Anything gotten cheaper? Still a bargain?

[Stuart G]

All we hear about is expensive stuff like gas, and cars.
...etc..and the price of everything is going up..
right?...wrong........

Has anything actually gotten cheaper?.or stayed cheap?
....Well yes..here are three.


....1 the price of a long distant phone call.
....2. the price of an aspirin pill.
....3. the price of those things that clean your gums with..

These things are relatively inexpensive, make life better, and really do work.
.. Keeping in contact by phone has gotten much less expensive over the last 50 years.
.. Aspirin tablets have been proven to actually prevent heart attacks by thinning the blood, and those gum swords actually help people to save their teeth without going to the dentist. Any other ideas?

[Alameda]

1. Laptops have gotten cheaper,

and RAM....I remember having 20 megs RAM...it cost $700. What I paid $2,400. for a few years ago I can get for under $500 now.

[midnight]

5. I'm looking for a new laptop. I have a dell,but was wondering

if there is something better out there. I wish I could afford an apple, but I can't.

[Kutjara]

7. And processor speed is doubling every 18 months...

...while computer prices remain fairly constant. So you're getting twice the performance for the same money, every 1.5 years.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

2. Unfortunately, they include that stuff in the CPI to make inflation look lower

When, in reality, you don't spend money on that stuff nearly as often you do food and fuel.

[femmocrat]

3. Calculators.

We paid about $90 for our first one! No kidding! Now you can get them at the dollar store.

Also DVD players and other small electronics.

Digital cameras! And they are much better than the early ones, which cost hundreds of $$.

[Art_from_Ark]

10. I remember when our science teacher brought a digital calculator

to school. It was her friend's, and it had just come out with 4 basic mathematical functions (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) and memory. The year: 1972. The price: $100. Our science teacher was so paranoid that we were going to break it that she held it the whole time and only let us look. I imagine that for her, $100 would have been close to a week's take-home pay back then.

[Ilsa]

16. A slide rule and an abacus were all I needed back then. nt

[Stuart G]

17. I wonder how many people even know what a slide rule is?, or was?

[Ilsa]

21. Not many of us left. We had to explain to our niece when we took her

to see Apollo 13.

[Wiley50]

22. Shit, I got through school with a Sly Drool

from sneakin' behind the gym to smoke a doobie

[WillowTree]

28. I not only know what a slide rule is and have one...

....I actually know exactly where it is and how to use it. I don't use it, of course, but I could if I really needed to.

:-)

[Crabby Appleton]

48. My first collage physics lab we were taught to use a slide rule

when calculators came along, they were not permitted since only the rich kids could afford them.

[Art_from_Ark]

18. I used a slide rule and an abacus for a few years after that

until a friend sold me his used Texas Instruments scientific calculator for $25 in 1976 (new price was $75).

[Ilsa]

20. Yeah, I spent $75 on a TI also. USed it for my Finance class. Used

my slide rule thru 1976.

[Art_from_Ark]

24. The TI calculator was pretty funky

If I remember correctly, it had a rechargeable battery and an electric AC adaptor, but if the battery got to the point where it couldn't recharge, then the calculator wouldn't work even with the adaptor.

[Prefer]

27. My Mom had a calculator

with red digits. Remember before LCD the watches and calculators had LEDs. But I remember each digit being like a little LED type bulb except it could display all of the number in it.

[eleny]

4. If anyone suggests simmering floss to make soup, I'm going to be really pissed

[asthmaticeog]

15. Whoa, whoa, whoa. There's still plenty of meat on that bone!

Now you take this home, throw it in a pot, add some broth, a potato? Baby, you've got a stew goin'!

[nickyt]

30. Carl?

- I think I want my money back!

[Sputnik55]

6. Computer gear is dropping

I'm able to build decent workstations for less than $500. For some reason RAM chips are dirt-cheap. All the better for keeping track of everything else that's going up!

[mdmc]

8. I'm bullish on ALDI

www.aldi.com

[elocs]

9. How does the price of our food and our gas compare to the rest of the world?

What do they give up that we enjoy so that they may eat or drive? I am sure they are shedding a lot of tears for us now, but it's getting more expensive for them too. Still more expensive than it is for us.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

11. My labor

since it costs me about twice as much to get to work these days.

