5 Things That Will Be Cheaper and More This Year

Jan 10th, 2012

The website DealNews.com has a list of things they expect to be cheaper this year, and a list of things that will be more expensive.

--One major thing you'll be paying more for is gas:  The national average is up 12 cents a gallon since the middle of December, and it's expected to keep going up.  But first, here are five things that will cost LESS.

#1.)  iPads and Android Tablets.  The price of refurbished iPads dropped when the iPad 2 came out last year.  And the same thing will happen with iPad 2s when the iPad 3 comes out.  The cost of NEW iPad 2s might drop as well.

--And now that the $199 Kindle Fire is Amazon's most successful product ever, the prices on ALL tablets are expected to start going down.

#2.)  GPS Units.  GPS apps for your smartphone are getting better, so not as many people are buying stand-alone units.  Last year, you could get a GPS unit that used to cost $150 for about $70.  And they're expected to get even cheaper in 2012.

#3.)  3-D TVs.  A year ago, you could get a 55-inch 3-D TV for about $1,500.  Now, you can get one for under $1,000.  And with newer models coming out, the prices on the old models should drop dramatically.

#4.)  Car Rentals.  Rental companies apparently have a surplus of cars this year.  So the website DealNews.com is predicting more deals than there were in 2011.

#5.)  Property.  Last year, average home prices were down 3.4%.  And unless the unemployment rate starts dropping significantly . . . which most experts don't think will happen . . . home prices should keep going down, or at least stay the same.

Here are five things that are expected to be MORE expensive.

#1.)  Airline Tickets.  According to American Express, the price for a seat in coach will go up 5%, and a seat in business class will cost 7% more than last year.

--And if you're flying to any country in the European Union, you'll pay an extra $15 per passenger because of a new "green tax" that's aimed at reducing emissions.

#2.)  Hard Drives.  There's a shortage because of all the flooding in Thailand last year.  So prices will be up for the next few months, until production catches up with demand.

#3.)  Gold.  The price of gold is expected to go up for the 11th year in a row.  On average, its gone up 17% a year for the past decade.  This year, it's supposed to go up 12%.

#3.)  Water.  Cities all across the country have to increase revenue so they can balance their budgets.  And one of the easiest ways to do it is to up everyone's water bill.

--In most areas, it probably won't be that significant.  But water bills in the Chicago area are expected to go up by as much as 25%.

#5.)  Shipping.  Starting January 22nd, the U.S. Postal Service will start charging an average of 4.6% more to send a package.  FedEx and UPS are also planning to charge about 5% more for small packages this year.

(DealNews.com)