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People Are Revealing Everyday Things They Had To Cut Back On Due To Rising Inflation, Here Are 30 Of The Saddest And Most Honest Answers
While the Euro zone inflation hits a record 8.6% as the European Central Bank prepares for its first rate hike in 11 years, the rest of the world is also experiencing rising costs of virtually everything.
In the US, costs of necessities yet again skyrocketed in May, leaving the US with a new 40-year high in inflation. Think of gas, food, energy, rent, flight prices, and all other basic necessities. Households across the country are experiencing unprecedented pressures, making them less able to afford discretionary items like electronics or haircuts.
So it’s not simply you who can no longer feast on Starbucks lattes. We’re talking about lower-income and Black and Hispanic Americans, in particular, who are struggling beyond the point that should be humanly acceptable.
This thread also sheds light on how inflation is not only changing people’s habits, lifestyles, and daily choices, but altering their livelihoods. “What have you given up recently due to rising costs?” someone asked recently on Reddit, hitting very close to home for too many people who shared their very honest responses.
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#1
Red meat, tomatoes, a lot of fruits and veggies, heating in a wooden house that gets to minus 4, I'm living off a lot of rice, beans, pasta, no treats like yoghurt anymore, turning off every single power point except for the room I'm in. I get sort of warm with a hot water bottle and blankets. I'm making my own dog and cat food. Times are tough and they're only going to keep getting tougher. I don't have anything left to give up except for my medications that are keeping my alive. I'm terminally ill and only have a year or eighteen months left but this isn't living its honestly just existing. If I give up the meds it'll all go away but my animals keep me hanging on.
ben woskje 2 years ago
holy f**k that is horrifying. Big support for taking care of your animals.
RELATED:
#2
Living in the U.S.
I've been doing a lot of traveling recently and literally everywhere I've been from Latin America to Europe, the Caribbean to the Mediterranean, has been cheaper to live. Not only that but their social laws are better, and there's an understanding that health care and access to affordable housing with amenities is a basic human right.
I'm currently in the process of acquiring my EU passport so I can have other options.
#3
Going to the doctor. If I die I die
Roxy Eastland 2 years ago
It's heart breaking that this is the situation in a supposedly first world country
Bored Panda reached out to a single mother of two boys, who has been particularly struggling in this time of inflation. The woman who goes by the handle Particular_Special70 on Reddit said that she is no longer able to take her kids on any vacation or trips this year and it makes her very sad. She also shared her difficult situation in a response to this thread.
“I try to take them on some kind of trip or vacation each year and it's just not happening this year with high gas costs and high everything costs,” she told us. In a post shared on the thread, the woman wrote that it’s her “favorite thing to do with/for them once a year.”
According to the mom of two, the fact that the family can no longer afford a vacation has to do with the fact that groceries cost almost double what they did just a year ago. “My electric and gas bills have been more than double, so the money I have to save for a vacation is non-existent,” Particular_Special70 explained.
#4
Driving. Covid started it, gas prices finished it. I’m a hermit.
Plenty Pineapples 2 years ago
$70-$80 per week to fill up my car. And I work from home, this is just to drop the kids off at school and get groceries 😫
#6
Dreams of owning a home this year lol
#7
Ciggies.
I wanted to for a long time but the rising costs ($60 +/-$10aud for a 25g pouch) became almost insulting and I just felt stupid paying to slowly kill myself. Ridiculous.
Gl to anyone trying to quit, it's really hard
#8
I'm not taking my kids on any vacation or trips this year and it makes me so sad. As a single mom I just can't make it happen and that's my favorite thing to do with/for them once a year.
#9
My privacy. All three of my children, plus my granddaughter have moved back in with me since Feb. All of them have good jobs, my two boys are Military, but rent prices are so high. They all help with the bills, because I can’t afford to cover the increase in food and utilities but it’s crowded.
#10
I’m currently living alone for the first time and loving my peace and solitude. But everything is getting so expensive that I’m considering going back to living with a roommate. It’s heartbreaking but I’m trying to come to terms with it.
Dutchman Callypso 2 years ago (edited)
To live alone in my city, in a decent apartment in a normal location, it would cost 50 to 70% of my salary (and that's just the rent). I'm lucky to have an amazing roommate, I hope she doesn't move out soon.
#11
Junk food and desserts. If it can't be made into a meal with nutrients then I'm not getting it. I almost stopped buying meat altogether, veggies are way cheaper, and frozen veggies/fruit never go bad. If it's not bills or essential then I'm not getting it. I've lost a lot of weight because of my sudden diet changes so thats cool I guess.
Susie Elle 2 years ago
The positive thing is that you can do quite well without meat for some time. On the other hand, it's perfectly valid to want to treat yourself sometimes and not being able to because of money is not fun.
#12
I'm getting extremely frustrated trying to have a savings account
#13
Having kids…sorry but a horrible decision from a financial stand point. One parent at home used to be possible now both parents have to work leaving strangers to take care of and raise your children
Betsy Zbiegiel 2 years ago
Going to work and having your child go to daycare and then school is not "leaving strangers to raise your children" though
#14
Being a stay-at-home mom. We originally did it because we couldn't afford daycare, but now he's starting kindergarten this year and I've already started looking for jobs because we can no longer afford for me to stay home.
