To feel like every single part of life is being monetised?

[SnugShaker]

From health to hobbies, relaxation to relationships - it feels like there’s a price tag on everything. Nothing’s just done anymore, it’s branded, upsold, or packaged as “self-improvement.”

AIBU to think we’ve reached a point where even rest is a commodity and that’s not normal?

I agree there do seem to be a never ending number of ways people are trying to get money from me!

Learning to say no to such attempts to get you to part with your money is an important life skill.

We joke that it costs £10 just to leave the house. Everything that used to be £100 is now £500 and everything that was £500 is now £1000. It’s ridiculous.

That post was over two weeks ago, not “last week”.

If trawling old post history is your idea of fresh air, maybe it’s you who needs a break from Mumsnet.

I visited a garden centre this morning and they had a big wheelbarrow of coffee-compost and some bags, marked ‘help yourself’. So we did. I kept waiting for someone to approach us as this sort of thing is so rare these days but alas, it was genuine.

There is usually a catch or something to sign up to. I get what you mean, OP.

This is just advertising though - you don’t have to buy any of the stuff. The advertiser’s job is to make you feel as if you really need the new coffee mug/running shoes/pillows/theatre trip. Not only that, but you need those things immediately otherwise you’re missing out on something incredible that everyone else is experiencing.

I know that lots of stuff has gone up in price over the past few years, but can you give a more concrete example of something that you used to be able to do for free that you now have to pay for?

I think these things always did cost money tbh.

I heard a saying within my groups recently. It was something along the lines of "on the path to self-realisation, there will always be people with their hands out". I know that two of my spiritual gurus are multi -millionaires from it all. It sort of defeats the object lol.

I think you are talking about slick marketing and a thousands ways to make you part with your money. The answer is yes that is indeed going on and much of it will be coming your way through devices.

I've started doing free workouts online. Local fitness classes have crept up from £10 per hour to £24ph since lockdown. I know the moves, so I just rotate a few online classes for free.

I agree. Also, things that used to be cheap are now quite expensive, such as camping. We still find camping to be slightly more affordable than other holidays, but it can still be £25 a night for the pitch alone, even in campsites where there are no facilities at all, and this is before factoring in anything else.
And picnics. These used to be a cheap way of having a nice experience, but food is so expensive now, especially things like strawberries (not that we have to have strawberries on our picnics, but we’d want something slightly nicer and healthier than cheap white processed rolls!).

I think this website is the worst for it.

There was a thread on here a few months ago that showed her Mumsnet was lying in the way they use reviews to promote products.