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[–] [S] 67 points 3 months ago (16 children)

I just spent $109 for a Valvoline oil change in the Los Angeles area. I found this old coupon from 2014. Crazy how much it's increased.

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  • [–] 34 points 3 months ago (7 children)

    In this economy I learned how to do my own maintenance. I refuse to pay someone else over a $100 to unscrew something then screw in something else.

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  • [–] 23 points 3 months ago (2 children)

    Same. Did my brakes last weekend and saved like $700. And it’s about as hard as an oil change.

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  • [–] 11 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    Its kinda crazy what mechanics charge in the US. I get that they have significant tooling costs to recoup, and every job isn't so straightforward and that all gets spread out, but shit I paid $5 for 2 new footpegs and bending my shifter back onto place with a torch, then $4 for an oil change after I got hit by a taxi.

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  • [–] 14 points 3 months ago*

    Last year they said I needed a new turbo. Quoted me $2300. I got the part and tools for under $1200

    Turns out that didn’t fix it and it was the catalytic converter - bad misfire clogged it with gas. Replaced the downpipe for $800 and then sold the old cats as scrap for $250.

    Now I know that I can do all that stuff and I saved $550.

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  • [–] 9 points 3 months ago*

    I knew how to change oil before I even had a license. You need to be able to handle your own shit because you'll be gouged every single time otherwise

    The way I see it if anyone opened a drivers school that also taught basic maintenance they'd make a killing here.

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  • [–] 10 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    Do oil changes yourself. It's very simple and kind of fun. First time took me 45 mins. Every time after that, about 10 mins, and most of that is sitting around waiting for the oil to drain before screwing the plug back in.

    Really, for most cars, if you can pump gas then you can do the oil and oil filter, fluids (coolants, brake, power steering, etc), air and cabin filters. They generally involve unscrewing or unclipping something, then popping it back on. Brake pads are also very simple. These are parts designed to be replaced regularly so are quick and simple with 1 or 2 tools, if a tool is even needed.

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    [–] 61 points 3 months ago (8 children)
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    [–] 42 points 3 months ago (8 children)

    Bread. Even bread is too expensive now. Rice has been climbing but is still affordable. For now.

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  • [–] 10 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (3 children)

    Where do you live that a 10 kg sack of rice is expensive?

    Bread being expensive in the US is so awful, they gave us wonderbread and because it was cheaper and we have fuckall for bakeries, it let the few bakeries increase the price of fresh bread.

    I am in a country that doesn't grow wheat, yet the price of fresh bread is less than I paid at the only non-cake bakery near me, Publix, in America

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  • [–] 22 points 3 months ago (2 children)

    Sounds weird but, chocolate chips.

    Oh, and a $70k Toyota Tacoma. $70,000, for a taco. The fuck is Toyota smoking?

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    [–] 22 points 3 months ago (2 children)

    Politicians, they used to be expensive. Now it’s almost downright affordable.

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    [–] 22 points 3 months ago (2 children)

    I bought two individual russet potatoes, came to about $5.50. In the past Ive always bought bags of potatoes, but they go bad sometimes before they get eaten, so Ive just been buying individual potatoes lately.

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    [–] 20 points 3 months ago (2 children)
  • [–] 20 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    I thought home internet would get cheaper over time...

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    [–] 19 points 3 months ago (9 children)

    In Australia, surprisingly and disappointingly, medical appointments. Seeing a specialist for anything is about $500 AUD, after Medicare rebate. So you need to have more than that much liquid cash on the day, and be able to tank the hit.

    I still remember being in line behind this mother whose child was clearly extremely unwell mentally. When she heard the price for the psychiatrist appointment she's like, I can't pay that... Let alone 2 or 3 times because psychiatrists never diagnose on the first visit. She had her own (understandable) mental breakdown, and stepped outside to call family to borrow money.

