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Comment by astockwell | Hacker News Reader

And that is OK, as long as you recognize your position of extreme privilege there.

I don’t think it’s “extreme privilege” to not notice a price increase of maybe $3? I could see it if you’re living in extreme poverty but anyone middle class and above shouldn’t waste mental energy on things like that

You don't have to live in "extreme poverty" to have to pay attention to every penny you use.

Expenses across the board have skyrocketed in the past year. Try and read some stories about what people living in colder, rural areas in Northern Europe (Scotland, Scandinavia, etc.) have had to deal with and you would start to get an idea.

If your rent suddenly increased by 30%, and winter heating bill tripled since last year and food costs 25% more than a year ago, then a lot of people with normally sufficient income would be having financial issues.

Consider growing more emphatic to those less well off than you.

That is just single item, let's take buying something like 50 items a week and half of those go up by 3. So 75 more spend in week or 300 in a month. That is not exactly small amount for middle class.

It's certainly not limited to extreme poverty. I'd say the clear majority will show concern when a grocery item climbs $3.

While I wouldn't accuse you of showing "extreme privilege" for not noticing a $3 price increase... good on you for not needing to worry about that... I'm tempted to accuse you of it for thinking it's only the poor that would. That's a pretty glaring disconnect.

When a coffee costs $7 instead of $4, even if I could "afford it" is something any normal human being notices. Rich or poor. Being able to afford such change is a different story.

Do you not even look at your phone/credit card when you tap? Do you really just randomly pay things?

As an anecdote, I have a mentor/friend who made 500k+ from the 1990s to present day. He once told me in a nonchalant way, "there was a point in my life where I realized I could basically buy whatever I wanted." Hearing him say this was like a different language for me.

There were several years early in my childhood where macaroni and cheese was one of the main courses in family meals, because we didn't have much money. This was until my parents worked multiple jobs and promoted their way into respectable wealth - hearing my friend make that comment really stuck with me and I laugh whenever I'm reminded of it, like today.

Anyway, I agree with you totally. The OP comment doesn't seem like a normal thing for people to say and is rather tone deaf IMO. I could make ten times more than what I do now and would still notice yogurt being 80% more in our grocery. Luckily for me I don't have to budget when it comes to groceries, but I'm well aware of how much pain some people/families must be going through.

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