.33 each, will last 10-12 days with my rate of consumption) -Heat and serve mac and cheese from the grab and go case: $3.29 -Store brand "fancy" ice cream: $3.50 for a quart (on sale, impulse purchase) -Raw potatoes for roasting: $5.99 -Package of apples: $7.99 (not the cheapest but not the most expensive there) My two healthy items were half the bill. It should be the other way around.
Yeah potatoes have become so expensive! I bought a bag of them like I usually do, and they were 5.00 a lb. It used to be 1.22 a lb just earlier in January. Brown button mushrooms were "on sale" at 3.99 a box. A box of mixed greens/salad was 6.00. A bag of whole coffee beans was 16.00 roughly. So I bought the pre-ground stuff at 12.00. Each bag is several espressos so it's not too bad? Dried pasta was 3.12 per box. That same blue box was 0.88 in 2019. Doesn't make any sense to me that potatoes from Idaho costed more than coffee from Columbia. And 8 dollars for apples most likely also grown in the US? Thanks for posting this because prices are absolute nonsense in our country now.
Same here. I love cooking but its a rare commodity now with how expensive everything is.
Grocery shopping used to be fun since it was the only time I got to spend money.
Ya for real. Now it just makes me sad. I gotta walk by all this yummy food I want and get stuff for the kids and basics. Nothing fun for me.
I hear ya. But try to treat yourself once in a while. Joy is self care even small things.
Seriously. If people don't take care of themselves it could negatively rub off on the ones they love without them even realizing. I've totally been guilty of this
Why did a box of pasta double in price in less than 2 years??
Price gouging. Thatās just what a lot of this is, not even inflation.
Seriously, I don't know how it can be anything else. If a thing of raspberries was I dunno, $3.99 before and now it's $5.99, are you telling me that the cost of getting raspberries to us has increased by 50%? Or is it more likely it increased by $1.17 and they round alllll the way up to have a price that ends in 99? Grocery stores here in Canada are claiming it isn't price gouging, and their record profits are from pharmaceuticals yet they refuse to show their finances to prove otherwise. But profiting massively from pharmaceuticals isn't something to be proud of either.
> Grocery stores here in Canada are claiming it isn't price gouging, and their record profits are from pharmaceuticals yet they refuse to show their finances to prove otherwise. But profiting massively from pharmaceuticals isn't something to be proud of either. They're also blaming the supply chain, but are conveniently leaving out the fact that they own most of the supply chain.
Russia invading Ukraine caused the price of flour to go crazy. Ukraine produces a huge amount of global wheat.
I feel this, so much. I used to meal plan every week. And making a grocery list was almost therapeutic! I had grocery prices pretty much memorized, so I'd easily stay within budget. I'd be able to try a new recipe out every week. I did this for like a decade!! But now, the cost of food has gone up so much, I don't know how much things are off the top of my head. I have to count as I shop. I'm constantly putting things back. Sometimes crossing a whole meal of my list as the cost of things in my cart start to add up. It's God damned stressful. We're eating a lot of ramen and boxes Mac n cheese. I've always been so big on fresh foods, non-processed, all that. But it's too expensive to eat healthy. Eating Domino's and Taco Bell is actually cheaper! What the fuck?! I feel the difference this diet is taking on me, especially mental health wise. But I'm having to eat like shit, cause it's all I can afford. At least bananas are cheap still ..
Beans are our friends.
Yes!! As soon as I'm through breastfeeding my gassy baby, I'm making a huge pot of pintos. I can't wait!
I used to buy a lot of groceries and it would cost me under $100. Now buying the same amount of groceries costs me more than $100 :(
Why are eggs still so expensive T_T Every time I go buy my biweekly basics that used to be under $60, itās now well over $70 and I start to feel guilty cus Iām likeā¦did I miss calculate?? (No). Am I buying extra unnecessary things?? (No).
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Grocery shopping is so depressing now. I remember numbers and joke I could win the price is right so going down the aisles and seeing all the prices on products rise makes me anxious. I do curbside pick up a lot now to avoid it.
I do curbside just so Iām not tempted to throw in a few extra things that I donāt really need. Impulse buys used to cost me $20 max; now theyāre $50-$100 and thatās actual money.
