• walden@sub.wetshaving.social
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      11 hours ago

      That isn’t an indicator of current inflation. Past inflation, maybe.

      People confuse “everything is expensive” with “inflation is currently high”. It’s an understandable misunderstanding, and part of the reason why Kamala lost.

      • PriorityMotif@lemmy.world
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        11 hours ago

        It’s because of hysteretic effects from 4 years ago when they stopped production of cars and fewer cars were sold because people were staying home. Then there was a supply chain crisis because of the aforementioned shutdown. It’s inflation because the dollar can buy less than it used to. Things being more expensive is inflation. You’re confusing inflation rate with inflation.

        • n2burns@lemmy.ca
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          10 hours ago

          Inflation rate and inflation are the same. You’re confusing inflation with affordability.

          • PriorityMotif@lemmy.world
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            10 hours ago

            That’s literally the definition of inflation. “Inflation is a loss of purchasing power that reflects a rise in prices for goods and services over time.”

            • n2burns@lemmy.ca
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              1 hour ago

              That definition is literally describing a change, as rate of change.

              Inflation is a loss of purchasing power

              Over the past year, we haven’t experienced a loss of purchasing power. We have a lack of purchasing power, but we lost it over the 2-3 years prior to the last year.

              a rise in prices for goods and services over time

              This is pretty much the mathematical definition of a rate of change. Like how speed is the rate of change in position over time. After a day of traveling, your position (prices for goods) may be way different than your starting point, but if you’re not currently moving, your speed (inflation) is NIL.

      • n2burns@lemmy.ca
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        1 hour ago

        As I’ve pointed out elsewhere, that’s not inflation. That’s a lack of purchasing power, not inflation which is a loss of purchasing power. We lost that purchasing power over 2022 and 2023, but the difference in price between November of 2023 and now is relatively small.

      • ThrowawayOnLemmy@lemmy.world
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        8 hours ago

        I literally just bought these three items earlier today. I spent 8. High end of $20 is either exaggerating, or you’re buying some fancier foods than me.

        • Maeve@kbin.earth
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          8 hours ago

          These are dollar store brands. $4 milk, 4 bread, 4 eggs, $12+ tax. Location matters, so do food deserts. Last I checked, $12 was more than half of twenty.

          • SeaJ@lemm.ee
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            4 hours ago

            That’s a little under $10 where I am in Seattle. No tax on food here. If I feel like driving a little bit to Target, it’s only $8. I definitely know of food deserts though. The town I grew up in only has Safeway and Walmart. The IGA closed down. Looking at prices, they are about the same as they are here which sucks because the incomes are nowhere near what they are here.

            I’m alright with a week of groceries for the four of us choosing $125/wk but I know that is difficult for some.