Inflation in 2024

One day during my senior year of high school, I sat in my English class when our school guidance counselor walked in. It was time to fill out our FAFSA applications for college. Along with the applications, she handed out papers that went over collected data about how our finances should look like depending on how much education we gained. The important lesson taken from it was obvious, a college degree was crucial to be successful.

I've always known I wanted to go to college, though I never thought so much about the financial aspect of it. Nobody in my family had ever graduated college, many didn't even graduate high school. But it was a different time then, you could still get a good paying job with minimal education. Education was important to me though, even though I would frequently change my mind about what I wanted to major in, I knew I was going to aim to the top.

Growing up, I fit in on both sides of the spectrum at different times. Daddy Clyde had a great job as a riverboat captain. Money was never something that I had to think about. I went to a private school, we always had a fridge full of food, and every summer, we hit the road for a vacation. My grandparents was also staples of their community. My grandma ran a taxi company and auto repair shop in town. She had properties that she would rent out, eventually they even named the street we lived on Green St. after them. However, when I was seventeen, everything changed. People weren't renting or taking care of the property.

There was a time we didn't know how we were going to may the mortgage for the month. I was afraid to commit to plans later on, because I didn't know if I would still be there. I applied to any job I was old enough to have so that I could try to help my family. Unfortunately, I didn't get hired. All I could do was hope. It did eventually work out, and I was able to concentrate on my education and volunteer work, which would eventually prove beneficial.

Over the years I have seen the economy in good times and not so good times. During the past couple of years, we have seen prices steadily go up on everything. A decade ago, we go could go to the grocery store and fill our carts for a hundred dollars. Now, that amount covers a couple of days' worth of food. Meanwhile, wages stay low. We are finding ourselves asking when it is going to change.

I hear about the importance of saving money, and I completely agree. However, after paying necessary bills, groceries, gas in our cars, and any medical expenses that come our way, we find our pockets empty as we wait for our next paycheck. The struggle really is real.

I look back at that day in English class listening to the guidance counselor. I have a bachelor's degree and working towards a master's degree. According to that data, I should be pretty financially well-off. But like many other Americans, I find myself working my butt of but not really having anything to show for it. It's beyond frustrating.

As we come closer towards the next presidential election, everyone has the economy on their list of important issues. We will wait and see what happens. I hope to be able to write a part two on this withing a year. Hopefully whoever wins in November will find a way to make life more affordable and a little less stressful for all of us. Nobody should have to choose between putting food on the table or going to the doctor when needed.