Consumer News: There’s been a sharp rise in cars selling for $100,000

Electric rates are driving the increase

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• Americans now spend $532 billion annually on utilities, with median household costs reaching $4,168 a year

• New doxoINSIGHTS reports reveal the most and least expensive states and cities for essential services

• Rising energy demand, infrastructure investments, and price volatility push household utility costs up 15% in five years

As AI-driven energy consumption grows, infrastructure upgrades accelerate, and utilities turn increasingly toward renewables, the cost of keeping the lights on continues to climb for U.S. households.

New data from doxos 2025 Utilities Market Size and Household Spending Reports reveals Americans now spend $532 billion each year on essential utility services and many families are feeling the strain.

The analysis, covering four core utility categories electric, gas, water & sewer, and waste & recycling across 97% of U.S. ZIP codes, shows that the median household now pays $347 per month, or $4,168 annually, for basic services. Utilities account for 5% of the average household income, underscoring the essential but increasingly costly nature of everyday living.

A growing financial burden

The reports highlight how instability in energy markets, fueled by surging demand from data centers, rising fuel costs, and major grid investments, has pushed prices sharply higher:

• Electricity prices rose 6.2% over the past year and nearly 20% over five years, including a 7% rise in 2025 alone.

• Gas utility prices jumped 13.8% in the last year and are up 25% over five years, following supply shocks and global fuel disruptions in 20222023.

• Water & sewer (+4.8%) and waste & recycling (+6.5%) saw more gradual but steady increases tied to inflation and infrastructure upgrades.

All told, household utility costs have increased roughly 15% since 2020, outpacing wage growth in many regions.

American families are navigating a perfect storm of rising utility costs, said Steve Shivers, co-founder and CEO of doxo. He noted that sweeping infrastructure modernization and surging energy demand are converging, resulting in more costs being passed to households.

Utility spending by category

The reports break down how much Americans spend across the four major utility categories:

Electric Utilities

• Market size: $217B annually

• Median bill: $120/month ($1,440/year)

• 90% of households pay for electric services

• Represents 5% of total household bill payments

Water & Sewer

• Market size: $129B

• Median bill: $86/month ($1,036/year)

• Paid by 72% of households

Gas Utilities

• Market size: $110B

• Median bill: $71/month ($852/year)

• Paid by 66% of households

Waste & Recycling

• Market size: $75B

• Median bill: $70/month ($840/year)

• Paid by 53% of households

Where utilities cost the most

Maryland tops the list of most expensive states, with a median monthly utility cost of $546, driven by some of the nations highest water & sewer and waste & recycling bills.

Top 10 Most Expensive States (Median Monthly Total)

1. Maryland $546

2. Connecticut $488

3. Massachusetts $481

4. Washington $466

5. Hawaii $447

6. Alaska $445

7. Rhode Island $438

8. New Jersey $435

9. Maine $430

10. Vermont $425

Large cities with the highest utility costs

New York City leads all major U.S. cities with a staggering $853 median monthly utility bill, driven primarily by an exceptionally high median waste & recycling charge of $517 per month.

Top 10 Most Expensive Large Cities (Median Monthly Total)

1. New York, NY $853

2. Milwaukee, WI $588

3. San Jose, CA $579

4. San Francisco, CA $545

5. Baltimore, MD $503

6. Memphis, TN $497

7. Seattle, WA $493

8. Washington, DC $478

9. San Diego, CA $469

10. Detroit, MI $461

Groups say these toys can engage in dangerous conversations

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• Child-safety experts warn families to skip AI-powered toys this holiday season

• New advisory says AI toys can harm child development, disrupt relationships, and invade privacy

• Advocates cite documented cases of AI toys giving dangerous, explicit, or misleading responses to kids

A coalition of leading child-development specialists and technology-safety advocates is urging parents not to purchase AI-powered toys this holiday season, warning that the devices can undermine healthy development, expose families to serious privacy risks, and potentially endanger young children.

The advisory, released by Fairplay and signed by dozens of experts in child psychology and digital safety, pushes back against the booming marketing of smart companions for kids.

These toys which include plush animals, dolls, robots, and character devices equipped with conversational artificial intelligence are being advertised as educational and safe for even very young children. But experts say the reality is far more troubling.

AI toys embed chatbot technology inside familiar playthings, allowing them to converse with children in seemingly human ways. Companies behind products like Miko, Smart Teddy, Roybi, Loona Robot Dog, and Curio Interactives Gabbo/Grem/Grok pitch them as friendly, emotionally attuned companions. Major manufacturers, including Mattel, plan to introduce their own AI-driven toys.

