I suppose my employer could have given me a raise instead of deciding to fully pay for the health insurance. The line item on my paycheck is gone now, and I didn't take a pay cut to make that happen. Actually I got a big raise at the time. 20 years ago, and even 10 years ago, getting health insurance required that I grant permission to deduct part of it from my paycheck. That's gone. Although in theory I have a high deductible now, my employer effectively cancels that by putting an equal amount into a health savings account.

My rent went to zero because I bought a house and fully paid for it. It is 3109 square feet on 0.39 acres. In other words, there is no mortgage anymore. I suppose repairs might be needed at some point.

The education is really what I paid. I attended Northeastern University and UMass Lowell long ago, which was about $17,000 per year. I have a kid in University of Central Florida now, paying $16,000 per year. I have multiple kids at Eastern Florida State College now, attending for almost nothing because tuition is paid under a dual-enrollment agreement by the local school district. Even books are covered. We just pay for a $40 parking permit and $10 per semester for wireless network access.

I spend $4k a month on groceries because I have a family of 14, I shop at Publix (a normal nice-quality supermarket), and I have a fondness for things like fish and less-typical fruit. That estimate is a couple years old, so it might be higher now.

So really I'm not feeling any inflation. Power is cheap (thanks FPL), water is cheap, I no longer have to pay a long-distance provider per-minute phone charges, and fuel is still cheap. I went from having a car loan at 7% to just buying my cars in cash. For less money, I get a car with more seats and more power. Capitalism does a really nice job of making life affordable.

Maybe I'm the inflation. I cost more, but you won't find me in the consumer price index.