Apparently Nothing Is Free Anymore- Even The Stuff That Used To Be

Do you guys remember when dipping sauce at fast food restaurants was free? Sigh, I do. It may sound like a small thing, and it is, but it got me thinking about the things that used to be free but now cost money.

Things that used to be free

• Food on airplanes. Yes, a free soda and bag of pretzels may seem like a small thing, but now you have to pay a stupid amount of money for those once-free luxuries. Now expect to pay $3-$5 for a pop.
• Speaking of airlines, does anyone remember when it was free to check a bag or bring a carry-on? I sure do. Now they slip the fee in all sneaky like, and that $99 ticket to Ohio is all of a sudden $399.95.
• There's nothing worse than seeing an article you're totally interested in, i.e., "Dog Drives Car Into River," and they give you two paragraphs to hook ya, and then you have to pay a subscription fee. Of course, the good folks who write those articles deserve to be compensated, but damn, now I'm never going to find out how the dog put the car in gear.
• Why in God's name did we get rid of plastic bags at the grocery store? Yes, they're bad for the environment, but those things have so many uses. Trash can liner, dog poop bag, maybe luggage, after paying $399.95 for a plane ticket. Now in Colorado, you can't just have paper bags; they now cost money.
• Recently, we took a family trip to a restaurant in Fort Collins, which I cannot name (Texas Roadhouse). Each table had a video game thingy your kid could play on, but of course, you've gotta enter your card info to use it. What happened to free coloring sheets and crayons?

And these are just a few of the things that used to be free but now will cost ya.