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Let’s start with a fact that’ll make your wallet sob:
A cup of coffee in 1950 cost 5 cents.
Today? $5—plus a passive-aggressive stare if you ask for oat milk.
So… what happened? Did the beans unionize?
Not exactly.
This, my financially confused friend, is inflation.
☕ What Is Inflation, Really?
Inflation is when money slowly loses the will to live.
Or more technically:
It’s the rate at which the general price level of goods and services rises over time.
In plain English:
The same dollar buys less and less over the years.
It’s like your money’s on a diet… and not the fun kind.
💵 A Timeline of “Oh No” Moments:
1910s:
A loaf of bread: 5 cents
A movie ticket: 7 cents
Life was cheap, and so were the outfits.
1940s:
World War II hits. Governments print money like it’s Black Friday.
Prices start to rise—but patriotically.
1970s:
Surprise! Oil crisis.
Inflation goes full beast mode.
People start using gas money to heat their soup.
1980s:
Interest rates hit 18%.
Owning a house? Good luck.
Owning a sandwich? Still difficult.
2000s–Now:
Tech boom, housing boom, everything boom.
Wages go up... kinda.
Prices go up... aggressively.
You now need 3 side hustles and a rich dog just to afford rent.
🧂 So... What Causes Inflation?
Meet the Real Inflation Squad
Here are the usual suspects:
Too much money printing (aka the “YOLO Economics” move)
Rising production costs (if eggs cost more, omelets rebel)
High demand + low supply (like trying to buy toilet paper in 2020)
Wage increases (finally! but also, oops, now prices rise too)
Inflation is like that one annoying friend who shows up uninvited and eats all your snacks… then asks for rent money.
🧠 Fun(?) Facts:
If inflation were a person, it would’ve taken your $1 in 1950 and turned it into 11 cents of value today.
Zimbabwe once printed a $100 trillion bill. It was enough to buy… bread.
In the U.S., the average inflation target is 2% per year—just enough to slowly roast you without noticing.
💡 So, What Can You Do About It?
Besides cry softly into your oat milk?
Here’s your very basic anti-inflation survival kit:
Invest instead of hoard.
Keeping cash under your mattress only guarantees one thing: sad future-you.Stocks, real estate, or even index funds
These historically outpace inflation. (Just don’t panic and sell when Elon tweets something weird.)Learn, adapt, and spend smarter.
Budgeting doesn’t mean no fun. It means future you gets to order guac without guilt.
🎤 Final Thought:
Inflation isn’t just an economic concept.
It’s a reminder that the world keeps changing—even if your salary doesn’t.
So stay sharp, think ahead, and don’t let the $5 coffee win.
Unless it comes with oat milk and a life coach.
You now have 3% more knowledge and 7% more emotional damage.
Share this nonsense with someone who thinks “interest rates” is a dating term.
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