Sticker Shock

3550 Views 41 Replies 31 Participants Last post by frugalfoster, Aug 11, 2011

nuisance26

Discussion Starter · Jul 25, 2011

~Every time I go out now I have to fight to keep myself from freaking out.
This weekend we took our 6 and 8 year old to their first ever movie at the theater. $33 for two adults and two children at the matinee. :ack: I hadn't been to the theater since December 2005. I think tickets were $6.50 then.
I never buy snacks but we had free popcorn coupons and I wanted my kids to have a special memory so I stood in line to redeem my coupons. I watched 30+ people move through the lines paying $4-9 for popcorn and $4-6 for drinks. I think my eyes were as big as dinner plates by that point.
I also took my 6 yo to the beach over the weekend. There are still a few free beaches so we went to one of those. But gas cost $12. Sunscreen was $2 higher this year too. We stopped for an ice cream cone on the way home. Prices have gone up! $6 for two small soft-serve cones. :thud: And this wasn't an ice cream stand at the shore, so it wasn't tourist trap inflation.
I feel so ooooooooold. I'm already griping about how bread used to be $.39 at Aldi. What's it gonna be like 30 years from now? I'm trying to take a positive attitude, like I've resigned myself to paying $2.50 a pound for meat now and I'm ok with that. When it goes less than that I do a double-take and a happy dance but I don't expect or often see sales like that anymore. I'm more diligent than ever about getting good deals.
It just seems like every time I try to buy something I haven't picked up in a while I get depressed. *sigh* ~

21 - 40 of 42 Posts

imagine

· #21 · Jul 26, 2011

We just went to the movies too. We get a gift certificate some years from my mother for Christmas. That means we get to go those years.

So after the movie Hubby was telling the children how the gift certificate was almost all gone. The kids were shocked because they thought the gift certificate was so big.

Hubby said now you know what a good deal Red box is. He took the change we received and said "almost two of us could go see one matinee ( no snacks) with this or we could rent about 13 redboxes for us all to see. Really put it into perspective for the kids".

Another plus side of a dvd is you can pause it if you need to go to the restroom.

Side note: children, seniors, and students with ids all get the matinee price all day at our movie theater.

Reactions: 1

Dutchie

· #22 · Jul 26, 2011

We have actually just come back from Harry Potter in 3D.

Our prices have also gone up and how. It used to be (not all that long ago) that we could go for $11 but now it is $16 each.

We actually did get a small cola and a small popcorn each - WOW!!!!
That was almost $19 for the 2 of us.

Normally I wouldn't do this but this was a tradition from the very first HP movie. My daughter and I always went to see the premiere showing of the movie - this time we were too late for the premiere (in NY at the time) - but I still had to keep my promise.
However I figured that this was a good memory for both of us and something we have done - just the two of us - for a long time.

Reactions: 1

lottaLove

· #23 · Jul 26, 2011

The price of the theatre is outrageous. The last movie I saw was Toy Story 3 with DS, I brought him for his birthday last year.
I almost sat down and cried at the grocery store on Friday. The price of a dozen eggs has gone up to $2.99. Eggs were our go-to meal, cheap and easy to make. Now it seems even our go-tos are getting outrageously overpriced. We already had to stop buying milk when it got close to $6.00/gallon, now it seems like eggs may be on the out as well.

Reactions: 1

Debbie-cat

· #24 · Jul 26, 2011

Everything gives me sticker shock nowadays!

Reactions: 3

Nada.Leona

· #25 · Jul 26, 2011

You know what shocks me? The cost of Kraft Dinner is going up. Kraft Dinner! It used to be $0.69 a box. It's now over $1.00. Kraft Dinner! I mean, seriously?! How is it possible that something that has the nutritional value of floor sweepings cost over a dollar?

Reactions: 4

craftypam

· #26 · Jul 26, 2011

Sad thing about the movies too IMO; most of them aren't even worth my time watching them. I wait for them to come out on dvd and then put them on hold at the library. Popular movies take awhile, but the price is right!

Reactions: 1

ladytoysdream

· #27 · Jul 26, 2011

EGGS........
Do the math on them. I just weighed a box of eggs from my chickens. So the 12 eggs weighed almost 2 pounds on my scale. I sell them at the market for $ 3 a dz. So if you divide the $ 3 by 2 pounds.....that means apporximately $ 1.50 per pound. A decent price for protein.
I remember years ago, trying to figure the best price when buying eggs. So divide the $$ by the number of ounces to get price per ounce. Then you can decide what size is the better buy. Small, medium, large, extra large or jumbo.

When you see a sale, stock up some extra if you can. Eggs can be frozen. Eggs will keep quite awhile in the refrig. Do a float test if unsure. If the egg is completely floating and no part of it touching the bottom of the pan .....don't eat it.