Powerful AI models

But researchers emphasize that the conversational abilities that make these toys appealing come from the same powerful AI models that have already been associated with harmful interactions when used by children and teens.

Past incidents include chatbots encouraging unsafe behavior, initiating explicit sexual dialogue, and generating violent or manipulative content. U.S. PIRG tests have already found some AI toys offering children instructions on finding knives, lighting matches, and engaging in sexually explicit exchanges.

Because these products target younger children many of whom cannot distinguish between real relationships and programmed behavior the potential for harm is even greater, the groups say.

A central concern is the way AI toys leverage childrens natural trust. Young kids often treat digital voice assistants and talking toys as truthful and humanlike. Studies show, for example, that 75% of children ages 310 believe Amazons Alexa always tells the truth.

Trustworthy buddies

By presenting themselves as loyal friends or trustworthy buddies, AI toys may confuse childrens understanding of relationships and undermine their ability to build healthy emotional bonds with real caregivers, the advisory warns. It says that when companies design toys to appear empathetic or affectionate, they are effectively substituting machine responses for the messy, human interactions essential for resilience, social skills, and emotional growth.

The advisory also highlights extensive privacy and surveillance concerns. Many AI toys use always-on microphones, cameras, facial-recognition features, and gesture tracking often without children understanding they are being recorded. These tools can capture intimate family moments, private conversations, and even data from children who are not the toys owners.

Companies can use this trove of personal information to refine their AI systems or to target families with personalized marketing. Some AI toy makers are building subscription models that nudge children to request paid upgrades, while others could potentially sell sensitive data to third parties. History shows that connected toys have been hacked before, raising additional concerns about security.

Despite marketing promises of endless learning and imaginative engagement, the groups argue that AI toys tend to dominate play rather than support it. Instead of encouraging children to invent stories, explore freely, or use toys to express emotions key ingredients of healthy development AI toys drive interactions through prompts, scripts, and automated chatter.

Traditional hands-on play, the advisory notes, has decades of research confirming its developmental benefits. AI-driven play does not.

A call for caution

Fairplay and its co-signers say the risks outweigh the promises, especially given the lack of independent research showing any developmental benefit to AI toys. While companies race to release new AI-enabled products, advocates argue that children should not be used as test subjects for experimental technology embedded into toys that collect sensitive data, mimic relationships, and may say unpredictable or dangerous things.

Offline teddy bears and toys have been proven to benefit childrens development with none of the risks, the advisory concludes. As holiday shopping ramps up, experts urge caregivers to steer clear of AI-enabled toys and return to the simple, imaginative play tools that have supported children for generations.

Explore how Target is turning conversation into curated carts the future of shopping you can just talk to

• How Target is bringing a full shopping experience into ChatGPT from browsing to buying all conversational.

• The key features: third-party chat app integration, multi-item purchases, fresh food plus full assortment, flexible fulfillment.

• Why this matters: convenience, personalization and a peek at how AI is changing retail.

Imagine chatting with a bot and wrapping up your holiday shopping in one fell swoop thats what Target is aiming for.

The retail giant just announced its launching a first-of-its-kind conversational, curated shopping experience inside ChatGPT, giving shoppers the ability to discover, browse, and buy right where theyre already chatting. For consumers, it means less jumping between apps or sites and more just talk and shop convenience.

"At Target, everything starts with the guest, and that means meeting them wherever they are, including emerging spaces like ChatGPT, where millions of consumers visit," Prat Vemana, executive vice president and chief information and product officer, Target, said in a news release.

"We're proud to be one of the first retailers bringing shopping into this new channel, partnering with OpenAI to make discovery through the Target app in ChatGPT as easy and joyful as browsing our aisles. Our goal is simple: make every interaction feel as natural, helpful and inspiring as chatting with a friend."

"A big part of the AI transformation is happening inside enterprises, and Target is a great example of what that shift looks like when it's done with ambition and speed. We're excited to work with Target as they weave intelligence throughout their business to create useful and joyful experiences for their customers and their employees," Fidji Simo, CEO of Applications at OpenAI, said in the release.

The specifics: what it really offers

Heres how it works and why it stands out.

Targets experience within ChatGPT allows you to tag Target inside the chat interface and ask for help like you might with a friend e.g., Im planning a family movie night, what should I pick up? The chat tool responds with curated recommendations across Targets full assortment (think cozy blankets, snacks, candles, slippers and more).

Once youve found what you like, you build your basket in the chat, purchase in one transaction, and select fulfillment: free same-day Drive Up or Order Pickup in-store, or shipping.

Unique to this launch: fresh food is included alongside everyday essentials and style-led items. And the experience is designed for ease and inspiration.

