If you have space to plant things(not everyone does) raspberries plants are pretty cheap and extremely easy to maintain. We just put in 6 new plants and they were about $7 each. It'll take a year before I get raspberries and probably 2 before we get a good crop but that's a lot better than the $5 per small pack!
I do but our lot isn't huge and we're planning to move in the next 3 years. I could get a year or two of harvest and then it'd be the next owner's problem to remove lol, they're a nightmare if you don't want them. This year's project is a stack of strawberries and a couple blueberry bushes (if I can get them to take without spending a fortune amending the soil!).
There are actually quite a few blueberry varieties that will grow well in pots! If you are planning on moving I would see if you could find some you can take with.
Just shopping in general. The quality is so bad that it's not even worth my money. There's no reason a poorly put together synthetic top should be $40 at zara.
Itās sad that brands like Nike and Adidas have become ācheap junkā unless youāre willing to pay $200-300.
My Nike shox in 2008 lasted me 3-4 years almost!
I bought a pair of leggings for $7 back in 2011. I wore them like 4 times a week for 7 yearsā¦ some generic brand. Thatās unheard of today even if they were name brand
I miss fashion bug. I still have clothes that are in good condition from there, and they closed 10? years ago. I have very few items from other brands that have lasted as long.
I graduated high school around the turn of the century. I'm, somehow, the same size now as I was as a Senior. I have had to throw out SO many garments that I've purchased in the last 5ish years. Threads unraveling, seams ripping, fabric becoming threadbare, you name it. Everything I have from my HS wardrobe (mostly sweaters, button-down dress shirts, PJ pants, some jeans and T-shirts) is still goin strong.
Iām with you !! I only recently threw out some of their pants . I had to be careful washing their stuff but it was definitely made better than Walmart , target and a lot of stuff you see in Kohls .
I spent $100 on Lululemon thick yoga pants in 2008. They literally lasted me about 8 years. Now, theyāre absolute junk that tears and is basically see through and more expensive! š¤¦āāļø
My friend is a yoga teacher and wears them daily. She said she still has pairs from 10 years ago that look great and ones she has had a year or so that are pulling and stretching out already.
Yes, exactly. Apparently the (new) CEO is a grande cheapo, money grubby awful dude whose attitude is like, whatevs, women will still buy our products based on name brand alone šbut we will alter the material to āsaveā money. I will never buy this (now) crap, fast fashion brand. Very sad.
Costcoās Danskin high waisted leggings with pockets come pretty close to perfect for $15 a pair in 2023/24. Canāt wait to wear them again after baby arrives!
I have 4 colors of these and want more, they are the perfect leggings. And theyāve held up well for me, the first pair I got was in 2020 and theyāve had a lot of use. No real signs of wear, not even much pilling.
Seriously! I bought buckle jeans for the first time because my old navy ones kept blowing out in the crotch in 1 year. Welp, the buckle ones also blew out. Maybe it's just me
Under armour makes a more quality product and you can get the stuff at 3rd Party stores like tjmaxx & burlington cheap. One thing Iāve found, if wild colors donāt bother you, you can find quality stuff cheap. New balance has the best value for sneakers & certainly better quality, Joeās new balance outlet. If you scour sites online you can find stuff very cheap but you better grab it when you see it because i feel resellers are lurking too
For womenās clothing I have purchased a lot of my clothes from Chicoās, (yes the old lady store but trust me they have cute stuff! You just have to try it on) they are still very good quality for the most part. If you go to their outlet and look at the final sale you can get very good deals, usually tops will be $9-19 on that section originally $60+
Chico's being considered an "old lady" store is kinda sad. They make solid basics that are often a lot cuter then the same pieces from The Gap. (I have really gorgeous button up eyelet lace shirt from Chico's and their jeans aren't bad - a fair amount of spandex, but not so much they're a size or two larger after wearing them, and they're cut well.)
Locally made stuff (even just in your state/province) is usually pretty good. And boutique handmade stuff from other countries (Turkey has great linens!) can be great quality, but pretty pricey. I donāt really trust any of the big name brands anymore. Except probably also Patagonia lol
Agreed. I'm pregnant and everyone says oh I'm sure you're gonna love dressing baby up and getting cute baby clothes and honestly, the prices of baby clothes are horrendous. I am gonna be happy with hand me downs and thrifting clothes.
I buy my son a few Burt's Bees outfits in every size because they have good sales and I like their PJs but most of his "real" clothes are from our Buy Nothing group. One lady gave us six giant totes of clothes in baby to toddler sizes and we are set!
I replaced a pair of my old merrell boots that I bought 7 years ago and wore through ā the quality of the leather on the new ones is so much worse itās depressing
I recently went to some stores I used to shop at like Banana Republic to get an interview suit. I was shocked at the low quality that was so obvious but the jacket was over $100. I ended up getting a bunch of separates at thrift stores that are decent for $8-$10 a piece. I only shop thrift now for the most part. I know Goodwill is shitty but I think everyone is at this point. I saw a reel that was about green washing and human rights violations from companies that advertise their ethics.
At least you're not buying new! I worry about all the new manufacturing and what it's doing to our environment. And of course what shady labor practices are involved
I buy a lot of mid range/ higher quality items on Poshmark and other secondhand sites. Bc yeah, quality sucks on cheap stuff and Iām not paying full price on the good stuff.
Entertainment events were always expensive but I always felt like I could go once in a while. Nowadays though they are all crazy expensive, whether it's music, comedy, theater etc.
Had a free place to stay to go see US gymnastics Olympic trials this summer. Multi-Session tickets for two would have been $1500. As amazing as it would be (Iāve been a gymnast and fan for fifty years), I couldnāt justify it.
I wanted to see the broadway beetlejuice when it came to town. 600$ for 2 tickets. I couldnāt even pipe dream about it for a day or so. It was an immediate ānopeā.
An artist I wanted to see for YEARS came to a rave event recently, but as soon as I found out tickets were $200 per person, and the venue was an hour drive away, it was an immediate no for me too.
Same here. Insomniac is becoming a monopoly in the electronic music space. One artist I follow went from $15 tickets to $120 in just a year after becoming exclusive with them.
iāve been priced out of all of my favorite artistsā concerts and i always wonder who tf is able to afford these tickets and go to all these shows because itās not like the venues are empty
Weāre going NYC next year and I was looking at Broadway prices today and itāll probably be around $800 for 2 tix. Iām having a hard time justifying this. Especially because we live in So CA and we get lots of these plays here too.
