When did all the fun stuff go upscale? (Possible @)

[Velar Fricative]

Jul 18, 2023 7:01:40 GMT -5 kadams767 said:

I agree with so many points, in the article and here. Not much to add, and while obv. I blame corporations (and Reagan), I do wonder how much some of this is on consumers too. We’ve talked before about the optimization of everything and people’s obsession with everything being “the best”, which I think contributes to some of the discontinuance of basic, middle or low end options. It’s a combination of so many factors already mentioned - social media, keeping up with the Joneses, lack of other choices, technology - but at some point in my adult life, I feel like everyone moved to always wanting the best, the nicest, the most extreme, of everything. So it makes a little sense that companies moved away from base stuff. Now is it a chicken and egg situation? At least in part, I’m sure. But I’ve been frustrated with both corporations and consumers on this issue for years.

There are plenty of things that I can afford, but that isn’t even the issue to me for most of them. It’s that I don’t care about them, so I hate feeling like I have no other choice but to buy/do them, and I really hate the insinuation that I’m just being cheap or shortsighted if I don’t (the whole “you pay for quality” thing, which is really only true to an extent, IME).

I've been thinking about this a lot too, and I suspect companies are chasing excellent customer reviews knowing so many people depend on them before buying anything. I remember reading this piece a couple of months ago and it really resonated with me. People don't want to feel like they're spending money on inferior products, but this also prevents companies from making more budget or mid-range products because consumers are looking for the best of the best and not simply "good enough." 

But the bifurcation is still happening because hasn't Dollar General and other similar stores been the most-expanding stores in the US at least? But the "in between" stores aren't doing so well I guess. And as for services, we've sold ourselves on paying more for that to ensure quality results. Like, I have curly-ish hair and spend a pretty penny on my cuts and styling because I go someplace fancy that specializes in curly hair. But maybe I could go somewhere cheaper? I just haven't tried because I'm too afraid of crappy results and wasted money. I don't know, I'm just rambling. 

[gt7301b]

We recently had to replace our car because it was totaled by a drunk driver while parked on the street by our house. The annoying thing was there were NO lower models on the lots in a 100 mile radius of our house. We were under a time crunch because we only had a limited time on the rental car and actually needed a car. I was able to find one car that was a under MSRP. The dealer was a pain to deal with, if our car wasn't totaled I would have walked away.

I imagine this is one of the factors leading to the increase in average car prices. Good luck finding a less expensive car.
www.caranddriver.com/news/a43611570/average-new-car-price-down-still-high/

[kadams767]

Jul 18, 2023 9:02:31 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

Jul 18, 2023 7:01:40 GMT -5 kadams767 said:

I agree with so many points, in the article and here. Not much to add, and while obv. I blame corporations (and Reagan), I do wonder how much some of this is on consumers too. We’ve talked before about the optimization of everything and people’s obsession with everything being “the best”, which I think contributes to some of the discontinuance of basic, middle or low end options. It’s a combination of so many factors already mentioned - social media, keeping up with the Joneses, lack of other choices, technology - but at some point in my adult life, I feel like everyone moved to always wanting the best, the nicest, the most extreme, of everything. So it makes a little sense that companies moved away from base stuff. Now is it a chicken and egg situation? At least in part, I’m sure. But I’ve been frustrated with both corporations and consumers on this issue for years.

There are plenty of things that I can afford, but that isn’t even the issue to me for most of them. It’s that I don’t care about them, so I hate feeling like I have no other choice but to buy/do them, and I really hate the insinuation that I’m just being cheap or shortsighted if I don’t (the whole “you pay for quality” thing, which is really only true to an extent, IME).

I've been thinking about this a lot too, and I suspect companies are chasing excellent customer reviews knowing so many people depend on them before buying anything. I remember reading this piece a couple of months ago and it really resonated with me. People don't want to feel like they're spending money on inferior products, but this also prevents companies from making more budget or mid-range products because consumers are looking for the best of the best and not simply "good enough." 

But the bifurcation is still happening because hasn't Dollar General and other similar stores been the most-expanding stores in the US at least? But the "in between" stores aren't doing so well I guess. And as for services, we've sold ourselves on paying more for that to ensure quality results. Like, I have curly-ish hair and spend a pretty penny on my cuts and styling because I go someplace fancy that specializes in curly hair. But maybe I could go somewhere cheaper? I just haven't tried because I'm too afraid of crappy results and wasted money. I don't know, I'm just rambling. 

