These Things In New Jersey Used to Be Free – Not Anymore!

I read a funny tweet recently that went something like this: Remember the old days when you could leave your house without having to spend $300?

It's funny, but it's almost true, right?

Your grocery bill, your electric bill, the cost of filling your tank with gas -- they've all gone up.

What about all the stuff that used to be free?

They are gone. Welcome to life in New Jersey in 2026!

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These Things Used to Be Free in New Jersey - Not Anymore

1. Beach Access.

Sure, there are still free beaches, like Atlantic City, Wildwood, and Strathmere. More and more towns, though, have moved to beach tags.

Bradley Beach first issued beach tags in 1929 to control crowds and restrict beach access. They and others eventually saw the beach tag as a revenue source.

2. Beach Parking.

Try to park for free lately? Good luck with that!

3. Bags at the Grocery Store.

Remember "paper or plastic?" Now, it's "do you want to pay for this bag, or an even more expensive one?"

4. Air For Your Tires.

Just stick in your credit card!

5. Airline Checked Bags.

Want to check that? It'll cost you. Carrying that bag? It'll cost you. (We didn't even mention the cost now for seat selection.)

Unsplash/Ali Mkumbwa

6. Bank ATMs.

Want access to your own money? That's cost you! (Thanks Wawa for still providing fee-free ATMs)

7. Grocery Delivery.

There used to be days that a kid would delivery your groceries for free. (Granted, that was a long time ago!)

8. Bill Paying.

Now for the pleasure of paying for a bill, we often have a convenience fee.

9. Extra Sauces.

The restaurants will also get you. Extra dipping sauces, extra salsa, extra everything costs extra.

10. Coin Counting at Banks

Used to be a free service. Not anymore.

Well, that's ten. Do you have some more examples? Add them to the comments, or send me and email: joe.kelly@townsquaremedia.com.