School Photos and Final Thoughts

You ever feel like you're getting less bang for your buck these days? Subscriptions, travel, entertainment. It has gotten so expensive some people are opting out completely. It has gotten so dire. One man resorted to putting his Costco hot dog on payments. We're praying for him. So today we're reacting to BuzzFeed's list of things that used to be worth the money but now feel like a complete rip off. But first let's give Delipe me a shout out for sponsoring this channel. They're worth every penny . All right, number one f,ast food . It's only marginally cheaper than going to a restaurant or if you're Dave Ramsay, restaurant. Yeah, fast food used to be cheap option when you didn't feel like cooking. Adult lives have gotten so mucher. bus Cooking at home has become more of a luxur y, time required, fast food chains have caught onto this and you now pay for a convenience meal instead of a cheap meal. That is true. I mean fast food is for convenience and you will pay a premium for convenience. I mean, think about it this way. The quarter pounder with cheese meal used to cost around five dollars thirty nine cents . Today, it's about eleven ninety nine cents. That is one hundred twenty two percent inflation or as I like to call it McFl . You can use that McDonald's, but it makes you look bad. So just know that going into it. So nowadays, you're paying restaurant money to eat in your car . So it is convenient, but it's not cheap. And I know this firsthand it',s not just a McDonald's is sue. If you go to any fast food place, you will be shocked that a meal now costs twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen bucks , which is insane. Even the kids meal at chick fillet, which I like to frequent with my toddler, I mean, we can't get out of there for less than twenty bucks for the two of us, even with kids meals. It's not fair. Another comment says the irony is that Netflix was close to killing piracy for good. Why pirate when you could watch whatever you want for eight bucks a month . Then every content creator wanted their own pieces of the pie Netflix got greedy, now we're back to where we started. I think that's a little bit narrow and short sighted. I mean, Netflix started creating original content , which cost them a lot of money to create . And so they go, all right, we're going to invest in this. We got to raise the prices. They're paying big money to license movies and shows outside of that. So I understand why they raise prices. Stop defending them. I mean, they were also bleeding money for a long time . I don't know even if there's profitable today . But standard with ads nine bucks a month, premium with no ads, extra members added to it twenty seven dollars , which is pretty wild. So if you can't handle ads interrupting your E andmily Paris bin fest, it's probably worth the splurge. So like any subscription, how often are you using it and do you feel like that value is there? Whether it's eight bucks a month or twenty seven bucks a month? Next up, a trip to Vegas . All right, used to be a great value for the money. Everything was cheap, rooms were dirt cheap, and buffets were like seven dollars ninety nine cents a person. Really? And cocktails were free if you were gambling, and resort fees didn't exist. Now Vegas is just a giant rip off, nothing there is cheap anymore. What a shame. All right, listen, man, if that buffet was seven dollars ninety nine cents, I question how your small intestines doing today . I can't imagine that was good. I'm trying to think of like the nineties. Like when I first went to Vegas with my family, we stayed at a place called Excalibur, which when I was like nine was the coolest place I'd ever seen. Now I realize it's about the dumpiest hotel on the strip. But there was a buffet there . I don't remember if we got to eat there, but I think we probably did and it was probably seven dollars ninety nine cents because my dad's pretty frugal. But yeah, I've been to Vegas more recently . Is it expensive? Yeah, but I don't think anybody went to Vegas because it was cheap. I mean, you're spending a lot of money to gamble. You got the hotels, the food, the shows. You got a budget for Vegas. And there was fifty plus casino buffets a few years ago. Now only eight remain. And I don't know if that's just because people post COVID think buffets are gross or what, but buffet dinners cost anywhere from twenty bucks to one hundred bucks per person. So you're already losing money on the trip and now you wanna gamble on top of the buffet, make it make sense. Next, we've got going to the movie Theater. Again, if you're Dave Ramsay, that's how you want to say it. I say theater, but I'm a northern Yankee, so what do I know? You can easily have a huge flat screen TV and surround sound system at home for less than five hundred bucks, and most movies are available on streaming within a month of release. I took my daughter to watch Lelo and Stitch in the theater last month and two tickets plus refreshments