Videotapes- go to Blockbuster, you can get pre-owned titles sometimes for less than $5.00, and if you get there at the right time, sometimes they have $2 off sales! That’s cheaper than renting a movie there.
Glasses/contacts- I might be a little biased, since I’m forced to wear torique contact lenses, that go for $95 each. Add on the $45 appointments these places always tack on, and as you can see I have to do a lot of shopping around. A decent, high quality pair of glasses frames goes for $150+, and when you consider how cheap it is to make them, it really is a ripoff.
Tires- tires can be cheap . . as long as you have one of the more popular sizes!
Computers- I agree with the computers should be cheaper comment. Whatever happened to the “free computers” in a few years predictions?
Weddings- don’t get me started. I could post a new thread on wedding ripoffs.
Concert tickets- In 1988 I saw Metallica, Kingdom Come, Dokken, Scorpions and Van Halen for $28- all in one show. Your lucky if you can see an act today for that number.
Bottled water- I go to Wegmans, and get 24 packs for $7.00, which worked out to be pretty cheap,. The convenience of having it prebottled to me is worth it. $2.00 for a bottled water? Yeah, that’s a rip!
That bottled water was 70 cents a bottle by the way.
As for Payless shoes, I gotta tell you, I have five pairs of shoes from there, they have all held up, and are even more comfortable than mall built shoes. Maybe its my pods, but I think Payless kicks ass!
Amen! The prices are ridiculous. I went through a health-foodie revolt and made my own granola for a while. Now I just chug a diet Pepsi. Breakfast of Champions.
Other insanely overpriced convenience foods:
Bisquick: you can whip up your own for pennies.
quickie noodle/rice bowls: handy but a pure ripoff in cost.
And cars—they’re lousy investments. (I’m shopping for a new one and am suffering sticker shock.)I refuse to carry a car payment that rivals my monthly mortgage bill, especially since a car depreciates by the hour.
Damn! I agree about books! I alway wait until they hit the used store here in town… get them at half priced or less. Less sometimes since I know the guys that run the store.
I live in New York, and I may be about to take a 2/3 pay cut. Y’all are wimps.
My Chelsea apartment (which I own, thank god) - all 425 square feet of it - would now rent for about $1900-2100/mo. Electricity will run you about $40 out of summer at $100-150 in. Gas (for the stove), that’s cheap at $14.00. Phone is pretty cheap, too - $45.00 including call waiting, caller ID, etc.
Movies - mission control, we have broken the $10.00 barrier. I rarely go anymore.
Books. I’ve rediscovered the public library.
Drinks in bars - mwahahah, you’re pissing and moaning about $5.00? Try $6 for well, $7-8 for branded. Pints usually run $5, not including tip.
My beloved Economist, a year of which runs about $125.
What must be understood is that the cost of living where I am is considerably lower than the U.S. average. But the cost of actually paying people is also considerably lower, too.
Maybe fractions are a better indicator here, since CoL varies so much. My rent has gone from a quarter of my income to a third of my income in the space of 15 months. That’s kinda hard to adjust to. Granted, it was my decision to go from a lease to month-to-month. But it was either that or sign a 9-month lease when I’m trying to find a job in another state. Not a good plan. This place takes your soul if you break your lease.
Why don’t I move? I would – if I could afford to. Keeping me too poor to move is part of their evil plan. And if it’s not that, my car dies. Or Toby Dog needs vet treatment. Or that last school payment not covered by my student loan catches up with me. Or something. It’s a conspiracy, I tell ya.
I hear ya. I saw on one of those shows like Dateline that this was done in response to “consumer demand.” My sister was outraged by such a claim–she said, “Yeah, right. As if we were going around saying, ‘Eight ounces is too much product–make it six. And don’t bother putting it in a smaller package and don’t worry about lowering the price, either.’” I just about died laughing!
Diapers ARE ourageously priced. I spend $10.00 per week on them (that’s for a pack of 32 size six). My son is 19 months old and if I don’t get him potty-trained before March rolls around, I’ll be spending $20.00 per week. I hope that I’ll be able to use the newborn size this time (you get more per pkg for the same price) but I couldn’t with my other two kids. My daughter started out in size ones and I had to put my son in size TWOS because he was so big (over 12 lbs. at birth) so I had to buy them more often. And my daughter’s rear broke out in a rash if I ever used the less expensive varieties–unfortunately that’s NOT a joke!
As for saline–I buy the store brand and they usually have it priced at about $1.00-$1.30. It’s the disinfecting solution that injures my pocketbook!
A tiny bottle of tonic water (for a gin & tonic, say) is usually > £1 in a UK pub. Absolutely scandalous.
In spite of the ridiculous charge, the tiny bottle contains about the right amount for a single drink. In recent months the drinks manufacturers have increased the bottle size (and the price of it, of course) for no reason at all, save profiteering. So you always end up paying top dollar for more tonic than you actually need.
Housing in London. It’s at least on a par with NYC. My single-bedroom shoebox costs £900 (c. $1500) pcm. Plus tax, plus insurance, etc.
Actually, everything in London is far too damned expensive unless you’re something really useful to society, eg a banker or a stockbroker. :rolleyes:
I’m a little miffed about the price of pizza. Two larges from Pizza Hut delivered w/ tip AND a coupon sets us back $24.00, a little more if you want the stereo turned down in your neighborhood.
