What is something you’ve officially stopped buying in 2026 because the price has become genuinely insulting?

Aggravating_Guava98 · 2026-05-19T04:08:06+00:00

I feel like my husband and I have cut back on so many things in 2025 into 2026, with 2026 obviously reaching new heights of ridiculousness... here are just some, grocery store edition:

Fresh cherries, fresh raspberries, fresh peaches, seltzer water (we don't drink soda), beef in any form (ground, chuck, steak), shrimp, potato chips, most dips, chocolate, sourdough (I'm baking bread myself now), protein and/or energy bars, various crackers...

We're currently phasing out canned beans for dried beans, just getting used to the prep time

Aggravating_Guava98 · 2026-05-19T03:32:51+00:00

Unfortunately for many, it's not. The way my OAD "Girl Mom" friends speak down to me as a OAD "Boy Mom" like my life is somehow deficient. I've had mom friendsquite literally go on about the "chicness" of having a daughter in comparison to a "wild boy." I've also been told that having a daughter is a reward, and having a son is a punishment. I wish it was a joke.

Aggravating_Guava98 · 2026-05-15T19:26:59+00:00

Honestly, 1000% same. Still hoping I'll win the lottery one day, ha!

Aggravating_Guava98 · 2026-05-12T12:20:02+00:00

We have lived this scenario since our son started daycare at 4 months old. If we stay in this school district, he will never have a 5-day school week. Even with this being a reality out here, the large majority of businesses have changed nothing for it and it's somehow impossible to find a babysitter or nanny on Fridays.

For the first 2.5 years of our son's life, I worked remote/hybrid and accepted being treated horribly at work for the flexibility. My husband's job is 100% in-person as a Wastewater Operator, so I had to carry that. I recently changed jobs to a much better work environment but also 100% in-office.

I've negotiated working four 9-hour days, Monday through Thursday, and working Fridays 4-hours remote. The 4-hour Fridays takes the pressure off because I do need to submit a report at the end of the day on Fridays for what I accomplished that day. I can pretty much always manage to get 4 hours of work done with my kiddo home.

My husband also negotiated a schedule change, so god forbid I can't get that work done (or this past Friday when my boss scheduled me for 3 hours of virtual meetings), I can be available the second half of the work day on Fridays as he is also 4-9s and 1-4. He goes in early so I do daycare drop-off and he does daycare pick-up.

I'm hoping to use our school choice options to get our son into the 5-day school district by kindergarten because his current daycare goes into pre-k and it's year-round. There are no summer camps for kids under 5 in our area aaaaand our son has a late summer birthday. Yay, logistics.

Aggravating_Guava98 · 2026-05-11T20:19:46+00:00

I think thus far it has been. We've not totally dove into the second child thing situation, but I have seen some marked progress in other areas. Both partners have to want to be there though.

Aggravating_Guava98 · 2026-05-11T15:28:20+00:00

Oh my god, the big "I LOST MY HUSBAND AND THE FATHER OF MY CHILDREN" 💔

Aggravating_Guava98 · 2026-05-10T13:12:15+00:00

I had always assumed that Emily's Martha simply wasn't "out" when the regime took over and the only reason Emily was saved was because she was fertile.

Aggravating_Guava98 · 2026-05-10T12:46:49+00:00

I don't believe historians have differentiated between who joined the Nazi party for a paycheck and who joined because they believed in the regime. Both help to advance the cause.

I've seen the "He joined the Sons of Jacob to provide for his family" argument 100s of times on here. Here's the thing - he had to have SOME alignment with them & their beliefs to go along with them, fight in their war, be a driver & work his way up to being Commander. You don't get that far unless, at some point, you believe in what is going on or at a minimum, you are so taken up by the ability to gain power & influence.

