I miss the days when I was a little kid and didn't worry about money. For about seven blissful years, I was just chilling out, doing my thing, until I started to receive pocket money and had to learn the value of money.
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There are some items, however, that I incorrectly valued when I was a child. As an adult, I am still surprised by how expensive some things are and how cheap other things can be.
This Reddit thread asked, "What was something you wrongly guessed as very expensive/cheap when you were a child?" Read on for some of the top results... Do you relate?
Only having something on special occasions automatically makes it feel expensive
14apkillian:
"We always had sparkling grape juice as kids, but only for New Year's. It seemed like such a lavish bottle. They’re cheap as hell... but only having it that often made it feel so special."
Food pricing...
Trawhe:
"It never occurred to me that some food was more expensive than other food. I 100% thought my mom made spaghetti all the time because it was her favorite.I was much older when I realized it was because it could feed a lot of people very cheaply."
Paying so much for an extra floor decoration??
lifeofchrist__:
"Rugs!! Why are rugs so f***ing expensive?"
It IS posh!
rabbit92:
"I always thought Viennetta ice cream was so posh and expensive."
It does take a lot of skill to use it well, though
MonsterMunch678:
"Food coloring and fondant icing for baking. I thought they were so expensive, and that's why only fancy cakes used them. Turns out they cost like £1 each."
It is legit more expensive to drink bottled water than soft drinks sometimes!
Zallarion:
"I remember wanting to have the cheapest beverage at a theme park with my aunt and uncle when I was 11. I insisted on having water, while they were subtly nudging me toward milk. Milk was cheaper; who knew?"
I love kid math
jmo_joker:
"Video games were crazy expensive, but that's the only thing I cared about. So when I looked at X item, I would compare it to video game prices (40-60 USD). In other words, I would look at something and think, 'That costs like half a video game.' 'With that amount, I could get 3 video games.' 'That's like a quarter of a video game.'I kept doing this until I reached 17."
Decimal points ruin so many plans
th7024:
"I have kind of a funny story that is related. I got an allowance even when I was really young, but it was only a few dollars a week. When I was probably 6 or 7, we were at the mall, and I saw a sign for golden retriever puppies for $299. Naturally, I assumed this was $2.99. I went into the store and proudly put $3 on the counter, only to be told I would need a lot more than that.As an adult, I also look back and can't imagine what my parents would have done if I had somehow had enough to purchase a dog, despite the fact that we already had 2 at the time."
I also thought this!
sass_princess:
"When I was really young, I thought the price of gas was just whatever price was posted, not per gallon. So if the sign said $2.79, I thought filling up the car only cost $2.79 and couldn't understand why adults complained so much about how expensive gas was."
CLASSIC
jonnywombat:
"Not me, but my son when he was about 4 or 5...On seeing a man getting out of a Porsche convertible, he asked in a big loud voice, 'Dad, does that man's car have no roof because he is poor and can't afford one?'The guy's face was a picture, made even better when I just replied, 'That's right, son.'"
Weirdly expensive
Kyle102997:
"Legos. Those things are expensive."
DIY is your friend here
Konstantin_G_Fahr:
"Curtains. I never thought of them as valuable. Guess what? If you have someone make them fit your place, they cost a fortune."
Movie snacks are obscene!
renterrenterrenter:
"My middle-school-age son organized his first trip with three of his friends to the movies without parents. I bought the tickets beforehand and gave him $40 for snacks and drinks. After dropping him off, I took my youngest to the arcade across from the theater, and while we were there, I caught a glimpse of my son walking into the theater with his friends, all of them holding large slushies. My son had a definite holy shit look on his face.When I picked him up a few hours later, he said to me, 'I offered to buy my friend slushies and told the guy medium, but then he handed us these big-ass drinks and said it was thirty-eight dollars.'Now, ever since, he's been asking me things like, 'Do I have any bonds?', 'How much does
make?', 'How do I get a trust fund?' lol Sorry, kid, I just had a little extra from working overtime."
A mistake you only make once...
maleorderbride:
"I figured credit cards meant infinite money. Turns out they do for a little bit if you're really stupid. Which I was."
What did you seriously misjudge the price of as a kid?