were about sixty dollars . And three weeks later that mo,vie is already on Disney plus . That is true. The gap between theater and when I can watch it at home is a lot shorter. And so I do find if I don't desperately need to see it in theater , then I can wait until it's streaming somewhere or I can rent it on a streaming service for cheaper. But I found now to rent a movie, it could be like twenty bucks, which is not much cheaper than going to the movies. And I do buy discount tickets. I've got a triple A so the tickets are like nine bucks a pop. So it's eighteen bucks for two people, not bad. But I would not pay. I don't like paying full price for a movie. And so I don't go to the movies a lot, maybe a couple times a year and partially because I feel like it's a rip off. And also I bring, my own snacks because the fourteen year olds work in there truly don't give a rip. They're not paid enough to care. And to their point here, sixty bucks means they spent a lot on concess ions. They'll get you with those concessions. That's how they really make their money. Because the movie tickets around sixteen bucks now, and by the way, cheapest state to go to the movies, Wyoming. Nine bucks a ticket retail. But then again, you gotta go to Wyoming. I don't know Wyoming had a two headed cow. And movie memberships, like we've got at our local AMC, that can run twenty five, thirty bucks a person per month. So that's six hundred bucks a year for a couple before purchasing popcorn. Or you could bundle your Disney plus or Hulu HBO Max for like twenty bucks a month, be on your couch, eating your snacks and your PJs without wondering who sat on that chair before you. Ew, you ever think about that? Don't think too hard, pretty gross. Next we've got Ticket Master now this one, just saying the word ticket master out loud feels like a cuss word . When it started, it was cool for a small fee you could buy concert tickets from outlets instead of at the box office. Who calls it? This is a boomer writing this. I used to go to the box office to get my tickets, to see, Earth wind and fire. Then suddenly you had to pay the fee even when you went to the box office. Now it's just a fee, not small, that you have to pay regardless. And for that fee, you get nothing . I love this energy. Very lary david energy and I like it. Bring it on. Okay . But it's true. I don't go to as many concerts and comedy shows as I would like to because when I go to buy that, you know, sixty dollars ticket, it ends up being ninety dollars after fees. Ticket master's fees are twenty to forty percent . So think about one hundred and fifty dollars ticket becomes two hundred dollars before you even found parking. That's nearly fifty dollars in fees for doing nothing but clicking. How convenient for you ticket master? And by the way, the DOJ sued Live Nation, dashed ticketmaster in twenty twenty four for using monopoly power to stifle the competition and harm the consumers like us. In april twenty twenty six, fun update, a federal jury agreed they held a monopoly and violated federal and state antitrust laws. But apparently that still hasn't stopped people from buying two thousand four hundred dollars seats to Bruno Mars. And Alyssa, I don't like Bruno as much as the next guy. But two thousand four hundred bucks for the VIP seats up front, I don't I just don't think it's worth it. twenty four carat magic . twenty four karat magic. I don't even think about that. twenty four K he charges two thousand four hundred bucks for the front seats. That better come with some diamonds. All right, next, let's cover this one. Any home appliance, vacuums, fridges, blenders, et cetera, everything is made to break now so you have to repurchase and spend more money . Ooh, I mean, you still have to buy these things. It's not like people don't buy vacuums and fridges anymore, but you try to make them work longer than you probably want to. I mean, why did your mom's avocado green fridge last so long? I mean, back in the seventies, appliances were mostly mechanical, they lasted thirty to fifty years. And today, the lifespan of major home appliances ten years or less. So here's one of the problems . Manufacturers stop making replacement parts after three to five years, making the repairs more expensive or impossible. Can't get the part, what are you going to do? Can't fix it, it's junk now, and that forces consumers to buy new appliances. And technology is also making it more prone to issues and more expensive to fix or replace. And as an example, my washer and dryer are too techy for its own good. Why do you need to play me a little song at the end when you're done? When you're done, just shut up and be done . I don't need the little song. I don't need a little riddle, a little rhyme, and I don't need an app to pair with it to get a notification that the clothes are done. I know I heard I heard, I heard it stop making that very loud sound. Appreciate that though. But that also makes it more expensive to fix and replace 'cause one little