Where costs will rise (or fall) in 2007
Raises will average 3.7 percent, but there will be a lot of competition for those dollars given the price increases forecast for many basic expenses in 2007. But there are some areas where you'll likely pay less. By Jeanne Sahadi, CNNMoney.com senior writer
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Meat
If corn prices stay high, meat prices may go higher, too.
Meat
UPCorn futures are trading at 10-year highs, which could mean a pricier hamburger or breast of chicken come the fall of 2007.

"Higher priced grain means higher priced livestock," said James Roose, vice president and analyst for U.S. Commodities Inc.

And higher priced livestock can mean higher wholesale meat prices that get passed onto you, the consumer.

If corn prices remain high - which they may given the increased demand for corn to produce not only feed but ethanol, the renewable fuel source that's been on many a politician's lips in the past year -- Roose estimates that the price of a steak or burger could go up as much as 20 percent to 30 percent.
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Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.