With the price of gas shooting up along with the price of everything else that makes an evening out, who can afford to go out much anymore? ARGH!
So what to do instead... stay home and watch some good TV. Except it turns out that the cost of basic cable TV is going up faster than anything else you can name. (Especially, we can tell you, if you are unfortunate enough to be strapped with Comcast on your back.)
Reports across the country for 2008 show whopping increases in basic cable rates that are way above general inflation and actually above the increase rate for any good or service you'd care to mention. In a few places the price for basic cable has even gone up faster than gasoline!
In all of the US the rate for basic cable has more than doubled since 1996, but in a lot of the country the rate for basic cable has more than doubled in just the last two or three years. Actually going to a movie may be cheaper! ("Basic" -- not the cheapest package, but no "premium" channels either.)
Like the implication in TV commercial that (if you can afford to see it) shows a lady eating a $5 bill -- it may be cheaper to entertain yourself by lighting dollar bills on fire than subscribing to basic cable. Ack!