    You shouldn't need a payment plan to get antipsychotics. Somehow still cheaper than the scam that is private health insurance though.

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  • [–] 10 points 3 months ago (5 children)

    Sorry to hear that. I didn’t realize the Australian healthcare system was as bad as the one in the USA. $500 to see a specialist is not ok, especially not for psychiatry when the medical support is literally life changing.

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  • [–] 6 points 3 months ago (4 children)

    It's not that bad yet, but I feel like we're on the way there. Luckily we still have a pretty good public sector for emergencies. But there is no public sector psychiatrists, at least not around here. So you're covered for some things but not others, especially specialist treatment. That's why I specified appointment, because most of the time appointment refers to private sector. And outpatient stuff, but the line is confusing and arbitrary.

    For example,

    • Dentists are essential but also elective.
    • The hospital will cast your broken leg for free but you'll pay a lot for the rehab physiotherapy privately.
    • They'll CT scan a tennis ball sized tumour for free, but refuse to remove it because even though it's growing it's "benign" i.e. if it won't kill you then we don't care.
    • Two doctors will cost wildly different prices even though both use Medicare.
    • You can go to the hospital 10 times for the same cardiac problem for free, but getting it investigated or fixed is private, unless you're critically in danger.

    It's hard to know whether something will cost you or not until you try and get it treated. It's very "reactionary" instead of "preventative" is how I'd describe it. Like they'll chop off a diabetic foot for free, which is hugely expensive medical procedure requiring a surgeon, but seeing a dietician to learn how to manage your diabetes costs $200+ per appointment.

    I almost feel like if I had to choose, the reverse should be true. Focus on preventing problems rather than putting out fires.

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    [–] 18 points 3 months ago

    Normalizing monopoly.

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  • [–] 17 points 3 months ago

    Lumber. I was planning out a project with teak wood and noped out as soon as I saw the prices.

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  • [–] 16 points 3 months ago (5 children)

    Already said a lot, but should be said again. Food.

    Food, my weekly grocery bill has risen from ~80€ to ~130€ and I've started to limit and reduce snacks. Store is the same, amounts have gotten smaller, only difference is time. Few years ago when the first Lidl(Aldi) was opened and became the closest store to my home. Overall weekly bill never reached to triple digits, nowadays it never stays below that.

    And i bloody hate triple digit numbers, my heart weeps every time i need to pay it and think about quitting eating all together.

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  • [–] 6 points 3 months ago

    Food is so expensive. I'll be like I'm going to cut back and save money this week, so no meat, no fresh fruits or veggies, no snacks, no prepared meals and only 1 meal a day this week. I'll leave the grocery store with one small bag of food and a $85 bill and I'm scratching my head going "how the fuck?" It feels like no matter what I buy it all costs the same

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    [–] 16 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    I haven't seen someone say yet but used good. Like garage sales and thrift stores and auctions, everything is hiked up to be almost the same price as if you'd buy it new.

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    [–] 16 points 3 months ago (3 children)

    Generally everything.
    Have you seen how much you pay for "nothing special" groceries? $30 and you didn't buy anything.
    Couple cuts of meat $6, cheese $4, a loaf of bread $4, a gallon of milk $4, carton of eggs $5, and some random greenery and maybe some sweets $4.

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  • [–] 15 points 3 months ago (3 children)

    Fast food. I basically can't leave a fast food restaurant without spending over $20 for my family of 4.

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  • [–] 14 points 3 months ago (4 children)

    Cow. Ground beef got so expensive. Good for me in the sense that I am eating less red meat, but bad in the sense that meal prep takes longer now.

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    [–] 14 points 3 months ago (6 children)

    Phone service in America. A 1 month sim here in vietnam with a number and 8gb/day costs ~10USD. Its cheaper if you buy longer. Meanwhile Verizon is charging 35-50 dollars a month.