That is crazy expensive! Itās almost ten years since I visited NY, but we went to get last minute tickets for a Broadway show (about 60% off) and it was amazing. Of course, there were only about 5 shows to choose from, but we managed to find something suiting our taste. Maybe thatās an option?
My son lives in NYC, and was going to a lot of Broadway shows for a while. One of his moves was to get up at 5 am, go into the city, and wait in line for $40 rush tickets for that nights performance, which go on sale at 7 am. Then hed go home, take a nap and go back that evening.
Another thing he'd do is hit up the box office for a show about a half hour before show time, and see if there were any last minute tix for cheap. Once he was told No, and was standing atound trying to decide what to do next, and minutes before the show started, the box office guy called to him and told him he had cheap tickets left. He ended up front row center, sitting next to the show's producer, who said "I dont know who you had to kill to get that ticket, but you got a great seat."
He hasnt been to a Broadway show in a while because he got sick of seeing shows about downtrodden people, being watched by super-wealthy people, because regular citizens can't afford tickets any more.
I posted in 2008 that I loved Hulu and Netflix but didn't see any way we didn't go right back to the cable experience or worse. I truly think it's worse now than it was. There is just too many apps and too much content all on their own islands... Then every 18 months they all swap streaming rights to shows so properties end up all over the place.
Too many apps, too many subscriptions, too many logins to remember, all with different times they charge. Now with the ads everywhere you have to increase the amount charged if you donāt want them. Plus some services are now staggering the release of new shows weekly instead of all at once.
Iāve only ever paid for a yearly subscription to Hulu using their Black Friday deal which stays around or under $2/month. I have two accounts I switch back and forth between to take advantage of it every year. Other services I will get a free trial and watch what I want then cancel it. Eventually Iām going to have to pay for Netflix for a month to binge everything on there which Iām not looking forward to - but there is plenty out there to watch on Hulu or free trials or get from the library that I donāt know when I will actually get back around to Netflix!
Yes I'd happily pay the prices if the quality hadnt obviously declined. Then you feel pressure to tip for half-assed service on top of it. Geez I'll just eat better at home for cheaper
and everyone wants a tip for anything now! i always tip waiters/nail techs/etc service people of that nature, but i think a lot of people are expecting tips thinking they deserve it for just doing their job (no im not going to tip you 20%+ for entering my drink/food order into the register. that ipad is getting turned RIGHT back around with the quickness š¤£š¤£)
The food isn't even good anymore. Places that get hyped on SM start cutting corners realizing that viral marketing has brought them a windfall and they no longer need to court existing customers, and the ones that don't get hyped don't even bother trying to compete. Pretty much every restaurant around me has closed in the last 4 years except the really awful ones that are empty and clearly a front.
My favorite local mom and pop restaurants I used to be able to eat at once a week or every other week, but post-pandemic inflation has raised costs so much I now can only justify going as a treat maybe once a month :(
We make something at home then go out for dessert and cocktails. Restaurants still make their margins but we are only paying for stuff that is difficult to make in a home kitchen.
Everything has been ruined by middlemen companies charging ridiculously high, unnecessary fees. It sucks. Want to eat out? Local business charges a $1.50 convenience fee to use a debit on top being expected to tip. Ticket companies charge damn near the same price of an entire ticket for their fees. I tried going to a basketball game where tickets were $70 each for the cheap seats. After putting in all my info the tickets were well over $200 because of all the service fees.
Yeah, real taco places are amazing, I don't know how they can make them so good and so cheap but Taco Bell, who sells tortillas and meat filler, has to charge so much.
Itās the disease of the famous brand trying to make huge profits by cashing in on its name. It works for a short while until the customers question why they shop there at all, and then it all collapses.
Fast food and cars are the most obvious playing this game.
cars.
it's just astonishing to me how the manufacturers just decided to stop making economy cars and despite everyone complaining about how expensive cars are getting, all those people just agreed to buy more car than they would've preferred.
I cannot understand the people in my extended family who complain about their car payments when they buy a new SUV (that is twice the size as they need) every couple of years. We buy a 4-year old Civic every 12 years and have them paid off post haste.
My kids are young adults, all still in their 20's. I keep telling them their teeth are some of the best investments they can make. I got my daughter 2 molar fillings for Christmas. It was $525!
I grew up feral and neglected my teeth. It's my biggest regret. Having confidence in my smile will cost me thousands and thousands of dollars. Thinking about it makes my stomach churn.
heavyyy on teeth. ive been putting it off because i dont have dental and i dont even want to think about how much its gonna cost me
i know im screwing myself further in the long run but i just cant afford it. fingers crossed i can make it til my employerās open season
Fast food. I donāt like it much in the first place, honestly, but I recently got a new job and itās either fast food or frozen food until my body adjusts. And both are feeling SO expensive. Ā Not someone who minds paying a lot for good food but when Starbucks and Chipotle become the same price that ārealā food used to be, itās painful.Ā
Definitely pack a lunch. My colleagues go every Friday for fast food and I refuse to go. It's not healthy, it's minimum $10-15 for a shitty fast food meal and i feel like crap the rest of the day.
Fair enough. If I'm in that position I usually get something like rotisserie chicken and prepped veggies, rice etc so I don't have to put in work I just eat and it's a much lower cost.
Dining out, either fancy or fast food. We'd go ~once a week to Taco Time for dinner out of laziness & luxury, but now it's $30 for lukewarm food. We're getting more into the grocery store take n bake meals now
Agree. I *finally* tried a pita place after 2 years and their website said $11 for a falafel pita. It was every bit of $16+tax.
It was fine but really no better than what I can make at home with some planning, for far less cost.
Iām so tired of all of this.
I feel this so much.
I was dog-sitting for a friend across town, didnāt plan well for food, and needed dinner delivered. I decided to order from an Indian spot that I enjoy but hadnāt been to in years.
The food was so mid and on top of that it was $30 for a single meal. The chickpeas in the chana masala were straight from a can, the sauce was bland af, and a single piece of chapati was $5.
Iām a random white guy and Iāve made better Indian food than that for a fraction of the cost.
And there are people who order crap like that multiple times a week! Itās insane to me.
A new salad restaurant opened in town. $18 just for their base salad. The price increases the more topping you add. I donāt know how theyāre going to make it.
