For more than a year, my cable/Internet bill was $66 plus taxes and hidden fees. Now, suddenly, it's $99. I didn't sign up for a promotional package, as far as I can tell. But my new bill will make me call in and ask what's going on.

And Comcast just announced big profits last quarter. I think I know why.

One of the bars my brother and I frequent on our pub nights changed their happy hour policy. It used to be $2 drafts from 4-7 p.m. Any draft. Now there's a distinction. Domestic drafts (which is Bud, Miller and Coors derivatives...and not Sam Adams) are still $2, but everything else is $2.75. Forget that Bud is owned by a Belgian company and Coors by Canadians (because this is, really, just nit-picking--what they mean by "domestic" is water beer), but maybe consider that Mexican beers travel less than domestic beers to get the kegs to our door.

I don't pay bills late, and my credit card bill is paid off every month, but the first things to increase when the economy turned south was fees on these types of things. Interest on outstanding balances and higher late fees. If I want to pay my electric and gas bills online, it costs me $2.75 a pop. And they tell me I should "save a stamp."

Oh yeah, first class stamps are going up again. But sending a bill through the mail is still cheaper than $2.75.

I guess everyone wants their piece of that extra $25 a check I'm getting from the stimulus package.

I'm not seeing the deals, even though I'm sure there are some out there. And I'm not even hurting. I've got a job. And it's relatively stable. I can absorb these costs.

But it seems like businesses are saying, well, if you aren't going to go out and shop more, we're going to make you spend more without doing anything extra.

iTunes raised prices on digital downloads. $1.29 now for the big hits. About six months ago, they were selling selected albums for $4.99. They don't do this anymore. Now, what's the difference? How can a digital file suddenly cost more to produce and distribute? Are we paying for their increased Internet cable bills, too?

My cable service isn't any better. The beer isn't any better. The post office wants to stop delivering one day a week.

Hey, that gives me an idea. I'm up for a raise in a month or so. Maybe I should ask for a lot more money. And a "work at home" day a week. Possibly just a six hour work day.

This would definitely make all the little increases on my life expenses more reasonable. Maybe I can ask for a cut in rent because I'm not at my apartment all the time. And I don't have my TV or the Internet on all the time, so maybe we can do metered service (I'm sure I use it less than the average).

Bartering should come back. Say, if I want an imported Dos Equis draft for $2, I'll tip the waitress a little more. Or I could get a free pint if I buy a meal, like back in the good old days. It seems like forever since I got something for free.

And maybe, just maybe, I can find a doctor that takes new patients with my crappy health insurance. Just in case I come down with that evil man/bear/pig flu thing.

I guess that's something for free. You don't have to pay to get sick. Just to get better.

Matt Worley will give you a dollar on Tuesday for a burger today.