[bluefirebrand]

You're not wrong. People are going to be on about "just cook at home" but the general point still is correct. Life has just become a lot more expensive.

We need to realize that the cost of food at grocery stores has gone up a lot too.

[dheera]

Exactly. My point is the price of everything has gone up, and the authentic "original" brands are no longer affordable. The knockoffs are still affordable, and with them I'm doing great.

I have no incentive to change anything about my spending habits. If the "system" changes itself so that I have a ton more disposable cash lying around then sure I'll re-consider the authentic brands.

About the only situation I still buy authentic brands is if there's an electrical safety or lithium battery involved. But yeah, I'm not spending $52.99 on a nice-looking bike bell ([1] with shipping and taxes) when there's a $10 knockoff of it that looks exactly the same and works just as well.

Back in the days when the original was $5 and the knockoff was $1, I might be willing to pay for the original.

[1] https://us.knog.com/products/oi-luxe-bike-bell