piece of technology can go wrong on a chip, and now the things bunk. So there is a thing called planned obsolescence, where companies make them to not last as long. Like the iPhone. They're sort of built to not last thirty or forty years, so that you have to go buy the newest latest and greatest version. And that applies to all kinds of technology and appliances, laptop s, cell phones, you name it. So I would say the smart move here is to try to use things as long as possible, buy used where and when you can, and be very choosy and cautious in your research. I use sites like Consumer Reports before I buy things because I don't want to buy a washer dryer that has known issues. I want to buy the one that's going to last a long time for me. Next up, the inflated cost of online courses without real content. It used to be a new way of learning . it Now is often a marketing scam, sad day . Yeah, these are now pedaled by a lot of like social media guru dudes. And that's the sad part is they're usually like trying to get you to buy a course on how to run Airbnb's, which is how they really make their money instead of the actual Airbnb. And so it tricks you. And these are just a bunch of marketing funnels with big sales pages and webinars and all these slick marketing tricks to get you to buy this course that really doesn't have a lot of value. And even then, the real product may not be the course. It's the next course. It's the mastermind, it's the five thousand dollars coaching program you need to fully implement what you just learned and then you finally realize this was a scam all along. Let's keep it moving with diamonds. It used to be relatively hard to find them, but now we can just make them. Totally worthless. Wow, okay, I'm fighting words. I have found that for some reason diamonds are one of the most controversial things you can talk about from the, you know, true blood diamond to the lab grown diamond to the moisonite, to the cubic zircon ium. And the truth is lab grown diamonds now look practically identical to natural diamonds in every way. You cannot tell the difference with a naked eye. You can only tell when it's like a five carat diamond like there's no way that's a real diamond. That's probably lab grown versus natural. And get this, a study found that forty five percent of engagement ring purchases are now lab grown diamonds. That's a good trend that people are getting wise and going, you know what? These natural diamonds, the markup is insane and you can't tell the difference anyways , who cares other than the female wearing the ring who just knows it's natural and that makes her feel, I don't know, better than everyone else there's really no end to this guys. It's madness. So just get the ring you can afford cash. I don't buy this whole three month salary thing. I think one month salary is plenty, but the key is, are you paying cash? Did you do the research and will she love it regardless of the amount of carrots? So I' allm going to say about that, don't need you to come at me in the comments. Oh good, good, good. This is going downhill quickly. Next up, we have Bitcoin . Another comment, especially with the addition of stupid meme coins and all the scammy pump and dumping them ruggeds poll, it's so full of scammers it's not worth messing with. Again, I could have written that comment and I kind of wish I did. There's a recent film called Everyone Is Lying to You For Money Made by Ben McKenzie famously from the OC, I've yet to watch it, but I'm very excited 'cause it's basically a takedown of crypto and that it's all a scam. Cryptocurrency , it's pretty stupid. Come at me in the comments all you want, but we all know the crypto market extremely volatile, super risky. There's nothing behind Bitcoin other than some potential utility with the blockchain. And it's all based on what someone else is willing to pay for in that moment. And you still have to then exchange it for real money to do anything with it, but why would you sell it if you think it's always going to go up? And so it just creates this endless cycle of insufferable bros trying to get you to get in on it like a bad MLM, which is why I say cryptocurrency is just Mary K for young men. And I stand by that. Sick Burn. In fact, I prefer Mary K. At least you get something out of it and you can use. And maybe you get a pink cadillac . That could be a win. So instead of putting your money into Bitcoin, I recommend storing your money somewhere safer, like Fairwins credit union, a sponsor of today's video. 