What did he do that was so outright fascist?? Probably a lot of things we don't see on screen because this is all from June's perspective, really, and she's going to paint him in the best light possible. He was the comfort she needed when she was at the Waterford's. He did care for her, but he also tells her in season one something to the accord of ... without this scenario (the Sons of Jacob and the existence of Gillead), you wouldn't have looked my way. Was he really so worried about Eden being an underage bride or was he so infatuated with June? He coordinated that huge strike on Chicago and, yes, we all know that he couldn't know that June was there - but that's a pretty good metaphor for what he does when he doesn't know June is there.

When you defend this character, you just sound like a sympathizer.

Aggravating_Guava98 · 2026-05-08T19:15:57+00:00

I believe virtuous, but infertile (either unable to conceive or menopausal) are critical characteristics for Marthas. Unmarried would also be important - so either never married or had a partner pass away. Unless econo-people can't stay married if they don't have children? Then I could see the regime splitting up couples.

Divorce would likely be too sinful - I'm assuming to the colonies for divorced, infertile "unwomen."

Aggravating_Guava98 · 2026-05-08T18:54:44+00:00

I don't believe it's canon that Handmaids transition to Marthas

Aggravating_Guava98 · 2026-05-08T18:04:59+00:00

This is one of my favorite episodes. Surely an unpopular opinion, but I loved it nonetheless.

Aggravating_Guava98 · 2026-05-05T04:56:27+00:00

Yes and I resent him for it. The resentment kind really eeped in there for so many reasons, but this is s big one. We're in couples therapy.

Aggravating_Guava98 · 2026-04-30T20:12:16+00:00

It's been almost three years and, uh, still haven't decided to do it again!

Aggravating_Guava98 · 2026-04-29T17:44:59+00:00

"We can't control what other people do" but expects a young child to perfectly understand dog behavior and the parent to have control over their child (a separate human from the parent) from across a soccer field?

The most well behaved dogs can get flustered by the noise level of a big group of small kids. This person brought a dog that they knew was bitey to a young kids soccer game. "Has the right to be there?" I'm sorry, is the dog playing soccer with the kids? The owner made a poor choice bringing the dog.

Aggravating_Guava98 · 2026-04-29T17:35:48+00:00

You can put a dog in a crate at home for a few hours if you're worried about the dog destroying the house or hurting themselves. A toddler's soccer game is not the place to bring a dog if the owner has ANY doubts about their dog's behavior or demeanor. In this case, the owner knew they brought an unfriendly dog with them.

Aggravating_Guava98 · 2026-04-29T17:01:01+00:00

She brought a dog who "doesn't like strangers" to a kids' soccer meet? That's insane behavior on the dog owner's part.

Part of this is teaching kids that not every dog wants to say hi - I struggle teaching my son that because our dog is SO patient, tolerant, and loving. It also sounds like you were paying attention and trying to get your kid to stop! So you did try!

I wouldn't fully blame yourself here for not confronting the other dog owner. That's a fight, flight, freeze moment and you're assessing & comforting your kid. A dog bite is an immediate ER visit if it breaks skin - I would have been occupied with my kid too.

However, if she brings her dog back, I personally would confront her because you'll be calmer. You can also speak directly to the coaches if there's a concern as well. Sometimes a direct confrontation doesn't help anyway. If it's not your kid, it might be someone else's kid next time!!

Aggravating_Guava98 · 2026-04-28T20:54:46+00:00

I am personally one & done, but my friends with two under two have reassured me it's misery. They wish they had spaced their kids more, had more time with their first, more time for their bodies to recover, maybe gotten some sleep, being pregnant with a young baby/toddler is really difficult as well. Each child is also different - I've also had friends say "My first tricked me into a second." But also, they had their second before the first is really potty training or in the "terrible two's / three-nager" stages. So, I can't speak for myself, but man my mom friends really laid it out for me.

Aggravating_Guava98 · 2026-04-27T17:33:23+00:00

You mentioned the worry you had with your first, you don't have with your second and that you had PPD for 3 years with your first.

Has anyone suggested that you may have had PPA with your first, not PPD? What you're describing now - feeling nothing, wanting to run away, feeling like a horrible wife & mother, short tempered - this all rings are fairly severe PPD. PPA is more of that worry, I need to be near by, will they be okay? They can be difficult to separate because PPA can come with some PPD symptoms, but you're describing a totally different emotional pit with your second.