Rosemary Moreland 2 years ago
How lucky that you have been able to afford to stay home with your little one until school age! I have only ever had 5 months off for both my babies. You hopefully will be able to pick up a casual job. They are crying out for restaurant workers I hear and carers in Aged care. Good luck.
#15
Subscriptions like Netflix and streaming services, Amazon prime, and Patreon. Coffees from the cafe, most fruit (unless frozen) and pretty much all veg (there’s a massive shortage in Australia and it’s so expensive if available at all). Given up driving due to cost of petrol too
BadCat 2 years ago
I miss Disney+ and Discovery+, but the good thing is they're easy subscriptions to cancel and start up again. At this time, youtubers who ask for "donations" and beg people to join their patreon are special type of cringe. Especially the ones that don't really do much of anything of real value on their youtube and their patreon. (Why should people have to pay just to watch an upload a day earlier with some not so funny outtakes, and "shout outs" we all know are attempts for upstart youtubers to get their channel noticed.) *end rant* Sorry, but it had to be said.
#16
Impromptu road trips
Rhyme Like A Lime 2 years ago
Road trips are always enjoyable! I hope it gets easier to take them again soon
#17
After three years of trying for a baby, with one ectopic, one chemical pregnancy, and two failed IUIs, it seems like I need to start coming to terms with the fact that we just cannot afford more fertility treatments. Insurance doesn't cover a penny. With the prices of everything going up, how can I afford to spend $1k in medications alone (for one cycle supply) for another IUI? If we decided to do IVF, it would cost us around $12k. It would be worth it if we knew either treatment would work, but there's no way to know that. It's heartbreaking. I had to call up the clinic to tell them we are sitting it out for now.
Random Panda 2 years ago (edited)
This is so heartbreaking, I'm so sorry OP is going though this. Also, anyone commenting about adoption should stop and realise that every couple with fertility problems has already thought of that option. They don't need to hear it from you, it's not really addressing their struggle and you are not being supportive. It costs you nothing to show some compassion and understanding to those less fortunate than you.
#18
Doing things spontaneously. Now, I need to sit down and look at my budget before getting in the car and driving to the beach or going out for a meal.
CrazyDogLady 2 years ago
This is something my single childfree friends do not seem to understand. Since I have kids, I cannot just jump in the car and join them on a trip. They understand I have to get someone to babysit but cannot wrap their heada around the fact it is also a lot about money now...
#19
Concerts are a thing of the past
Rhyme Like A Lime 2 years ago
Gen Z and Younger Millennials just lack the funds to spend on things like concerts and other past events
#20
Makeup. I used to be the person that wore it every day and enjoyed application, and practicing techniques/experimenting with colours. I can’t afford to paint my face for fun when cauliflower is $8 a head (not that I can afford fresh produce now either, but you catch my drift).
#21
I've found that freezing and meal-prepping as much food as possible saves money. If you can dilute what you cook with water or a cheap ingredient, you can add more seasonings to help with the lack of flavor. Half of my meals are now either rice, beans, chopped salads, and soups. If you also cook with more seasoning and spices, it keeps leftovers from spoiling as quickly.
BadCat 2 years ago
I've learned to dilute frozen fruit juice. Now that we've not been buying as much cola and ice tea, and all that really concentrated stuff I've realized how much sugar we desensitized ourselves to. Getting over that sugar craving hump I can barely stomach the thought of drinking super sugary drinks anymore. Been losing a lot of weight too, I think.
#22
My grocery list has shorten.
#23
No more lash extensions. Also not going out to eat as often, stopped getting drinks at coffee shops unless I don’t have time to make my own and cut out a lot of online shopping.
#24
Sex has an astronomical price tag. I can’t afford the stress and financial strain of a UTI and the government thinks I'm going to have a human?
Brian bell 2 years ago
Imagine if ALL women in states with backwards abortion laws said no to sex collectively, even those that are well past child bearing years....
#25
Fresh food. Even though it's not the best for my body, frozen foods are a good investment for preserving most fruits and vegetables these days.
#26
Doggy daycare. I know it’s a luxury & we’ll be fine but not being able to do that for my pups has been a downer.
#27
I've cut down on how much coffee I drink. I don't buy expensive coffee but the coffee I like has doubled in price in the last couple months. Instead of having 3ish cups a day, I have maybe one. Maybe. Some days I don't have any.
#28
Vaping. For my health mostly but I don’t wanna pay for it anymore either
#29
My roommate is terrible, but every time I look at rent prices for a one-bedroom, I start to think that maybe my situation is not so bad
#30
I've kind of given up on being proposed to right now. We have more important things like gas, bills, and food.
What do you think ?
Sedona 2 years ago
Its absolutely not a luxury to do something that makes you happy, once in a while - like hair color or lashes. That's the whole point, you are not supposed to just survive on your salary. You're not supposed to work yourself to the bone and only pay bills and eat lentils all month.
JinjoBread 2 years ago
This. These comments are apparently full of joyless sociopaths that can't understand why people might be upset about having to give up things they enjoy.
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Sedona 2 years ago
Its absolutely not a luxury to do something that makes you happy, once in a while - like hair color or lashes. That's the whole point, you are not supposed to just survive on your salary. You're not supposed to work yourself to the bone and only pay bills and eat lentils all month.
JinjoBread 2 years ago
This. These comments are apparently full of joyless sociopaths that can't understand why people might be upset about having to give up things they enjoy.
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