Cost of Living

[border_humper]

Cost Of Living Is The Biggest Challenge Americans Face | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

While inflation has long come down from its 2021/2022 highs, when it peaked at 9 percent, it is still slightly elevated at 2.7 percent.

More importantly though, people are still struggling to cope with the lasting effects of the inflation crisis.

As Statista's Felix Richter shows in the following chart, according to a new Consumer Insights survey conducted in June and July 2025, 49 percent of U.S. adults said that the high cost of living was one of the biggest challenges they currently face – making it by far the most common answer.

It is a common misconception that prices come down when inflation cools, when in reality a period of high inflation leaves a legacy of high prices.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. consumer prices have increased 22.7 percent since January 2021, with some categories seeing even steeper price increases than that.

Food prices have are up 25 percent, rents have increased almost 27 percent and transportation prices are up 28 percent.

Same in Canada? I make what was once considered decent money, but I feel like we’re barely treading water.

 

[RightOfSask]

The problem is that the cheapest options in grocery stores have seen the highest increase. Let's say you switched to ground beef instead of strip loin steaks (which cost a small fortune now). Two years ago a kilo was under $10, even with tax. Now I pay at Costco $14 after tax for a kilo ground beef. Some of the cheapest items doubled in price.

 

[border_humper]

Beef has probably tripled since 2020. Dairy has easily doubled, as have fresh vegetables.

 

[Squishybear]

Ground beef is $7.50 for a pound at save none. I haven’t been back to the local guy to see what he’s charging now. I’ve been growing my own broilers. At least I know where it comes from and hey, who doesn’t like about 1kg of just chicken breast per bird?

 

[border_humper]

@Squishybear How’s the harvesting/plucking part going?

 

[Squishybear]

@border_humper Well we had way over 20kg of meat from the first round (9 Cornish cross) plus I don’t know how many liters of broth.

Batch number two is coming up in a couple weeks. This time they’re freedom rangers. Slower growth but less fragile birds.

Invested in a plucker this year so that one was a great investment. Went from 10min or so per bird to seconds.

 

[border_humper]

@Squishybear very cool. you are set if you have your own chickens and eggs.

 

[Hirudinea]

@Squishybear

Do you use the chicken feet to make the broth?

 

[Squishybear]

@Hirudinea Nah, just the carcass. We keep some insides for the doggo. Feet go in the trash… I know where they’ve been! lol

 

[Hirudinea]

@Squishybear

I've always thought chicken feet would make a good broth, but since I never buy them of course, I asked you. So since you throw away all the chicken feet what do you do with all those little chicken shoes?

 

[Squishybear]

@Hirudinea Only fans

 

[Squishybear]

Were those inflation nunbers calculated without fuel and food costs again?

 

[d01tg0d0wn]

do what i do and just work harder and more OT but dont take all your OT at once build the OT and take maybe 15 hours here and 15 hours there as extra on your paycheck. Also invest and make money while you sleep. Pray about your investments and let God guide you on your investments. I trusted a man once (TD Water House Fund Manager) and it didnt go well and I lost a piss ton of my life savings but by putting my trust in God to help me find the places to invest i have not lost money and i made up what i lost and then some ++++. Prayer is an amazing thing and I should know as i have a 17 year old healthy Beagle sitting with me in my home office right now staring at me with her hungry eyes that you all made a reality when she got very sick and needed to be hospitalized for a few days with a poor outlook on her longevity.

things in the economy wont improve until everyone cant take it no more and demands for a change of leadership and the Liberals are not hurting enough it appears

 

[border_humper]

All good ideas. I think I need a side hustle since I don’t earn OT.

 

[d01tg0d0wn]

Sometimes i ponder the youtube where people educate you on all the products and services they do from home that are easy and make money

Maybe one of those things is viable as a side hustle. One guy i watched no joke literally made slime kits for kids education and says he is a millionaire now. Maybe???

 

[brutana_dilewski]

Still early days I am afraid. Hyperinflation hasn't really kicked in yet.

We will get there, just like what happened in Weimar.

If you have a lot of currency saved up with no debt to absorb that currency (like a mortgage for example) it might be wise to buy precious metals with that cash. At least you will retain the buying power of that wealth.

Just to illustrate how much buying power has eroded since the days when currency was actually money:

Back when Canadian coins contained 80% silver (until ~1967) there were 0.6 troy oz of silver per dollar.

Therefore, $20 CAD = 12 troy oz of silver (0.6 x 20)

Today, 1 oz of silver trades at spot for around $56 CAD (This is rounding down as of today's numbers)

Therefore that same $20 worth of Canadian silver coins is now worth $672 in today's currency.

So in real value, what would have cost $20 in 1967 now costs $672 today!!

Moreover, I expect that number to rise sharply over the next year - I wouldn't be surprised if silver costs $100 CAD per ounce by this time next year.