Prices rarely increase all of a sudden. The truth is, they usually slowly go up in areas that most people aren’t always tracking, and they’re hidden away in renewals & bundled bills. The prices only show up once in a while and don’t usually change people’s routines. That’s what makes them so dangerous. Here are seven everyday expenses that Americans didn’t notice were rising until recently.
Streaming and game subscriptions
There was a point when streaming stopped being a single bill and turned into five or six, each of them as expensive as the last. It’s easy to fall into the trap of buying these subscriptions. You buy access to one platform & a sports add-on, then a game pass that you probably forgot all about. But the cost of streaming & gaming subscriptions has risen quite a bit over the last year.
Most Americans didn’t notice the increase because the higher price only appeared during renewal as a few extra dollars spread across a bunch of services. Small charges don’t seem like a lot. Sadly, it’s not until you add it all up that you realize how much the total actually is.
Parking fees and tolls
You won’t find parking costs hitting you all at once, but rather, they’ll appear midweek, late at night. They might even show up days after you drove somewhere. The price of parking has moved up in many American cities, yet it has happened so gradually that most people didn’t notice it.
These price increases tend to go across different apps & statements. That makes them feel less connected. You may not even recognize that the increases have happened until it’s too late, and the charges are already old news by that point.
Mailing a letter or card
The majority of Americans buy stamps rather infrequently since sending things digitally is the way to go nowadays. They only grab a set of stamps when they need them. It’s usually when they’re standing in line or going through a checkout screen, and since it’s such an infrequent purchase, they have nothing to compare the new price to.
But the cost of stamps has gone up over the last few months. It’s something you may only realize during those specific moments when you need to mail something, like during the holidays or school forms. The higher price simply feels normal unless you’re really paying attention.
Delivery services
Shipping costs are a similar issue, and the increase in prices is down to things like higher service fees & far smaller return refunds. Don’t forget about those memberships that promise free delivery, yet have a comprehensive list of exclusions. But most people fail to recognize the increase in prices.
They tend to focus on the cost of items, rather than the math below them, and they may not realize the cause of the extra cost that comes later. It doesn’t always register that the price change came directly because of the delivery.
Haircuts and other personal care services
What made the increase in haircut prices so easy to ignore is that it started with a single visit costing you a little more. Then came a styling fee that wasn’t there before, so you may have simply brushed it off. People often space their visits out. It prevents them from having a clear comparison point, especially since they’re unlikely to hold onto last year’s receipt to check.
The price is already posted once you’re sitting in the chair. You don’t think about what it used to be, but perhaps you should because there’s been a noticeable increase in costs over the last few months.
Public transit fares
The price of taking public transportation increased without anyone stopping to notice. Your card reload probably lasted about the same one week, then the next, you were a few cents short because your transfers didn’t stretch as far. You may also find rules that peak times happen more often than not.
It’s easy to miss the price hike because many riders tap their phone or card, and then continue moving. They might never pay attention to the exact fare. The problem’s even worse when your balance reloads automatically because you’re more in the dark about the price.
Coin laundry and wash-dry services
It’s likely that you’ll notice the laundry costs only once you’ve already committed to washing a load of clothes. Somehow, the price registers at the exact moment that your clothes are in the machine & the timer’s running. A few laundromats change the prices by load size. Others have altered the dryer timing or heat options.
Very few people keep track of how much it cost them last month to wash their clothes, so there’s nothing for them to compare the prices to. They’re reacting in the moment instead. They’ll put in more coins or tap their card, not stopping to think about the price difference.
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