In the 1950’s, consumers paid the equivalent of a few thousands dollars for television sets that showed only a handful of channels--for free. And the costs ended there.

Fast forward to today. A wide range of gadgets, computers, and home entertainment systems offers endless hours of enjoyment--and costly monthly fees.

Related calculator: How much am I spending?

The average household pays about $90 a month for cable TV, $40 for internet, and $140 for family wireless plans. The annual cost of connectivity? More than $3000 a year, according to J.D. Power, a global market research company. That's about what the average family spends each year on gas!

“The hardware costs have come way down, but that hardware needs care and feeding, and services. And those up to a lot, probably more than we pay for the device, over the years that we own it,” says Paul Reynolds, electronics editor for Consumer Reports.

Consumers paid about $500 in 1955 for an analog color TV--that’s the equivalent of more