Not sure what it says about me, LOL, but your rambling resonates with me and I get it totally.  I mean, I get it, no one wants crappy stuff, me included.  And of course no one wants to feel like they are wasting money on inferior products and experiences.  Couple those thoughts with the feeling that even complaining about this feels an awful lot like "no Skittles for poor people", but I guess in a way it sort of is.  Is it wrong to think some things really just have to be good enough and some things really are just for wealthy people?  Maybe so.    

I think I read that article before and it's so true.  It's also true that people like Dan drive me freaking crazy IRL.    

[wawa]

In the spirit of rambling -
Within certain parameters being willing to spend more to get a good product is a good thing. All around. Good on a personal level, good on a society obsessed with rampant consumerism level. Like I've upped my personal mental limits for clothing purchases, and now focus on having a smaller number of higher quality items. I'm not alone in that at all. BUT that assumes it goes with that whole "smaller number of items" and that part of the reason I'm spending more is that the items will last longer so overall my personal consumption would be LOWER. (which...isn't good for our GDP I guess? but hey, fuck capitalism)

But at the same time - Shein exists. Clothing haul videos exist. Trends moving at the speed of light exist. So...like...that bifurcation again.

We're doing both. We're having more and more things where the cost to get something decent requires you to get something 'high end' but your other option is dollar store crap.
Like, I just want something that isn't going to fall apart in 2 years, but i don't need it (or want it) to be fancy or have extra bells and whistles.
Good.fucking.luck.
Whenever I find "that thing" (whatever that thing is) it always feels like such a win. And I wonder sometimes if I'm just getting old and cranky, or if this is real. But sure seems real.

Another example - I am DREADING when my washer and dryer finally kick the bucket, because they were here when we bought our house in '08 and have been going strong ever since. No touch screens, no mother boards. Recently replaced the heating element in the dryer my very own self (it was SUPER easy). and I know for a fact that I am going to be salty AF to pay extra for a fuckton of fancy features I DO.NOT.WANT just to get something decent. (unless it'll fold it and put it away for me. would pay lots extra for that)

[noodleoo]

Jul 18, 2023 9:59:20 GMT -5 wawa said:

Another example - I am DREADING when my washer and dryer finally kick the bucket, because they were here when we bought our house in '08 and have been going strong ever since. No touch screens, no mother boards. Recently replaced the heating element in the dryer my very own self (it was SUPER easy). and I know for a fact that I am going to be salty AF to pay extra for a fuckton of fancy features I DO.NOT.WANT just to get something decent. (unless it'll fold it and put it away for me. would pay lots extra for that)

I totally get this!  We bought all our appliances new in 2009 when we bought our house and we bought basic, cheaper models since we were on a budget.  We recently had to replace our fridge and stove and it was so hard to find low end models without all the electronic features!  Those are always the things that break.  I credit ours lasting 10+ years on them being basic, I have friends who are replacing appliances after <5 years, which is insane!  Our washer/dryer is also still going strong at 14 years and I'm hoping they last.

[dontlook]

Jul 18, 2023 9:59:20 GMT -5 wawa said:

In the spirit of rambling -
Within certain parameters being willing to spend more to get a good product is a good thing. All around. Good on a personal level, good on a society obsessed with rampant consumerism level. Like I've upped my personal mental limits for clothing purchases, and now focus on having a smaller number of higher quality items. I'm not alone in that at all. BUT that assumes it goes with that whole "smaller number of items" and that part of the reason I'm spending more is that the items will last longer so overall my personal consumption would be LOWER. (which...isn't good for our GDP I guess? but hey, fuck capitalism)

But at the same time - Shein exists. Clothing haul videos exist. Trends moving at the speed of light exist. So...like...that bifurcation again.

We're doing both. We're having more and more things where the cost to get something decent requires you to get something 'high end' but your other option is dollar store crap.
Like, I just want something that isn't going to fall apart in 2 years, but i don't need it (or want it) to be fancy or have extra bells and whistles.
Good.fucking.luck.
Whenever I find "that thing" (whatever that thing is) it always feels like such a win. And I wonder sometimes if I'm just getting old and cranky, or if this is real. But sure seems real.

