We used to go to a lot of concerts, but we refuse to pay the ridiculous prices that are being charged now. The last arena concert we attended was so disappointing … I won’t name the band to avoid that side discussion, but it’s one that was big when I was in college. The lead singer can’t reach all of the notes anymore, so he had a young guy who sang with him for a lot of the songs. It was an enjoyable concert, but it was simply not worth paying so much for a lesser version of the band I remember. I can put on a CD or album & get a better experience than watching an old dude stand in one place on a stage, trying to relive the past.
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One good thing about passing on all these items that have surpassed their value threshold – it’s good for the monthly cashflow. And, once I’ve learned to live without something, I rarely return to it.
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Not to pick on McDonald’s per se – this has happened everywhere – but I remember when extra value meals were like $3.75, and you basically got the fries or the soda for free (actual great value…).
Now the sandwiches are $5 or more – fine – but they’re tacking on $6 for the fries and soda. Where’s the value in that? That’s the regular price.
Ergo, I no longer buy value meals at any fast food joint, unless it’s a really great deal ($9 or less in my book – you actually get the fries or soda free…).
What I do is, using the app:
- Get whatever deal is hot (like free fries with the purchase of a big mac). Boom, just saved $3.
- Get the $1.50 soda a la carte. This brings the total for a Big Mac value meal to about $6.50 plus tax. (a Big Mac is $5 in Davenport…)
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My company just raised lunch per diem to $25. That’s good - even a Jersey Mikes or something not good - Panera is $18-20. Crazy.
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I’ll spring a bit for Jersey Mike’s because I love their subs (for a chain…).
But for $25… how are you supposed to eat two meals on $25 unless you’re having both at Taco Bell/McD’s and the like? They might as well just start offering high sodium, fat, and cholesterol as added benefits in the onboarding paperwork.
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Same.
One exception: I used to buy the prepared grilled lemon garlic chicken breasts from Wegmans, as they are just better than I can make at home. They felt like a splurge at $16/lb. Last time I looked they were more than $20/lb. 
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No, that’s lunch - $20,$25, $35 - raised way up.
The old was $15-and I was spending out of pocket at lunch or taking out dealers so the company paid - and that’s now a no no too - as those lunches cost too much. Cheaper for them to raise the per diem.
oh, okay – I thought you meant lunch and dinner. $25 for lunch isn’t too bad. You have some decent options.
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I can get a very healthy, tasty (sushi, salad, grilled food) lunch at my company’s cafeteria for around $10.
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I can’t think of something I want but won’t buy because I think it’s too high. I definitely have a budget, and can’t buy whatever I want! I buy clothes from a great thrift store, used cars, etc. I mean, I guess I don’t buy expensive cuts of meat, but also I don’t really care about that.
ETA and then, I was thinking, what will I pay a lot for, no matter what? And the answer is, vet care for my animals. My last dog, with multiple life-threatening problems over the four short years I had her, had over $10,000 in vet bills. (My other dog, Cinnamon, has had no extraordinary vet bills in the 13 years he’s been here. So I guess it evens out!) (And also knocking wood energetically!!)
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Tickets to LA28. The official ones were just 
!! No way I’m paying $400 per person to watch swimming prelims from the nosebleed section!
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the wife just bought volleyball for an insane amount - and yes I hate it.
I also hate that she paid well over $100 to see the U2 movie at the Sphere - after seeing U2 twice at the Sphere.
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I wanted those LA Olympics tickets, but just couldn’t justify the cost. Not just for the event, which would’ve been bad enough, but the airfare, the hotel, it was just too much.
But I will splurge on expensive shoes. They aren’t necessarily name brand fancy kind of shoes. But I have wonky feet and I NEED my work shoes to be good quality so that I don’t hurt. (When I was younger I was all about the cute shoes from Payless. No more!)
I generally only buy the meat that is on sale at the grocery store. What we are eating that week is determined either by what’s on sale that week or what did I buy in the past and put in the freezer.
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I’m still buying blueberries as H eats them almost every day. I bought a package Saturday for $8.99 - the Driscoll’s “Sweetest Batch”. Costco’s are also $8.99, but a different brand. I will occasionally order a cocktail when out but more often I get a glass of wine. I am still paying a small fortune for vet care but that is worth every penny to me. Sabadog is still hanging on. I paid about $1400 for four pretty good seats to see Springsteen in DC. That’s worth it to me.
I think overall my spending has gone down quite a bit. If we go on a trip, we stay at a nice hotel but we travel so infrequently it doesn’t matter. We don’t eat out nearly as often. I wish I could refuse to buy health insurance!
One thing I won’t buy - Tillamook “Malted Moo” ice cream, my favorite. One grocery carries this variety. $6.89. I can buy almost any other variety at the more affordable grocery I frequent for $5.49. The first store’s prices are really, really high - and students with their ID get a 5% discount. Some of these students are driving brand new Range Rovers! They don’t need a discount! The cheaper store doesn’t give students a discount. Whatever happened to senior discounts?
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A pint of blueberries at Aldi this morning were 5.19. That feels like highway robbery!
My kid declined to buy FIFA tickets for this summer. They have the money, her husband is a huge soccer enthusiast. They will watch on tv.
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We decided not to buy LA28 tickets when we had the chance. It was too expensive for the events we were interested in. We spend a lot of money on travel but this is money well spent for us.
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My SILs are both huge soccer fans but neither would pay that much for the tickets even in their hometown!
Can’t wait to see the news reports about how much parking near the stadium would be during that time… when the Ms were headed into playoffs, some lots changed $120 to park a car!
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Wow! Regional price differences are insane. I just bought a pint at Aldi yesterday for $3.49. i’m in NJ.
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Yes. It’s a salad place where you order and pick up at the counter. My order where I pick the ingredients is coming to $22. I just refuse to pay that. Did I just spend $500 on our dinner for the 4 of us. Sure. But no way I’m paying $22 for a fast food salad. lol
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Yeah, there weren’t many tickets for LA olympics and those we could get were very expensive for junk seats. 
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