The tech behind this includes a partnership with OpenAI and strategic investment in AI across Targets operations. Theyre leaning into AI to make discovery smarter, workflows smoother, and ultimately make shopping feel like a conversation rather than a chore.

Why it matters for you

If youre someone who shops at Target (or plans to), this could mean less friction fewer clicks, fewer apps, fewer distractions. Instead of toggling between browser tabs or apps, you simply ask, get suggestions, pick your items, checkout, and choose how youd like to receive them. For holiday shopping (or everyday errands), thats a meaningful upgrade in convenience.

Plus, from a broader perspective, it signals how retail is evolving. More brands will likely follow this model of conversational commerce effectively turning chat into checkout. For consumers, being comfortable with that shift means keeping an eye on how you shop, how your data is handled and how new experiences fit your style.

Insights from the American Farm Bureau Federations 40th Annual Thanksgiving Survey

• Thanksgiving dinner for 10 across America now averages $55.18, down about 5% from last year.

• The cost drop is largely thanks to a big price fall on frozen turkeys, even while fresh produce costs climbed.

• There are regional cost differences: the South remains the most affordable region, while the West leads as the highest-cost.

If youre pulling together your grocery list for Thanksgiving this year, you might breathe a little easier.

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) has released its 40th annual Thanksgiving dinner survey and, good news: the average cost of the spread for 10 people is $55.18, or about $5.52 per person. Thats a roughly 5% drop compared to last year.

After two years of price relief, things are easing back a bit, though its not quite back to pre-pandemic comfort levels. The survey gives a consumer-friendly snapshot of what many of us pay for a standard Thanksgiving meal.

Its encouraging to see some relief in the price of turkeys, as it is typically the most expensive part of the meal, AFBF Economist Faith Parum, Ph.D., said in a news release.

Farmers are still working to rebuild turkey flocks that were devastated by avian influenza, but overall demand has also fallen. The combination will help ensure turkey will remain an affordable option for families celebrating Thanksgiving.

How the Survey Was Done

Each year, the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) enlists volunteer shoppers from all 50 states and Puerto Rico to help collect pricing data.

During the first week of November, these volunteers check grocery store shelves in person and also online via apps and websites to find the prices of a fixed "shopping basket" of Thanksgiving staples.

Importantly, they dont rely on coupons or bundled deals; they report regular retail pricing only.

This survey has been carried out every year since 1986, and AFBF keeps the same basic menu to make cost comparisons over time more meaningful.

The specifics: whats driving the changes

The menu in the survey covers the staples: a 16-pound frozen turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, dinner rolls, peas, cranberries, a veggie tray, and pumpkin pie with whipped cream, all sized for ten servings.
Heres whats moving:

• The frozen turkey is a big win for shoppers: the average price is now $21.50 (or $1.34 per pound), which is down more than 16% from last year.

• Half of the items surveyed showed price declines. For example, dinner rolls and stuffing both dropped in price, helped by lower wheat costs.

• On the flip side, some fresh produce items jumped significantly: frozen vegetable trays are up about 61%, and sweet potatoes climbed about 37% in price. These increases are tied to weather disruptions, labor shortages, and the inherent volatility of produce markets.

• The survey also broke down costs by region: the classic meal averages $50.01 in the South, $54.38 in the Midwest, $60.82 in the Northeast, and $61.75 in the West. For an expanded menu (adding items like boneless ham, Russet potatoes and frozen green beans), the cost goes up to $71.20 in the South and as high as $84.97 in the West.
  

In short: if youre feeding a group of ten this year, youre likely spending less than last year thanks mostly to a turkey price break but keep an eye on the produce aisle, because some sides are costing more.

Stop donating $8.99 to the shipping gods, heres how

• Always compare the all-in price (item + tax + shipping), not just the sale price

• Hit free-shipping minimums with stuff you truly need, and hunt for hidden promos, store card perks, or a chat rep willing to share a code

• Keep the item, change the seller: search the exact product at other retailers, use free pickup, or even delivery apps if they give you a lower total

At some point in the last few years, free shipping quietly turned into free shipping but only if you jump through three hoops and spend $75. Many stores raised the minimum spend requirement while they added more items to their exclusions list. And some retailers simply decided, Yeah no, sorry, youre paying for shipping now.

So, what do you actually do when you cant find free shipping? The good news is youre not completely out of luck. Heres how to beat delivery fees without turning a decent deal into a bad one.

Step one: treat shipping as part of the price

Stop thinking of the shipping charges as a separate line item at checkout.

For example, if something costs $38 and shipping is $8.99, youre not buying a $38 item. Youre buying a $46.99 item.