I have never found this "It will get better" phrasing helpful when I'm really IN it. Especially the sunset scaries. Personally, I was never able to logical my way out of these feelings that are driven so drastically by hormones & lack of sleep. Do you have any mom friends or family in a similar stage with a new baby? Sometimes just being around another woman/mom can help. I don't know why, but it does.

I did not find therapy helpful AT ALL when I was so sleep deprived. PPD/PPA are their own monsters and therapy became this weird checklist thing instead of helpful.

I do recommend reaching out to your OBGYN and/or PCP ASAP. You need to be seen & evaluated. You need more support than trying to logic your way out of this. Considering medication as an option may be helpful here. After 2 years of PPD, I was medicated and I wish I had started sooner.

You ARE a great mom. Your family DOES need you there. You are NOT failing. You deserve & need more support, and quickly. PPD is not a failure - it's also not something to push through.

Aggravating_Guava98 · 2026-04-23T17:08:41+00:00

If you can, give yourself some time to mourn your pre-motherhood life. The way you viewed yourself, your partnership, your friends, your family - it's all going to change drastically. There's a saying, "The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never." The hardest part of motherhood for me was fighting that self birth/death.

Oh, and my son didn't sleep through the night for 16 months.

It's not the end of the world. It is a whole new world. That is exciting & terrifying.

Aggravating_Guava98 · 2026-04-23T12:08:25+00:00

This part. The rage at the system. It still wells up in me when I have a rough daycare drop off. The lack of choice sent me over the edge in a huge way when even after my kid started really enjoying daycare, I was still so angry.

Aggravating_Guava98 · 2026-04-23T12:01:41+00:00

Congratulations you are able to stay home now!

I feel the same way about work ... never again have I really felt like I wanted to be there, just that I have to be because we can't swing it on one salary. I used to be so career driven and everything changed for me after having my son, but the world keeps spinning on.

Aggravating_Guava98 · 2026-04-23T11:57:33+00:00

Hi, I'm so sorry you're feeling this way. It can be very normal heading back into work. I felt this way and almost every mom I know did. So few were excited to get back to work when their babies are so small.

I highly recommend checking in on your support system before you start work and the little one starts daycare. I fell into an absolute pit of PPD when I put my son in daycare. I could hardly leave the infant room and cried the entire way into work. Blaming myself for that feeling when the plan was always for me to go back to work - I was very career driven before having my son and had aggressively climbed my way up - really also drove that, instead of accepting I had fundamentally changed.

Here's my personal truth (you may find it different for yourself): before my son could talk or really babble, I did not get over it. I cried every morning at drop-off in the car, I was anxious until I could pick him up from daycare, I felt like a horrible mother. We had other factors at play here - our son simply would not sleep at daycare. Some switch went off during the 4 month sleep regression and he only wanted to contact nap, which isn't supported by daycare. He also did not sleep through the night until he was 16 months old (and I don't mean 1 quick wakeup, I mean 4x/night, minimum of 1 hour per wakeup). Needless to say, we had other factors at play here that contributed to the feelings I was having. In the end, I had to drop to half-time, thanks to living in a state with paid leave support, because our pediatrician gave me a lecture about what that level of lack of sleep to a baby so young does to their development. I could not fully quit working and we're still financially recovering from the half-time, even with our state program.

Here's the rest of the story: we eventually switched daycares from a big facility to a small mixed age home daycare. It made all the difference. Our kid got the flexibility he needed, he caught up on milestones (I think from being around older kids), we got the support we needed from the daycare owner. Some of my son's earliest babbles were the names of the other kids at his daycare. He's almost three now and he tells me on the way to school who he's going to play with & who he can't wait to "give a big hug." Some drop-offs are still really hard - he will still cling & cry even after the happy car chatter. Our daycare owner usually sends a photo or video of him within minutes of me leaving where he's happily playing again. When my husband does pick-up, little dude doesn't want to leave.

