Anyone else feeling nickle and dimed lately?

[kellyg403]

Yep OP...I feel it every single day. Now that school has started...well, don't get me started. YDS is in 8th grade and we started school here on Aug 25. So far, 27 instructional fee, 5 per game for food for them before football games, they have a MIN of 10 bucks to participate in Fun Run that has to be turned in Monday, they have already sent out two fundraisers, those dining books and candles, then the 3 high schoolers...ack..its been check after check. And the grocery store...that is a whole other thing. DH has asked why I have been to the grocery store 3 times in 1 week...everything is smaller! Even the crackers I buy for the kids lunchs used to come in a pack of 8...I noticed this week they are a pack of 6!

Kelly

 

[powellrj]

Yep OP...I feel it every single day. Now that school has started...well, don't get me started. YDS is in 8th grade and we started school here on Aug 25.
Kelly

My DD started 8th grade on Aug 18th and its just been a steady nickel dime every day.

We paid her $100 registration/book fees
school picture
gym uniform
fund raiser
choir outfit (I have a job and don't own a $38 blouse, so I'm not sure why she needs one to wear to 4 choir performances-plus a $6 necklace and $10 rental fees for pants)

Thats just school, church also wants $140 for a September trip plus 2 meals and $30 for an October trip plus 2 meals. I had to say no to the September trip because I had already spent $180 on dance shoes I wasn't expecting to have to pay for so I just finally had to say no.

 

[kellyg403]

My DD started 8th grade on Aug 18th and its just been a steady nickel dime every day.

We paid her $100 registration/book fees
school picture
gym uniform
fund raiser
choir outfit (I have a job and don't own a $38 blouse, so I'm not sure why she needs one to wear to 4 choir performances-plus a $6 necklace and $10 rental fees for pants)

Thats just school, church also wants $140 for a September trip plus 2 meals and $30 for an October trip plus 2 meals. I had to say no to the September trip because I had already spent $180 on dance shoes I wasn't expecting to have to pay for so I just finally had to say no.

Yep...it is amazing. My oldest dd is a senior this year...so I have not been saying no to a lot of stuff but soon, we are going to have to put the breaks on some of this stuff. I still am in shock that two weeks into the school year we already have 2 fundraisers just in the middle school.

Kelly

 

[maggieusa]

I know how everyone feels I ordereda wopper jr the other day for my dog and it did not even cover the bun how sad things are getting

 

[pigletto]

First week of school here and we have two fundraisers already. A big one was the skating lessons for 5 yr old ds. It's $350 dollars for the year. Last year it was about 40 kids on the ice in groups with 14 and 15 year old leaders. It just wasn't in the budget this year. So Daddy will be this years skating teacher. There is family ice time every weekend and Dad played hockey for 15 years. I think ds will be just fine with that.
Pictures are a huge one for me. Between soccer pictures, baseball pictures, school pictures it is a few hundred dollars. And to be honest with you I far prefer the pictures from my own camera and the ones we got from the photpass last year. I always end up feeling terribly guilty saying no to the packages though.

 

[Lucky4me]

I have a 14 year old dd. I'm being ten and twenty dollar'd, not nickel and dimed. It's non stop, every day. I can't wait until she can work a little part time job to cover some of these expenses.

 

[PrincessTeresa]

You remember when a bag of sugar was 5 lbs.? That's where it all started.

Yeah ~ Here in Alabama, a 5 pound bag of walmart brand sugar was $1.88, in the past year and a half it's gone up to over $3! Insane I tell you!!!

 

[mkel34]

Tickets for the Zac Brown Band Concert in Boston.

Type
2 Full Price Ticket

Ticket Price
US $28.00 x 2

Convenience Charge
US $8.65 x 2

Building Facility Charge
US $2.00 x 2

TicketFast®: NOW (Recommended) What's this?
What is TicketFast®?
We'll e-mail you a link to your ticket(s). To pick them up, simply log in, print them out and present them at the venue.
US $2.50

I'd like to know what Ticketmaster does to dare ask for a $17+ convenience fee and $2.50 for me to print my own tickets.

 

[Disneefun]

Last night I went to the grocery store to buy my usual peter pan peanut butter. All the jars had these stickers saying "Now Earth Friendly. 9% less plastic." Uh-huh. When I got it home, I compared it to the jar in my pantry and it is now 16oz, down from 18oz of peanut butter. Sure is easy to use less plastic when you only need a smaller jar to hold less product.

