1
inflation
inflation
Powerball Makes It "Two Dollars And A Dream"
By Phil Villarreal on January 3, 2012 8:30 AM
40 Comments
Those whose retirement strategy is to buy a Powerball ticket and pray will have to double down on their investments. Starting Jan. 15, the multi-state mega-lottery will increase its ticket prices from $1 to $2. The price bump follows the lead of scratch-off tickets, many of which come in much larger denominations. More »
(sanden.)
5 Things That Will Cost More Next Year
By Phil Villarreal on December 28, 2011 10:15 AM
47 Comments
The rough economy of the last few years has spoiled shoppers with low inflation, but there's no guarantee that prices will continue to stagnate next year. As the calendar turns and we march into 2012, some items and services to which you're accustomed to paying the same price could be more expensive. More »
Enjoy Your Last Weekend Of $1 Redbox Rentals
By Phil Villarreal on October 28, 2011 8:15 AM
115 Comments
The era of $1-per-night movie rentals was too sweet to last into November. Perhaps seeing some opportunity to up profits in the wake of Netflix's bumbling, Redbox announced its nightly DVD rental rate will rise to $1.20 on Monday. For now, Blu-rays will stick at $1.50 and video games will remain $2 per night. More »
College Tuition Has Risen 8.3 Percent This Year
By Phil Villarreal on October 26, 2011 11:15 AM
87 Comments
College continues to get irrationally expensive, with tuition at public schools soaring 8.3 percent this year, while private nonprofit schools have upped their costs an average of 4.5 percent. According to College Board findings, the average college grad is saddled with $20,000 in loans. More »
How To Track Your Personal Inflation Rate
By Phil Villarreal on October 7, 2011 3:30 PM
7 Comments
National average inflation rates can rise or fall, but the only number that makes a difference in your life is one that's hidden from you unless you do some legwork to uncover it. Tracking and categorizing your purchases over time allows you to get a handle on how your budget and priorities evolve over time in relation to the fluctuating market. More »
If Inflation Droops, Federal Reserve May Pump It Up
By Phil Villarreal on September 29, 2011 8:15 AM
39 Comments
It's tough for consumers to rationalize how inflation could be a good thing, especially if they haven't received pay increases in years, but increasing costs are believed by many to be a sign of a healthy economy. That's why Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said Wednesday that the central bank will keep a close eye on inflation levels and may altar monetary policy to maintain the phenomenon if prices start to level off. More »
(stirwise)
Gas Prices Rose Almost 6 Cents A Gallon In Last Two Weeks
By Phil Villarreal on September 12, 2011 8:30 AM
57 Comments
Gas prices are expected to rise during holiday weekends, but this year's Labor Day price bump reportedly turned into a ramp. In the past two weeks ending Friday, the national average regular gas price crept up 5.76 cents to $3.667 per gallon. The increase echoes the rise in the cost of crude oil, and an ethanol price rise also was a factor. More »
7 Months After Collapse, Metrodome Gets New Roof
By Phil Villarreal on July 14, 2011 9:45 AM
42 Comments
Everything fell apart for the Minnesota Vikings last year, in a disastrous season that saw its star quarterback fall from grace and snow obliterate the roof of their home stadium, the Metrodome. It's been more than half a year since the collapse, but the Metrodome finally has a new roof. More »
Bacon Prices Expected To Surge This Summer
By Phil Villarreal on July 4, 2011 3:30 PM
78 Comments
Your bacon budget may go bust this summer if analysts' predictions come true. One indicator is pork belly prices, which have surged to $130 per 100 pounds and could top $150, which it reached last August. A factor contributing to bacon inflation is rising corn prices, which have caused hog farmers to pare their herds, making bacon cost $4.77 a pound in May. More »
Indie Bookstores Starting To Charge Admission To Author Events
By Phil Villarreal on June 23, 2011 9:45 AM
113 Comments
Literature lovers who are used to hitting up book readings and signings as free entertainment may be in for a wallet shock. Some independent bookstores, which are trying to scrounge up revenue in the tough economy, have taken to charging for the events. More »
(tjean314)
Quantifying The Value Of College Degrees
By Phil Villarreal on May 31, 2011 11:15 AM
190 Comments
As college costs continue to rise, it's reasonable to step back and take a look at how much a bachelor's degree may be worth in terms of career earnings. More »
(matneym)
Rising Gas Prices May Lead To Fuel Surcharge Increases On Shipments
By Phil Villarreal on April 27, 2011 9:15 AM
52 Comments
Surging gas prices affect not only those with gas guzzlers, but potentially just about every product you buy. Rising shipping costs will likely be passed on to consumers, who will have less money to cover the costs because of other ways expensive gas is sucking them dry. More »
(Fujoshi)
Wholesale Meat Prices Up 25 Percent From A Year Ago
By Phil Villarreal on April 6, 2011 11:30 AM
88 Comments
It's gotten tougher over the last year to bring home the bacon, as well as the rib eye, hamburger and rump roast. More »
4 Foods That Jumped In Price Last Year
By Phil Villarreal on February 9, 2011 10:15 AM
85 Comments
Inflation can hit your refrigerator the hardest. Rising food prices amid stagnant salaries and a stiff job market can make it tougher to make ends meet. More »
Man Says Penis Enlarger Never Worked, Even After 500 Hours Of Use
By Mary Beth Quirk on January 10, 2011 12:15 PM
73 Comments
What with all that free healthcare and those easygoing natures up north in Canada, there's not much to get upset about. So why not sue over a penis enlarger to stir stuff up? More »
Gold Is Not At A Record High
By Ben Popken on November 12, 2010 11:00 AM
64 Comments
Gold, gold, gold! Fools, fools, fools! More »
Do We Need A Little Inflation To Get The Economy Moving?
By Ben Popken on September 28, 2010 11:00 AM
104 Comments
Inflation is good, at the right time, and in moderate amounts. Like adding just a smidge during a recession when there's a lot of people in debt. Knowing that prices will rise, some consumers and businesses are prodded to crack open their pocketbooks. The value of debts drop, easing the burden on strapped borrowers. Having used up a lot of options already, the Fed could slightly raise its inflation target and let prices slowly rise over the next few years, but they're unlikely to announce anything remotely close to that in their meeting this week. Namely because people really really really hate inflation. Why is that? More »
Brand Name Drug Prices Rise Significantly In Past Year
By Chris Walters on August 25, 2010 10:30 AM
54 Comments
Here's yet another reason to go for generic drugs when you can: drug makers keep raising prices on brand name products. If you group generics and brand names together, drug prices rose by 3.4% in 2009, according to an industry report. However, if you look at just brand name drugs as the AARP did in a new report, the average price hike was 8.3%. An earlier AARP report from May points out that if you look at specialty drugs "widely used by people in Medicare" then the hike jumps to 9.2%. More »
(name)
Save $10K On Something That Only Costs $400
By Phil Villarreal on May 24, 2010 10:00 AM
42 Comments
Ice found this uncool sign at Staples, which says it saves you nearly $10,000 off a printer that costs $400. More »
Lower Cost Of Living Means Less Income For Some
By Laura Northrup on October 17, 2009 9:00 PM
55 Comments
—>The good news: the cost of living is decreasing, or at least isn't increasing. The bad news: Colorado is the first state to actually decrease its minimum wage, from $7.28 to $7.24, and Social Security recipients will not be receiving their routine cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA for 2010. More »
