+1
Way back in the '60s, my brother had a friend who “discovered” credit cards, and was of the opinion that nothing would happen to him if he didn’t pay his credit card bills. Then, the bills came due, and the banks… weren’t happy.
The last that any of us heard of him (in the '70s), he was serving time for burglarizing a few post offices. Yes, he was a real moron.
I use the Tattoo-Starbucks index. The financial position of an individual complaining about the lack of upward mobility is inversely proportional to the number of tattoos and Starbucks coffee they drink each week.
5 Starbucks mocha lattes a week with 12 tattoos plus a sleeve (a score of at least 60) means that jacked up $70K truck is weeks from repossession.
Often because the family wanted a bigger house. The average home size has more than doubled since the 1960s. And the family is smaller than in the 1960s.
That is ridiculous on its face. The cost of a pair of jeans at is not high because of the rich unless a rich designer plasters her name on them to convince the gullible to buy a pair at 4 times the cost. A pair of name brand jeans today costs less adjusted for inflation than the 1970s. The Baumol effect assumes no productivity increase. Productivity per employee has drastically increased since this theory was concocted in the 1960s; more than 650% 1960 to the present.
Yes, wealthy politicians taking campaign contributions from healthcare, pharma and insurance companies drive up the price. New government programs touted to reduce costs to the consumer that actually increased those costs by over 600% since about 2014.
Lost cost housing is not affordable to build because of the regulations imposed by the city, county and state that must be met before the homes get built. A $10M piece of California land will sit vacant for at least 10 years with nearly $10M in regulation and legal costs before the land can scoop the first shovel of dirt. The net effect is the developer must build $5M homes on postage stamp lots to recoup their up-front costs. This is not limited to California by any means.
The permits for build back the same are only now being issued for the homes burnt in Malibu. Expanded home permits likely will take years. Hurricane Ian rebuild permits for Fort Myers beach are still waiting after nearly 3 years because EVERY property must be built back to new flood codes (makes sense) and each property must be approved by the city council for every little detail; a ridiculous waste of time!
People confuse STUFF with “happiness”, and worse yet, they confuse happiness with pleasure.
Pleasure, unlike happiness, is a fleeting thing–this is where the term “buyer’s remorse” was born.
I’m with you on the tattoo factor, but not necessarily in regard to take-out coffee. If I go to Dunkin Donuts for coffee, I’m likely to see a LOT more tattooed people there, in comparison with a Starbucks.
When I worked for my state’s child protective agency, it seemed that the parents who didn’t have enough money for life’s necessities were the ones who were most likely to have an additional tattoo every time they were in our offices for their monthly drug screening.
I think that is a regional thing… If I was in Boston, I’d use the Tattoo-Dunkin Index. Seemed like there was a Dunkin’s on every city block!
The index is a dig at people who are always in financial trouble but drink $8 a cup coffees every day when you can make a 10 cup pot at home for a dollar. Any bistro coffee will do! 
These days it’s the low income rural conservatives that think they are oppressed by the Coastal Elites. I do agree with you that they should find a way to get work, even if it means leaving home. One cousin left Western PA for FL and has worked ever since. His brother stayed home and started a construction company. At first he renovated homes in town for Section 8 housing, which he rented out himself. That made him good money. Next he started building new homes for retired folks that wanted to live somewhere much less expensive and made a whole lot more money. He’s still angry about how the Coastal Elites have made his life miserable. Yeah, right. He did what most successful peopl do: overcome obstacles to become successful. I guess some people are never happy.
I pay about $13 for 2# of coffee beans at Costco and my daily dose costs much less than a buck. Gourmet coffee, too.
I don’t food shop so coffee prices were just an estimate…
Sam’s Club has a nice 100% Columbian medium roast coffee I like. I get the beans so I can grind it fresh.
Or 8 O’Clock coffee’s 100% Columbian beans.
I used to buy 100% Kona (mmmm) but the quality has gone away, especially when considering the price.
I’m sorry but I buy the k cups at Costco. Two boxes of 90 or so at a time, caibou brand. I use two a day. I think it’s about 50 cents per k cup. Then I buy the house brand decaf in the 100 count box. One of those after supper (dinner for you eastern elites). So that’s about $1.50 a day unless it’s a really bad day. I appreciate a good cup from ground beans but I just don’t want the hassle. Getting soft.
Now my wife likes hazelnut. I can’t even stand the smell of it but you can drop a k cup regular right after it without tasting the hazelnut. We have learned to co-exist.
My latest fave is the Mexican whole beans, medium roast, from Costco. Trader Joe’s is on the same parking lot and I stop there for coffee too. Those bags are only 13 ounces and cost $8 or $9. Still a good price. A few days after Liberation Day I felt empowered to buy 6# of the Mexican coffee and 5 bags of the TJs coffee before the tariffs kicked in. I felt so strong as I drove home.
As far as that Bo umol effect, I just call it plain ole wage competition but i5 took a PhD to give it a name. I just call it the bing effect but the name hasn’t caught on.
I stock up on Dunkin coffee when it’s on sale at Costco 
Yup!
That’s how I drink most of my coffee.
I even stocked-up Costco coffee beans, in anticipation of tariffs.
+1
The school nurse used to make “hazelnut” coffee in her office, and the smell turned my stomach.
One of our warehouse parts guys was ADDICTED to flamin hot cheetos
It goes without saying he REEKED, as did his office 
Driving up the cost of starter homes.
That’s an unrepresentative example.
But not their compensation.
Scientists, engineers, and physicians have driven up the cost of medical care by developing newer, more expensive technologies. While we don’t all have to compete for the same jeans we all compete for the same medical care.
Because the taxpayer subsidizes flood insurance.
No, making the stock of older smaller homes available as starter homes.
Then give me an example.
Rich people buy luxury goods. The creation of those goods creates jobs.
Because the tools to make them more productive were paid for by their employers.
I’m not sorry these dedicated people are saving lives for not just Americans but the world.
Not the reason, although, yes, the taxpayer subsidizes flood insurance because the government is terrible at business. The reason is because the local council wants to control every aspect of rebuilding the town. Rebuilding to current code - jacking homes 16 ft above grade - is needed to even get flood insurance and smart as well.
Bingo! That’s what I use at home.
I do see enough of those people, but there are many people struggling to makes ends meet (even on 2 40/week jobs). Millions of people earn well below a living wage (even with 2 jobs).
I find this hilarious. Yes, those money grubbing scientists and engineers developing equipment and medicines to treat previously untreatable conditions are really messing up the affordability of medical care in this country. I say let those patients suffer and take their luck at surviving- we don’t need these new tools… 
You know, many of those newer technologies actually improve outcomes and in reality, lower the overall cost of care in the longer term. I’ll give you an example- take the latest eye care technology using Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). Yes, the equipment is expensive and the exam reflects that. BUT, if they recognize degenerative conditions early and treat for them, you may not go blind and have to be cared for the rest of your life. This is why insurance usually covers these expensive exams/treatments. And you’ll find no more rigorous financial assessment for ROI than the insurance industry…