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    [–] 12 points 3 months ago (1 child)
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    [–] 12 points 3 months ago

    I stopped buying chips when prices doubled. I stopped buying minced meat and chicken. I only buy eggs and coffee when it's finally discounted. Now frozen vegetables doubled in price. I can't just stop buying things.

    Also, came back to Netherlands after a few years. Cigarettes over €10 and €7.50 for a beer wtf

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  • [–] 10 points 3 months ago

    This is going to have an asterisk because I'm in a fairly remote area on vacation. Like, in the Upper Peninsula, not a lot of grocery competition.

    But we went to get some food for the week at this grocery store today, and I was staggered by the prices, many of which were crazy out of step with what I'd pay in my home state at a random Walmart or similar chain. The smallest Lucky Charms was over $6; the largest was on sale for $4 and change but only if you had the store loyalty card. If you use the store loyalty card it doesn't auto-discount anything, you have to use the credit card reader to scroll the available coupons and try to pick the ones relevant to your cart.

    Normal sized Starbucks whole bean bag was $17. Extra big one was like $27. Of course I bought neither.

    Twizzlers in the big bag was two for $8. Fuck off lol.

    They extrude corn syrup and artificial flavoring for pennies and will do anything to increase or maintain profit margins as people can less and less afford luxuries like sweet treats with 0 nutritional value. They're going to price us all into diets with their inflexibility and greed.

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  • [–] 10 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

    utility bills, it has gone up because of AI datacenters, and all forms of insurance, health, car,,,,etc looking at parents costs. we have the wierd property tax here, that the state likes to tax on for some reason, and target the actual billionaires.

    also the cost of schooling for different grad programs, one grad program in health is under 15k for a state school but highly competitive as a result due to very limited space and schools(like most state schools ever only accept 30ish applicants per semester or year) out of likely hundreds or thousand+ people applying and the industry is a shortage(likely intentional to keep the salary high, much like with MDs licenses) they recent started a "abridged program" which i dont think it solves the problem. while pharm school very expensive yet earns almost the same as the grad program i mentioned and 4 times as long to finish.(1 vs 3/4 years), since everyone wants to come our state the shcools are severely impacted because theres only ever 9 unis that teach this program for CLS.

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  • [–] 10 points 3 months ago (4 children)

    Cigarettes.

    I haven't smoked in almost thirty years, but I remember thensuper discount brand cartons going for $7 back in the late '90s.

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    [–] 10 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    It’s been said a lot but food.

    Really everything has gone up a lot. It seems like things have gone up a lot more than inflation numbers would tell you.

    We’re fortunate that we can absorb it but we have tightened up anyway because I don’t see the raping of our wallets ending.

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    [–] 8 points 3 months ago (3 children)

    Apparently getting corrective eye surgery. Not that I ever had the procedure. How could I when I'd be dropping $7000?! I even tried applying for financial assistance, but my application was denied.

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    [–] 8 points 3 months ago* (1 child)

    Fast food

    I'm much healthier as a result

    Edit: food is good, good is not food

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    [–] 7 points 3 months ago

    Eggs are back to 1.90-2 per dozen, but velveeta slices are $6 and a gallon of milk is $5-6 also

    Scallions are still cheap but fish and shrimp, chicken and beef are way up. I cook most of my family's food but if we want Uber Eats it's always like $60-100. We are in Manhattan, but honestly when I visit family in FL or GA it's not much better. Coffee is double what it was 2 years ago.

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  • [–] 7 points 3 months ago

    literally everything. I stopped getting fast food and lottery tickets because they were no longer inconsequential amounts. I mean its not exactly a bad thing for my health and well being but its kinda crazy. Ironically. Relatively speaking. Healthier stuff is cheaper because less and less people can afford it. I even see soda companies desperately trying to raise prices but folks don't have it. Every sale the shelves get cleared because everyone is stocking up to make it to the next sale. when no sale then none of it moves.

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  • [–] 6 points 3 months ago

    Computer parts and computers.

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