Inflation has run rampant in the past few years, and a handful of items have gotten especially expensive. Some of these products just seem pricier than they should be.
These items may not always justify their price tag based on the value they provide. Here are some of the worst offenders to avoid if you want to keep more cash in your wallet.
Earn cash back on everyday purchases with this rare account
Want to earn cash back on your everyday purchases without using a credit card? With the Discover®️ Cashback Debit Checking account (member FDIC), you can earn 1% cash back on up to $3,000 in debit card purchases each month!1
With no credit check to apply and no monthly fees to worry about, you can earn nearly passive income on purchases you’re making anyway — up to an extra $360 a year!
This rare checking account has other great perks too, like access to your paycheck up to 2 days early with Early Pay, no minimum deposit or monthly balance requirements, over 60K fee-free ATMs, and the ability to add cash to your account at Walmart stores nationwide.
Don’t leave money on the table — it only takes minutes to apply and it won’t impact your credit score.
Apply for a Discover Cashback Checking account today
Name-brand cereal
Cereal has just gotten too dang expensive! But here is a smart shopping hack: Purchasing the store-brand counterpart to your favorite name-brand cereal is often much cheaper.
For instance, a box of Reese’s Puffs costs 30.3 cents per ounce at Walmart, while the Great Value version costs 22.1 cents per ounce.
In many cases, you would be hard-pressed to taste the difference between the name-brand cereal and the generic version.
Pre-cut produce
Pre-cut produce is much pricier than it should be. The only difference between pre-cut and uncut produce is that someone else took the time to slice up the former.
It doesn’t cost much time or labor to cut up a pineapple or an onion, and doing so yourself can save you a lot of money.
Coffee to go
Starbucks, Tim Hortons, Dunkin’ Donuts, and many other chains make a killing by selling convenient coffee.
According to the Krazy Coupon Lady website, you can expect to pay about $2.95 for a 16-ounce Grande at Starbucks. Or, you can buy your own bag of coffee — including java under the Starbucks brand — brew it at home and save a bundle.
Get a protection plan on all your appliances
Did you know if your air conditioner stops working, your homeowner’s insurance won’t cover it? Same with plumbing, electrical issues, appliances, and more.
Whether or not you’re a new homeowner, a home warranty from Choice Home Warranty could pick up the slack where insurance falls short and protect you against surprise expenses. If a covered system in your home breaks, you can call their hotline 24/7 to get it repaired.
For a limited time, you can get your first month free with a Single Payment home warranty plan.
Bottled water
Bottled water is not that different from the water you get from your tap, but it is much more expensive.
When you buy bottled water, you pay for packaging, distribution, marketing, and retailer markup. Do the planet and your wallet a favor by getting a reusable bottle and filling it up at the sink.
Movie theater popcorn
The AMC movie theater chain sells a bag of Traditional Popcorn for a whopping $8.99 or $9.99. But if you go to Walmart, you can get a 32-ounce bag of unpopped Great Value Yellow Popping Corn for $2.28.
As usual, the do-it-yourself, at-home version saves you a ton of money.
Trending Stories
Eyeglasses
Eyeglasses are essential for millions of people who could not see well without them. But the price of these glasses can run into the hundreds of dollars, which seems excessive.
A few decades ago, if you needed vision correction, you had few options other than to pay up. Thankfully, this industry has been disrupted by cheaper options, including the ability to purchase eyewear at a better price online
Fine jewelry
If you’re in the market for an engagement ring or another piece of fine jewelry, be wary of retailer markups. You are especially likely to pay large markups for prestige brands such as Tiffany and Cartier.
If you’re looking for the lowest prices, pawn shops and resellers might save you money compared to shopping in fancy jewelry stores.
Funeral caskets
The price of a casket is often quite expensive. Lincoln Heritage Funeral Advantage says you can expect to pay between $2,000 and $5,000.
However, there are ways to save. For example, members will find that a great Costco hack is to buy a casket from the retailer. You can pay as little as $1,149.99.
Fancy watches
With cell phones in our pockets 24/7, do we really need watches anymore?
Yes, they do exude a sense of class and importance. But a Rolex can set you back tens of thousands of dollars. At this point, watches are just expensive bracelets that tell time.