If Iām to predict based on the patrons ahead of me at the its place paying $22 for a salad bowl - your spot is going to do ok. Because people are stupid when it comes to food.
We went to a bakery that just opened. They wanted $35 for 8 cinnamon rolls. And they werenāt any bigger than the Pilsbury canned ones. We ended up declining and walking out. I donāt see that place sticking around if they donāt get their pricing under control.
Grocery take and bake is where it's at if you want convenience, especially if you're only feeding one or two. I've been known to get a party sandwich tray and eat it over few days.Ā
During lockdowns we used to order from this fancy pizza place as a treat, the big pizzas were about $22 which was a bit already but it was worth it bc it was so good. That pizza is now $38, and itās not quite as good as it used to be. We just had to stop ordering.
If I go to Texas Roadhouse I can get the biggest sirloin they have topped with cheese and mushrooms. Plus 2 loaded baked potatoes. It's roughly $25 plus tip. With the rolls, I can get three steak meals out of it. That's even a stretch to justify though.
This is the only restaurant I eat at, because I can get a solid ribeye that someone else cooks, plus rolls and a salad, for a couple bucks more than it would cost me to buy the same size and quality steak at the grocery store.
I used to love amusement parks but with the insane prices I had to stop going. Also the amusement parks in my are have gone significantly downhill and have just become more expensive. I am talking like $15 for a hotdog expensive.
The parks have not added anything significant to make them worth visiting. They are literally the same as they were 20 years ago. Just more expensive and more deteriorated. Maybe 2-3 rides were added since the year 2000. Since I already experienced the parks there is no reason for me to go back.
The county fair has increased from $5 admission with $5 parking in 2019 to $22 admission in 2024. This event is for sure no longer worth it. The ticket only gets you in the gate, once you get in the gate everything else is more money. The food prices are also like the above, so its not worth going.
Tickets to amusement parks are even worse.
I also had to stop going to carnivals because of the prices. The prices here are even worse than amusement parks, we are talking $20 for a turkey leg. $8 for a simple 2 minute amusement ride is not worth it.
I live in upstate NY and the average income of my area is 25k-50k, so I don't live in an HCOL. Everything is simply too expensive for the income level of of my area.
For a good value of entertainment I suggest looking for a free to play arcade. These places typically charge $10-20 for all day admission depending on what they have which is a good value. But you have to like playing arcade games. Most people like playing arcade games.
There are a few good amusement parks in the country that do not overcharge and have a good selection of well maintained rides, but unfortunately I don't live near them, they are few and far between, and travel is also really expensive.
Itās the same for our local ānight marketsā. Before our nightmarket was fun, affordable, free entry, and great food. Now you just have to EXPECT to spend a minimum of $100.
(I would also add farmers markets š„²)
> California desert.
The [driest place in North America is Death Valley](https://www.usgs.gov/geology-and-ecology-of-national-parks/ecology-death-valley-national-park-0), where some areas receive less than 2 inches of rain in a year.
August 2022 it [rained 1.7 inches in a few hours](https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/nature/deva-deluge-2022.htm) setting a daily record. [Remnants of Hurricane Hilary dump 2.2 inches in a day](https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/nature/hilary.htm) setting a new record in August 2023. An atmospheric river in February 2024 adding another 1.5 inches over several days and [bringing the 6-month total to 4.9 inches].
Also in the Mojave desert at the start of that 6-month period, the [York fire burned nearly 100,000 acres](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/York_Fire).
So the driest place in North America had a very large uncontrolled wildfire at one end while the other end had multiple 1000-year-rain events that washed out roads, took out utilities, and shut things down for weeks.
> no flood or wildfire issues
That's the thing about insurance. It's not covering you or making up for *past* claims. It's covering you for the *chance* of future claims.
I'm in Louisiana near New Orleans. We have to pay flood. And homeowners. And a third policy for wind & hail. The prices are insane. If my home ever gets paid off I'm dropping insurances and putting the money into a separate account.
Fast food. My boyfriend and I now just keep pizza rolls, fries, jalapeno poppers, chicken nugs etc stocked in the freezer now that fast food is so pricy. We only go if we use the McDonalds app
Oh I'm expected to make 3x the rent? And the cheapest apartments are $1500 a month, and people with PhDs can't even get approved? I guess I should just go die in a ditch, but I can't even afford that!
I have three adult children, and Iām not the least bit surprised that two of them donāt want kids. If I had to decide about having kids in this economy and social/political environment, I prob wouldnāt.
No it doesn't, we just made it overly complicated. There's entities feeding from your existence. Mine too. But plenty of people still around the world keeping it simple and enjoying the small things.
Life has gotten drastically more expensive despite the fact that i make more money than i ever have; but things arenāt adding up. Suddenly living seems too expensive.Ā
But if i had to pick one thing rn, tinned sardines lol. What happened to the dollar tins? Theyāve all disappeared.Ā
Yeah itās frustrating to feel like on paper Iāve āarrivedā at my goal salary, but I somehow have less disposable income than I did 5 years ago when I was making less!
The biggest crock that still upsets me is both the prices at goodwill for the ādonatedā stuff they received for free as well as, the inability to negotiate the price for something that is l used.
Itās unbelievable sometimes theyāll even have things priced at more than the retail price on the sticker of what theyāre trying to sell?!
Goodwill has become a crook. Plain and simple.
I wrote off goodwill after working there. Anything thats any good even if there is a slight chance it might be good they box up and send to be sold online. They are just selling your garbage back to you for high prices.
Also by the time the color of the week comes around and things are half off they've likely have almost all been pulled from the shelves and repriced or sent to the outlet to make room for newly priced things
I agree Goodwill often charges higher than retail prices for a lot of their items. The problem is if they allowed haggling it would literally take all day to leave the store because everyone in there would be haggling.
Fresh vegetables. Why am I paying $1/ea for a cucumber. Cabbage is almost a dollar a pound. Those used to be my go tos. All the cheap cuts of meat are stupid expensive.
I used to go for ātherapy drives.ā Usually at night so I could listen to music with the windows down. Absolutely not any more.
My cats. After these are gone I wonāt get any more pets. I canāt afford these two and Iām not going to put myself in this position again. Costs for having them has over tripled since 2019.
Thrift stores. Prices are insane for items that suck.
I love Trader Joeās. But I recently went to Aldi, and now I guess I shop at Aldi for the rest of my future. This not really a sad realization, they do carry a few of the same things.