Please. Do these manufacturers think we are that stupid? Yeah, sure, Earth Friendly my rear end.

 

[big_red_s]

It just seems that every time I turn around, I'm paying more and getting less. Anyone else feel this way?

Welcome to the USA where for the past 15-20 years we have changed our economy to be based on providing inferior products while trying to get the maximum amount of money out of someone's pocket, fees, suckering you out of your money and taxing without using the word "tax" (tolls, fees etc.).

 

[powellrj]

Yep...it is amazing. My oldest dd is a senior this year...so I have not been saying no to a lot of stuff but soon, we are going to have to put the breaks on some of this stuff. I still am in shock that two weeks into the school year we already have 2 fundraisers just in the middle school.

Kelly

Senior year is the worst. DS graduated last year and I had forgotten that you had to pay for every AP test, every college you applied to, plus all the senior year expenses. He picked up his yearbook a few weeks ago and its still sitting in our living room where it will probably still be 5 years from now! I think he looked at it once.

 

[CherylA]

Senior year is the worst. DS graduated last year and I had forgotten that you had to pay for every AP test, every college you applied to, plus all the senior year expenses. He picked up his yearbook a few weeks ago and its still sitting in our living room where it will probably still be 5 years from now! I think he looked at it once.

You'll get your money's worth out of the yearbook, not now or even in 5 years but when he's 40 and he's trying to remember who all these people were!

 

[Heidict]

Ugh, I'm so tired of it!!! I love how they think they are slick about it also. Hoping that we won't notice how they are trying to get more money out of our pockets for less service.

I can understand how they need to raise the price on something. After all, their supplies probably went up in price and it's only natural for that increase to reflect in your price to the customer. But then they make it a bit smaller, for a more expensive price. That is what irks me the most.

We have a small cafe/restaurant downstairs where I work. The food is good if a bit overpriced but I find myself going there if I didn't bring anything and don't have time to go anywhere else.

Well, she would have a fish sandwich special on occasions. For $5.95 you got an average size piece of cod on a roll with lettuce and tarter sauce. Overpriced, but it seemed to sell well. Well, the other day she had it on special again, this time the price went up to $6.50 and she is using tilapia instead of cod. A good fish, but one of the least expensive ones out there. I remember seeing it on sale that week at a local store for $2.99 a pound. Wonder if she ran down there and stocked up? So, she increased the price of the sandwich and lowered the quality of the fish. Great way to treat your customers. Of course, this is typical of her management style. She is famous for nickel and dimming her customers.

My daughter is 3 so thankfully I have a few years before I have to start dealing with all the stuff you guys mentioned. Maybe I should start a savings account for it.

 

[kellyg403]

My daughter is 3 so thankfully I have a few years before I have to start dealing with all the stuff you guys mentioned. Maybe I should start a savings account for it.

Ah yeah...just the SAT's, the college applications alone are killing me...we haven't even counted marching band fees, year book...etc. Its been crazy. I just forgot so much/how much there was...

I need a couple jobs right now...or a new ex who is willing to help pay some of the expenses. I haven't even been able to explain to him that just the 13 and 15 ds eat child support every month!

Kelly

 

[dawson5]

Tickets for the Zac Brown Band Concert in Boston.

Type
2 Full Price Ticket

Ticket Price
US $28.00 x 2

Convenience Charge
US $8.65 x 2

Building Facility Charge
US $2.00 x 2

TicketFast®: NOW (Recommended) What's this?
What is TicketFast®?
We'll e-mail you a link to your ticket(s). To pick them up, simply log in, print them out and present them at the venue.
US $2.50

I'd like to know what Ticketmaster does to dare ask for a $17+ convenience fee and $2.50 for me to print my own tickets.

I think this is what Pearl Jam was furious about, the fees and jacked up ticket prices.

http://analytix.tixdaq.com/2009/04/...r-to-discuss-ticketmaster-live-nation-merger/

I think it will only get worse. There are only a few big name acts that I will venture to get tickets to see and even though it's all through TM I still buy via their (the band/musician) sites.

