Items now too expensive for NJ to spend money on

Have you been feeling the pinch lately over how expensive everything literally has gotten? I'm sure if you ask anyone in New Jersey that question, they'll share their frustrations with you.

And that's what it is. Frustration. Frustration that prices have nearly doubled yet our pay rates stay the same (unless you were making minimum wage going into the new year, of course).

Frustration that, along with stagnant pay and prices doubling, our taxes continue to go up. And the frustration that even traveling our roads and tunnels has gone up.

It's getting so bad that we actually might need to celebrate gas prices. Yes, they've been lower in the past, but overall gas prices haven't gone up nearly as much as everything else. Sounds crazy, right?

So it should come as no surprise that people all over the state have been cutting back on things they probably never intended to. Again, when prices nearly double (and in some cases, nearly triple), but your pay rate stays the same or can't keep up with the change, what else are you supposed to do?

Buzzfeed recently tackled this problem by asking folks what has gotten too expensive for them that they're no longer spending money on. After checking out the survey, I decided to ask those living right here in New Jersey what they've been cutting back on.

A real quick note though. Two of the items on that particular Buzzfeed survey that said people aren't buying anymore were groceries and gas. But let's be real, no matter where prices go both of those are necessities so you can't really "stop" buying.

With that said, you can trim up your grocery shopping by eliminating certain items from the list, or take public transportation to slim down on buying gas (or even walk in some instances). But to flat-out not buy groceries anymore or spend on gas or transportation is a bit of a stretch and probably should've not been included as general items people are no longer buying altogether.

As for Jersey, here's a look at some of those answers. Afterward, feel free to leave a comment about what you've been cutting back on to combat ever-rising prices in the Garden State. Yes, some prices have eased a bit since this survey, but are you really feeling it?

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The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.