The Campfire Trail: August 14 - DIY Homestead - The "Non-Inflation" Inflation

August 14, 2022

Day 237 of the Adventure

$7.15 for a box of cereal (1 lb, 2 oz)

We visited the grocery store again yesterday and I am continually amazed (not in a good way) at how prices have gotten so high. When we are told what the inflation rate is, I am also to understand that things like food and fuel are not part of the calculation. "They" say that food and fuel are not long term enough indicators of inflation trends. Well, that may be technically true, NEVERTHELESS........ food and fuel are probably two of the highest impact expenses to the average American family. I mean, we don't run out and buy new or used cars every week. We don't buy large appliances every week, our rent and mortgages don't adjust every week. Yet the two things that we do buy every week are not considered "worthy" of inflation tracking. So, on paper, our cost of living is not that bad, but in reality, the things not tracked "on paper" is the worst part of the whole equation. That's pretty hard to swallow! I honestly don't see how a family with kids or folks on fixed incomes can stay ahead of it.

We had not planned on the dramatic rise in food and fuel when we began our DIY Homestead project last Fall. The fuel hit pretty hard when we were pulling a tractor to the property every day with a big truck and then burning fuel in it all day. Our food was basic sandwiches and something on a stick over the fire for several months. Once we got back to normal meals, I was a bit shocked by the cost increases that were happening. Even with fuel stabilizing a bit, food just seems to keep going up.

I guess the purpose for my rant is simply to vent on the economy. On a more serious note though, if things continue to get worse (or even stay the same at the higher costs) finding our way through that new reality is going to be very challenging for many. It's all the more reason to begin exploring the merits of a self-sustainable lifestyle. I believe that there is one absolute certainty in our current economic condition. No matter what the government does to try and fix things, it isn't going to change for the better for a while. Maybe a long time, and maybe ever. The best hope we have is to find as many ways possible to affect our own lives for the better as best we can. Our best and quickest solutions will be discovered by starting at the family, neighborhood and local levels, and the sooner the better. The best answer you can give when someone asks how inflation is affecting your family is, "It really isn't!", but that's going to take a move to a more Self-Sustainable lifestyle.

Carry On

Adventure Quote: “The greatest fine art of the future will be the making of a comfortable living from a small piece of land.”

― Abraham Lincoln

Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Lost in the Woods (Colombia/Costa Rica blend)

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