The American Institute for Economic Research has released their Cost-of-Living Guide, which tracks the purchasing power of the dollar, says the WSJ Wallet Blog. They pulled some interesting examples of items that have increased in price — and a few that have actually gone down since 1990.

Up:
College tuition and fees: 248.4%
Cigarettes & other tobacco products: 246.5%
Motor oil, coolant & fluids: 170.7%
Oranges and tangerines: 157.6%

Down:
Personal computers & other information processing equipment: -89.4%
Televisions: -83.0%
Audio equipment: -45.4%
Toys: -43.4%

Good news for those of you who like electronics, and bad news for those of you who want to go to college to learn more about them.

The Buying Power of a Dollar, on a Downswing [WSJ]
(Photo:frankieleon)

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