Spirit is $71 for one way – https://www.travelocity.com/lp/flights/lax/bos/los-angeles-intl-to-logan-intl .
This type of Internet airline fare comparison that finds both dates and airlines with lowest cost is another big improvement in convenience, as are online purchases with tickets sent to phone. I remember in the past, when people would go through fee-based travel agents to get tickets, and have much more limited comparisons.
We have never done Door Dash or Instacart. H likes grocery shopping, goes to several stores to get the best deals, and he has a good time. Even during Covid, he masked up and went out. He’s picky about foods and brands, so I let him run that show. I don’t dare go lest I buy broccoli from the ‘wrong’ store! We do order a lot from Amazon – I’m finding that more and more often, things I need aren’t in stock in brick and mortar stores, but are available only online. I avoid shipping costs at every opportunity.
If we want restaurant food, we either go or get takeout. Our favorite Chinese restaurant used to deliver for free, but the owners retired just before Covid, so now we pick up.
S1 does a lot of DoorDash. He can afford it. He doesn’t drive, so it is a useful service for him. Takes Lyft and the massively improved mass transit in his area. It’s still cheaper than a car, insurance and gas.
S2 lives in a different universe these days. All this stuff is unavailable. Doesn’t bother him much, as he and DIL like to go out anyway, and they focus on local businesses. Both of them are very tall, and finding clothing and shoes that fit them is challenging. They get a lot of clothing when they come here to visit.
My experience is that airplane fares are not that much different from what we paid in the 80s. $150 fare from ATL to NYC is still do-able. Paid that much to go to a Model UN conference in 1982.
The convenience that strikes me is that it’s now so easy to stay connected to people living on the other side of the world. H and I spent $400/mo in long-distance fees (at 1982-83 nighttime rates) when we were long distance. S2’s in Ukraine now and we chat almost daily. He and I can watch sports events together online. WhatsApp, Signal, and other communications modalities have been game changers.
It’s important to adjust for inflation. $150 in 1980 is equivalent to a cost of $610 today, after adjusting for inflation.
Independent analysis consistently find that airline costs have dropped substantially since 1980s, after adjusting for inflation. An example graph is below.
Whoa! Milk is $2.99/gallon at my neighborhood grocery store. A bit more if you buy brand name milk (which I never would.)
However in my area, the convenience store QuikTrip has great deals on produce. Their price on potatoes, onions, oranges, apples and bananas is lower even than at Aldi, and you can buy as little as you want, you don’t have to buy a whole bag.
$4.59 for a gallon of milk here.
I must have the weirdest children in the world.
They don’t pay for instacart, don’t use door dash. They mow their own yards and clean or not themselves.
They do use grocery pickup, drive to the grocery and have them put it in their car.
One kid is boycotting Amazon. Means they just don’t buy stuff because they don’t go to stores either.
Here in Brooklyn, Costco has the cheapest milk. The most expensive is whole milk with 2%, 1% and skim each cheaper. I believe that 1% is around $2.39 for a gallon, the only size available.
I pay $6.50, but I’ll only buy organic
I don’t think they’re weird. But much depends on the kind of work someone does, where they live, and what other demands there are on their time. My friends D who is in her second year of residency at a big (and somewhat chaotic) urban hospital has far less free time and access to “things” than her sister who teaches 3rd grade language arts, owns a car and has a dedicated parking space at both work and home. The resident buys only what she can carry on public transportation or the occasional Zipcar on a rare day off when she doesn’t need the time to sleep! No judgement- it’s just a different lifestyle. And nobody wants to live solely on hospital food.
Milk price varies based on where you buy, whether you choose the store brand or premium, and what type of milk (lactose free, organic, almond, …); but like other products, convenience stores tend to add a premium over grocery store. I live an area of US where average costs of foods are much higher than national average. In my area, price for a gallon are as follows.
