Times change, and sometimes, they change faster than we can keep up with them. In the year of our lord 1993, certain things were ubiquitous, and those of us who were around at the time assumed they would forever be commonplace and, more importantly, inexpensive.
It didn’t work out that way, and for those of us who were around then, it can be a hard pill to swallow. Here are 10 things we thought would be readily available and affordable forever 30 years ago, that are as rare and expensive today as Fabergé eggs.
Image Credit: Depositphotos.com.
A gallon of gas for a dollar
It’s not entirely on the nose, but in 1993, a gallon of gas in the United States cost an average of $1.11. Today it’s more than three times that amount, and in 2022 it was four times that amount. So if you’re at the pump grousing about the cost of filling up, be grateful it’s not last year.
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Vinyl records
When the compact disc hit the market, it made the vinyl record persona non grata among physical media varieties, and you could get one for less than seven dollars. Today it’s not uncommon to have to pay $30 or $40 for a new vinyl LP, and the terms “bespoke” and “limited edition” will get thrown around to justify the price.
Image Credit: VNagornyi/istockphoto.
Furniture you didn’t have to build yourself
While we’re all grateful for Swedish companies that sell furniture at low prices, we’re not crazy about spending six hours tearing our hands apart with a hex tool to build it. In a long-ago yesteryear, you could just buy a dresser (for example) and it was built already, and furthermore, that wasn’t unique. Today, furniture outlets will still sell you an already-made dresser made of real wood but be prepared to part with many hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars for it.
Image Credit: Depositphotos.com.
Apartment rentals
Living in the big city has never been cheap, but 30 years ago it was possible to rent a studio or one-bedroom apartment for under $1,000, even in New York City. Well, you can certainly kiss that goodbye today, as the median rent in Manhattan is $4,400.
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Concert tickets
A 1993 video has emerged of Kurt Cobain learning that tickets to see Nirvana were between $17 and $18. In 2023, that’s now the price of a single drink, and a ticket can set you back a four-figure sum. We recommend getting a ticket in the $100 nosebleed seats, where the acoustics are terrible and you can’t see the stage.
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Unremarkable used cars
Even before 1993, people on a budget met their transportation needs with the purchase of a used car, and the less impressive the model, the lower the price. As of June 2023, this is no longer a hard and fast rule, and even very humdrum auto models are skyrocketing in price. This includes the Toyota Rav-4, Nissan Maxima, and Honda CR-V, all of which have seen their used prices go up by roughly 33%.
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Listening to ‘Dark Side of the Moon’
In 1993, if you wanted to listen to Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon,” you spent $15 on the compact disc, and that was it. No further investment was required. Today, most people listen to subscription services like Spotify, which costs $10.99 per month, so if you’re listening to that album with the same regularity with which you listened to the $15 compact disc, you’re paying $131.88 annually for the privilege.
Image Credit: Wikipedia.
Beanie Babies
At the height of their popularity, you could get a Beanie Baby for around five dollars. You can still get one for around that price on eBay and through other sellers, but what fun is that? On the collector market, some of these toys in certain configurations can fetch six-figure sums, so sell your home and your car and then you can party like it’s 1993.
Image Credit: Dominique Godbout.
Looking like Jennifer Aniston
The television show “Friends” was massively popular in the 1990s, and so was the “Rachel,” otherwise known as the hairdo worn on the show by actor Jennifer Aniston. Every stylist was expected to provide this cut, including the cheap ones, so at the time it was possible to get the look for under $100 if you knew where to go. Today, the “Rachel” is a look from the distant past, but if you really want it, you can seek out its creator, stylist Chris McMillian, and get the cut and highlights every six weeks for $850, or $7,000 to maintain it all year.
This article was produced and syndicated by MediaFeed.
Image Credit: IMDb.
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