[castlegreyskull]

My co-workers at work, mostly younger than 28 years old, keep telling me that there is no inflation.

I choose not to argue with them. None of them have a house or family. Therefore, none of them have to worry to much about maintain a household budget, because they typically have much more money than they need to pay for their small apartment. They would not really know about the increase costs of food, because they eat out so often.

Inflation is high, and I see it everyday. I have much less discretionary income, despite making more, and my household expendiatures have remained the same.

[Alberta's Child]

It's important to remember that inflation is only meaningful on a personal level, which means a lot of the statistics for the nation as a whole include inflationary trends for things that a lot of people don't necessarily buy.

Health care is a good example. We always hear that health care costs are rising substantially faster than inflation as a whole, but what exactly does that mean for younger people when the average person in the U.S. visits a doctor no more than 2-3 times in total between the ages of 20 and 35?

Also, you'll often find that inflation is effectively masked by financing terms for major purchases. If the price of a new home doubled over the course of 15 years but interest rates are considerably lower, the impact on a home buyer when measured in terms of a monthly mortgage payment doesn't accurately reflect the price change.

[servantboy777]

I've experienced stagnant wages at the corp., increased cost of health benefits, property taxes up, Social Security taxes up 2% for my wife and I Jan 13, auto/homeowners insurance up, cost of gasoline up three times what it was when Obozo took office, food prices up, home energy prices up.

Our household moved backward in 2013, thanx Uncle Sugar, thanx a bunch.