 

[spima3]

Pictures are a huge one for me. Between soccer pictures, baseball pictures, school pictures it is a few hundred dollars. And to be honest with you I far prefer the pictures from my own camera and the ones we got from the photpass last year. I always end up feeling terribly guilty saying no to the packages though.

I have 3 kids and I have never bought the packages, don't buy the school pictures either. I just take my camera on picture day and take a picture along w/ the photographer for the sports; just as good.
The school district has a uniform policy and there is no way I wanted to pay a small fortune for 14 years of "uniform" pictures. So the only time I have ever bought them is when the picture was spectacular, and there have only been one or two of them.
Ninety percent of the school fund raisers go right in the garbage as well.
We don't have the money for this kind of stuff and even if we did, there are far more important things I could spend it on.

Also, this is the first year my DD's won't be taking dance. Oldest, 14, has taken classes since she was 3 1/2, and she enjoys it, but this year she is in high school and wants to try the different clubs. Youngest DD was never that interested (or very good ), so I am going to save hugely this year. Plan on putting that into a vacation fund for trip to FL when Wizarding World opens up.

 

[mindyd]

My kids are involved in a lot of things but I feel that it never ends and every day there is more money for me to put out. My Biggest Pet Peeve is Registration Fees I am so tired of paying them and have had 150.00 this Month I am paying a Monthly fee for stuff and really don't understand why I have to pay 25 to 50 dollars for them to input it my name and address in a Computer.

 

[StephMK]

Yes, though at this point, I would be happy if I was *just* getting nickeled & dimed. It's more like tens & hundreds! I knew senior yr was expensive, not expecting all the soph year fees. Yrbk, school activity fee, show choir costume, driver ed class (technically not a required expense as we could do 50 driving hrs w/her instead, but a safety issue IMO), braces, class ring (not buying now) and PSAT reg fee. And that's just the oldest.

The younger two have already gotten activity registration fees, Scout fall product sales info, book order forms, school pic orders, PTO artist fundraiser, school t-shirt orders, candy trees to raise $ for United Way and the school carnival Sat - $10 each kid for a game wristband - unlimited games and only option, plus more if you want to buy lunch or raffle tickets. It's hard not to go since they advertise the heck out of it. I know it's for a good cause but it's also neverending.

And that's just kid stuff. Add to that car breakdown & maintenance hitting now, church & charity requests and don't get me started on college textbooks, numerous new editions and "online supplemental learning materials" which require paying for codes and effectively keeps publishers getting paid even if you try to get a used book.

 

[powellrj]

You'll get your money's worth out of the yearbook, not now or even in 5 years but when he's 40 and he's trying to remember who all these people were!

Truthfully, I doubt it. I graduated in 77 and I THINK my yearbook is in the attic where I put when we moved into the house in 85!

Even my class has all of the senior pictures on-line. If I see a name from the past I just log on and can look pictures up from there. If we over 50s from a really small rural school can do this, I can't imagine what a kid who graduated in 09 from a big school will be able to do in 40 years!

I know with facebook, they really didn't pass out senior pictures like we did when I was in school. Thats why I have a box full of his senior pictures in my dining room! He has hundreds of pictures on his facebook page though!

He just called from school and had been picked to join a fraternity (not sure what the official term is) so thats going to be even more money out the door!

 

[cglaura]

We went away for a short trip to DW last month. I found an airfare for $57 each way. I thought it was great deal until they started to nickel and dime us (after I paid for the flight). It cost $15 for the first bag being checked. Luckily we were not checking our bags. Then there was a charge for getting pre assigned seats. It cost me $7 each way for my crummy middle seat and it cost me $12 each way for my husband's aisle seat. Then they charged for any food or drink on the plane. Now I know why it was so cheap.

The worst part was the the seats were so close front to back that when the guy in front of my husband put his seat back dh couldn't even read.

Oh my gosh, you must have flown Spirit. I just purchased our tickets for Jan/Feb trip. I got the $9 flight deal for the flight down and $75 back. Though great, whoohoo! $230 total for myself & dd. Then the seat fees, then the checked bags (going for 2 weeks, didn't think I'd make it w/ just carryon). So, my great deal turned into $344. But, I guess still not terrible. But this is the first year I've ever had to pay for seats. Then of course, we'd have to buy soda or water or snacks on the plane if we wanted it...but we'll be taking our own refillable & filling up after security check.