Another example - I am DREADING when my washer and dryer finally kick the bucket, because they were here when we bought our house in '08 and have been going strong ever since. No touch screens, no mother boards. Recently replaced the heating element in the dryer my very own self (it was SUPER easy). and I know for a fact that I am going to be salty AF to pay extra for a fuckton of fancy features I DO.NOT.WANT just to get something decent. (unless it'll fold it and put it away for me. would pay lots extra for that)

I want to rant about appliances. We picked mid-range appliances when we built our house in 2020. Because of Covid a ton of stuff we picked wasn’t available so the builder “upgraded” them to high-end. What a freaking joke. The fridge only has ice inside, no water on the outside. Our washer and dryer are a terrible. I want to get rid of every single appliance but can’t because replacing is too expensive, not what I want, and I don’t want to be wasteful. I just want ice and water on the outside of my damn fridge! /rant

[pixy0stix]

Jul 18, 2023 9:59:20 GMT -5 wawa said:

But at the same time - Shein exists. Clothing haul videos exist. Trends moving at the speed of light exist. So...like...that bifurcation again.

I'd argue that the "cheap" options aren't really cheap. Sure, monetarily they fill a void, but my god the environmental and human costs are astronomical.

Shein has been in the news lately because of an exposé that was done on their factory conditions (horrific), the chemicals that have been found in their clothes (toxic), and their attempt at changing the narrative by inviting tiktokers on a brand trip (and their subsequent "cancelation").

Article about the documentary: www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/oct/17/untold-inside-the-shein-machine-review-the-brand-that-knows-what-youre-going-to-buy-before-you-do

Chemicals in clothes: www.cbc.ca/news/business/marketplace-fast-fashion-chemicals-1.6193385

Influencer backlash (summarizes the first two points): www.npr.org/2023/06/30/1184974003/shein-influencers-china-factory-trip-backlash

[msmerymac]

Jul 18, 2023 8:46:45 GMT -5 litebright said:

I grew up in a rural Ohio town and people did camping or driving vacations, often to a relative's lake house. Church camping trips were pretty common & lower cost, too. My grandparents were wealthy and had both a lake house in Michigan and a condo in FL, so we could drive to both. I didn't take a vacation that *wasn't* to visit family (and stay with them so hotel costs weren't a factor) until I was working post-college, and it was within driving distance because I couldn't afford a flight.

In high school, my church youth group did a 1 week Habitat for Humanity trip each summer. We'd get a 15 passenger van and one of our leaders would also bring her pickup truck, hauling a storage trailer for luggage. 

We would sleep at a church (in their basement or community room) on air mattresses and sleeping bags, and shower at YMCAs after we worked each day. We made our own food in the church kitchens. 

Each trip involved one "fun day" too - Hershey Park, Ocean City MD, things like that. 

We did a few fundraisers each year - a haunted house, pizza sales, and a murder mystery dinner theater. Each fundraiser you participated in knocked $25 off the price of the trip for you. In the end, the cost of the trip, per student, if you participated in the fundraisers, was $75. SEVENTY FIVE DOLLARS. 

[wawa]

Jul 18, 2023 10:33:51 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Jul 18, 2023 9:59:20 GMT -5 wawa said:

But at the same time - Shein exists. Clothing haul videos exist. Trends moving at the speed of light exist. So...like...that bifurcation again.

I'd argue that the "cheap" options aren't really cheap. Sure, monetarily they fill a void, but my god the environmental and human costs are astronomical.

Shein has been in the news lately because of an exposé that was done on their factory conditions (horrific), the chemicals that have been found in their clothes (toxic), and their attempt at changing the narrative by inviting tiktokers on a brand trip (and their subsequent "cancelation").

Article about the documentary: www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/oct/17/untold-inside-the-shein-machine-review-the-brand-that-knows-what-youre-going-to-buy-before-you-do

Chemicals in clothes: www.cbc.ca/news/business/marketplace-fast-fashion-chemicals-1.6193385

Influencer backlash (summarizes the first two points): www.npr.org/2023/06/30/1184974003/shein-influencers-china-factory-trip-backlash

Totally agree.  They're inexpensive to purchase, but terrible in every other dimension.  And even ignoring the externalities, even for a individual consumer, the "lifecycle cost" of buying those kinds of products aren't low.  But if more people gave a flying fuck about that kind of thing we wouldn't be here.

