Chuck, this is always interesting. I'm no economist either, but my feeling is the same. We live a modest rural lifestyle and dutifully budget in our household -- and our lifestyle has not changed for many years (so basically our basket of goods has not seen any big changes). From 2014 to 2019 our expenses stayed flat. Our 2023 expenses were up 52% from 2019. Is our income up 52%? Not even close. Where the economists get these inflation figures from is puzzling. I was tired of being told that the economy is doing well. The only ones it seems to be doing well for are upper income people. Everyone I know feels squeezed.
There's also the Christmas Cookie Infiltration Index. This is the rate at which your stash of Christmas cookies is infiltrated each year, pilfered by passers by, children, pets and even the baker himself. It's expressed as the percent of yield that doesn't reach its intended consumers.
Chuck, this is always interesting. I'm no economist either, but my feeling is the same. We live a modest rural lifestyle and dutifully budget in our household -- and our lifestyle has not changed for many years (so basically our basket of goods has not seen any big changes). From 2014 to 2019 our expenses stayed flat. Our 2023 expenses were up 52% from 2019. Is our income up 52%? Not even close. Where the economists get these inflation figures from is puzzling. I was tired of being told that the economy is doing well. The only ones it seems to be doing well for are upper income people. Everyone I know feels squeezed.
There's also the Christmas Cookie Infiltration Index. This is the rate at which your stash of Christmas cookies is infiltrated each year, pilfered by passers by, children, pets and even the baker himself. It's expressed as the percent of yield that doesn't reach its intended consumers.