Just a few things should be accessible or at least affordable to everyone: healthcare, a roof above one’s head, and sustenance. Ironically, they are considered luxury items or things only the rich can afford in certain parts of the world. Sure, the definition of what is considered affordable or luxury things will vary per person. Still, generally speaking, if something is deemed affordable, its price should be low enough that you (or most people) have enough money to buy it.
However, for whatever reason, sometimes we may overestimate the price of something and have prejudice over the cost of certain things. When a while back, someone asked, “What is something people don’t realise is actually affordable?” the community of AskReddit jumped on the thread to reveal the many practices and things you can afford if you really want to. From maintaining one’s hygiene to getting therapy and obtaining original artwork, Redditors had plenty of affordable things to share.
Below, we’ve compiled some of the most upvoted answers from the thread, revealing many nifty things that are affordable or attainable to most. Do you agree with any of the answers? If you do, give the ones you agree with an upvote. Also, let us know what other affordable things to do or buy are missing from the list!
#1
"Some people don't seem to realize that minding their own business is free."
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47points
#2
donttouchmycupcake said:
"Spice. Stop making bland-tasting food."
"Spice. Stop making bland-tasting food."
GozerDGozerian replied:
"In every grocery store in my area, there are two sections that sell spices. The man main section sells spices, and then again over somewhere in the “Hispanic foods/ethnic cuisine” section. The “ethnic cuisine” spices are sooo much cheaper, and I’ve never noticed much of a difference in quality. There are quite a few things that the main spice section has that the other doesn’t. But always check the ethnic foods section first!"
"In every grocery store in my area, there are two sections that sell spices. The man main section sells spices, and then again over somewhere in the “Hispanic foods/ethnic cuisine” section. The “ethnic cuisine” spices are sooo much cheaper, and I’ve never noticed much of a difference in quality. There are quite a few things that the main spice section has that the other doesn’t. But always check the ethnic foods section first!"
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24points
#3
elegant_pun said:
"Learning - you don't need a formal education to increase your skill set. YouTube is free and there are plenty of other free platforms and tools available. Using YouTube I learned to solve a Rubik's cube, whittling, basic embroidery, and cross stitch in 2020."
"Learning - you don't need a formal education to increase your skill set. YouTube is free and there are plenty of other free platforms and tools available. Using YouTube I learned to solve a Rubik's cube, whittling, basic embroidery, and cross stitch in 2020."
MashTactics replied:
"There are a ton of channels for just passive interest in topics as well. I watch a lot of Kurzgesagt and they have many neat thought experiments for the (sometimes morbidly) curious."
"There are a ton of channels for just passive interest in topics as well. I watch a lot of Kurzgesagt and they have many neat thought experiments for the (sometimes morbidly) curious."
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24points
#4
"Pillows! This is a message to young men in particular fresh out of your parent's house: I had a flat, brown, greasy pillow for years. New pillows can be as little as 6 bucks for an okay one. Thanks to my wife for showing me that. On that note, if you can afford it, don't go cheap when you buy a bed. Spend a bit more for the quality and comfort that's right for you. You spend 1/3 of your life in bed so paying an extra $200-$500 for a nice mattress now is worth it considering you'll have it for 10 to 15 years."
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24points
#5
Dispatcher12 said:
"Renter's Insurance. Especially if you bundle it with your car insurance. Usually covers replacement of contents and loss of use, so if you rent and right now could not afford to repurchase all of your clothing, furniture, housewares, electronics, and medical equipment if you have any, as well as pay for a hotel until you find a place or get back in the one where the fire was, get you some. And take the time to accurately evaluate the replacement cost of your possessions to make sure you get enough."
"Renter's Insurance. Especially if you bundle it with your car insurance. Usually covers replacement of contents and loss of use, so if you rent and right now could not afford to repurchase all of your clothing, furniture, housewares, electronics, and medical equipment if you have any, as well as pay for a hotel until you find a place or get back in the one where the fire was, get you some. And take the time to accurately evaluate the replacement cost of your possessions to make sure you get enough."
pjabrony replied:
"Everyone here is talking about the property side, but I think the important part is the liability coverage. If you get sued, Renter's insurance will cover a lawyer and a judgment if you get one levied against you."
"Everyone here is talking about the property side, but I think the important part is the liability coverage. If you get sued, Renter's insurance will cover a lawyer and a judgment if you get one levied against you."
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20points
#6
"Grocery delivery. I don't have a car, and to take a bus would require walking 10+ blocks and then getting off and carrying all my groceries back the same ten blocks. And the bus will cost 3.50. Delivery with instacart (and I'm assuming similar apps) costs about 8 dollars. So I order from them for 4.50 more than what it costs to go to the store and save myself 4 hours of time. It's great."
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20points
#7
"Water. It comes out of your faucet. You don’t always have to buy it in the bottle."
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20points
#8
"During covid, I've replaced all my old furniture with new ones and the total costs were 0. I just looked for ads of people who were going to move out and wanted to discard their old furniture which still can look brand new. I never realized you can find excellent furniture, like desks, coffee tables, and cupboards for practically nowt. also never realized you could purchase affordable musical instruments. A purist or virtuoso would never get a 100$ keyboard, yes, undeniably! But to just practice, it does everything I want and it has everything I need. Tons of internal external outputs, musical settings, >300 musical instrument emulation choices, automatic percussion modes, lights, internal teaching programs et cetera."