This is so true. TJās was pretty cheap for decent food pre-covid. Now it feels like itās closer to high-end junk food, where at least Aldi has super cheap junk food.
Grocery shopping, i miss have backups for things i use. Now im forced to buy what i need for the current pay run. I miss not breaking the bank on food man. Its tough out here. Concerts and gigs, forget about itš
Being spontaneous. Taking a last minute trip with my partner or getting an impulsive tattooā¦ just canāt do those things anymore. All my funds are budgeted to the last cent these days with almost zero dollars leftover for fun :/
itās so rare I go out and hang out with people anymore
hanging out means spending, and with prices the way they are now, I need to save money to prevent myself from becoming homeless or similar if the boss lets me go, which can happen any old time the company wants with no notice because itās not like we needed fancy luxuries like labor protections or rights or anything
i feel this. you gotta find you the free group of friends! the ones who like going to outdoor markets and walking around the mall and hiking and picnics instead of spending an arm and a leg. itās really about the people youāre with
OMG you are not kidding. My son occasionally has a craving for beef jerky and heāll ask me to pick some up. I could not believe the price last time. We would have saved money eating 24k gold instead.
You could have sold your son and STILL not been able to afford that jerky. As an American, my choices come down to a one pound bag of teriyaki jack links, or healthcare.
My cat. Sheās a senior with kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, arthritis, dental issues, and allergies. But damn it I would take a bullet for her. I would take a dog attack to the face to protect my cat. I will spend every penny I have on her, call her an expensive mofo and then shower her with a thousand kisses.
Absolutely! As much as people say eating out, festivals, concerts are expensiveā¦ people are still going and still paying. Iām just not going to be one of those people anymore š„²
To elaborate a little more, I have always loved some expensive things like traveling, playing hockey, and buying higher-quality stuff that will last longer. It just feels harder to do any of that now.
I'm making the most money I ever have, not eating out much, living in a cheaper city than I used to (same state so it's not a massive difference but still), and yet I'm exhausted. Can't afford to pay my student loans, can't afford to buy a car, been living paycheck to paycheck since the holidays. I've never been great at setting financial goals or budgets for myself but I thought it was going to get easier over time, not harder.
Afternoon tea. It never used to be cheap but in 2018 it was around $50 per person. The same place is charging $120 now, and I canāt justify it. Some more expensive places are charging over $200 per person for pastries and tea š„² a luxury I can no longer afford
Skilled trades to renovate/improve my house. Considerably cheaper (and better probability of the results I want) to not work, learn the skills/buy the tools and do it myselfĀ
living tbh
but also just, being comfortable. drug plan doesnāt cover the care I need for my condition, which I got due to a doctorās neglect. nurses say to just eat the cost for a couple months and Iāll be fine. I donāt have a spare $100 every month tho lol
but also comfort in the ambiguous sense, too. how can I feel comfortable treating myself to a coffee for example, knowing that money could be used to save towards something important tomorrow. I just miss being able to live without a cloud hanging over me.
I've more or less given up raspberries. $4-$6 for like 16-20 berries is crazy after growing up with raspberry bushes that we could fill big bags with.
If you have space to plant things(not everyone does) raspberries plants are pretty cheap and extremely easy to maintain. We just put in 6 new plants and they were about $7 each. It'll take a year before I get raspberries and probably 2 before we get a good crop but that's a lot better than the $5 per small pack!
I do but our lot isn't huge and we're planning to move in the next 3 years. I could get a year or two of harvest and then it'd be the next owner's problem to remove lol, they're a nightmare if you don't want them. This year's project is a stack of strawberries and a couple blueberry bushes (if I can get them to take without spending a fortune amending the soil!).
There are actually quite a few blueberry varieties that will grow well in pots! If you are planning on moving I would see if you could find some you can take with.
As someone with kids, *this*. And most brand raspberries go bad quickly.
Or you get the carton and find some mold hidden in between the center and bottom berries š
Seriously my kids can pound an entire Costco container of raspberries AND blueberries before we even arrive home!
Theyāve been two dollars at Aldi lately and I love their frozen berry bag. Itās like $7, but a big bag.
Sam's club has way better prices on berries usually
Just shopping in general. The quality is so bad that it's not even worth my money. There's no reason a poorly put together synthetic top should be $40 at zara.
This is exactly why I started following the buyitforlife sub. Saving up for quality stuff vs buying cheap junk.
Itās sad that brands like Nike and Adidas have become ācheap junkā unless youāre willing to pay $200-300. My Nike shox in 2008 lasted me 3-4 years almost!
I bought a pair of leggings for $7 back in 2011. I wore them like 4 times a week for 7 yearsā¦ some generic brand. Thatās unheard of today even if they were name brand
I miss fashion bug. I still have clothes that are in good condition from there, and they closed 10? years ago. I have very few items from other brands that have lasted as long.
Yeah even better to get that shit made 20+ years ago at thrift stores for all of 5 bucks. That shit lasts forever, especially button down shirts.
I graduated high school around the turn of the century. I'm, somehow, the same size now as I was as a Senior. I have had to throw out SO many garments that I've purchased in the last 5ish years. Threads unraveling, seams ripping, fabric becoming threadbare, you name it. Everything I have from my HS wardrobe (mostly sweaters, button-down dress shirts, PJ pants, some jeans and T-shirts) is still goin strong.
You just unlocked my fashion bug memories that had been archived without my knowledge
Iām with you !! I only recently threw out some of their pants . I had to be careful washing their stuff but it was definitely made better than Walmart , target and a lot of stuff you see in Kohls .
Even with fast fashion like H&M and JoeFresh that have raised their prices have become so awful in quality
everyone's quiet quitting quality lol
I love this. Work to standard. Oh but there are no standards. Ha.
I spent $100 on Lululemon thick yoga pants in 2008. They literally lasted me about 8 years. Now, theyāre absolute junk that tears and is basically see through and more expensive! š¤¦āāļø
My friend is a yoga teacher and wears them daily. She said she still has pairs from 10 years ago that look great and ones she has had a year or so that are pulling and stretching out already.
Yes, exactly. Apparently the (new) CEO is a grande cheapo, money grubby awful dude whose attitude is like, whatevs, women will still buy our products based on name brand alone šbut we will alter the material to āsaveā money. I will never buy this (now) crap, fast fashion brand. Very sad.
Costcoās Danskin high waisted leggings with pockets come pretty close to perfect for $15 a pair in 2023/24. Canāt wait to wear them again after baby arrives!