[Juche]

12. clothes & electronics

Also anything that can be bought over the internet.

[Stuart G]

14. The price of speakers..

Yes, they are electronics, but some of them are actually much better than they were years ago. The price of a library card is still relatively low, and you can listen to good music, or whatever you call, "good" for relatively little, with those speakers..

[Manifestor_of_Light]

50. "Price of a library card"? Excuse me, what the hell are you talking about???

Library cards are FREE. :wtf:

[Juche]

56. Depends

If you get a PLAC card those are $20/year or so.

[Stuart G]

13. This one was very very cheep..

About 7 years ago, I was with my brother at his house. He was mowing the lawn, and we stopped for a moment to look at all the so called "weeds"..One was a very good looking weed with some familiar leaves. Looked to me like a brand new, or shall I say, first year,
..Maple Tree...tiny, maybe two inches tall..not exactly a weed.

Well, I put into a two inch pot, then transplanted it into a 4 inch pot..and...........

Today..12 foot tall, gives shade,, and provides clean air...(quite natural they say.)..and is kinda nice looking.

[ColbertWatcher]

19. Lies.

It seems with so many of them flying around you'd think someone is giving them away...

[Snarkoleptic]

23. Hillary '08 T-shirts are four for a dollar.

[papapi]

25. Popcorn

[bettyellen]

26. Levis and most clothing except luxury lines- and that's why we don;t make it in the USA

[PurityOfEssence]

29. Used SUVs

practically giving 'em away...

[Stuart G]

31. Road maps...yes you can still get them free...

Fifty years ago, you got them from the gasoline station. Some of us remember.

...Now you can still get them free, but you got to call an 800 number, and the state bureau of tourism will send you one. Ironically, the ones you get are actually better in some ways than what you used to get at the gas stations. They have more landmarks, better
printing and are updated every year. They got ads in them, but also some good travel information too.

...Sure, we pay for them with our state taxes. But if we call a number of states, or send in the coupon, what we get from the state tourism department, will help us on our automobile trips...(that is if we can afford the gas).

[Vinca]

32. Yesterday at the grocery store there was a large bin of

Geisha All White Albacore Tuna (not the cat foody tuna) selling for a dollar a can. It'll probably be gone by today.

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

33. I bought a printer-scanner-fax that cost less than the printer it replaced, and

since I was the last person in America to buy a DVD player, I got a Sony for around $45. It doesn't record or do any tricks, but that's ok, all I wanted was a player. VCRs are even cheaper.

[JCMach1]

36. They are going for $25 these days and they have a USB port

[Stuart G]

34. Back in 63,.. I paid 25 cents for a copy of something ....

on a copying machine at the library. In today's funds, multiply that by 4..the simple copy that I was reading cost a dollar..
Today, a copy at the library costs a dime..

[melm00se]

35. while the prices may not have come

down on some items, the capabilities/features have of these products have shot up quite dramatically.

take an entry level car for example:

in the 1970's, your entry level car had (1972 Dodge Dart - heck I owned one - list price $2420):
non-power steering
non-power brakes
roll up windows
AM radio
Lap type seat belts
2 way adjustable seats

Now, let's compare it to an entry level automobile from today (Toyota Yaris $11,500 list price)
Airbags
tilt steering wheel
Air conditioning
AM/FM/CD with MP3 playback and audio jack
4 way adjustable seats
3 point seat belts
power steering
power brakes

that's a far more feature rich car for what amounts to roughly the same amount of money ($2420 in 1972 is the equivalent of $12,400 today).

[Stuart G]

37. I had a 71 Dodge Dart that cost less,...but...

..Mine was standard shift, no automatic transmission.....that engine lasted ....
shifting was a pain, but I got a little better gas mileage.

I am not sure who makes standard shift cars in the U.S. anymore..anyone know?

[melm00se]

39. Most smaller

engined cars come as stick shifts as do sports cars. Ditto for pickups and trucks that tow things.

My Dart (the Swinger) went for 16 years until the rear spring broke, I spun out and hit a guard rail, end of car.

[SmokingJacket]

38. Books published by Dover

Each of these is less than $2.00, new! A bargain at twice the price:

[Manifestor_of_Light]

49. Dover is an excellent company.

They reprint public domain books, musical scores, etc. so that they will stay in circulation.

