When you’re growing up, you don’t really pay too much attention to how much things cost.
And you really don’t figure out the cost of things or the value of a dollar until you get your first real job and you learn about how much hard work that life can really be.
Let’s check out these amusing stories from folks on AskReddit who admitted they didn’t know what things REALLY cost until they became adults.
1. They are pricey.
“Lots of things but recently I bought a rug and I had no idea rugs would be that expensive.
I have wood floors for the first time so I’ve never needed to buy one before.”
2. Very true.
“Pets.
I always had dogs and cats growing up. Well, a few years ago I decided to get my own dog. Large breed dogs are expensive. My dog now has health issues. He is allergic to chicken and has sensitive skin.
I spend $100 monthly on special dog food for him. Plus he needs vitamins, monthly groomer visits, yearly physical, toys, etc.
Animals are expensive.
I was watching Homeward Bound a few days ago. All I could think about is “How can these people afford to fly 3 pets from San Fransico to Canada?””
3. Sleep tight.
“Bed sheets, blankets, pillows, at least the good sets.
I just want a nice comfy bedroom, but my blankets don’t match the decoration.”
4. On second thought…
“Legos. Buying them for the nieces and nephews.
Thought I was going to be the cool uncle by buying them huge sets.
That strategy got changed quite quick.”
5. Hit the lights!
“Utilities.
There’s a reason my parents used to walk around flipping switches saying, “What, do you have stock in Edison?!” or that my Mom would throw a sweater at us when we’d complain about being cold but were wearing t-shirts and shorts, bare foot.
Now I am my Mom.
Here’s a blanket, put on some socks, quit complaining.”
6. It sure is.
“Rent.
My parents have owned their home since I was 3, and paid off their mortgage while I was still a kid, so I never realised how expensive it could be just to have somewhere to live.”
7. SO EXPENSIVE.
“Fresh fruit.
I used to eat entire containers of raspberries immediately upon finding them in the fridge and I could never figure out why my mom would be upset I went through them so quickly.
They’re like $5-7 for like 20 raspberries at most! I just bought kiwi berries because I was curious and hadn’t seen them in stores before. $4 for a dozen of them. They’re approximately grape sized, if you aren’t familiar.
Aldi is the only reason I can afford fresh fruit on any sort of regular basis.”
8. The good stuff!
“Decent cheese.
The first time I ever went shopping I realized why my mum used to go mental when myself and my dad would sit and eat cubes of mature cheddar.”
9. Pretty steep.
“Omg tampons!
When my local grocery stores was remodeling last year, they marked down tampons by like 70%.
I was able to get U by Kotex compact tampons for $3 a box (y’all ladies know those are expensive and usually run $8-$10 a box).
You best believe I bought them out. I still have tampons left.”
10. You need ’em.
“Agree with all answers here but the thing i discovered first was car tires.
Usually a car is a young adults first major purchase.”
11. Draining your bank account.
“Groceries.
Meat. Cheese. Fresh vegetables.
TV always be like, “Eat healthy!” but the grocery store always be like, “The only thing on sale is refined sugar!””
12. They cost a fortune.
“Avocados.
Had them in patents backyard and ate them all the time. Moved out of parents house and oh my God.
I had no idea how expensive avocados are. I had to reduce my intake of guac from daily to once a month.”
13. Costs a pretty penny.
“This is going to sound so dumb, but furniture. Growing up, I knew furniture wasn’t cheap. But, I thought “a really nice coffee table can’t cost more than like $200.”
Then I started buying my own furniture and was still blissfully in the dark, because I never cared about having brand new stuff, I’d just get furniture secondhand or at thrift shops.
Then I moved in with my girlfriend, who likes to get new things and realized my conceptions were WAY off. That’s like bottom line for a coffee table that won’t fall apart within a year.
Certain things like couches I understand, but every little thing you could put something else on is stupid expensive and it still doesn’t make sense to me even after I’ve come to accept it.”
14. You need a good one.
“Mattresses.
And you don’t realize how important a good one is until you really have to think about it.
Your sleep is so important and affects everything so it’s important to get a good mattress but holy hell they are expensive.”
How about you?
What things did you not realize were expensive until you became older?
Talk to us in the comments!
