Prices rise all the time...it's just an unfortunate fact of life. I just read an article about the things that are almost guaranteed to go up in price this year.
The worst thing? We aren't talking about items like fur coats, trips to Bermuda and diamonds. We are talking about basics, such as food water and gas! From the article:
Food for Home Preparation
If your grocery bill seemed higher in 2011, you weren't imagining things. Most retailers have reported that food prices are rising and those increases are being passed along to shoppers. Food costs rose 6% last year and will likely go up at least 2% more in 2012. Increases are likely to affect food eaten at home, rather than restaurants where those costs are easier to absorb when combined with sales of liquor, says Harry Balzer, Chief Industry Analyst for the NPD Group.
Water
Most communities in the United States will face water rate hikes this year, even places that are rich with the natural resource. Water rates in the greater Chicago area will increase by as much as 25% next year, while the parched high desert Denver market is set to rise an additional 5.5%. Like the above-mentioned fees, this increase is mostly a result of cities needing to increase revenue to balance their budgets.
Gas
Fuel prices began inching up just before the holidays, and 2012 is looking to be another budget-breaking year at the pump, with prices once again topping $4 per gallon.
Domestic and International Airfare
Greater demand and fewer available airline seats will likely lead to higher ticket prices for flights next year. American Express predicts prices within North America will increase up to 5% for economy seating, depending on the length of the flight, and up to 7% in business class. Things look more bleak for European travel. A new "green tax" implemented by the EU is aimed at reducing emissions, and it will levy a fee of roughly $15 per passenger, each way, for flights to the U.S. Fees on shorter flights within the EU will be taxed slightly less.
Shipping
Unfortunately for avid online shoppers, the U.S. Postal Service will raise rates by an average of 4.6% next year, while both FedEx and UPS are hiking small package rates by 4.9%. Personal shipping will certainly cost more and it's anybody's guess how long retailers can continue the ubiquitous free shipping offers as rates rise.
Mobile Device Data Plans
Data plans in the past have had a tendency to decline, but as carriers build out 4G services, and move away from unlimited plans, data is set to become more expensive in 2012, according to Ross Rubin, Executive Director of Connected Intelligence at the NPD Group.
Margie Martin via Facebook
Pay checks needs to increase then too 😉