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And there's no contracts, no hidden fees, no surprise charges that make you stare at your bill like it personally. betrayed you Just twenty five bucks a month forever. You get to stay in control of your budget and keep more of your money where it belongs. You can bring your unlocked phone, keep your same number, and start saving today. Make the switch at boostmobile com dot slash Ramsay. twenty five dollars forever requires customers to remain active on the Boost Unlimited Plan. Next on our list of things that used to be worth the money that now feels like a complete and total scam, them fighting words, we have got food trucks . It used to be great food at relatively cheap prices, but is completely flipped on its head. It is now mediocre food at exorbitant prices . Another commenter said I went to one outside of a sporting event, so not surprised at a slight markup, thinking it would save me some money, and it was twenty bucks for a small bowl of food, might as well have paid the stadium prices inside. This one sadly, I believe to be true. And I love a good food truck. There's something about food made inside of a truck tiny that I waited in line for on a nice day that just gets me excited . And it was once affordable, and now they cost the same with few amenities. You pay sit down prices to stand on a sidewalk. And I understand why. I mean there',s monthly operating costs. You got fuel, labor, supplies , the truck itself. That's not cheap. And so this is all rising due to inflation. And so these small businesses have to keep up. These are generally kind of mom and pop type shops running these food trucks, and so I'm happy to support a small business, which makes me feel better about paying twenty bucks for a small bowl of nothing. But it's just it's part of the experience, man. And it's kind of a captive audience. Where else are you going to go? Usually the food truck might be one of the only options to get some decent food. Speaking of food , for some reason this made the list. Hot Cheetos and other chips used to be able to get a large bag for two dollars twenty nine cents, now they're around six to seven bucks for a smaller bag and fewer chips. Is that true? Seven bucks for a bag of hot Cheetos? But this does speak to the idea of shrinkflation. The prices go up, the bag sizes go down. And just to fact check these guys, 'cause you can say anything on the internet, I want to find out exactly how much hot cheetos called flaming flaming hot cheetos ? Oh, flamin' hot. three hundred ninety seven five dollars ninety four for the party size. That feels like a decent normal price. thirty nine cents per ounce for a party. Now, I don't know if you're actually having a party or if you' justre going through something and it's a solo bag, but I'm not gonna judge. So there you go. And a fourteen ounce party sized Dorigos Walmart used to cost three hundred ninety eight. Now it's five ninety four for the same amount. And I get it. When you feel that bag, you go wow,, a lot of air in this bag, about seventy percent air. You open it up, you look down far enough, you'll find some chips in there. You'll find some Cheetos if you're lucky. But maybe that should dissuade you from eating all of these processed foods. Just a thought. Again, I like C donhe'ettos as much as the next guy, but you gotta have access to a sink to wash your hands after that bad boy. Or wear gloves, like I've cheetah gloves that I wear. I'm sorry, what? Next, let's cover dating sites. Quote, man do they, suck? Yeah, I don't think anyone disagrees with that. I feel like dating sites have now become like a gambling app, but with humans, which feels just kind of gross and exhausting and you go through like thousands of people to maybe get a few matches, to maybe go on a date that doesn't work out. So I agree it is depressing. You're better off using your proximity, but I've heard a lot of people have success with these and they find their loved ones that they're now married to through dating apps. I feel like for some reason I've heard that Hinge is one of the better ones to actually find a mate. So that's just my just what I've heard. But here's the thing, all these apps have a subscription and a premium side. And if you're casting a wide net and you're on multiple apps, that can run you sixty to seventy bucks a month. And that's not even a guaranteed date. Now, if I had a dating app, I would guarantee you a date within the first week. That's big brain thinking right there. And then I would pay the other people to go on a date with you to make it worth your money. So everyone's getting paid. It's just sort of a ponzi scheme. You give me money, I give that money to this person to go on the date with you and then we just continue the cycle until maybe you find love. And the sad truth is you are more likely to be ghosted on these apps as eighty four percent of Gen Z and Millennials report it. That's pretty sad. Next up on things that are now a total scam, selling on eBay fe,es the are nuts versus ten years ago. I do feel like you used to hear like selling on eBay was just like a career path you could just jump onto and it began as the ultimate digital garage sale. There's no middleman, you kept most of your money and today eBay's fees are thirteen percent to fifteen percent of the total transaction. So you get the item price, the shipping, the sales tax, plus a thirty to forty cent fee per order. And that adds up. If you've got a lot of volume