Stop overpaying when you shop online
Shopping online has its perks. It's super convenient, but it can be time consuming to find the best deals. Instead of hunting for coupon codes (that don't always work!) and opening tons of browser tabs comparing prices, you can try Capital One Shopping.
Capital One Shopping makes saving money effortless. Just add the browser extension and when you check out, it'll scour the internet for coupon codes to help you save cash. And before you check out at 25+ major retailers, Capital One Shopping will notify you with a friendly pop-up if the item you're buying is available cheaper somewhere else.
Capital One Shopping is free to use and won't show you ads. Add it today and stop overpaying!2
Extra cheese
You might not think twice about paying an extra buck or two to add cheese to your burger or sandwich. But if you break down the price of the cheese, it’s far more expensive than it should be.
For example, adding extra cheese to a footlong sandwich at Subway costs $1.30. Meanwhile, 24 pieces of Great Value Deli Style Sliced Pepper Jack Cheese — 19 grams each — will cost you $4.22. That is roughly 18 cents per piece.
Designer jeans
It can be worth paying for jeans that fit just right, but there’s a staggering divide between the price of department store and designer brands.
Balenciaga Bootcut Jeans at Saks Fifth Avenue cost $1,150. A pair of Levi's 517 Bootcut Men's Jeans retail for $69.50 or less when they're on sale.
Soda
Who doesn’t love a Coke or Pepsi with a meal? Unfortunately, sodas are on the list of overpriced items.
It only takes a few cents for a restaurant to combine the syrup, water, and other ingredients that make a soda. That means there is a huge markup when you pay $1 or more for that drink.
Brand-name drugs
The Food and Drug Administration spells it out pretty clearly: “Generic medicines work the same as brand-name medicines.”
The active ingredients, dosages, strength, and quality of generic drugs are all required to be exactly the same as what you would find in brand-name drugs.
So, when you buy Advil instead of store-brand ibuprofen or Tylenol instead of store-brand acetaminophen, you’re paying for nothing more than a fancy label and some advertising.
T-shirts
T-shirts are some of the most basic clothing items on the planet. According to clothing manufacturer Purnaa, they typically cost just a couple of dollars to make and a bit more if they feature a logo.
Yet, a T-shirt featuring your favorite band can easily run you $15 or more at a store and far more than that if you purchase the shirt at a concert venue.
Greeting cards
It’s no wonder that email and texting have replaced good, old-fashioned greeting cards. With a plethora of memes, GIFs, and emojis at your fingertips, who wants to pay several dollars — plus postage — for a greeting card?
Greeting cards seem like a waste of money, even if they have cute cats on them.
Graphing calculators
Back in the day, a TI-83 from Texas Instruments was the gold standard for a graphing calculator, and you wouldn’t pass trigonometry without one.
These fancy calculators are still available and cost $75 or more. But here's a tip: There are also free apps that promise to do everything a graphic calculator does.
You might want to try such an app and see if it meets your needs at a price that can't be beat.
Bottom line
In every corner of the store and the online marketplace, we see products whose high price tags leave us shaking our heads and asking, “Seriously?!”
The sad truth is that these products wouldn’t exist unless someone were willing to pay the price for them.
But if you want to save money shopping, you should avoid purchasing these items whenever possible.
Lucrative, Flat-Rate Cash Rewards
FinanceBuzz writers and editors score cards based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
Current Offer
$200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months
Annual Fee
$0
Rewards Rate
Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases
Benefits
- Low spend threshold for its welcome offer — $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months
- Cell phone protection benefit (subject to a $25 deductible)
- Can redeem rewards at an ATM for literal cash
Drawbacks
- Foreign transaction fee of 3%
- No bonus categories
- Select “Apply Now” to take advantage of this specific offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
- Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.
- Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.
- 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers. 19.74%, 24.74%, or 29.74% Variable APR thereafter; balance transfers made within 120 days qualify for the intro rate and fee of 3% then a BT fee of up to 5%, min: $5.
- $0 annual fee.
- No categories to track or remember and cash rewards don’t expire as long as your account remains open.
- Find tickets to top sports and entertainment events, book travel, make dinner reservations and more with your complimentary 24/7 Visa Signature® Concierge.
- Up to $600 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.
Subscribe Today
Want extra-cash moves to come right to you?
Stop browsing endlessly. Get proven ways to earn pocket money, help cover rent, and crush your debt — sent to your inbox daily.