5 Things That Will Cost More in 2015

3. Debt. The past few years have seen very low interest rates. However, that may change in 2015. “The Fed has eliminated quantitative easing [where a central bank purchases securities to lower interest rates and increase the supply of money], and is expected to let interest rates start to rise, so the cost of debt will go up,” Levin says.

4. Shipping. The U.S. Postal Service has chosen not to raise postage rates this January, but UPS and FedEx have announced shipping price increases for 2015.  Of course, shipping costs have been gradually rising in recent years, with several price increases in stamps and retailers like Amazon raising their minimum threshold for free shipping from $25 to $35. Amazon also raised the cost of Amazon Prime (which includes free two-day shipping on most items) from $79 to $99 last spring.

5. Travel. If you are planning a trip in 2015, consider budgeting a little more money for airfare and hotel stays. Despite lower fuel costs for airlines, carriers may raise prices (and certainly haven’t been shy about adding new fees) because of increased demand.

What Will Cost More In 2015 - Page 2  was originally published on blackdoctor.org