[krystee]

Despite all the skyrocketing costs, I feel like more of my online and real-life friends than ever have done either bigger-than-usual trips (including us) or more-frequent-than-usual trips and more fun but pricey activities this year. I wonder how much of this is a COVID effect, in that we feel like we lost two years of fun and have to prioritize it now in case that happens again, regardless of cost. And companies of course will take significant advantage of that sense of FOMO.

[fortnightlily]

Jul 18, 2023 11:00:28 GMT -5 krystee said:

Despite all the skyrocketing costs, I feel like more of my online and real-life friends than ever have done either bigger-than-usual trips (including us) or more-frequent-than-usual trips and more fun but pricey activities this year. I wonder how much of this is a COVID effect, in that we feel like we lost two years of fun and have to prioritize it now in case that happens again, regardless of cost. And companies of course will take significant advantage of that sense of FOMO.

Related to this, a lot of travel or outings also seems to require so much more prior planning than it used to. It feels like everything is super crowded and books up super early. Probably a post-Covid travel boom effect, but not entirely.

[somersault72]

Jul 17, 2023 9:55:00 GMT -5 abs said:

For whoever said concessions—yes. A bottle of Dasani water at Minute Maid Park is like $8. It’s half that at Disney World!! When you are out charging Disney you have problems.

We usually go to 5-6 baseball games a season. This year it has been 2. It’s just so much money.

My work gives us 2 free tickets to a Reds game each year (with the option to purchase more for $10/ticket). When I went to redeem mine there was an option to pay $25 for an "all you can eat" pass that includes 5 hot dogs, chips, peanuts, and soda which I definitely opted for. Great American Ballpark is one of the more inexpensive ballparks but it's still not cheap! So between that, the $20 parking pass, and the ticket/processing fees I've already spent over $80 on this outing for my family of 4 and we're not even going until next month.

[nothingcontroversial]

Jul 17, 2023 15:05:31 GMT -5 wildrice said:

I haven't seen actual data on the price of things now vs the price of things when we were kids, but speaking to the comments about how people did a lot of things when they were kids that they can't do with their own families now - that's actually not my experience, nor was it of most people I grew up knowing. I think that was a class thing. 

Yeah, I noted that a bunch of the earlier posts were people writing that "fun things were more affordable when I was a kid" and then they listed a bunch of stuff that my family never did as a kid. I'm not that surprised, though, because I am under the impression based on prior posts that the OP came from a more affluent upbringing than I did, so whatever.

My parents had four kids, and there were no trips to the ocean (not even for a weekend) and no Disney. Vacations consisted of us sleeping in our pop-up camper in a Pennsylvania State Park. (I realize that we were privileged to be able to buy a secondhand pop up camper. From what i understand, those are expensive today.) 

The amusement park that was a 1.5 hour drive away from our house in rural PA. We got coupons from the back of potato chip bags that were "buy one admission, get one free" but only on certain dates that were all Tuesdays in June. Luckily I had a parent who worked every weekend and holiday, so this parent was able to take Tuesdays off and we always went to the amusement park on a day when the BOGO coupons were valid, rain or shine. There were a lot of trips to the amusement park on rainy days because that's when the coupon was valid. The park was more fun on those days because the lines for the rides were shorter.  

The amusement park thing was about once a year. The rest of our fun consisted of picnics at a state park. Luckily, in Pennsylvania, the admission and parking to the state park was free, so the only expense was gas and groceries. 

[rubytue]

Jul 17, 2023 21:24:22 GMT -5 mofongo said:

Jul 17, 2023 12:58:38 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

RE-cars, we were just having this conversation with my parents. My dad doesn't want a car that has a ton of bells and whistles and yet everything is a touch screen. Saftey features are one thing, but for example, cars default to music through your phone and he just wants the radio.

I’ve never heard of a car defaulting to your phone, my H’s car is a 2022 and you still have to hit media for it to play from your phone.

rubytue - check out VW, I have a golf GTI hatchback, they make one that’s slightly bigger than the regular size gold too.

I had a golf TDI, manual. I loved that car, like my favorite car I’ve ever owned. Until they became lying liars. 

[rubytue]

Jul 18, 2023 21:02:54 GMT -5 mofongo said:

Jul 18, 2023 20:35:04 GMT -5 rubytue said:

I had a golf TDI, manual. I loved that car, like my favorite car I’ve ever owned. Until they became lying liars. 

I bought before it all came out, and it wasn’t a TDI. Maybe they’ve improved? 