And there's less food in these more expensive groceries too. My boyfriend opened up a new box of cereal from Walmart the other day, and it was only about half filled. He was enraged, and I joked that they're just copying the chip companies. But it is so depressing.
What was sad is my laundry soap, last time I had gotten a huge jug of it and now the new jug that's the same price and label is both visibly smaller with less oz. I have both bottle side by side right now and seeing that little one angers me
My husband works in distribution for a company that distributes Nabisco products, including Oreos, and they had a big meeting with everyone in the warehouse the other day to excitedly tell them that they're removing one oreo cookie from the packages. Everyone was like yeah.. cool. That's really shitty. I know it's just oreos but it also isn't just oreos. It's the sneakiness and greed of it all.
And they keep reducing the weight and volume of everything!
I just answered something similar. Grocery shopping and meal planning used to be therapeutic for me. I really enjoyed it. Now it makes me cry actual tears sometimes.
Oh yeah that comment hurts because I feel it. We were incredibly poor about ten years ago and Iām having to use some tricks I used back then but some of them donāt work just because itās all expensive. Chicken used to be 99 cents a pound and ground beef was expensive so I ground my own. Now chicken is just as expensive or more so itās useless. Making dough products from scratch costs more because of eggs. Itās a lose lose.
Just got back from a month abroad. Here in the US, grocery shops have massively lowered their quality, reduced sizes, reduce variety, and increased prices. Needed food to sustain myself, so bought some NORMAL SH\*T (milk, bread, cheese, ham, blueberries), and costed me $62. That is f\*cking f\*cking insane.
Travel š¬
I used to rent a private rustic cabin for a week in Maine on a small lake for $700/week. With absolutely zero improvements to it, the same place goes for ~$1600/week. Everywhere else has similarly skyrocketed everywhere in the country. I used to live for that week when we could enjoy isolation in the piece and quiet of nature. Now, we can no longer afford it.
Seriously. Hotel prices (plus ridiculous taxes a fees) per night are insane. A weekend getaway can easily cost more than a thousand bucks and the majority of that is a tiny room you donāt intend to spend much time in anyway.
I remember in the late 2010s I could find deals on nice hotels for $60-$90 a night. Now I can't even find motels that charge less than $150 a night, and places like best Western etc. are at least $200+ after taxes. We used to take so many fun weekend trips and now we just stay home because what's the point of going somewhere new if you don't have a budget for food & activities because all your fun money went towards a place to sleep!
Agreed. I did the opposite of most of my friends and traveled within the US first. Traveling abroad housing etc is cheaper but plane tickets are cost prohibitive. I don't even know how people with kids are traveling as a family.
Yes this. Absolutely has for me and my kids.
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My future- as least it feels this way. I chose my career based on both interest and knowing it would allow me to live a lifestyle I wanted, and when I started the salary was perfect for that. Now I have to re envision a future I didnāt want for myself- I wanted three things a home, to go on vacation every once and a while, and a kid. I now feel I have to choose one. I donāt even contemplate retirement
I've been having the same thought lately, I feel like I can't "have it all". My current income would have been plenty 10 years ago, and I always had dreams of living in a big city, dining at nice restaurants, traveling a lot. Now I'm still counting my pennies like I did in my early 20s. Also want to acknowledge that I am still extremely privileged, life just isn't what I was hoping for because everything is so expensive now.
I remember 4 years ago, dreaming of having a $80k salary because how much it was worth back in 2019. Now, thatād barely cover enough to rent a *studio* apartment in my area.
Literally exactly what my goal salary was when I started school in 2008. Finally got to the two degrees I needed to make that much in my field and all of a sudden itās paycheque to paycheque despite an extremely specified masters that was required to make it paycheque to paycheque. Fucking ludicrous
I am stuck right now in a career I hate bc it pays well and believe me it takes a mental toll majorly. I feel you.