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18points
#9
"Some people don't realize that Spotify premium is really cheap. Like yeah, it's another subscription but no more ads and being able to download songs."
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17points
#10
"I was surprised at how affordable it was to enroll my dog in a reactive training class."
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16points
#11
LionelHutzApprentice said:
"Fitness. You don't need a designer kit, a pricey personal trainer, or posh equipment. Walking is free, C25K is free, a run doesn't need to be in an elite gym - just go outside and move!"
"Fitness. You don't need a designer kit, a pricey personal trainer, or posh equipment. Walking is free, C25K is free, a run doesn't need to be in an elite gym - just go outside and move!"
domepro replied:
"Definitely, however, the biggest thing about fitness is consistency. If someone actually doesn't really like running and prefers something that requires more investment like road cycling or lifting weights (but has never lifted before) I'd rather tell people to spend money on something that the person enjoys more (and is, therefore, more likely to do it more and consistently over a longer period of time) than to advocate something that's free and not really enjoyable since the invested money into fitness (that actually produces motivation and/or consistent training) is likely 10x ROI down the road in disease prevention and cardiovascular health benefits etc."
"Definitely, however, the biggest thing about fitness is consistency. If someone actually doesn't really like running and prefers something that requires more investment like road cycling or lifting weights (but has never lifted before) I'd rather tell people to spend money on something that the person enjoys more (and is, therefore, more likely to do it more and consistently over a longer period of time) than to advocate something that's free and not really enjoyable since the invested money into fitness (that actually produces motivation and/or consistent training) is likely 10x ROI down the road in disease prevention and cardiovascular health benefits etc."
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15points
#12
chonlipons said:
"3D printers apparently."
"3D printers apparently."
Reddit user replied:
"Low-end $100 (Canadian) up to thousands if you want. I bought a Creality-Ender3 for under $300."
"Low-end $100 (Canadian) up to thousands if you want. I bought a Creality-Ender3 for under $300."
mildly_amusing_goat replied:
"Get a cheap one and then print a more expensive model."
"Get a cheap one and then print a more expensive model."
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14points
#14
raineloathes said:
"Anything of quality. Most people assume the quality is unaffordable, but that's mostly due to a misunderstanding of what quality is vs what is over-priced."
"Anything of quality. Most people assume the quality is unaffordable, but that's mostly due to a misunderstanding of what quality is vs what is over-priced."
Reddit user replied:
"People often mistake a brand for quality!"
"People often mistake a brand for quality!"
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14points
#15
"At least for me, TVs. I didn’t realize that you could buy decently sized TVs for 200$."
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14points
#17
apopDragon said:
"Healthy foods. If planned right, cooking at home from fresh materials could be just as cheap as pizza and fast food. Only if planned right though."
"Healthy foods. If planned right, cooking at home from fresh materials could be just as cheap as pizza and fast food. Only if planned right though."
ShadowShell78 replied:
"Although I agree, I don't think it really has to be that hard. It kinda winds me up that people say they can't eat healthily as it's more expensive. A convenience meal/microwave meal is just as expensive as a pack of pasta, some veg, a little bit of meat, and a tin of tomatoes. I spent more on 2 shop-bought pizzas and garlic bread the other day than I did on a root veg and chicken casserole I made last night. It also probably took about the same amount of time to cook. Overconsumption of fast, junk food in our society is terrible and comes mainly from laziness and poor education."
"Although I agree, I don't think it really has to be that hard. It kinda winds me up that people say they can't eat healthily as it's more expensive. A convenience meal/microwave meal is just as expensive as a pack of pasta, some veg, a little bit of meat, and a tin of tomatoes. I spent more on 2 shop-bought pizzas and garlic bread the other day than I did on a root veg and chicken casserole I made last night. It also probably took about the same amount of time to cook. Overconsumption of fast, junk food in our society is terrible and comes mainly from laziness and poor education."
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13points
#18
"Interior Designer. My partner and I recently hired one and not only has she guided us on which paint colors we should use on the walls, which I would argue saved us time and money had we picked a color we didn't like and needed to repaint but Interior Designers often have discounts at most furniture stores and can save you money off the top. Being only through half of the suggestions we've received she has saved more than she's cost us."
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13points
#19
"Golf. Got my first set of clubs for $10 at a yard sale. $20 green fees at the municipal course. Clubs lasted 5 years and my next set was $110 on Overstock."
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13points
#20
WanderingBarghest said:
"For people that can’t afford high-quality shoes. Shoe sole inserts. The cheapest ones at Walmart are made of memory foam-like material and make a world of difference to me!"
"For people that can’t afford high-quality shoes. Shoe sole inserts. The cheapest ones at Walmart are made of memory foam-like material and make a world of difference to me!"
psychologicalfuntime replied:
"When I first started working as a cook I bought a $25 pair of non-slip shoes at Walmart. I did one shift with them and KNEW I needed better shoes, however, I could not afford them. I decided to try the inserts out and I ended up wearing those shoes with a $12 pair of inserts for 3 years."
"When I first started working as a cook I bought a $25 pair of non-slip shoes at Walmart. I did one shift with them and KNEW I needed better shoes, however, I could not afford them. I decided to try the inserts out and I ended up wearing those shoes with a $12 pair of inserts for 3 years."
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12points