I’m tempted. But, I’m a government regulator, not EPA, but it bugged me that much I can’t do it. Luckily, I have awhile before I’m due for a new car. I want one, but mine is perfectly good. 

[sillygoosegirl]

Jul 18, 2023 10:10:30 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

Jul 18, 2023 9:59:20 GMT -5 wawa said:

Another example - I am DREADING when my washer and dryer finally kick the bucket, because they were here when we bought our house in '08 and have been going strong ever since. No touch screens, no mother boards. Recently replaced the heating element in the dryer my very own self (it was SUPER easy). and I know for a fact that I am going to be salty AF to pay extra for a fuckton of fancy features I DO.NOT.WANT just to get something decent. (unless it'll fold it and put it away for me. would pay lots extra for that)

I totally get this!  We bought all our appliances new in 2009 when we bought our house and we bought basic, cheaper models since we were on a budget.  We recently had to replace our fridge and stove and it was so hard to find low end models without all the electronic features!  Those are always the things that break.  I credit ours lasting 10+ years on them being basic, I have friends who are replacing appliances after <5 years, which is insane!  Our washer/dryer is also still going strong at 14 years and I'm hoping they last.

I'm also dreading replacing our W/D. There are some features the fancier washers have that I'm interested in (@@@ cycles more appropriate to cloth diapers), but I've read to expect a new washer to last maybe 5 years if you are lucky. We've had our W/D the 10 years we've been in the house, plus they were already ancient when we moved in. Yes, we've had to have one repaired once or maybe twice, but it was less than $100 each time.

[rubytue]

Jul 18, 2023 8:46:45 GMT -5 litebright said:

I found myself thinking the other day, how do I know so many people who have been to Iceland?! I'm seeing so many pics on FB that are people in Mexico, Europe and Iceland, lol. It's because of this place--and running in way more bougie circles than I grew up in, and actually still having a connection to people I haven't seen in person in years, some of whom are single and child-free and do quite a bit of travel.

This summer seems insane. I guess, like someone said, is post pandemic catch-up travel. But I’ve been laughing because I had THREE friends who don’t know each other at all post picture of the same art installation in Scotland days apart. And I think 4 in Puerto Rico, also the same week. 

[themoneytree]

Jul 17, 2023 14:38:06 GMT -5 macmars45 said:

Jul 17, 2023 13:26:36 GMT -5 rubytue said:

Yes yes yes! Haptic feedback is essential. These damn touchscreens where you have to concentrate on something off the road to, you know, open the glove box. Come on Tesla. 

We have a Tesla and a Chevy Bolt. I vastly prefer the Bolt because I don't need to mess with a screen to open the glove box, change the temp etc.

You can press the right wheel on the steering wheel and tell the Tesla to open the glove compartment, put on windshield wipers or change the temp.
You can do most things that way if you don’t want to mess with the screen.

[rubytue]

Jul 19, 2023 20:53:01 GMT -5 themoneytree said:

Jul 17, 2023 14:38:06 GMT -5 macmars45 said:

We have a Tesla and a Chevy Bolt. I vastly prefer the Bolt because I don't need to mess with a screen to open the glove box, change the temp etc.

You can press the right wheel on the steering wheel and tell the Tesla to open the glove compartment, put on windshield wipers or change the temp.
You can do most things that way if you don’t want to mess with the screen.

I’m curious, is it natural language? Like, could you press a button and say “make it warmer”?

My car has voice control. I’ve tried to use it like twice, and never succeeded. I’m not even sure how to get to the heater. It requires navigating menus by voice, and it like calling a 1800 number, but there is no option to just keep yelling “PERSON” and get somewhere. Instead, you need to know the menu. 

[Deleted]

Jul 17, 2023 11:16:33 GMT -5 icedcoffee said:

Everything is crazy. Mini golf was my latest shock. I think we paid close to $50 for the 4 of us.

I did recently have a "woah that's cheap moment". The rides at Funland in Rehoboth. There were several that cost only about $1 each to ride. I was all "rides for everyone!" with that one!

You really get a lot of bang for your buck in Rehoboth. Up until I think 3 years ago all of the Boardwalk Games were only $1. They're $2 now which is still a great deal considering what they charge on the NJ Boardwalks. 