I like "The Devil's Dictionary" by Ambrose Bierce, myself.

[StickyIckes]

40. lol

[Stuart G]

41. 45 years ago, you could buy a coke at a fountain for 5 cents, and.....

you got 6 ounces.....in a glass..

Today, you can go to a large discount chain....(that people here don't like) and some other stores, and get a 12 oz can of soda pop...(not Coca Cola) for 25 cents. That can is indeed a bargain........

[Manifestor_of_Light]

51. yeah, if you enjoy drinking toilet cleaner.

Sodas have phosphoric acid in them. It's on the label. You can remove mineral scum with any strong acid.

[fascisthunter]

42. I Feel Better Now

:sarcasm:

[mainegreen]

43. Houses. n/t

[QueenOfCalifornia]

44. Can I fill my

gas tank with aspirin?

[Stuart G]

53. No, you can't..

Of course you could use the aspirin to walk somewhere (if you have arthritis like me) that you would need the car for. Or if able, use your bike to get somewhere.
..But we have become totally reliant on cars and cheap gas. That is for another thread. Yet, somethings are not our of line. Here is another one that actually saves gas...Like a brand new idea..
......NETFLICKS......you not only don't have to drive to the video store anymore, the cost of renting films is.. less than it used to cost to rent them at say Blockbusters ..

This new company has not only reduced the price of renting films, but cut out the late fees...

[flvegan]

45. Beer prices remain stable.

At least in my area.

[lutefisk]

47. I am sorry to have to tell you this, but . . .

A worldwide shortage of hops has depleted the supplies available to brewers, particularly for some of the specific blends that craft brewers have made their specialties. The shortage is the result of recent drought in Australia and flooding in Europe that destroyed much of their crops, forcing brewers overseas to turn to U.S. hops supplies that already were strained by a movement to plant more profitable crops like corn.

Coupled with rising fuel costs, the shortage has hops prices skyrocketing from $5 per pound to as much as $45. That's sent beermakers raising their prices and breweries altering popular recipes.

The shortage has hit smaller craft brewers -- who often buy hops on the spot market -- particularly hard. Large breweries usually contract hop purchases a few years out, but they too have been forced to boost prices in response to a higher costs for barley, another key ingredient. In April, the federal government reported that the price of beer purchased at retail outlets rose 4.3 percent from a year earlier, slightly higher than the overall rate of inflation.

http://www.startribune.com/business/19407724.html?location_refer=Most%20Viewed:Homepage

:toast:

[tuckessee]

46. Human life.

We kill 'em by the bushel if they're brown & worship strange gods and then reward the killers with medals, college scholarships, etc..

[elehhhhna]

52. USED SUV's. Very cheap these days.

[Stuart G]

54. The cost of a watch has gone down..as well...

as alarm clocks, and kitchen timers.

[Brigid]

55. Huge SUVs.

I hear some dealers won't even take them as trade-ins. Thank God my mother leased hers. Once the lease ends, it's their problem.

[Stuart G]

57. Room Air Conditioners..

I bought my first room air conditioner for 280 dollars in l973. It was 8000 BTUs . The same size air conditioner is the same price today, 35 years later. Given inflation, that means a reduction of at least.. 66 percent, for a more efficient air conditioner. You can buy a small one for about l00 dollars.. Good to know about as summer approaches.

[dysfunctional press]

58. beer nuts have gone up...but deer nuts are still under a buck.

:evilgrin:

[Stuart G]

59. Airline fares are a real bargain..

I remember in the late 70s I flew out to California, in a great deal..It had to be Christmas Day. If you flew out on Christmas day,(I live in the Chicago area).. and back the next day. it was 99 dollars each way..The normal fare, was about 230 ,each way,and that was a good deal..


Since you can now get a round trip to California easily for 300..from Chicago..it is clear that the price has gone down dramatically..IF you look carefully, you can get a deal for 120...one way.

,,That is actually a dramatic reduction in price since in inflation adjusted dollars, the real fare compared to the 70s fare of 99 dollars, is one third of that ...or abut 35 dollars..(in late l970s dollars..)

...Therefore, if you look, travel is a real bargain......