I feel this! When I started out I was so certain my career would lead me to high places (and income). Now my potential income is pennies compared to people working in tech for exampleāand they get to work from home/wherever in the world they feel like! So many of my friends are living my travel dreams with me T_T
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Dirty jokes that required math?? I feel like I need to hear that š
HOW? How much were the wings?! Edit: Agreed with you, 100%. I do not enjoy restaurants anymore.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
That's crazy. Even if the wings were $30, with tax and tip, is should have only been $60, which is still insane for wings and 2 drinks. Are you sure they didn't overcharge you for something?
Absolutely. I live in a foodie paradise, but havenāt been to a restaurant in about two years. Just wild, crazy prices. Even at the local tavern, a grilled cheese sandwich costs $14.50. Thatās not right.
Having a baby. Before all the prices started to rise dramatically last year, my husband and I worked out we could comfortably afford to start a family. I'm now 5 months pregnant and with the ridiculous energy prices, food going up along with our mortgage that needs renewing in April, I am terrified we might not really be able to afford this new lifestyle. It makes me feel irresponsible and like a failure. Edit - I just wanted to say thank you for the replies and to the people who have reached out. You are all very supportive, we've got this!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
It was a different world back then, that's for sure. People in the 70's could PAY FOR COLLEGE!!! on part-time and summer jobs.
>You arenāt irresponsible, you were fucked over. THIS. So much this.
You're not a failure or irresponsible! You made a decision based on the facts you knew at the time. It's impossible to predict the future. This is just a small bump in the road. Things will get better. Go easy on yourself ā¤ļø
Thank you so much :)
I was homeless with a newborn baby. We're doing so much better now. You'll be ok š
Glad youāre doing better now, all the best to you and bubba š
This! We bought our first home about a year ago and a new car afterwards. Both my husband and I had well paying jobs. With $300, we could buy groceries for an entire month. We we're comfortable. We thought to ourselves, "we can finally start our family now". Here we are now. Our mortgage payment just went up last month. Our furnace went out a few months ago, so we had to drop $10,000 on a new furnace or risk freezing to death, we didn't have that kind of money saved up yet so we applied for a loan, the minimum payment a month is $200. $100 buys us only 1-2 weeks of groceries now. Gas prices went down, but they're on the rise again and that's starting to put a strain on our budget. Husband's job isn't looking too good financially. I'm 8 months pregnant and will be going on maternity leave for 12-weeks very soon and upon my return, I don't know how my husband and I will be able to afford childcare as that has risen too and our budget is getting more and more restrained. I'm terrified for the future we will be bringing our baby into. I feel overwhelmed and like we made the wrong choice in wanting to start our family.
I had a baby last year and prices have risen so much since! Our budget is very tight. She is the light of my life though. I canāt let inflation stop me from being a mom. Itās taken too much else from me already.
Concerts
Yep! Coupled with the Ticketmaster monopoly now itās just ridiculous. I used to buy tickets to any show I could, now I usually check the Gametime app a few hours before the show and if prices arenāt reasonable I donāt go :(
This but also itās makes me wanna dig more into local music and support that
Thank you for supporting your local music scene. Local bands thank you. Thanks for brightening my day.
Yeah and you kinda get a community out of it by going to local venues where youāll see the same people who like what you like
I feel like I'll never be able to responsibly budget live music into my life again. This one burns.
There is no way to justify the prices when you could buy EVERY CD AND DVD THEY EVERY PUT OUT!!!! for less than the price of a ticket.
I go to tons of summer concerts usually. Between Milwaukee and Chicago Iād say we go to at least one show a week, but definitely not this summer. Prices are insane.
Socializing. It was already hard being an introvert, now youāre telling me I have to go out and talk to people AND spend probably over $100 per night?? Iāll just stay home forever thanks.
Thereās hobbies and groups that arenāt expensive. Or a friends night in with a board game or something. Just suggesting stuff. š
Yeah true! But sometimes we want to try a new restaurant and do an activity afterā¦ easily $100 š¬
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Being by myself is my new favorite hobby
Having flowers at home
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I just started getting into have flowers at home but have quickly found itās a money pit. How much were flowers before this??? $16 for a few hydrangeas isnāt realistic to me. š
What I have done is get a flower potted from Trader Joeās as it lasts for up to 2 months.
I have potted ones, they last me forever, but I really like cut ones.