[erbear]

Jul 20, 2023 7:13:51 GMT -5 @sameoldstory said:

Jul 17, 2023 11:16:33 GMT -5 icedcoffee said:

Everything is crazy. Mini golf was my latest shock. I think we paid close to $50 for the 4 of us.

I did recently have a "woah that's cheap moment". The rides at Funland in Rehoboth. There were several that cost only about $1 each to ride. I was all "rides for everyone!" with that one!

You really get a lot of bang for your buck in Rehoboth. Up until I think 3 years ago all of the Boardwalk Games were only $1. They're $2 now which is still a great deal considering what they charge on the NJ Boardwalks. 

And there are still good restaurants where you can get a decent meal for not that much money. Delaware for life.

[eddy]

I have been thinking about this article and thread. For me, I think COVID is also a big reason I started to feel so frantic about experiences. Plus the threat the back and forth of it is safe, is it not safe. And then add in the passage of time we all experienced. It really made clear to me how valuable a family vacation is for example. And I think the rising prices are still taking advantage of that. They know many people feel like me and will pay just to have an experience. Kind of the "fuck it, we only live once" attitude.

Our vacation to Colorado was so amazing and scratched a big itch. I am feeling more at peace and we won't plan any vacations until next summer. I naively hope some of these costs start to lower by that point, but we shall see.

[Aloe Vera]

Jul 18, 2023 9:59:20 GMT -5 wawa said:

Another example - I am DREADING when my washer and dryer finally kick the bucket, because they were here when we bought our house in '08 and have been going strong ever since. No touch screens, no mother boards. Recently replaced the heating element in the dryer my very own self (it was SUPER easy). and I know for a fact that I am going to be salty AF to pay extra for a fuckton of fancy features I DO.NOT.WANT just to get something decent. (unless it'll fold it and put it away for me. would pay lots extra for that)

They still sell the basic washer and dryer for about $500 each. It's going to be a top loader with agitator using a shitton of water though.
I just upgraded my washer and dryer from basic models bought in 2008 because they kept having issues and I was fixing them constantly. I got a front loader. Luckily, I bought the washer during Cyber Monday using Rakuten so I got $150 cash back and I bought the matching dryer last May during their sale and got $120 cash back from Rakuten. You can still fix them yourself. If it's the motherboard, it might cost $200 for the part but it's still cheaper than a new washer/dryer.

[steamboat185]

Jul 20, 2023 10:35:57 GMT -5 Aloe Vera said:

Jul 18, 2023 9:59:20 GMT -5 wawa said:

Another example - I am DREADING when my washer and dryer finally kick the bucket, because they were here when we bought our house in '08 and have been going strong ever since. No touch screens, no mother boards. Recently replaced the heating element in the dryer my very own self (it was SUPER easy). and I know for a fact that I am going to be salty AF to pay extra for a fuckton of fancy features I DO.NOT.WANT just to get something decent. (unless it'll fold it and put it away for me. would pay lots extra for that)

They still sell the basic washer and dryer for about $500 each. It's going to be a top loader with agitator using a shitton of water though.
I just upgraded my washer and dryer from basic models bought in 2008 because they kept having issues and I was fixing them constantly. I got a front loader. Luckily, I bought the washer during Cyber Monday using Rakuten so I got $150 cash back and I bought the matching dryer last May during their sale and got $120 cash back from Rakuten. You can still fix them yourself. If it's the motherboard, it might cost $200 for the part but it's still cheaper than a new washer/dryer.

When buying you can also look at reviews for machines that are easier to fix. We fixed our old one 3-4 times ourselves and bought a new one that has a front access port in case small clothing get stuck and is supposed to be easier to fix yourself. Honestly I love the app, it is so easy to use, and the machines are so much nicer than the ones we bought in 2004.

[EvieEthelGarland]

Today I learned that the concerts in the park my suburban town has put on for years now charges for parking. What used to be free is now $10 to park (and it is not walkable for the majority of residents because of lack of sidewalks and overall location). It also dropped from 6 a year to just 2 this summer.

A few years ago our state parks started charging $10/day or $30/year. The pass was linked to plate number so if you got a new car or had to replace your plate or were carpooling, it was another fee. They now allow 2 plates per pass. The best playground in my town is in a state park and for the neighborhood its in, its the only playground.

The county park with my dog park charges to park.

The National Park pass seems to be the only public lands recreation option that has kept fees reasonable. I bought a pass for $50 in the 90s and its only $80 now.