moving through eBay, it's a lot of time, a lot of effort , so you better be raking in the big bucks to make this worth your energy. Next we have doing rideshare gigs. I used to drive for Uber when it first started where I live. It was okay money for the amount of effort slash skill level involved, but during the year I drove, Uber gradually decreased fares and increased their cut. I went from taking home eight point five out of a ten dollar fare to less than five dollars and quit. A teenager stalking shelves at a grocery store literally made more money. That's true though. When Uber and Liff first came to the Nashville area, it was when I had a bunch of debt. And so I was working on paying off that debt. And so I signed up for both. They had bonus offers. I think they gave you like a thousand bucks if you did a certain amount of rides within a certain amount of time. And so I hit both of those bonuses and I drove nights and weekends when I wasn't working and it was decent money that actually helped me get out of debt. But I think if I started today based on them lowering the amount I'm going to get, increasing their cut, the saturation because there's Uber drivers and lift drivers everywhere. It's a tough gig these days. So I wouldn't recommend it as a long term gig, but in the short term, I mean the fact that you could sign up and maybe be driving this week not bad. And you got to factor in higher gas prices now. You got to have extra insurance. There's wear and tear on the vehicle. There's some safety factors. So the ROI may not be there like it used to proceed with caution. Maybe you go for one of these uberry, storedash, instacart ship type apps where no humans are in your vehicle. That might simplify some things. Next, we've got airline tickets. You used to get meals, check bags, decent legroom, and actual service. Now you pay double for half of that and they'll still try to upsell you on a window seat. Feels like getting scammed at thirty five thousand feet . I like that. There's something about being high up in the air and getting skin that hurts even more. Silver lining though, if airlines select your seats, you may not have to sit next to your kids . Now, maybe this will all improve now the spirits out of the game. I don't know, but US airlines made over seven billion dollars in revenue from baggage fees alone in twenty twenty four. Looking at you Southwest. Oh, we're not like the other guys. Oh really? Now I'm in boarding group eight. But you don't have to find a seat I could find a seat just fine,. Okay I didn't need your help with that. And now I got to pay fifty bucks a bag. Now we're all taking carry ons. So now everything is full in the overhead bins, which means I got to gate check it and then go to baggage claim anyways That's how I feel about it Southwest. I'm not gonna be a sponsor of this show. And neither is spirit . To his own but allegiance, if you're out there, looking at you, girl . All right, last but not least, we've got the school photo industry before. B dackigital cameras, when it took effort to take amazing photos and then get them developed, it might make sense to splash out. I never heard that on a nice photo of your student once a year or a graduation. Now incredibly expensive prices for a printout or digital copy of a photo often no better than can be taken on your phone. Sure, the school photo is nice, but eighty bucks for a copy hard pass . Now for two kids, it does add up. That's potentially over a thousand bucks spent on school p icks from K through twelfth grade, which is a lot of money. So here's the way to think about it, it may make you feel better. Think of it as a fundraiser for your school. Schools often earn a flat fee or commission for packages ordered and you know this could, be an invest ment toward your child's wedding photo montage or grandma's fridge. And I'm experiencing that now with an infant and a toddler . And we pay it, even though it feels like paying the mafia. So overall, I agree with most of these on the list. I think they're a little bleak, a little bit angry, but I understand where they're coming from. And it just goes to show you you got to spend your money on where you believe it's worth it. So today's list has shown us anything is that there are better ways to spend our money than on shrink inflation and subscription creep. So if you want a foolproof plan to spend without regret, check out my book Breaking Free from Broke, specifically the chapter called Spending Islam Control where I share the smarter way to spend your hard earned money with no regrets. And bonus, there's an audiobook version for those of you who love to commit, but still have a stack of forty seven unread books under Nightstand. That's me. And hey, if this video made you equal parts angry and motivated, here's the antidote. Fourteen things I actually bought that are worth the money . So click here to watch that next or use the link in the description. That's it for today. Thank you guys for watching. We'll see you next time.