"It Used To Be 'Poor People Food'": 17 Foods And Drinks That Have Gotten Wayyyy Too Expensive
It's no secret that groceries are still more expensive than ever, so I'm always looking for places to cut in my grocery budget. Recently, u/randomlancing asked people on Reddit to share the foods they've stopped eating due to price, and it was so relatable. Here's what people had to say:
1."Anything delivery. Prices per item are hiked, and then there's the driving fee and the delivery fee plus the tax and the expected tip."
"Every time I use DoorDash, I put a $15 meal in my cart and somehow the total is $40. I haven’t ordered delivery in about a year because it’s so outrageous."
2."Doritos. The price hike plus the shrinkflation was repulsively drastic."
"Ruffles 'Party Size' chips are over $7, and of course they're now barely larger than the old regular bags."
3."Name brand cereal. It's scandalous."
"I laugh every time I walk by a box of Magic Spoon. $9.99 for a box of fucking cereal? Be fucking for real right now."
4."Fast food."
"When I was a kid in the 2000s, my mom could get all of us McDonald's meals at the price of a meal for one nowadays."
"Remember $5 foot longs at Subway? They’re almost $20 now."
5."Eating out in general has become too expensive. Couple that with the decline in quality and service and it’s rapidly becoming a special occasion."
"For us too. We now exclusively eat at the little Mom and Pop places around us. We have a really good authentic Mexican place nearby. As a family of three (one toddler, one baby still on formula), we can eat out, eat well, and spend under $55 with tip.
We haven’t eaten at a chain in over six months, and even then we had a gift certificate."
"I don't understand how anyone affords to eat out on the regular anymore. I make more money than I ever have in my life right now and it is less affordable to me now than it was when I made minimum wage 20 years ago."
6."Movie theater snacks."
"Gotta hit Dollar Tree pre-theater. Will still pay 1.25-$2 per snack but it's better than $8+ for a half a swivel of candy."
7."Wings. Used to be poor people food and many places had specials like $0.50 wings. Now it's like $2.00 per wing with no sides included. Place I work has fantastic wings and I get half off. I still don't think it's worth paying for."
"It's beyond fuckin' offensive when you order wings for like $9.99 for six wings and these people have the AUDACITY to charge you $0.50 per piece of celery or carrot sticks."
"'Can I get some ranch?'
'That will be $3 and your kidney.'"
8."Takeout coffee. It’s one of those things I do if I have a gift card or promo, but otherwise, I make it at home. I’ve become very impressed with my latte-making abilities! (And it honestly tastes the same.)"
"I came here to say this. I miss going to the coffee house or grabbing drinks for my friends. It used to be one of my favorite activities. Luckily, I was a barista for years, and I can make whatever I want from home. I just miss trying new things and grabbing different orders for everyone."
9."Really random and personal, but artichokes, lol. Prepandemic, I don't remember the costs, but I think they were around $1.50; last year, they were $2.50 each, and I was like, eh. This year, they're between $3 and $3.99 each. Can't do that for a single veggie that's not super substantial. My family LOVED them when I was young, and the love started with my grandma, who passed away two months ago. I wanted to get some to think of her but couldn't justify the cost."
"Omg artichokes. I LOVE THEM, but yeah, it's so expensive. It’s definitely a treat for me now. Something I maaaaybe have once a month (usually less)."
10."I bought an orange for $1.25 the other day. One orange."
11."Salads. I used to pick up a salad at my local grocery store on my way home from work or for a quick lunch. It used to be $6.50, but now they are $13 for the exact same salad. Fuck that."
"It’s sad that I feel my favorite salad is now a treat."
12."Amy's frozen meals. Not enough food for my food dollar anymore."
"I used to stock my fridge with Amy’s during college. Now an Amy’s Cheddar Bowl is a 'treat' for when I’m feeling fancy."
13."Steaks and beef jerky."
"My family hasn’t had steaks since the pandemic."
"The beef jerky at a CVS was in plastic anti-theft containers last I looked. Like, WHY, lol."
14."I used to be a religious Diet Coke drinker, could get buy one get one 12-pack for $5.99. Now the sales are buy two get one free, and a single 12-pack is now $10.99 at my grocery store. This rise in price has been over the last three years."
"This. I just switched to store-brand soda because Diet Coke is $16 for a 24-pack. I used to pick it up for $7.99."
15."Ben and Jerry's ice cream. It's about three times the price it used to be. And it's not like it was cheap before ??."
"I used to eat it a lot before. Now I don't even look at it. Even on sale, it's still so expensive."
16."Ox tails. Before Rachel Ray and Oprah Winfrey 'discovered' them, they were $0.50/lb. Afterward, they shot up to $8/lb."
"Growing up, we'd make Korean Ox Tail soup fairly regularly because it was such a cheap cut of meat that tasted amazing (seriously, the BEST bone broth comes from them). Haven't had it in years for this reason."
17.And finally, "I love fresh berries, but they've become too expensive, so I now stick to frozen ones for smoothies."
"Passed on a $6 pint of blackberries this week. It might have even been 10 oz."
Is there a food or drink you used to buy regularly but you just can't stomach its current price? Tell us about it in the comments.
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