Because "standard goods and services" are redefined as productivity increases. 20 years ago we couldn't afford half the stuff that is "standard" now.
A laptop costs about $1,000. Assume a $15/hour wage. That's about the average for most the electronics producing world, and it represents a balance between the wages of the engineers and the wages of assemblers. Make the generous assumption that 100% of the cost is labor. That adds up to 66 hours of total labor for my laptop. I probably own about $3,000 worth of goods total, and have no desire for anything more. That's about 200 hours of total labor - or 5 months. That will easily last me 5 years or more.
Except for food, shelter, health, transportation, recreation...
you're changing the topic. the point is that people's baseline expectations keep rising.
your point is spurious because you reason that because a month's worth of food costs more than a month of cable tv, one should not sacrifice cable tv for food
Yuppie beans are around $3/pound, so $1/day should do for protein. Carbs in the form of rice or potatoes are cheaper. Veggies and fruit are about the same.
In other words, food can be about as expensive as cable tv.
I reckon many people (including plenty who shop at Whole Foods/Wild Oats rather than a food bank) can't "afford" their lifestyles, either, but cheap credit (which may be coming to an end) makes it seem that way.