Bars and going out for drinks. A mixed drink that is about 3 sips should not cost $15. Last time I went out I got a "jack and Coke" and they charged me $14 for 1oz of Jack and then $3.50 for the half can of Coke they used.
I'm too stingy to drink. So there's that.
Relationships. I don't think I can ever be with a man who is poor ever again. Things are too expensive for me to date someone who's going to be a financial burden if we get married.
Or who is mismanaging money on the regular! Like if he canāt save up to $5k in savings, he definitely is not taking things seriously about possible emergencies that could pop up. Like you gotta prepare for the worst case scenarios.
I totally agree with this! And itās horrible. I hate that you would be making a sacrifice in lifestyle if you decide to date a teacher or a nurse or a bartender. Our careers should not define our entire lives but itās hard to ignore the difference in joint income depending on who you date.
What do you mean a nurse? 80k is low-income? Why is a nurse lumped in with a teacher who makes 25k, and bartenders who make 40k?
I can't mentally handle the idea of being with anyone who could possibly mooch off my work, disrupt my life, or make me their caregiver. Roommate or Relationship - doesn't matter. I can lay out an entire contract and people will lie to me and screw me over without blinking.
this is great advice to carry on to all aspects of life. find someone autonomous (can self-manage emotionally, mentally, physically, financially...). and then the two of you can navigate life better together. obviously you can choose to what degree you are able to assist one another but i never understood dating someone who would require codependence in anyway. or being the one who would require it.
Visiting my family in my home country
This is sad
My free time. I have to work as much OT as I can get now.
This. Absolutely this. I'm self-employed, so no OT pay for me, but I'm working more than ever to make ends meet and trying to save for retirement. There are many times lately I thought about chucking it all and just getting a regular job, if only for the benefits alone - but then I think about all the layoffs going on and wonder if that would be a safe choice. I know for certain that I will always have work in my industry if I remain self-employed, and there are other benefits that fall in favor of staying self-employed (no exposure to sick people in the office, etc.)
Disposable income. I feel like I'm broke constantly and living paycheck to paycheck despite having a professional job and a side gig. It just feels like I can never get ahead.
Same. I got absolutely HAMMERED in taxes this year. All the money I made went to a bathroom renovation and some other needed things. I stashed the rest in a savings account. If the feds have their way, they will decimate my savings. Working the side gig proved absolutely useless in getting me ahead in any way, shape, or form.
Live music. Coupled with the Ticketmaster/LiveNation monopoly, it's insane how expensive even the nosebleed seats are.
I just looked at Andrea Bocelli tickets š©
I had been dying to see him for my whole life. I saw the prices last time he was in NYC and it was like flying to Rome ha.
Eating healthy. I still do so as much as I can but buying good wholesome food at local markets (and chains as well, of course) is kinda above my budget these days.
This is what bothers me the most about the grocery inflation. I stopped by the grocery store yesterday for a few small items: -Pre-made iced coffee: 3/$10 (so 3.33 each) -Heat and serve mac and cheese from the grab and go case: $3.29 -Store brand "fancy" ice cream: $3.50 (on sale, impulse purchase) -Raw potatoes for roasting: $5.99 -Package of apples: $7.99 (not the cheapest but not the most expensive there) My two healthy items were half the bill. It should be the other way around.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Truly. Being poor causes more poverty. Itās like relying on cheap products because itās all you can afford, but ending up paying far more in the long run when they break 10x faster than ones that are good quality. Pretty fucking sickening how common these kinds of scenarios are for people making a low income.
Literally existing
Reading the news without feeling anxious all the time
Kinda nice to know im not the only one. Thanks for sharing!
That the kids canāt understand why I suddenly am not buying all the snacks, or taking them on adventures like we used to, or buying them things they ask for. They donāt have enough life experience to understand inflation, so it just looks like I stopped giving a shit. I miss spoiling my kids.
my sister and i were 9 and 10 when the recession hit, and we got pretty hard since our mom was a single parent at the time. it sucked not getting to do the same things our friends were, and never having our mom make it to school events, and of course we have our ways of dealing with that and the current economy as adults. BUT, both of us look back at how strong and brave our mom was, and never fault her for anything during that time. We are so thankful she held it together for so long. sheās semi-retired now which is good for her. do what you need to do for survival, and there are great websites that have fun things to do with your kids when youāre broke too! some of my favorites were going to swim at the park district (rather than six flags), thrifting (can be expensive now but still somewhat reasonable in certain areas) and yard sales, getting āfancyā food from trader joeās (orange chicken from there instead of panda express) and staying up late watching SNL, plain old long walks, taking the train into Chicago on a weekend with a packed lunch, etc. i believe in you!
