With inflation hitting 40-year highs in 2021, it’s hard to imagine that anything could get much more expensive in 2022 — but that’s wishful thinking. The price tags on more than a dozen products and services are expected to rise even further this year — and many of them are essentially impossible not to buy. From food and clothes to health care and heating, here’s a look at the items that will gobble up even more of your budget next year.
The cost of ACA Marketplace coverage will probably drop for many people in 2022. The federal government is advising that most people who are already enrolled in the ACA Marketplace will qualify for more tax credits and other savings that were written into the 2021 American Rescue Plan. In October, however, the Society for Human Resource Management reported that employers expected the cost of workplace health plans to rise by 5.2% back to pre-pandemic prices.
Although most Medicare recipients don’t pay a premium for Part A coverage, those who do buy Part A will pay up to $499 per month in 2022 compared to $471 in 2021. The Part A inpatient deductible jumps from $1,484 to $1,556. Part B premiums are rising from $148.50 to $170.10 and the deductible climbs by $30 from $203 to $233. Coinsurance payments jump slightly with both parts, as well.
No matter your insurance situation, you can expect health care costs to rise across the board in 2022. According to a report from PWC, the price of medical care, in general, will rise by 6.5% — on top of the 7% increase the industry experienced in 2021. The return of deferred pandemic-era care continues to flood the field with demand, COVID-related costs are pushing up the cost of everything else, and greater instances of substance abuse and mental health issues are also having financial ripple effects, the report concluded.
The 2021 housing market was defined by scarce inventory, bargain-basement mortgage rates, and a buying frenzy that sent the median home price up by double-digit percentage points in 78% of U.S. markets, according to CNN. The gains are not expected to continue at that unsustainable pace, according to Forbes, but while the 2022 market will be less hot, it certainly won’t be cool. Many experts expect low-single-digit price increases on top of 2021’s historic gains.
The price of rent rose by 11.6% for one-bedroom apartments in 2021, according to Zumper’s 2021 Annual Rent Report— 13.6% for two bedrooms. According to Fortune, rents are expected to rise even higher in 2022, as buyers who were priced out of the housing market renew their rental leases and bide their time.
Related: 13 Ways to Lower Your Rent
A lot of the salty and sweet stuff that you love to eat between meals will cost more in 2022, and one industry giant’s situation offers some insight as to why. In early November, CNBC reported that the Mondelez company was raising the price of Sour Patch Kids, Ritz crackers, and Oreo cookies by 7% this year. The company’s CEO cited rising prices and supply chain woes that continue to make it hard to keep its products on store shelves.
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One of the biggest storylines of the 2021 economy was the global chip shortage that made it harder to find and more expensive to buy electronic devices of all shapes and sizes. Consumers shouldn’t expect much relief moving forward. In mid-November, Supply Chain Dive reported that electronics manufacturers were planning to increase their prices again in 2022 in response to the same familiar labor and supply shortages that defined the past year. Prices across a broad range of consumer electronics will probably rise by between 7%-8% on top of 2021’s 14.5% increase.
The same chip shortage that’s pushing up the cost of laptops, smartphones, tablets, and gaming consoles also ground auto production down to a frustratingly low level. The downhill effects of an industry-wide new vehicle shortage filtered down to the battered used car market, where prices rose by nearly 40% in 2021, according to Fortune. In mid-December, Automotive News reported that prices are poised to hit new record highs in 2022, at least early in the year. Used car buyers should continue to expect to pay more for their second or third choice of vehicle in their second or third choice of color and trim package.
https://blog.cheapism.com/used-car-prices-higher-than-new/
The exact same forces that are responsible for the dysfunction that now defines the used car market spilled over into the rental market throughout all of 2021. On top of that, the biggest rental companies sold off huge portions of their fleets to survive 2020, which left them under-inventoried in 2021, just as prices were soaring and trade-ins stopped flowing in from the new-car market. The New York Post reported that rental prices rose by a full 75% ahead of Thanksgiving, and Car and Driver reported that paying more for older, less desirable models will continue to be par for the course through at least 2022.
Related: 10 Things to Know About Costco Car Rental
After two years of turmoil, the fashion industry is set for a full recovery in 2022, according to the State of Fashion 2022 report, which the Business of Fashion and McKinsey & Co. compiled. The bad news is that the industry is still suffering from shipping backlogs, supply shortages, and rising costs, all of which translate into higher prices for consumers in 2022. According to the report, 15% of the industry’s executives plan to raise prices by at least 10%.
As early as late August, CNBC was reporting that toymakers were warning their customers to expect shortages and higher prices during the winter holiday season. Their prognostications largely came true — and that trend is set to continue through much of 2022. According to the Daily Mail, the Toy Association was on the record as saying that the backlogs responsible for a 10% increase in the cost of Christmas toys in December won’t clear until at least mid-2022.
Related: Nintendo to Hatchimals: Gifts That Sparked Holiday Insanity
The U.S. Energy Information Administration delivered some bad news to America’s collective winter utility budget with a report that has so far mostly proven to be painfully accurate. It predicted that in the winter of 2021-22, households would pay:
The agency also remarked that “U.S. households will spend even more if the weather is colder than expected.”
Along with fuel, food was the category where average consumers felt the impact of inflation the most — common grocery store staples like bacon went up by well into the double-digits in 2021. In an agri-commodity report from Rabobank’s RaboResearch division, the root causes of food inflation — high shipping costs, rising commodity prices, expensive fuel, and a labor shortage — are still conspiring to send prices up even further. The report said to expect more pain at the grocery store well into 2022.
Related: How to Save on Groceries
The economic story of the year was inflation — rising prices across all industries framed every other discussion about the state of the economy in 2021. While the inflation rate in 2022 is expected to soften up from the bruising 6.8% that closed out the year, experts are now predicting that inflation will creep up to 2.6% this year — up from the September forecast of 2.2%.
