People Are Sharing Things That Were Once Affordable That Now Feel Like A Luxury, And Wow
We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us once-affordable things that now feel like a luxury — and it shows just how much the high cost of living has been affecting people all over the world. Here are the eye-opening results:
1."Camping. It used to be a super affordable holiday for families, even my low-income family of six could manage to take two weeks a year on a camping holiday. Now, it starts at at least $50 a night for a tiny patch of dirt, plus the cost of the gear keeps going up and up."
2."Pedicures! I used to get one every few weeks for $24 + tip at a local place that is NOT fancy! Now it's $50 a pop, so I stretch out visits as far as I can."
3."Eating out. Used to do it about once a week — not anymore. It’s one of those things that even when I can afford to drop $50 on a decent dinner (which isn’t often), I really can’t justify the cost. I keep thinking of all the more 'practical' things I can do with that money."
"Went to the Outback with my mother-in-law and daughter and spent $100. Even fast food is getting outrageous! It used to be a challenge to spend $20 at McDonald's. Not anymore! I love to cook, so eating out doesn't happen very often, but when it does, I keep thanking the Lord we don't live closer to town so it's not as tempting to eat out."
—26, Iowa
4."Impulse buys. I love going in a random shop — antiques, crafts, art, or the like — in person or online for a browse and leave with something I didn't expect to buy. Such a fun thing to do. I haven't made an impulse buy for months now."
5."Buying a house! I'm in my 60s, and my husband and I bought our house in this wonderful neighborhood in 1995 for $147K. Four years later, we added a major addition for $114,000. Our house is now valued at over $800K, as are many of the houses here — most of which have recently sold at for close to or over $1 million! I don't know how young families can afford living in areas where they want to settle in and raise their children. I feel so fortunate that we were able to do so. And no, I do not plan on moving. I can't afford to!"
—60s, Maryland
"The usual 'starter houses' that were promised to young people are now unattainable for most people — even in their early 30s or beyond."
6."Coffee. It’s over £4 for a regular Starbucks latte now. Wild."
7."Buying a hardcover book, especially after Book Depository shut down and Barnes & Noble gutted their members program."
8."Steak. My husband is a hardcore meat eater and used to eat steak one to three times a week. I could usually find a deal for New York strip $6.99–$7.99/lb at Safeway and would stockpile them. In the last year, I’ve stopped buying them altogether because even Costco only has them for $11.99/lb or more. Fine with me since I don’t like steak, but boo for him!"
9."Weddings! When I was young, getting married and having a nice wedding was something that was pricey but affordable. Nowadays, having an average-length, decent wedding at a nice venue, then having a party after can cost an absolutely obscene amount of money, and that’s not even getting into the costs of rings, honeymoons, bachelor/bachelorette parties, or catering. When I was a young woman, I left my fiancé at the altar, and this was considered scandalous only for social reasons. I recently saw a young woman on Twitter who did the same thing, and her fiancé’s family was angry mainly because of how much money had been wasted on the wedding."
"She said they were even planning on suing her! And this has impacted me personally as well. I'm engaged, but the official wedding hasn’t happened yet. That’s only because of the costs. My fiancé proposed with a nice $35 ring he found on Etsy; that would be considered disrespectful back in my day, but now that the cost of living is so outrageous, everyone sees it for what it is — a bargain. We’re having a small party at our apartment afterwards, not a big, fancy celebration at a club or something like that. After trying to cram it into our budgets, we’ve given up on the idea of a honeymoon. We’re not doing bachelor/ette parties. The main thing delaying us is trying to find a nice, affordable venue. I know, I know, champagne problems, but the first time I got married, my (now ex) husband and I were lower-middle class, but we got to have rings and honeymoons and parties. And now, I don’t know, it’s just kind of disappointing."
—72, New York
10."Exercise classes. I used to love going to yoga class, and it was never cheap, but it was doable if you bought multi-class packs. Now, it's over $30/class, even if you buy 10 at a time. I do videos in my living room instead, but I really miss the in-class atmosphere."
—30, New York
11."I'm on a disability pension. I used to go out to see a movie at the local cinema once or twice a fortnight, unless there was nothing worth seeing. Even before COVID hit cinemas hard, I was already down to just one or two visits to the cinema in three to four months due to rising travel costs, increased ticket prices, and increased costs on all drinks and snacks. Now, a trip to the cinema needs to be planned in the budget a month or two in advance to make sure I can afford it with rent, power, food, and other costs having all gone up."
"I miss the days when I could just go to see a movie on the spur of the moment without having to worry if I can feed myself for the rest of the fortnight 'til I get paid."
—49, Australia
12."Gas. I track my fuel expenses and mileage for work reasons. It used to cost $25 to fill up my car. Now, it’s pushing over $35 even with fuel points and discounts. Since my job involves driving to client sites, I’m struggling to pay for other things just to keep gas in the car to work!"
—53, Florida
13."Going to the dentist! My parents had dental insurance that didn't require paying an additional sum for dental services. They paid the premium, and that was that. Now, nothing is covered 100%! Everything requires bringing a credit card to pay the difference, and you never know what the payment required is going to be."
"You commit to receiving a service while you're in pain, pay the bill while still under the effects of novocaine, gas, sedation, etc., and you spend the next month trying to figure out what happened and why it cost so much!"
—41, Michigan
14."Sneakers. I used to buy myself new shoes all the time, but now they are over £100 for any new released styles, and the quality is poor."
15."Meat and vegetables. Due to allergies and health-related dietary restrictions, meat and vegetables are just about all I can eat. I don't have a choice. I can't afford rent and my grocery bill, so for the past three years, I've been living in an RV on family land."
—45, Nevada
16."Roadtrips. Filling up the tank and going on a roadtrip has become so expensive that few can afford it — even short trips are too much. Gas is too high, food is too expensive, and hotels are outrageous (not to mention it is nearly impossible to find campsites anymore...and even they are too much)!"
—48, Washington
17."Concerts. Tickets are too much, parking is expensive, food is outrageous, crowds are obnoxious, and everyone is on their phone anyway."
—48, Washington
18."Haircuts. The cost has more than doubled in the last couple of years, so I've given up on having it styled. Glad that I have someone with a sharp pair of scissors to just snip the bottom off every few months!"
—57, Canada
19."A college education. Anytime I hear a member of the older generation talk about 'working a summer job to pay a year of college,' I exhale a frustrated sigh because that is nigh impossible now due to the price of school. My mother went to medical school on a full-ride scholarship. Now, given the cost increases, that's definitely impossible because no school could afford to."
"In fact, the tuition at my alma mater increased by 33% in only two years — to the point that the in-state tuition of my last year there was as much as the out-of-state tuition during my first year. It's ridiculous."
—42, Tennessee
20."A new car. There are no cheap new cars anymore because cars have become overrun with technology to the point of pushing the price out of range for most of us. As if the people buying these cars and the manufacturers have forgotten the primary purpose of a car — to get from point A to point B — not to be a tablet."
—45, Georgia
And finally...
21."A new cellphone. In the beginning, you had contracts with cellphone companies that guaranteed you a new phone every two years. So, you always had fairly new technology. Now, you are offered a 'discount' on a new phone if you sign up with a company, and the phones are outrageously expensive. No, thanks. I'll keep using my iPhone 8+ until they make it impossible, then I'll buy a used upgrade."
—56, USA
What would you add to this list? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