Thats the price you should compare against other stores, not the nice little sale price they throw at you in big letters.

If you wouldnt buy it for $46.99 in-store, dont buy it online just because it feels like a deal.

Use all-in comparisons before you click place order

When youre in a situation where free shipping isnt available, consider it your job is to find the best all-in price: item + tax + shipping. Make this happen by doing the following:

• Open a second browser tab and search the exact product name.
• Check a couple of competitors and look at their total at checkout.
• Include curbside or in-store pickup options where shipping is $0.

Sometimes the retailer with the higher sale price ends up being cheaper once you add in the shipping cost and tax. Have the mindset that the only number that matter is what hits your credit card statement.

Let in-store pickup quietly do the heavy lifting

Free shipping might be gone, but Buy Online, Pick Up In Store is still everywhere.

Most big-name retailers offer free ship-to-store or curbside pickup. This service basically translates to free shipping with a different name.

Think of it this way, the store is covering the cost to move the item to a location near where you live. Youre just paying in time and gas, but if you can pick up the item when you were planning on being in the neighborhood anyway, its an easy win.

Heres the smart play:

• Use home delivery only when you truly need it at your door and the shipping is free.
• Use pickup for everything else, especially bulky or non-urgent items.
• Combine pickups with errands youre already running so youre not burning gas just for one order.

Hit the minimum but only with stuff Future You actually needs

Heres the classic trap online retailers bank on you falling for. Your cart is at $42, free shipping kicks in at $50, and suddenly youre scrolling for an $8 filler item you didnt even know existed two minutes ago.

Dont add a random candle or novelty mug just to dodge an $8 fee. Youre still spending more in the end.

If youre inclined to add stuff to your cart to hit the free shipping threshold, at the very least consider these items:

• Pantry or household staples youd be buying anyway
• Sizes and colors you know youll use (socks, underwear, cleaning supplies)
• Gifts you will definitely need soon (birthday, holidays, teacher gifts)

Ask yourself this question and always follow your own advice: Will I be annoyed at myself in a month when I see this in a drawer?

Hunt for hidden free shipping before you give up

Retailers are famous for burying their best shipping deals hoping you never notice, let alone look for a free shipping promo.

But fortunately, youve found this article and youll never do that again. So, get in the habit of quickly checking the following:

Email Sign-up offers Some stores include free shipping on your first order. Sign-up and take advantage. I recommend having a separate email account dedicated to shopping offers only so your regular email does not get inundated.

Category promos Sometimes specific beauty products, gift sets, or clearance deals have separate free-shipping codes. Be sure to look around for them. Macys, Ulta, Kohls, and Bath & Body Works do this fairly regularly.

Store card perks Some loyalty program tiers unlock free or discounted shipping.

Start a live chat Before you click checkout, and pay for shipping, always open a chat window and ask the agent if they happen to have a free shipping coupon they can share. Youd be surprised how often theyll help you out with a deal.

Change where you buy, not what you buy

When free shipping disappears, dont give up on buying item, instead reroute where you make the purchase.

Make this happen by plugging the exact product name into Google or a shopping comparison tool and check the following:

• Is the same item available at a warehouse club, big-box store, or local chain with free pickup?
• Is there a slightly different size or color that qualifies for better shipping?

In the end, you might end up buying the same brand at a different retailer, or at the very least, a near-identical version from a more shipping-friendly store.

Story time: I did this exact thing recently with a Nike hoodie my daughter wanted for her birthday. I found it for $55 on a smaller sporting goods website and was about to use a coupon code for free shipping when I was told that it had expired.

So instead of paying $9.99 for shipping, I searched for the exact hoodie on Google and found it for the same price on Dicks and Nikes official site. I ended up buying it online from Dicks and used their free curbside pickup service. I just grabbed it when I hit the nearby grocery store a couple days later.

Use delivery apps to flip the script

Heres a weird one most people dont think of: sometimes its cheaper to buy from a retailer through a delivery app than from the retailers own website.

If a store has a presence on DoorDash, Uber Eats, Instacart, or similar, youll occasionally find the following.

• The prices are the same or close
• The app is running a promo (percent off, free delivery, or credits)
• You already have a membership that wipes out any delivery fees

You still need to compare the final totals, but if youre already paying for DashPass or another subscription, you might as well let it earn its keep on non-food orders too.

Bottomline

Remember that free shipping was never really free. The cost to get you the item was just buried somewhere else on the store's balance sheet. Now that more retailers are pulling back on free shipping offers, your job is to stop chasing the illusion and focus on the only number that counts: the real total leaving your bank account.