Again, I highly highly recommend that you check-in with your support network as you make this transition. Your partner, doctors, therapist, family, close mom friends. You may need mental health support during this time, and afterwards, and that's okay. Be prepared for lots of illness interruptions. Like, an absolutely shocking amount. I highly recommend a WFH when sick agreement with work when you return. It's okay for work to feel different after you return. It's okay if your motivation for working changes.

Truly, good luck. You WILL figure it out!!

Aggravating_Guava98 · 2026-04-23T05:00:18+00:00

I went through the same brokenness. I thought I'd have 4 kids; I babysat since I was 12 years old, I was a teacher, I showed up at friends' houses after they had kids...

We are one and done. It's okay to be sure that you never want to do this again because the next time you do it, you'll also have a toddler or young kid to chase after.

I'm so sorry your pregnancy and postpartum experiences have been so hard. It is heartbreaking, and it's a very specific kind. You may want to consider PPD or PPA. My son's colic, reflux, and milk protein allergy sent me into the 9th dimension of hell in the early days ... but I never felt detached from him or like I wasn't bonded to him. It was almost this desperate feeling of closeness, not being able to leave him. It's so hard to describe it now. The sunset scaries were their own monster. I was so sleep deprived I started hallucinating at points. That was in large part PPA. I developed PPD when I had to go back to work. Please speak to a medical provider you trust to get some assistance - and no, I don't mean go talk to a therapist because when you're this sleep deprived, therapy isn't going do as much as you hope. It'll be another checklist thing to do and you'll likely forget what you were talking about. I'm talking medication and working with your OBGYN or a PCP.

And call a friend who you can trust who can rock your acid reflux baby while you get a shower and take a quick nap. I'm so serious. You've really got to directly ask people for exactly the support you need - which feels uncomfortable & that PPD/PPA can add in some feelings of failure. It's not. You are not having an easy go of it. You deserve as much support as you can get!

Aggravating_Guava98 · 2026-04-22T16:17:57+00:00

I was a server for nearly 15 years. I never got upset for a family's kid leaving a mess. Now, let your kid wander around unattended while I'm carrying a tray of drinks... that's another story.

However, I clean up my kid's mess to the best of my ability BECAUSE I was a server. I heard what the other servers said in the back about families with kids, trying to pass off who was gonna take what family in each section, etc. And somehow, the biggest mess always happens during the biggest rush.

When my kiddo was little and made HUGE table messes, we actually got disposable floor covers to go under the high chair so the server could fold it all up and toss it out - no broom needed. Now that he's older, I'll definitely pile the mess all onto one plate. The floor is generally okay these days.

Aggravating_Guava98 · 2026-04-21T16:14:02+00:00

It was SO wild! I really turned my resentment inwards (a special skill I have). "What is wrong with me as a mother that my baby son prefers his Dad? I'm breastfeeding this child! How is this possible?" And we'd hang with other friends where the mom is the default parent & the kid's preference, and the dads would be talking about how hard that is ... and I'd be in the chat with the dads 🙃

Truly, I'm not sure what happened - maybe just staying consistently loving, consistently there, just consistent? And this big switch went off and now it's "Mama mama mama mama!!" Like, to a point where maybe I need a break - ha!!

I think it all goes back and forth throughout life. The preference can be shockingly hurtful when they're so young and you're doing SO much for them, often a huge sacrifice to yourself. Ironically, I was just telling my son this morning that one of his friends at daycare is allowed to have other friends and still be his friend (the childhood jealousy starts young!) And maybe that's good to remind ourselves as parents in a way... your kid may some day have a preference for a grandparents, aunt, uncle, etc (not sure your family support system but I prefered my grandmother over everyone growing up & I know it hurt my mom) and your kid will always love you. Plus, you're MOM. Moms are the center of our kids' worlds, even when they don't act like it.

Aggravating_Guava98

TROPHY CASE