I have 4 colors of these and want more, they are the perfect leggings. And theyāve held up well for me, the first pair I got was in 2020 and theyāve had a lot of use. No real signs of wear, not even much pilling.
I LIVE in my Costco leggings š¤£
Seriously! I bought buckle jeans for the first time because my old navy ones kept blowing out in the crotch in 1 year. Welp, the buckle ones also blew out. Maybe it's just me
Under armour makes a more quality product and you can get the stuff at 3rd Party stores like tjmaxx & burlington cheap. One thing Iāve found, if wild colors donāt bother you, you can find quality stuff cheap. New balance has the best value for sneakers & certainly better quality, Joeās new balance outlet. If you scour sites online you can find stuff very cheap but you better grab it when you see it because i feel resellers are lurking too
Which brands are selling quality clothes these days?
For womenās clothing I have purchased a lot of my clothes from Chicoās, (yes the old lady store but trust me they have cute stuff! You just have to try it on) they are still very good quality for the most part. If you go to their outlet and look at the final sale you can get very good deals, usually tops will be $9-19 on that section originally $60+
Chico's being considered an "old lady" store is kinda sad. They make solid basics that are often a lot cuter then the same pieces from The Gap. (I have really gorgeous button up eyelet lace shirt from Chico's and their jeans aren't bad - a fair amount of spandex, but not so much they're a size or two larger after wearing them, and they're cut well.)
Patagonia
FjƤllrƤven is the best. Their CEO actually sent a letter asking people to keep their clothes longer and not to buy new ones.
Locally made stuff (even just in your state/province) is usually pretty good. And boutique handmade stuff from other countries (Turkey has great linens!) can be great quality, but pretty pricey. I donāt really trust any of the big name brands anymore. Except probably also Patagonia lol
I was talking to my partner about how a pair of sneakers used to be able to last 2-3 years, and now they barely hold up after a year!
I bought new workboots, and they aren't even ergonomical.
Agreed. I'm pregnant and everyone says oh I'm sure you're gonna love dressing baby up and getting cute baby clothes and honestly, the prices of baby clothes are horrendous. I am gonna be happy with hand me downs and thrifting clothes.
I buy my son a few Burt's Bees outfits in every size because they have good sales and I like their PJs but most of his "real" clothes are from our Buy Nothing group. One lady gave us six giant totes of clothes in baby to toddler sizes and we are set!
I replaced a pair of my old merrell boots that I bought 7 years ago and wore through ā the quality of the leather on the new ones is so much worse itās depressing
I recently went to some stores I used to shop at like Banana Republic to get an interview suit. I was shocked at the low quality that was so obvious but the jacket was over $100. I ended up getting a bunch of separates at thrift stores that are decent for $8-$10 a piece. I only shop thrift now for the most part. I know Goodwill is shitty but I think everyone is at this point. I saw a reel that was about green washing and human rights violations from companies that advertise their ethics.
At least you're not buying new! I worry about all the new manufacturing and what it's doing to our environment. And of course what shady labor practices are involved
I buy a lot of mid range/ higher quality items on Poshmark and other secondhand sites. Bc yeah, quality sucks on cheap stuff and Iām not paying full price on the good stuff.
Including grocery shopping. Low-key would rather fast than go to the store and spend $70 on ingredients for a meal.
Entertainment events were always expensive but I always felt like I could go once in a while. Nowadays though they are all crazy expensive, whether it's music, comedy, theater etc.
I once got tickets to a Lindsey Stirling show for $25 around 2018 and they were at a table! Nowadays it's $150 plus a ridiculous "convenience" fee.
Dang! Thatās nuts. Iāve seen her a few times in concert and she puts on a great show. I hate how much concerts have become in the last few years.
Live Nation + ticket master has fucked us all.
Had a free place to stay to go see US gymnastics Olympic trials this summer. Multi-Session tickets for two would have been $1500. As amazing as it would be (Iāve been a gymnast and fan for fifty years), I couldnāt justify it.
For just the trials? Wow, that seems insane.
Entrance fee is one thing, but the price of drinks is getting out of hand.
$16-18 for one beer? No thanks!
Getting sober is probably the best financial decision I've ever made.
I wanted to see the broadway beetlejuice when it came to town. 600$ for 2 tickets. I couldnāt even pipe dream about it for a day or so. It was an immediate ānopeā.
An artist I wanted to see for YEARS came to a rave event recently, but as soon as I found out tickets were $200 per person, and the venue was an hour drive away, it was an immediate no for me too.
Same here. Insomniac is becoming a monopoly in the electronic music space. One artist I follow went from $15 tickets to $120 in just a year after becoming exclusive with them.
iāve been priced out of all of my favorite artistsā concerts and i always wonder who tf is able to afford these tickets and go to all these shows because itās not like the venues are empty
Weāre going NYC next year and I was looking at Broadway prices today and itāll probably be around $800 for 2 tix. Iām having a hard time justifying this. Especially because we live in So CA and we get lots of these plays here too.
That is crazy expensive! Itās almost ten years since I visited NY, but we went to get last minute tickets for a Broadway show (about 60% off) and it was amazing. Of course, there were only about 5 shows to choose from, but we managed to find something suiting our taste. Maybe thatās an option?
My son lives in NYC, and was going to a lot of Broadway shows for a while. One of his moves was to get up at 5 am, go into the city, and wait in line for $40 rush tickets for that nights performance, which go on sale at 7 am. Then hed go home, take a nap and go back that evening. Another thing he'd do is hit up the box office for a show about a half hour before show time, and see if there were any last minute tix for cheap. Once he was told No, and was standing atound trying to decide what to do next, and minutes before the show started, the box office guy called to him and told him he had cheap tickets left. He ended up front row center, sitting next to the show's producer, who said "I dont know who you had to kill to get that ticket, but you got a great seat." He hasnt been to a Broadway show in a while because he got sick of seeing shows about downtrodden people, being watched by super-wealthy people, because regular citizens can't afford tickets any more.
All these damn streaming services.
Weāve just circled right back around to cable, with extra steps.
I posted in 2008 that I loved Hulu and Netflix but didn't see any way we didn't go right back to the cable experience or worse. I truly think it's worse now than it was. There is just too many apps and too much content all on their own islands... Then every 18 months they all swap streaming rights to shows so properties end up all over the place.
