When Did Money Stop Working?

Remember When $20 Was Basically Infinite?

Back in the ’90s, a crisp $20 bill was power. It meant an entire afternoon of fun! For example, arcade games, movie tickets, snacks, and maybe even a new CD (because yes, music lived on tiny plastic discs back then). Now? Twenty bucks barely gets you through a fast food drive-thru.😢

I don’t know when it happened, but money stopped making sense somewhere between my childhood and my current adult crisis. And I’m convinced that whatever financial wizardry our parents pulled to keep things affordable was some lost art of survival.

🛒Grocery Shopping: Then vs. Now

I remember grocery trips when a cart full of food felt like abundance. We had brand-name cereal and snack cakes, and we had absolutely zero concerns about whether eggs would require loan approval.

Fast forward to today: I’m standing in the self-checkout lane, staring at my receipt, wondering how five things cost seventy dollars. I didn’t even get anything extravagant! I’m talking milk, bread, and the cheapest possible cheese slices. Inflation needs to chill.

⛽The Gas Pump Betrayal

Remember pulling up to the gas station with a $10 bill and feeling like a contributing member of society? Yeah, those days are gone. 

Now? It’s more like a strategic budgeting exercise mixed with an internal debate. Full tank? Feels reckless. Half tank? Risky. Quarter tank? Might as well start Googling how to convert stress into fuel efficiency. I stand there, doing the math, calculating the exact amount that won’t send me spiraling when I check my bank app later. Maybe I need a bike. Or a horse. Or just sheer willpower.😖

🍟🍔That Sneaky Disappointment at Fast Food

There was a golden era when five bucks got you a burger, fries, and a drink, plus enough change to throw in a dollar menu item for good measure. Today? That same order requires strategic coupon planning and possibly a moral compromise ("Do I want fries, or do I want to send my kids to college? Tough call."). Atleast if you have the app you get "deals."

🤔So What Happened?

Did I grow up? Did prices betray me? Did society collectively decide that affordability was a myth? Or was everything just cheaper in the ’90s? Whatever the case, I miss that reckless joy of spending small amounts of money and actually feeling satisfied.

Nowadays, budgeting feels less like “smart financial planning” and more like trying to outmaneuver capitalism. And honestly? I’m losing.😭

Oh and no I don't want to hear anything to do with politics, thank you.😁

Things Everyone Pretends to Understand (But We Actually Don't)

Let’s be honest....life is full of things we act like we understand, but deep down, we’re just guessing. As a kid, I assumed adulthood came with an instruction manual. One that contained all the secrets of taxes, car maintenance, and the correct way to pronounce ‘quinoa.’ Adults just knew things. They walked around confidently, paid bills, and had serious conversations about ‘interest rates’ (whatever that meant).

Here are a few universal mysteries we all quietly struggle with:

1. Why the WiFi Randomly Stops Working

One minute, everything is fine. The next? Endless buffering. We try unplugging it, waiting a few seconds, then plugging it back in—because apparently, this is how technology works now.

2. What “Moisturizing” Actually Does

Everyone says it’s important, so we obediently lather our skin with lotions, creams, and serums. But what is actually happening? Is our skin drinking this? Does it know the difference between hydrated and greasy?

3. How Some People Just Know What Time It Is Without Looking

You ask someone what time it is, and they confidently say, “Oh, it feels like 3:17 PM.” Excuse me? HOW do you feel time? Meanwhile, the rest of us check the clock every 12 minutes because time is an illusion.

4. What Dogs Dream About

They twitch, they run in their sleep, they let out tiny barks. But where are they running? Are they chasing squirrels in dreamland? Are they winning arguments we never let them finish? We may never know.

5. How Some People Remember Everyone’s Name Instantly

You meet someone once, and they never forget your name. Meanwhile, you’ve interacted with them a dozen times and you are still calling them “Hey… uh… you.”

6. What To Do With Your Hands in Awkward Situations

Holding a drink? Great. No drink? Now we panic. Do we shove them in pockets? Cross our arms? Let them awkwardly dangle like abandoned noodles?

The Moment I Realized... 

No One Has Life Figured Out

As a kid, I believed adults had everything under control. They made big decisions, gave advice, and seemed to know exactly what to do. But late at night or sometimes during the day, I would hear my grandmother on the phone, listening, talking, offering prayers, giving advice; not as someone who had all the answers, but as someone walking through life alongside the people she loved.

That was the moment I knew......there is no grand manual for adulthood. It’s just people trying their best, leaning on each other, offering support, and hoping the choices they make are the right ones.

😵‍💫Join the Confusion😵‍💫

What’s something YOU pretend to understand but absolutely don’t? Drop it in the comments! ⬇️

Don't be embarrassed.

 Let’s embrace the mystery together!