Skinner Wallets & White Whine

When all of the discussion about recession is whirling about you, it can be hard to really peel through the film and understand how broad economic issues and the Fed’s actions can affect YOU. I remember back in history class, I didn’t really understand how the Depression of the 1930’s could happen. Everything seemed so cyclical and inevitable, and yet there seemed no reason for me why everyone should suddenly be poorer, when the same resources existed. This article in Forbes Magazine explains Why Your Wallet Feels Thinner. As an example, here are the everyday things that just cost more. How many of us even know what the price of eggs are? You buy eggs because you like to make an omelet. And this is how little by little, you feel your bank account dwindle, even when you don’t have large sums invested in the stock market. These are the annualized rate of price increase between December 2004 and December 2007:
Eggs: 15%
Coffee, College Tuition, Milk, White Bread 6%
Admission to Sporting Events, Tobacco, Airline Fares, Funeral Costs 5%
Admission to Movies/Concerts, Sugar / Artificial Sweeteners 4%

Also, I have to acknowledge that even though I am no millionaire and I'm trying to improve my personal finances practices and knowledge all the time, there are people for whom, skinnier wallets are not a nice blogpost, but rather a dire crisis. Sometimes I feel so privileged even while writing. I have to throw out a hysterical (satirical) link to White Whine, which claims to host "a new white person complaint everyday." It's true... for those who have it good, sometimes we're just whiners.