Chicken feed is quite pricey now. My plan is to double my flock. Not sure how to feed them all yet, but I will figure it out.

brennasmom

· #28 · Jul 26, 2011

If you have access to a warehouse club you might check egg prices there.

nuisance26

Discussion Starter · #29 · Jul 26, 2011

~Going to the movies used to be something that even the poor could afford on a frequent basis.
In the hey-dey of movie glamour, 1955-ish, the average hourly wage in the US was $2.14. A gallon of gas cost $.28. A movie ticket cost $.52.
So you could work for 15 minutes at your job and enjoy 2 hours of entertainment at the theater.
Now the average worker makes $22 an hour(somebody send that memo to DH's review team!)so they work 30 minutes for 2 hours of entertainment.
My hubby had to work for 3 hours to pay for a 2 hour movie for the 4 of us. No wonder we never go. That's just stupid.

~

Reactions: 1

Hamada

· #30 · Jul 26, 2011

Also finding myself talking like the old people when I was growing up. I remember when this was 4/$1. Now it is $4 for one!

Don't even get me started on toilet paper!

Reactions: 3

KimZ

· #31 · Jul 26, 2011 (Edited)

Here to............ Organic Valley 1/2 gallon $4.89!!!! OUCH!!!

Time to find an Organic Local Farmer

Can you freeze milk?

opppppppppp wrong post..... BUT yup Milk is a shocker

Reactions: 1

brennasmom

· #32 · Jul 27, 2011

I have heard you can freeze milk although I haven't tried it.... yet.

NikoSan999

· #33 · Jul 27, 2011

shoiji said:
Also finding myself talking like the old people when I was growing up. I remember when this was 4/$1. Now it is $4 for one!

Don't even get me started on toilet paper!

Had to kind of laugh at this one. I'm finding myself doing this more and more....I sound like my mother...or grandmother.
I can remember when......

Reactions: 3

Libby

· #34 · Jul 27, 2011

For the movie thing - I gave up on going to the theatre but instead opted to pay $15/month for the movie network here. A rental is $6 and theatre movies are anywhere between $8-$13 I believe. So for the price of one theatre movie OR two rentals - I can have the opportunity to watch WAY more movies and at a time when I want to vs having to rush to get to theatre, stand in line for treats and fight for a decent seat. And - we can rewind/fast forward and pause as often as we'd like as well as have as many people over that we want to enjoy the movies with us for the same price. We don't have Redbox here - or we do and I haven't noticed them yet.

Reactions: 1

Luv2BeFrugal

· #35 · Jul 27, 2011

The movie prices ARE crazy!! Especially the food!!! OH MY!!

We went to see Captain America over the weekend... I had earned 2 movie passes from doing surveys and we put snacks in my purse (I know, we're bad...the highway robbery there just ticks me off!). The movie was great, but we will most likely stick to when I earn those free passes. I just can't see paying THAT much!!!

At least milk here has held at $3.39/gal for about 6 months...

pollypurebred39

· #36 · Jul 27, 2011

Like Niko & Shoiji I'm finding myself saying things I've heard muttered from my Aunt and other elderly as I was growing up. Often times I'd see the elderly muttering to themselves while looking over the meat case, and found it somewhat amusing. Now I find myself saying completely involuntary statements while shopping. "They must be crazy" "This must be mismarked" Etc.

Like Debbie, everything is giving me sticker shock.

Reactions: 1

McD

· #37 · Jul 27, 2011

Have you signed up for living social? Twice now we were able to score two tickets for 9 dollars.

Reactions: 3

frugalfriend

· #38 · Jul 27, 2011

Would be worth checking/googling to see if you have a discount theater anywhere near. We have a theater that is a bit of a drive but worth it on occasion. Everyday price is $1.50 and on Tuesdays it is .75 cents a ticket! There is a Dollar Tree a couple doors down and the kids love to pick out some candy and go to the movies on a hot summer day (no air conditioning at our house). The movies have been out a little longer, but that doesn't bother us. Saw Soul Surfer :tay: a few weeks ago and I spent like $5.00 total. :laugh:

I think your splurging on something fun like that for the family once in awhile is worth it for the memories the kids have, although the sticker shock can be painful.

Reactions: 2

nuisance26

Discussion Starter · #39 · Jul 27, 2011

McD said:
Have you signed up for living social? Twice now we were able to score two tickets for 9 dollars.

~Yes, no deals for tickets in my area yet.

~

hippytreehugger4ever

· #40 · Aug 11, 2011

We went to the movies yesterday in a different town and it was $5 each to get in and it was Stimulus Tuesday where you can get soda and popcorn for $1 each, so not too bad. Those are pretty much the everyday prices at our local theater, but they only show movies on the weekends (original 1940's theater).

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