The world has come to terms with the fact that inflation is an inevitable phenomenon that hits us every decade. People make smart investments and plan their spending according to the economic situation. However, such planning also requires certain lifestyle sacrifices. Heather – who goes by @heathersidehustleskeptic on TikTok – is known for trying out new side hustles to help people learn their pros and cons. She recently addressed the topic of the outrageous increase in the cost of living in 2023. She revealed some of the simple, basic things she had to cut from her lifestyle because she could no longer afford them, and that’s so relevant to our current economic situation.
She joked that this video is just “part one of infinity,” hinting at how many changes she’s had to make due to the high cost of living. The first thing Heather had to give up was “unnecessary, expensive grocery shopping.” She mentioned that a few years ago, she could afford olive oil and was too health conscious, but has now switched to vegetable oils on sale. The hustler also started baking her bread, insisting that it’s “easy to make, delicious, and cheaper than store-bought bread.” “You can knead it, knead it, let some aggression out of it, and it tastes way better,” Heather joked. She also stopped buying pre-made pancake or cornbread mixes and decided to bake them herself, which is more convenient and tastes better too.
The second thing Heather had to give up was buying gifts for her family indiscriminately. “I used to just walk out with my kids on a Saturday or something when they had a day off from school and say, ‘You guys have been really good this week. Do you want to buy a toy? Or do you want to go get ice cream?'” she said. She mentioned that every time she went shopping and found something interesting, she immediately bought it for herself or her husband. She also stopped randomly ordering accessories or outfits from Amazon.
Eventually, Heather shared that she had to sacrifice her time at the hairdresser. The 36-year-old woman loved bleaching her hair until it was completely white and often adorned it with heavy highlights. However, she had to say goodbye to all that styling and coloring. “I haven’t been to the hairdresser in two years and this is the natural color now,” she said, adding that even if she wanted to change her hair color, she couldn’t afford the rising costs. “Every time I do my hair, it costs me over $100 and I just can’t justify spending that much anymore,” Heather added. Just as she was inspired by similar videos in which people shared their lifestyle deteriorations, Heather wanted to let people know that they are not alone in struggling with this situation of rising living costs.
With over 700,000 views, this video went viral and more than 2100 people shared their opinions in the comments, with many revealing the things they had given up and some referencing Heather’s view on the economic situation in 2023. “I can’t afford to buy chrysanthemums and pumpkins for my porch because I used to buy both for hundreds of dollars to decorate, now I can’t justify it,” @tric.23 wrote. “No candles, no decorations, no desserts or snacks, soda, nails, hair, branded items, gifts, postage, Amazon, shoes, fast food,” @hughberries listed. “I no longer go out to eat, have given up nice grocery stores and am definitely looking at the prices of everything,” @beeeeze1923 commented.