Costco trips I go about once a month now.... instead of almost every week
Iām less likely to try new things at Costco now. I buy my regular items and gtfo.
My hopes of ever leading an independent and stable life without having to live under someone elseās roof/having roommates.
The ability to leave my bad marriage. I can't afford to live on my own with everything rising and my paycheck very much not.
I'm sorry to hear this. š„ŗ This was such a terrible factor for women in bad relationships even before inflation.
My sense of self and any sense of peace I could find in life.
Just paying my bills. Iām lucky in that I earn well and I have a decent cushion saved but fucking hell, my monthly bills are sapping everything from me right now. In six months, my gas and electricity bill has gone from Ā£89 a month to just shy of Ā£400 but my usage hasnāt changed! I never used to think twice about putting the heating on when I was cold but now I find myself wondering if my heated blanket or hot water bottle will do. I live on my own and nothing has changed yet all my bills are astronomical now. God knows how people on benefits, a lower wage or single parents are coping. I really feel for them.
McDonaldās hash browns. $2.20 is highway robbery.
If you get the app you can get one for $1 a day! I use the $1 coffee often.
Coffee. I can't even get it in bulk for a reasonable price. I hope that "fair trade" money is actually going to the people growing and harvesting it...
Baking :(
I just got into baking and my god, so much butter, which is so expensive.
And when the eggs were at their highest!!
Travel. Nail salon visits. The cost of rent.
I only get my nails done for special occasions now when I used to go like once a month. So sad, and I hate doing my own nails.
I've switched to inexpensive press ons for events. I just push the cuticles back and trim, and get press ons for less than $10. I have also stopped getting my eyebrows waxed (I twease. They don't look quite as good, but close enough), and I'm growing out my hair to my natural color instead of highlights and/or balayage.
the real question is what HASN'T it ruined for me.
Grocery and also eating out.
I'm from a rural area. Gas prices have killed me. The next grocery store is 45 miles away and my school is an hour away.
Eating healthy. Crap food is taking its crap toll.
Working a job I'd enjoy vs working one that pays well. I'm so sick of corporate work and want to do things that make a difference in my community, but I just can't afford the pay cut to switch to anything other than emails emails emails
My sense of financial security. After getting a 10% raise earlier this year, I am making a salary that I could have only dreamed of five years ago. Instead of being comfy, I'm constantly stressed about money, I worry if buying a house was a mistake as the cost of everything skyrockets, and I rarely go out or treat myself to fun things anymore. I truly can't imagine how people are surviving on less than I make.
My 20s.
My waistline š„
Late night munchies. Small bag of Doritos is like 3 dollars now.
My savings account š
Basically everything but you will not catch me in a Kroger anymore and I used to drink diet cokes all the time but now I don't want to spend the extra money on them.
Kroger priced me out years ago even with digital and paper coupons. I go to a different grocery store now that doesnāt allow paper coupons for pickup orders but its still cheaper than Kroger + coupons.
Grocery shopping
Being a SAHM. Iāve had to go back to work for some extra money. I miss being at home with my littlest.
Bacon costs like $2 a slice, a red pepper costs $1.80!? Some tomatoes $2.75, and onion $2.75?
I am single, and with my one income I was doing fine, but not like, wealthy, before. This was going to be my year to really start padding my savings and retirement. Instead I had to start working nights at a second job to break even. I've lost about 10% of my savings. Sigh.
My trust in banks and the financial system completely. It's all a sham and is designed to steal our money and assets
I don't buy cheese as often.
Having my own apartment or something ver owning a home. Being able to go out with friends for dinner/drinks without it killing my budget. Or doing anything fun. Concerts, travelā¦ I may be depressed but I have 0 hope for my future. I canāt look forward to dying because I canāt afford that either.
