Proof Of Life
I'm alive. Did the thing I usually do - I stopped writing
It takes courage to express your thoughts in a world that now has the platforms to do so. Some are more eloquent, some are more direct and some are like me where I speak as if I have to force myself. Writing shouldn’t be something you force, but I generally don’t talk most of the time.
My life, if I didn’t force myself to write or even create in general, would have been mostly about work and sleep and bills. Most of us these days are battling with all three and it’s a talent to not let the world’s influence about how much of a “trap” this is make you feel bad. In fact, when I stop creating and writing another thing tends to happen - I take things slow and learn how to process.
I also cook meals now and invest less in ordering out.
I somehow still, despite making grocery lists, forget an item or two. For instance, I wanted to make tacos and larger ones but I forgot to order ground beef. I could use steak, but I would have to use the steak to make enough for the tacos and I’m trying not to go through all the meat I have.
Sidenote: How is 200 dollars of food look more like only enough food for half of a week?
200 dollars used to actual get you a ton of food previously. Now it feels like you didn’t do any shopping at all.
I pulled this from Perplexity AI:
With $200 in the 1950s, a shopper could purchase far more groceries than $200 today, due to significantly lower food prices decades ago and substantial inflation since then. Modern food costs—especially after the recent spikes—mean the same amount covers much less in terms of both quantity and variety.
1950s Food Purchasing Power
Staple items were dramatically cheaper:
Bread: $0.18 per loaf
Milk: $0.83 per gallon
Eggs: $0.60 per dozen
Sirloin chops: $0.69 per pound
Bananas: $0.10 per pound
$200 in the 1950s could cover weeks to months of groceries for a family of four, including meat, produce, and pantry items.
Adjusted for inflation, $1 in 1950 is like $10.55 now; meaning $200 then is the purchasing equivalent of around $2,110 today with 1950s prices.
Food Costs in 2025
The same staples now cost much more:
Bread: $3–$4 per loaf
Milk: $3–$5 per gallon
Eggs: $3–$8 per dozen
Fresh meat: $4–$10 per pound depending on type
$200 covers roughly a week of groceries for an average small household—much less for families, especially if buying fresh meats and produce.
Prices surged from 2021–2023, with food inflation peaking near 10% annually; while inflation has slowed to about 2–3% yearly, the absolute prices remain high, straining budgets further.
In other words, I would have been a baller in the 1950 with my $52,000 a year salary. In 2025, I’m poor.
Sadface