Things that are inexplicably expensive.

[malificent7]

Cauliflower...i paid nearly a pound for a tiny little thing in Aldi...daylight robbery.
Egg chairs...look lovely and fun but why are they hundreds of pounds ??
Halo top icecream...nearly a fiver for a tub...no thank you.
Please can i have some more nominations?

"Bottled water.
It’s so expensive. Especially branded stuff. I don’t get it."

The price for stupidity when you can get it from the tap for peanuts.
Restaurants in this country are obliged to give you tap water if you ask for it.

Bottled water should be taxed to high heaven and then taxed some more. It’s completely unnecessary and a huge luxury in a country where safe, fresh, clean water comes out of the taps in virtually every home and workplace. I say this as someone who travels a lot for work, with Chilly bottles and cool bags in the summer!

I agree BikeRunSki, but I'd add soft drinks to that list, to cut down on single use plastic and littering.

I see people in the supermarket sometimes buying packs of large bottles of water.

Bottled water should be taxed to high heaven and then taxed some more

Agreed! But I would give se exceptions like clubs. Sadly, it is safer to have unopened bottle sometimes...

If people don't like flavour of their tap water, the filter jugs are perfect.

Restaurants in this country are obliged to give you tap water if you ask for it.

Only if they serve alcohol

If people don't like flavour of their tap water, the filter jugs are perfect.

Do you have a recommendation for a filter jug? My tap water goes through periods of both smelling/tasting foul. Even when it tastes OK, I loathe the scummy film on my drinks. I'm using an horrendously expensive Berkey filter at present and although it tastes OK it's done nothing at all for the scum (and the company is no help in this).

Try the aldi one! Few pound a bottle, I love it.

@EmbarrassingAdmissions I use Brita or I now have Kirkland ones from costco. Simple Argos ones were ok too. The latter two fit into Brita jug so if you see it on offer, you can get it and then use cheaper ones. My DH preferred the Costco ones to argos. Embarrassingly, it took until my 30s to realise that flavour of the water (bar the odd gas taste like thing my tap water sometimes does) is its temperature

Completely agree with the water comments. And with the soft drink comments. They are a phenomenally useless food source. (Obvious exception is medicinal use for a diabetic hypo) I use the Brita filter for taste, rightly or wrongly. I hope I’m not losing all the fluorine.

TheFencePainter I have never come across a restaurant whether it serves alcohol or not that didn’t serve tap water

@Oliversmumsarmy I didn't say they don't. Most places do. But legally they are not obliged to.

flavour of the water (bar the odd gas taste like thing my tap water sometimes does)

Ours goes through phases/flavours of wet dog, where the wet is spectacularly akin to hydrogen sulphide with a side order of salt fish.

Brita filter for taste, rightly or wrongly. I hope I’m not losing all the fluorine.

According to Brita, they maintain a *healthy level of fluoride".

www.brita.com/why-brita/what-we-filter/

Although I use a water softener for all the non-potable water it's still a pest trying to keep the washing machine clear of the scale as it blocks up the water delivery nozzles to the detergent drawer. I didn't realise how much extra cleaning and maintenance is involved in hard water areas until I moved to one.

Oodies, the huge oversized hoodies that are the thing for teens right now. They're £79 each FFS. If you go on eBay and search 'oversized Sherpa hoodie' you can find the identical product for about £20 incl. P&P from China. It just doesn't have the Oodie label on it.

Restaurants in this country are obliged to give you tap water if you ask for it.

But only if you're a customer, i.e. having a meal. They've no obligation for any Tom, Dick and Harry off the street. So, you're indirectly paying for it as part of the meal cost.

Bottled water should be taxed to high heaven

There's already 20% VAT on it, so similar tax to other low calorie bottled/canned drinks.

Water in London tastes gross. Water where my parents lived in the Chilterns is nice but visibly cloudy due to chalk.

Something that inexplicable expensive: mattresses. It’s stuffing and wires inside fabric. Fuck off this should not cost a grand.

Electric toothbrush heads

Sylvanian bloody families and their many accessories!! Crazy prices for what they are but my DD loves it all.

"mattresses. It’s stuffing and wires inside fabric. Fuck off this should not cost a grand."

I'm sure mine was about £100.

I guess electric toothbrush heads are a bit like printer ink, in that the printer/toothbrush is actually sold at a loss/nonprofit, but the manufacturer makes their profit from the ongoing demand for ink/heads.

I just bought some Oral B compatible head from Amazon for much much cheaper than actual ones. I think it was £7 for 12. Seem ok.

Beds & mattresses. Just bought our first "decent" bed after argos cheapies for years and still cost upwards of £650 and even so that is still the cheap end of "decent"

NHS prescriptions, I remember paying less than a fiver! I dont begrudge it as I know it's necessary but still it's a lot.

Garden furniture. Ours is 15+ years old & cost £100. It needs replacing, but the cost is shocking!! We paid less for our massive sofa!

Cars. I'm sure cars used to cost less. I blame the PCP, I think its bumped up the HP cost now to tempt people into PCP.

Windows, kitchens, fences & most general house upgrades/replacements. Unless you're skilled enough to do it yourself it seems insane.

Corned beef. It used to be a cheap alternative to fresh meat for sandwiches & hash etc.

This

Oven gloves, even supermarket versions seem expensive to me.

Of course bottled water should be taxed out of existence along with the plastic bottles it comes in. Now that bottled water has caused the disappearance of public water fountains, everyone should carry their own supply.