[MixedBerryJam]

Jul 17, 2023 15:19:12 GMT -5 basilosaurus said:

Jul 17, 2023 15:13:51 GMT -5 MixedBerryJam said:

I’m not telling you all to move to DC but I love and take full advantage of the free Smithsonians. And the splurge is driving in and paying for parking guilt free.

I lived 3 stops from the district, could walk to the station. Worked one stop away. We'd regularly just go for a couple hours. The splurge was all the food and drink

I’m afraid to call it The District and be accused of being a poseur bc I’ve only lived in nova for 2 years. I should really start. You make it sound so cosmopolitan!

[themoneytree]

Jul 19, 2023 21:12:44 GMT -5 rubytue said:

Jul 19, 2023 20:53:01 GMT -5 themoneytree said:

You can press the right wheel on the steering wheel and tell the Tesla to open the glove compartment, put on windshield wipers or change the temp.
You can do most things that way if you don’t want to mess with the screen.

I’m curious, is it natural language? Like, could you press a button and say “make it warmer”?

My car has voice control. I’ve tried to use it like twice, and never succeeded. I’m not even sure how to get to the heater. It requires navigating menus by voice, and it like calling a 1800 number, but there is no option to just keep yelling “PERSON” and get somewhere. Instead, you need to know the menu. 

I say “open glove compartment” and it does.
Also “enable windshield wipers” or “turn on windshield wipers”.
I haven’t tried the temperature since that’s so easy to change, but I might try it. I would probably say “set temperature to 70 degrees” or something like that.
I also use it to find music I want so I don’t have to mess around typing things in.

I find it pretty easy. You definitely don’t need to know exactly what to say. It will understand a lot.

[livinitup]

I can completely relate to the fun stuff as a kid being a special occasion with few frills. I give both of my parents a lot of credit for taking us places and making them special anyway. There was a ton of “Look kids we are on vacation, in Cape Cod, in a cabin, no tents for us!” (They were city people and not campers, lol). And we were in the woods with no air conditioning and felt like the luckiest family in the world. At home, my mom got all the free beach and park passes and took us for looong days on the beach. Bringing sandwiches (“and you’ll like it”) is so ingrained that buying from the concession stand seems odd to me. H and I just did a week-long vacation at a hotel and I used every amenity they had - beach access, pool, sun deck, rocking chairs - just to feel like we “used” everything we paid for. We walked around and hit 2 free concerts and felt fancy.

I have been feeling, lately, that prices have gone up and paying for family fun is more in-line with pricing that my parents experienced. I think the articles and discussions are right on point that we experienced a few decades of moderate pricing that is largely over. It doesn’t have to be this way but here we are.

[basilosaurus]

Jul 20, 2023 16:16:43 GMT -5 MixedBerryJam said:

Jul 17, 2023 15:19:12 GMT -5 basilosaurus said:

I lived 3 stops from the district, could walk to the station. Worked one stop away. We'd regularly just go for a couple hours. The splurge was all the food and drink

I’m afraid to call it The District and be accused of being a poseur bc I’ve only lived in nova for 2 years. I should really start. You make it sound so cosmopolitan!

Lol. I had family in suborn. I went by their status and by those in my work. They all considered me district but made the distinction i wasn't in the district technically but also wasn't outside. Weird stuff. I literally was in an flight at hotel airport to leave the day tfg was was elected.

[notsopicky]

Jul 17, 2023 15:23:35 GMT -5 rubytue said:

On the concert tickets topic, I’m the dork that has saved every ticket stub

11/4/1989 - REM in a large college basketball area, section 123 (so, lower level, not floor), $17
8/8/1994 - Lollapalooza $31
7/10/1994 - Pink Floyd at RFK, section 215 (not sure the level, my memory says on the field in the back) $32.50
4/21/2000 - Bruce Springsteen, section 202 in an NBA/NHL arena (it was high) $37.50

Looks like somewhere around 2005 I switched from the scrapbook to a large pile, I’m too lazy to keep going far, but I did pull out:
11/20/2009 - Bruce Springsteen at Baltimore’s area (which is smaller than an NBA/NHL arena) $98. This was a lower level seat, but 161% more than 9.5 years earlier.

This has me intrigued. The data analyst in me wants to input these into a spreadsheet and do some analysis on them 😂

Ruby, I was at that Pink Floyd concert in '94. OMG!