If you look back to your youth (or even a few years ago), it's clear that many things in life that were once affordable have become pretty pricey. So Reddit user u/Lattethecoffeaddict asked the question, “What things have been ruined by the rich?” People had all kinds of thoughts and the comments flooded in. Here are some of what they said:
1.“Thrift store shopping. I used to shop at thrift stores a lot, but I've fallen victim to it. I used to go to thrift stores and come back with three new work shirts and a pair of pants for like $15 (and they were nice, some with the tags still on). Now I have a hard time even finding my size, and all the clothes left are horrible, and a shirt costs $10.”
2.“Towns across the country that were once cool. Think Denver, Austin, Asheville.”
—u/ennuionwe
3.“Bourbon. Back in the day, the most expensive bourbon was around $100. Now, everyone is 'collecting' bourbon, so the prices have skyrocketed. The secondary market is totally ridiculous.”
Four.“Food trucks. They used to be a convenient place to get cheap, tasty food. Now they're expensive and don't have any of the benefits or amenities of a restaurant, not to mention the 20% tip they expect to be paid for handing you food through the window.”
Five.“Trucks. Trucks used to be modest vehicles for working-class people who needed to get things done themselves. Now they're hugely profitable luxury vehicles that are out of reach for anyone who actually needs a truck to get work done.”
—u/Shulk_X
6.“It's coastal land. My grandfather bought a house on Cape Cod after he retired from being an aircraft mechanic in the late '60s. He wasn't poor, but he wasn't rich. The average middle-class person can't do that today. Even if you inherit a house debt-free, if you're not rich, the property taxes will kill you.”
7.“Collectibles. Over the last few years, prices for small collectibles and things like that have gone up incredibly high. Cards, Legos, action figures, you name it. Whatever the hobby, people are spending your entire salary in a single day on related collectibles.”
—u/NoBenefit5977
“It's like a geek's tool. Star Wars Or Marvel/DC merchandise (action figures, comic books, etc.) What was once a fun hobby for kids and those who are kids at heart is now almost all bought for profit by wealthy, eager speculators.”
—u/eddy_talon
8.“Montessori schools. This method of education was designed to provide a good education to needy students despite limited funding. It has now become a kind of 'elite' education, costing upwards of $20,000 a year.”
—u/NewLuna
9.“Colorado. I was born there and now I've been pushed out of my hometown forever. Me and all my friends moved because we can't afford to live there anymore. It's expensive mainly because of the cost of housing, but skiing was also an affordable hobby before and now it's prohibitively expensive.”
Ten.“Tacos. I went to a taco stand recently, and each taco had like 100 ingredients on it and cost $20. I'd rather go to the Mexican place across the street and get four tacos for $10.”
—u/Themanwhofarts
11.“They used to be affordable clothing brands — Carhartt, Dickies, Levi's, there are so many others. Why did a Dickies T-shirt go from $15 to nearly $40 in just a few years?”
—u/NativeSnake
“I remember not long ago, Champion was just a cheap brand from Walmart that nobody wanted. Now it's an overpriced brand name. I don't get it.”
—u/Washing machine broken
Christina Arias/Getty Images
12.“Concerts. Nowadays the price of a general admission ticket to a concert wouldn't even buy you a glass of beer, yet people still pay for the ticket.”
—u/Theplaidiator
13.“Music festivals. Back in the day, hippies would get together and have a good time and do drugs. Now it's just rich kids dressing up as hippies and doing drugs and taking selfies.”
14.“Theme parks. Gone are the days when everyone was equal and had to stand in line together regardless of income. Now, if you have money to spare, you can avoid the hassle of standing in line and make your day a little better and someone else's a little worse.”
—u/Lumberdan
15.“Lobster. This shellfish was once considered the 'cockroach of the sea.'”
16.“Inexpensive foods like donuts, cupcakes, burgers, and chicken wings are all labeled as 'gourmet.' These foods have gone from being cheap and tasty to expensive luxury foods…without a corresponding increase in quality.”
—u/SonofSniglet
17.“Going to the theater. Once a form of entertainment for the masses, it's now ridiculously expensive and out of reach for most people.”
18.“Camping. It used to cost very little to reserve a campsite, and while some are still affordable, many have now become upscale. Some places charge exorbitant fees just to pitch a tent in the woods.”
—u/porquenolosdo2
19.“I stopped going to professional sports games because I could only get terrible seats. It's just not worth it anymore.”
20.“Rental housing. The fact that rural and suburban areas are overrun with Airbnbs and $2000 studio apartments is outrageous and is causing low-income and working-class people to lose their homes. I live in New York state, and since the pandemic hit, rich city folk have been buying up all the cheap properties in the country and trying to make a profit off of them.”
—u/Far-Gain-3081
twenty one.“Old-fashioned, family-friendly ski slopes and stoner lifts swaying to the music. We always watched that cheesy 'Ski Patrol' movie where a big corporation comes in and turns it into a yuppie town… and that's what happened.”
twenty two.“Burning Man. When Mark Zuckerberg comes in by helicopter and stays in a billionaire's camp with an air-conditioned trailer, Burning Man has officially lost whatever counterculture status it once had.”
—u/Jessek
twenty three.“Toast. Listen. Years ago, when I was living on a budget, I used to make 'fancy toast' like avocado toast, cinnamon sugar toast, peanut butter banana toast, etc. as a meal or snack because it was so cheap. I went to brunch a few weeks ago and they had avocado toast on the menu for $11. Oh my god!”
twenty four.“Denim. Jeans used to be cheap, durable, and could be worn for years while doing hard work. Now they're expensive, of poor quality, and often have holes in them just to emulate a working-class aesthetic.”
—u/More Light
twenty five.“It used to be just cheap meat for the poor. But pork belly and oxtail in particular have become more expensive as people have discovered how delicious they are. When I was growing up, oxtail was less than $2 a pound. Now it's well over $10.”
What are some things that have been ruined by the wealthy and privileged? Let me know in the comments.
Note: Some answers have been edited for length or clarity.
