There has been so much news coverage this year about rising costs. Gas prices have skyrocketed and inflation has broken records. Everything from food to flights is more expensive than it was just a year ago. Look back two years and the difference is even more stark.
However, not all expenses have gone up. While you won’t find a house or a gallon of gas for anywhere near their old prices, the following expenses haven’t gone up.
Renters Insurance
The price of rent has risen as the supply has reached historic lows in proportion to the demand. Finding a rental property is difficult in and of itself, and you’re going to have to pay through the roof for the privilege of living there. Utilities will also cost an arm and a leg.
But that does not apply to every related expense. Renters insurance rates are still affordable. You shouldn’t pay much more than $15 a month and can pay as little as $5 a month. That’s not much for coverage for all your possessions, including your phone and laptop.
Digital Books
If you love thumbing through the pages of a new book, you’ll have noticed prices increasing this year. Paper and ink cost money, and you are therefore paying more for a product that actually costs more to produce. However, that is not the case for digital book streaming services.
For people who want to read books in the traditional way, Kindle Unlimited is still just $9.99 a month. There are some excellent books in the Kindle Unlimited library, although you won’t find most big-money bestsellers.
Audiobook lovers can still get a credit a month from Audible Premium for $14.95. This is in spite of the fact that Amazon has added a library of books that Premium members can read for free, without having to spend a credit.
Rates have remained stable for a long time now, but this is not guaranteed to continue. After all, as the cost of living goes up, so does the cost of the labor involved in producing art.
Smartphones and TVs
Strangely enough, electronic devices are getting cheaper rather than getting more expensive. You can buy new smartphones and smart TVs at a cheaper rate than you could a few years ago. This is especially true if you consider that there are now cheaper versions if you cannot afford the flagship option.
This may be because of a drop in demand for these devices. During lockdowns, there was huge demand for devices like smartphones and smart TVs. Fewer people need to buy new devices right now, leading to low prices.
Internet Services
Has your ISP raised the price of your internet connection recently? If they have, it won’t have been by much. While internet services have gotten slightly more expensive, they have not come anywhere near to keeping up with inflation.
Why might this be? The reality is that infrastructure is improving every year, making it cheaper for ISPs to provide services to customers. They are likely taking higher margins even with a mere 2.5% increase over the past year.
Another reason is that internet services have become a basic human right. In the same way that we wouldn’t accept a sudden price hike in the cost of water, we would find an internet price hike unacceptable. Of course, the need for one isn’t quite as urgent as the need for the other, but we do expect WiFi to be available at all times wherever we are.
Prices are going up in just about every arena at the moment. However, there are exceptions. The above expenses haven’t gone up (or have only slightly increased) in the past 2 years.