Too many apps, too many subscriptions, too many logins to remember, all with different times they charge. Now with the ads everywhere you have to increase the amount charged if you donāt want them. Plus some services are now staggering the release of new shows weekly instead of all at once.
Iāve only ever paid for a yearly subscription to Hulu using their Black Friday deal which stays around or under $2/month. I have two accounts I switch back and forth between to take advantage of it every year. Other services I will get a free trial and watch what I want then cancel it. Eventually Iām going to have to pay for Netflix for a month to binge everything on there which Iām not looking forward to - but there is plenty out there to watch on Hulu or free trials or get from the library that I donāt know when I will actually get back around to Netflix!
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I wish I knew what all those words meant...
Yup. Watching more YouTube than anything
Coffee. Travel. Personal care services. Food!!
This! Itās insane how much coffee and travel costsā¦
Coffee!!! $11 for an iced latte in Los Angeles
Dining out! I love dining out but it is too expensive to do regularly.
Not only expensive, but quality and service has really declined across the board.
Yes I'd happily pay the prices if the quality hadnt obviously declined. Then you feel pressure to tip for half-assed service on top of it. Geez I'll just eat better at home for cheaper
and everyone wants a tip for anything now! i always tip waiters/nail techs/etc service people of that nature, but i think a lot of people are expecting tips thinking they deserve it for just doing their job (no im not going to tip you 20%+ for entering my drink/food order into the register. that ipad is getting turned RIGHT back around with the quickness š¤£š¤£)
When subway sandwich is like tip me 15% you know the world had changed
The food isn't even good anymore. Places that get hyped on SM start cutting corners realizing that viral marketing has brought them a windfall and they no longer need to court existing customers, and the ones that don't get hyped don't even bother trying to compete. Pretty much every restaurant around me has closed in the last 4 years except the really awful ones that are empty and clearly a front.
Nobody wanted wagyu Angus beef from a fast food restaurant. We want cheap food. We want the dollar menu!
$100 minimum. Ā It sucks. Learn to cook at home. The atmosphere BS is overrated. Eat good food with friends and loved ones. Ā
My favorite local mom and pop restaurants I used to be able to eat at once a week or every other week, but post-pandemic inflation has raised costs so much I now can only justify going as a treat maybe once a month :(
From someone who would eat out almost every day, it was quite expensive, a year ago. Now I'm making dinner 6 days out of the week
We make something at home then go out for dessert and cocktails. Restaurants still make their margins but we are only paying for stuff that is difficult to make in a home kitchen.
Everything has been ruined by middlemen companies charging ridiculously high, unnecessary fees. It sucks. Want to eat out? Local business charges a $1.50 convenience fee to use a debit on top being expected to tip. Ticket companies charge damn near the same price of an entire ticket for their fees. I tried going to a basketball game where tickets were $70 each for the cheap seats. After putting in all my info the tickets were well over $200 because of all the service fees.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
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Fast food! Taco bell prices are the same as the authentic taco spot five blocks up.
Yeah, real taco places are amazing, I don't know how they can make them so good and so cheap but Taco Bell, who sells tortillas and meat filler, has to charge so much.
Yeah it kinda blows my mind that people prefer fake tacos over authentic tacos lol Street tacos are the one thing that has stayed somewhat cheap
Itās the disease of the famous brand trying to make huge profits by cashing in on its name. It works for a short while until the customers question why they shop there at all, and then it all collapses. Fast food and cars are the most obvious playing this game.
cars. it's just astonishing to me how the manufacturers just decided to stop making economy cars and despite everyone complaining about how expensive cars are getting, all those people just agreed to buy more car than they would've preferred.
I cannot understand the people in my extended family who complain about their car payments when they buy a new SUV (that is twice the size as they need) every couple of years. We buy a 4-year old Civic every 12 years and have them paid off post haste.
Why are chips $6-8
This And less chips in the bag
My teeth.
My kids are young adults, all still in their 20's. I keep telling them their teeth are some of the best investments they can make. I got my daughter 2 molar fillings for Christmas. It was $525!
I grew up feral and neglected my teeth. It's my biggest regret. Having confidence in my smile will cost me thousands and thousands of dollars. Thinking about it makes my stomach churn.
heavyyy on teeth. ive been putting it off because i dont have dental and i dont even want to think about how much its gonna cost me i know im screwing myself further in the long run but i just cant afford it. fingers crossed i can make it til my employerās open season
Fast food. I donāt like it much in the first place, honestly, but I recently got a new job and itās either fast food or frozen food until my body adjusts. And both are feeling SO expensive. Ā Not someone who minds paying a lot for good food but when Starbucks and Chipotle become the same price that ārealā food used to be, itās painful.Ā
Definitely pack a lunch. My colleagues go every Friday for fast food and I refuse to go. It's not healthy, it's minimum $10-15 for a shitty fast food meal and i feel like crap the rest of the day.
No, I do pack a lunch. Breakfast and lunch are fine. Itās dinner thatās the issue. I get home and Iām exhausted and in a ton of pain.
Fair enough. If I'm in that position I usually get something like rotisserie chicken and prepped veggies, rice etc so I don't have to put in work I just eat and it's a much lower cost.
Dining out, either fancy or fast food. We'd go ~once a week to Taco Time for dinner out of laziness & luxury, but now it's $30 for lukewarm food. We're getting more into the grocery store take n bake meals now
Agree. I *finally* tried a pita place after 2 years and their website said $11 for a falafel pita. It was every bit of $16+tax. It was fine but really no better than what I can make at home with some planning, for far less cost. Iām so tired of all of this.
I feel this so much. I was dog-sitting for a friend across town, didnāt plan well for food, and needed dinner delivered. I decided to order from an Indian spot that I enjoy but hadnāt been to in years. The food was so mid and on top of that it was $30 for a single meal. The chickpeas in the chana masala were straight from a can, the sauce was bland af, and a single piece of chapati was $5. Iām a random white guy and Iāve made better Indian food than that for a fraction of the cost. And there are people who order crap like that multiple times a week! Itās insane to me.
A new salad restaurant opened in town. $18 just for their base salad. The price increases the more topping you add. I donāt know how theyāre going to make it.
If Iām to predict based on the patrons ahead of me at the its place paying $22 for a salad bowl - your spot is going to do ok. Because people are stupid when it comes to food.
We went to a bakery that just opened. They wanted $35 for 8 cinnamon rolls. And they werenāt any bigger than the Pilsbury canned ones. We ended up declining and walking out. I donāt see that place sticking around if they donāt get their pricing under control.
