As a Californian I only eat out whenever I have to these days, such as while traveling, and even then it is more cost-effective to eat bologna sandwiches than t

As a Californian I only eat out whenever I have to these days, such as while traveling, and even then it is more cost-effective to eat bologna sandwiches than to eat fast food. The prices are outrageous, and these minimum wage hikes will prove Sisyphean since those hikes will be eaten away by even higher costs, assuming they don’t get their hours reduced or face a layoff. Then we’ll have the same discussion a few years later when the minimum wage is $25 or even $30 per hour. To piggyback off another poster’s comments, it used to be that we traded away quality and our health in exchange for cheap, convenient, reasonably tasty food. But nowadays even a basic combo meal costs at least $10. A decent meal at a non-fast food place is easily $20-25 after tax and tip. It’s understandable; housing prices have went through the roof, supply chain disruptions during COVID led to dramatic price spikes that haven’t fully recovered, and then there’s the effects of low interest rates and stimulus spending. But it’s painful: I’ve been getting by with 2-3% annual merit increases while I’ve had to deal with double-digit annual increases in the prices of food and other necessities. I also missed out on homeownership, first with the ultra-competitive market in 2021 when I was constantly outbid, and in 2022 onward with interest rates rising while home prices remaining stubbornly high, thus pricing me out the market. But I should count myself lucky that I haven’t been laid off like so many people have. So I make do by substituting McDonald’s for Costco food court items and for makeshift sandwiches, even while traveling. We truly need better monetary, fiscal, and housing policies. No more deficit spending (even if this means tax hikes), no more artificially-low interest rates, and much looser zoning laws. Unfortunately I’m very pessimistic with American politics. While I do see some progress being made with increased housing construction and with zoning reform, both parties are addicted to deficit spending and easy money.