Quote:
Originally Posted by MarchHare
Well, cell phones have replaced landlines, and we had cable when I was a kid in the early 80s (not today's 500+ channels, mind you, but my parents still paid a cable bill every month). The only truly new expense is internet access, but I'd argue it's a net savings for many people. Without high speed internet access, I'd likely subscribe to a more expensive cable package for my entertainment needs. So instead of a $50 internet bill, I'd have a ~$100 cable bill.
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The internet has also made things that were ridiculously difficult before possible. My grandparents to their children to Europe in mid 60s, and they booked their hotels by mail. They sent away for brochures, and then sent letters advising the hotels they'd be coming. That probably took 100x more time, cost more money to do (postage, etc) and probably didn't result in as good a deal as compared to 15 minutes of research on expedia.