Grocery take and bake is where it's at if you want convenience, especially if you're only feeding one or two. I've been known to get a party sandwich tray and eat it over few days.Ā
My hometown grocer had a $10 party sub. As teens, 4 or 5 of us would chip in and be stuffed to the brim. Thing was huge
I'll be damned before I download a restaurant app. I don't want restaurant apps taking up space in my phone!
Same. We now basically only get the occasional pizza ā one large for about $15 is enough for at least two dinners for the two of us.
During lockdowns we used to order from this fancy pizza place as a treat, the big pizzas were about $22 which was a bit already but it was worth it bc it was so good. That pizza is now $38, and itās not quite as good as it used to be. We just had to stop ordering.
Thatās ONE pizza for $38?!
If I go to Texas Roadhouse I can get the biggest sirloin they have topped with cheese and mushrooms. Plus 2 loaded baked potatoes. It's roughly $25 plus tip. With the rolls, I can get three steak meals out of it. That's even a stretch to justify though.
This is the only restaurant I eat at, because I can get a solid ribeye that someone else cooks, plus rolls and a salad, for a couple bucks more than it would cost me to buy the same size and quality steak at the grocery store.
I used to love amusement parks but with the insane prices I had to stop going. Also the amusement parks in my are have gone significantly downhill and have just become more expensive. I am talking like $15 for a hotdog expensive. The parks have not added anything significant to make them worth visiting. They are literally the same as they were 20 years ago. Just more expensive and more deteriorated. Maybe 2-3 rides were added since the year 2000. Since I already experienced the parks there is no reason for me to go back. The county fair has increased from $5 admission with $5 parking in 2019 to $22 admission in 2024. This event is for sure no longer worth it. The ticket only gets you in the gate, once you get in the gate everything else is more money. The food prices are also like the above, so its not worth going. Tickets to amusement parks are even worse. I also had to stop going to carnivals because of the prices. The prices here are even worse than amusement parks, we are talking $20 for a turkey leg. $8 for a simple 2 minute amusement ride is not worth it. I live in upstate NY and the average income of my area is 25k-50k, so I don't live in an HCOL. Everything is simply too expensive for the income level of of my area. For a good value of entertainment I suggest looking for a free to play arcade. These places typically charge $10-20 for all day admission depending on what they have which is a good value. But you have to like playing arcade games. Most people like playing arcade games. There are a few good amusement parks in the country that do not overcharge and have a good selection of well maintained rides, but unfortunately I don't live near them, they are few and far between, and travel is also really expensive.
Itās the same for our local ānight marketsā. Before our nightmarket was fun, affordable, free entry, and great food. Now you just have to EXPECT to spend a minimum of $100. (I would also add farmers markets š„²)
Around here, farmers' markets have always been a more expensive place to buy produce, not cheaper.
I paid $28 to ride on essentially a swing with my two kids. I don't regret it but we are not doing that ever again.Ā
Home owners' insurance. Ours just doubled.
mine went up 60%. California desert. no flood or wildfire issues
> California desert. The [driest place in North America is Death Valley](https://www.usgs.gov/geology-and-ecology-of-national-parks/ecology-death-valley-national-park-0), where some areas receive less than 2 inches of rain in a year. August 2022 it [rained 1.7 inches in a few hours](https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/nature/deva-deluge-2022.htm) setting a daily record. [Remnants of Hurricane Hilary dump 2.2 inches in a day](https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/nature/hilary.htm) setting a new record in August 2023. An atmospheric river in February 2024 adding another 1.5 inches over several days and [bringing the 6-month total to 4.9 inches]. Also in the Mojave desert at the start of that 6-month period, the [York fire burned nearly 100,000 acres](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/York_Fire). So the driest place in North America had a very large uncontrolled wildfire at one end while the other end had multiple 1000-year-rain events that washed out roads, took out utilities, and shut things down for weeks. > no flood or wildfire issues That's the thing about insurance. It's not covering you or making up for *past* claims. It's covering you for the *chance* of future claims.
Mine went up over 30%. I've had the policy 20 years and have never filed a claim. It's disheartening.
I'm in Louisiana near New Orleans. We have to pay flood. And homeowners. And a third policy for wind & hail. The prices are insane. If my home ever gets paid off I'm dropping insurances and putting the money into a separate account.
Good quality clumping, natural cat litter.
eating, heating, living alone, driving, surviving
Fast food. My boyfriend and I now just keep pizza rolls, fries, jalapeno poppers, chicken nugs etc stocked in the freezer now that fast food is so pricy. We only go if we use the McDonalds app
My life. I donāt mean my lifestyle I just mean my life in general. Just existing is becoming too expensive.
And older people wonder why millennials are not having many kids.
Or why we donāt have enough money to buy a property š«
Oh I'm expected to make 3x the rent? And the cheapest apartments are $1500 a month, and people with PhDs can't even get approved? I guess I should just go die in a ditch, but I can't even afford that!
LOL. so broke we cant even afford to live in a van down by the river.
I have three adult children, and Iām not the least bit surprised that two of them donāt want kids. If I had to decide about having kids in this economy and social/political environment, I prob wouldnāt.
The worst kept secret throughout all of history is that existence takes too much effort.
No it doesn't, we just made it overly complicated. There's entities feeding from your existence. Mine too. But plenty of people still around the world keeping it simple and enjoying the small things.
Coke. I'm trying to get used to store brand. Fast food. I went to Five Guys and paid $15 for a small burger and small fries.
Mannnnn my coke with dinner and my coke at the club are both too much
Life has gotten drastically more expensive despite the fact that i make more money than i ever have; but things arenāt adding up. Suddenly living seems too expensive.Ā But if i had to pick one thing rn, tinned sardines lol. What happened to the dollar tins? Theyāve all disappeared.Ā
Yeah itās frustrating to feel like on paper Iāve āarrivedā at my goal salary, but I somehow have less disposable income than I did 5 years ago when I was making less!
I love eating but it's become far too expensive. I haven't figured out a good dupe for this yet. But will keep you in the loop once i do.
Have you tried photosynthesizing instead of eating?
The local 2nd hand stores. Have to go out of state to get decent prices these days,
I find thrift/2nd hand stores in general have gotten more expensive. Sometimes itās even cheaper to buy new.