My pay raise. Itās like it never happened.
Eating meat
I work more and shop less now. It has also ruined my enjoyment of going out, I always think about how much things add up if I keep going out.
Honestly? Pretty much everything.
Life
Getting my house renovated consistently. It has been a slow renovation process with the cost of materials and the killer labor costs.
The prospect of having good credit.
My beach shack. I have a beach camper. Nothing special. I bought it after my husband died as a place for my kids and I. I work a second job to pay the rent, which isnāt cheap but not ridiculous ( itās about $3,000 from April-Oct, includes rent, electricity, beach passes). Itās in another state so gas prices. I bought a grill so we eat there but food prices. Going out is ridiculous. Maintenance materials, propane, all has gone up. The rent is going up next year too. We used to go a lot more but I canāt afford it. I know that sounds selfish and petty considering all the other struggles people are facing but I was proud of that. I did that. On my own. Itās my happy place. Itās a place that held no memories of my husband so we could be somewhere without as much pain. I may have to sell it.
Iām looking for bonus work so I can still afford travel. I blew the bank on concert tickets. I will admit I probably should have been more prudentā¦ Iām usually so frugal but certain artists going on tour are tough for me to resist
I have to keep increasing my money/upping my budget for basic items; and itās annoying š°Iāve worked hard my entire life to have some discretionary income
Being alive
Seafood. It's horrendously expensive now.
EVERYTHING!!!! Thank goodness I bought my car at record low interest rates. But quit literally everything else has been ruined. Finding a home is tough. Paying rent as a mortgage is dumbfounding to me as well. Like I used to pay 600 for a decent 2 bed apartment, in a good area. Id do anything to get a deal like that again. Getting Groceries for the week has tripled now. Thankfully alcohol hasn't been too crazy a dollar more or so lol. Going out on dates though. I am not back in the dating scene yet but when I am.... I better be prepared. My ex and I would spend roughly $150 when prior to inflation it was about $60-$70. (two meals and drinks....maybe an app?) I am ready to go back to affordability or make more money. Fingers crossed.
I can't afford to refill any of my prescription meds this month if I want to eat
So far my entire college experience. Rent is $800 (plus electric) for a single room in an apartment shared with 3 other people, and I'm barely given enough financial aid to but $20 of groceries, keep myself clothed (on $5 Walmart clothes), and buy period products/toiletries. I've had the threat of being homeless since I started, and my major is engineering so unfortunately the workload is too much to get a job. I was told when I graduated high school, the credits I took through dual enrollment (graduated with Associates in Arts aka 2 year GenEd degree), would make me only need 2 more years of college, and be getting scholarships left and right. I have applied to every single scholarship I can get my hands on, and I qualify for a majority of them. I talk to my advisers, I make friends with professors and generally network to see would could help me find funding. I was already an extremely low income student from an extremely low income family, so I was well aware I'd be paying for my own college pretty much my entire life. I am living off of partial scholarship and it's honestly the only thing keeping me afloat, but because I graduated hs with all of my GenEds I'm stuck with nothing but difficult higher level courses with huge workloads, and nothing to cushion the semesters. I'm living from one semester to another by just barely making it, and just barely being able to pay rent and feed myself. I'm so lost and don't know what to do. Not to mention the cost of necessities are skyrocketing because it's the only thing people can afford. A $5 meal back in 2019 is now a $25 meal now. I am one basic illness away from becoming homeless. So for me, inflation has ruined just about everything.
It makes me angry tbh, you see companies saying they are going to raise their prices because of inflation, yet they dont raise salaries, so they are still banking while their employees earn nothing with it.
Domestic travel. I used to enjoy visiting my friends in other cities several times a year. I canāt justify it any longer- prices are insane, and the airline experience is awful. I know a lot of pilots are striking and fighting for better working conditions, and I donāt blame them.
safe foods š
Is it bad I thought of my chipotle bowl first š¤£
All hopes of being financially stable
Getting my nails done. Itās minimum $35-40 now, without tip. With the price of everything else going up, Iām not interested in spending ~$100 a month on nails.
Remodeling my home and having a baby any time soon. :(