An article by George Negus about the difference between cost of living pressures and cost of lifestyle pressures on Australians got me thinking about what we pay for now that our parents, or even our younger selves, never did.

Here are 5 things we never used to pay for:

1. Mobile phone bill

There was a time, believe it or not, when the term “Bill Shock” never existed. Now, many people – young and old – end up paying telcos huge amounts of money for the privilege of having a mobile phone (or tablet).

Even with capped plans, the mobile phone bill is a very recent bill most of us pay.

See how you can manage to pay all your bills on time, every time.

2. Cable TV

Back before Foxtel decided people were willing to pay for television programming, we were quite happy to watch our 5 free-to-air channels and be content.

Now, it seems, we want more channels than we ever had before and we are willing to pay for it. And pay handsomely!

This is one bill I will never understand – why pay for TV when you now have 10+ free-to-air digital channels plus the internet?

There are also way more options to watch your favourite shows than ever before.

3. Internet

Yes, the internet is 20 years old, but most people have only had it in their homes for the last 10-15 years or so. And while this seems as normal as electricity or gas to the home, there was a time when this bill never existed.

4. Water

From those bottles of water you buy at lunch to the council’s (new) water bill, we are now spending way more on water than we used to.

While council bills cannot be avoided, those water bottles can be.

5. Take-Away

I can count on one hand the number of times my parents got takeaway food – and I would have fingers left over. Now, take-away seems a natural part of our existence.

This is one expense which has grown bigger and bigger over the last couple of decades for a lot of people.

Now it’s over to you: did I miss any? Let me know in the comments below.