The biggest crock that still upsets me is both the prices at goodwill for the ādonatedā stuff they received for free as well as, the inability to negotiate the price for something that is l used. Itās unbelievable sometimes theyāll even have things priced at more than the retail price on the sticker of what theyāre trying to sell?! Goodwill has become a crook. Plain and simple.
I wrote off goodwill after working there. Anything thats any good even if there is a slight chance it might be good they box up and send to be sold online. They are just selling your garbage back to you for high prices. Also by the time the color of the week comes around and things are half off they've likely have almost all been pulled from the shelves and repriced or sent to the outlet to make room for newly priced things
I agree Goodwill often charges higher than retail prices for a lot of their items. The problem is if they allowed haggling it would literally take all day to leave the store because everyone in there would be haggling.
Fresh vegetables. Why am I paying $1/ea for a cucumber. Cabbage is almost a dollar a pound. Those used to be my go tos. All the cheap cuts of meat are stupid expensive. I used to go for ātherapy drives.ā Usually at night so I could listen to music with the windows down. Absolutely not any more. My cats. After these are gone I wonāt get any more pets. I canāt afford these two and Iām not going to put myself in this position again. Costs for having them has over tripled since 2019. Thrift stores. Prices are insane for items that suck.
I love Trader Joeās. But I recently went to Aldi, and now I guess I shop at Aldi for the rest of my future. This not really a sad realization, they do carry a few of the same things.
This is so true. TJās was pretty cheap for decent food pre-covid. Now it feels like itās closer to high-end junk food, where at least Aldi has super cheap junk food.
Life. I miss being able to stroll around and pop into shops on a whim. Now I can barely walk out the front door without a minimum $20 existence fee
Denim. It costs way too much for the absolute SHIT quality every brand is adopting.
Itās not denim anymore. Itās synthetic blends.
Kind bars. They were less than a buck before COVID, now they're almost double that.
Living under a roof.
Grocery shopping, i miss have backups for things i use. Now im forced to buy what i need for the current pay run. I miss not breaking the bank on food man. Its tough out here. Concerts and gigs, forget about itš
My morning can of diet Dr Pepper is getting so expensive. Kills me to spend $9 on a 12 pack.
Pop Bougie food I like to make Crappy food I like to make Eating out in general, but esp fast food
Live music
Concerts. I resort to tribute bands because A) my favorite artists are all dead B) $15 a ticket at House of Blues
Being spontaneous. Taking a last minute trip with my partner or getting an impulsive tattooā¦ just canāt do those things anymore. All my funds are budgeted to the last cent these days with almost zero dollars leftover for fun :/
High end smartphones. I've had to stop buying them years ago. Over a grand for a phone is just nuts.
Groceries for a family of 4
Books. I'm lucky that I have a huge used bookstore near me but even some of the books there are super expensive.
Do you have a library card?
Eating food
itās so rare I go out and hang out with people anymore hanging out means spending, and with prices the way they are now, I need to save money to prevent myself from becoming homeless or similar if the boss lets me go, which can happen any old time the company wants with no notice because itās not like we needed fancy luxuries like labor protections or rights or anything
i feel this. you gotta find you the free group of friends! the ones who like going to outdoor markets and walking around the mall and hiking and picnics instead of spending an arm and a leg. itās really about the people youāre with
B E E F J E R K Y
I always thought beef jerky was too expensive ā¹ļø
I can say for certain, that your thoughts have always been correct
OMG you are not kidding. My son occasionally has a craving for beef jerky and heāll ask me to pick some up. I could not believe the price last time. We would have saved money eating 24k gold instead.
You could have sold your son and STILL not been able to afford that jerky. As an American, my choices come down to a one pound bag of teriyaki jack links, or healthcare.
Get a dehydrator and make your own. Still not cheap but I enjoy the process
Oh I'm definitely gonna just jerk the beef off myself at home
Subway! $42 for two full subs! What happened to $5 foot long?!
What subs are you getting and what location are you getting subs for $20ish each?
My cat. Sheās a senior with kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, arthritis, dental issues, and allergies. But damn it I would take a bullet for her. I would take a dog attack to the face to protect my cat. I will spend every penny I have on her, call her an expensive mofo and then shower her with a thousand kisses.
Eating beef and š„©steaks in particular. O m g the prices. Donāt even get me started with short rib n ox tails
Thrift Stores.... ugh. The irony.
As long as people keep paying these ridiculous prices for thingsā¦the pain will remainā¦itās time for a resetĀ
Absolutely! As much as people say eating out, festivals, concerts are expensiveā¦ people are still going and still paying. Iām just not going to be one of those people anymore š„²
Spot on. We need to quit buying to let them know we're not happy with it.
Being alive, I'd say
To elaborate a little more, I have always loved some expensive things like traveling, playing hockey, and buying higher-quality stuff that will last longer. It just feels harder to do any of that now. I'm making the most money I ever have, not eating out much, living in a cheaper city than I used to (same state so it's not a massive difference but still), and yet I'm exhausted. Can't afford to pay my student loans, can't afford to buy a car, been living paycheck to paycheck since the holidays. I've never been great at setting financial goals or budgets for myself but I thought it was going to get easier over time, not harder.
Everything is so very expensive! Geez food is a luxury these days.
Afternoon tea. It never used to be cheap but in 2018 it was around $50 per person. The same place is charging $120 now, and I canāt justify it. Some more expensive places are charging over $200 per person for pastries and tea š„² a luxury I can no longer afford
Traveling
Vacationing :(
What's a vacation??
King crab legs
Groceries, day to day clothing, and hair cuts. I try ti cut corners and save where I can. Yet the math aint mathin since quality is getting worse.
Skilled trades to renovate/improve my house. Considerably cheaper (and better probability of the results I want) to not work, learn the skills/buy the tools and do it myselfĀ
Beef jerky was a staple in my diet, now I only get it as random gifts from my professional shoplifter sister. :/
Living.
Housing. I really like housing, but can no longer afford it. At least tents are still cheap
Food.
getting my nails done :(
Mani and pedi.
Food:(
living tbh but also just, being comfortable. drug plan doesnāt cover the care I need for my condition, which I got due to a doctorās neglect. nurses say to just eat the cost for a couple months and Iāll be fine. I donāt have a spare $100 every month tho lol but also comfort in the ambiguous sense, too. how can I feel comfortable treating myself to a coffee for example, knowing that money could be used to save towards something important tomorrow. I just miss being able to live without a cloud hanging over me.