To ask, what's one item that you didn't realise was expensive until you became an adult?

[AvocadoHo]

Mine is toilet roll and cheese! 🙈

The cinema - but I'm not sure it was as expensive when I was a child🤔

Divorce.

Having a picture framed - cost more than the picture!

Furniture! I love Facebook marketplace!

Kids shoes. Mainly the school ones at £50+ a pair 😩

Every summer I weep as I spend £££ on school shoes, school trainers, home trainers, football boots, astro shoes....it's madness

Crack

Booze!

Printer ink is crazy! Instead of forking out £60 for new cartridges for my crappy little printer I’ve just bought a new HP one for £90 and subscribed to their ink plan for £3.49 a month instead. I’m hoping my cunning plan will even things out and be cheaper in the long run. I don’t print much.

Decent mattress
Higher welfare meat
Holidays
Berries (that taste good)
Kitchen counter tops

I refuse to pay ££££’s for curtains so have always shopped around and tend to stick to plain colours so IKEA and Homesense have been okay for me

Thankfully I’m not a cheese fiend, so a small block of organic cheddar lasts ages.

Driving lessons - couldn’t afford them when I was a youngster. If I ever win the lotter I want to set up a scheme to cover the cost of driving lessons for young people in the care system.

Drinks in pubs. Glass of wine costing as much as a whole bottle from the supermarket. And a G&T being a tiny splash of gin with tons of ice and tonic that costs six quid or more.

Ha! Everything! I remember the shock I had in my first place when I got a few bottles of kitchen spray/bleach etc and I really expected to get LOTS of change from a fiver. Errm no. I had to add some coins to that amount!

Tyres

Printer ink, cherries definitely. Peaches that are never ripe and not worth waiting for.

Household bills like water, council tax, utility costs.

Income Tax! I mean I understood it in theory but first payslip and I was like HOW MUCH? I'VE BEEN ROBBED!

@MsTSwift

Curtains! Mum offered her Laura Ashley curtains for our spare room when we moved in. I snootily hummed and hawed then realised how mentally expensive curtains were and changed my tune to abject gratefulness!

Completely with you on curtains. I've always rented and never had to buy any and I was shocked at how much they cost!

Good cheese, wow that stuff is steep. Tights, coffee and petrol

Things to stop bastard sunlight coming through your bedroom window at dawn. Finally discovered IKEA's £3.50 stick-on blackout blinds!!

Also legal fees. Never ever buy or sell a leasehold property!

Glasses as in spectacles. I grudge.

Ugh, I completely agree. My prescription is -11 which is outside what most of those cheap online glasses places will do, and which require the ultra thin lenses.

Just ordered a new pair using a MSE code: frames £45, lenses more than £200!

Glasses over £200 but better than boots opticians £500 yikes

Ddot... You will get 2 pairs from asda for that.... Even if thinner, varifocals etc

Ta x

I get my ready glasses online. Soooo much cheaper.

As for curtains- yes v expensive but I learnt how to make them. If you can measure and sew in a straight line, you can make and line curtains.

New carpets. Of course I knew they weren't pennies but having steadily replaced most in our home since moving in six years ago, it's a big chunk of money each time.

One word...

Life!