when a "99 cents!" bag of chips is now "$2.99 only!" and the price of fuel doesn't correlate to anything except oil company P&E charts...
Just remember, The "$6 burger" was both making fun of the fact that restaurants charged $6 for a hamburger, as well as less than $6 for the entire meal (usually ~$4 al a carte). That food place ceased offering the $6 burger when the meal went over $8, and that was over a decade ago.
I got quoted out $1000 for 200 feet of garden hose from a hose supplier last week. meanwhile the state government has only given ~6% pay increase in the last decade to civil employees. in the last 12 years i've reduced my electricity usage by 60% by both moving high power stuff to a cheaper facility and buying more energy efficient appliances and such. My electric bill is the exact same (plus or minus 10%) as it was 12 years ago.
I could go on comparing what things used to cost to what they cost now (if you can even get them at all), and my spreadsheet says the "inflation" numbers we're given either are flat out lies or otherwise so misunderstand what people spend money on monthly that it may as well be a lie. Compare a 198X Ford Mustang 6 cylinder base model to any year model you please. Then convince me that moving from metal to plastic and computerizing everything so the wires can be much smaller somehow justifies the price hike, there.
p.s. don't do this with rent or mortgages unless you want to cry.