Great Value at Walmart – $3.67
Value Corner with coupon at Vons – $3.69
Value Corner without coupon at Vons – $3.99
Lucerine with digital coupon at Vons – $3.99
Hollandia at Walmart – $4.54
Lucerine without coupon at Vons – $4.99
7-Select at 7-11 – $4.99
Upstate Farms at 7-11: $5.29
Both of my kids are engineers. One is married to an engineer and they have a toddler.
The other works full time, has tons of doctor appointments for their ongoing cancer treatments and is married to an attending. No kids yet. Cooks their own food which they try and follow an anti cancer diet, which I think is just try not to use much processed food and eat lots of fruits and vegetables. They pack their own lunch.
They are both busy, they choose not to use those services.
Like I said, they are weird. And thrifty. Mostly thrifty I think.
I was lucky to have a drugstore nearby when our kids were very young that delivered. I also had a milkman who brought eggs, bread, butter, cheese and a few other items besides milk. We moved when the younger child was two and I then did most of my grocery shopping after 10 or 11 p.m. My D and SiL would now love to have drugstore delivery.
I’m thankful to order groceries to pick up from two different grocers. H usually makes a quick run to Publix for <10 items once every week to 10 days, but the online ordering a curbside pick up takes care of the rest.
It is funny, farmers markets used to mean where farmers went to make what they used to call pin money. In West Paterson, NJ there is a market area that was probably set up in the 1930s. Farmers from South Jersey, Delaware, even from Maryland came there, and you could get really incredible produce at really good prices. The farmers I think enjoyed it, this was what was left after they sold most of their crops to wholesalers, and I remember as a young couple buying a sack of cabbages or incredible watermelons and the farmer telling us the best way to serve them, half the fun was chewing the fat with them (last time I went there, it looked like people who went to a wholesale produce place, and were sellign stuff for the same price as a supermarket).
Around where I live towns have these farmers markets, and honestly they aren’t, not the way I knew it. All this artisan stuff, etc (think of Whole Foods farmers markets, that would be the level). Even the pickles were crazy expensive.
Thank goodness for some conveniences. My friend uses delivery and door dash often. She’s basically stuck at home 24/7 taking care of her sister who would otherwise be in a home. So yes, she is saving money.
And prices have doubled and sometimes more. Hamburger used to be $2/lb–now it’s $5/lb. Milk was 2/gallon–now 3.50. Eggs (one of the cheapest things) was 1.50/dozen–now they range 3-6 bucks/dozen.
Anything plastic has tripled in price.
Some things are have remained the same price. But the quality is drastically reduced.
I found some fabric I’d saved from 10 years prior and the quality is so much higher than anything I can find today that it floors me.
I
I’ve cooked for neighbors and community members who are going through cancer treatments. And I just don’t think it’s possible to eat the right diet if you need to rely on restaurant/delivery or even the prepared food section of the grocery store.
Best of luck and sending thoughts- the treatment should be successful and then a long and productive life!
Yes, my point was that I paid $150 in 1982 and can still find fares in that range now! 
I am happy to bargain hunt, but I will also pay for convenience.When DH and I both had broken bones, Amazon Fresh was a godsend.
70% of college students use DoorDash and similar services 4 times a week. Average cost per month spent on such deliveries for those 18-26? $540.
I remember making rice and mixing it with a can of corn in college 
I remember many a ramen meal during college (and after) of ramen with an egg mixed in during the last minute of the 3 minute cooking time for protein.
When making rice, putting an over easy egg on top with some soy sauce for breakfast. Switching to fried rice after the rice was a couple days old.
I consumed so much salt back then, lol.
My son is definitely in the 30% that do not use them often. Wife and I are frugal and he is as well. DS did some internships and has plenty of money but I really cannot imagine him using it for DoorDash…also he has a meal plan that he likes.
We have never used DoorDash etc as we are retired and have no issues with going to the store. We seldom eat at restaurants, simply because the food we make at home tastes better. Also, due to tipping being out of control and I do not like others handling my food.
