Why Everything Gets More Expensive Every Year (It's Not an Accident)

In 1955 a cola cost 5 cents, a stamp 3 cents and a house about $7,300. So why do prices rise every single year, who decided it should happen, and is it really an accident? This video explains inflation from the ground up: how it's measured, the 4 forces that push prices up, why central banks actually WANT prices to rise, what gets cheaper (and what explodes), shrinkflation, why rent beats your salary, and the one number that matters more than any price tag. 0:00 Grandma's 1955 receipt 1:03 What $1 bought 3:53 How inflation is measured 5:26 The 4 forces that raise prices 7:45 The Great Inflation of the 1970s 9:18 Why they WANT prices to rise 12:44 What gets cheaper (and what explodes) 14:31 The sneaky one: shrinkflation 15:55 Why rent rises faster than your salary 17:50 The one number that matters 19:04 Back to grandma's receipt Previous video: Why Can't Governments Just Print More Money? Next: Who does the world actually owe all its debt to? Educational content only, not financial advice. Figures are approximate and based on public data (mainly US CPI and housing data, plus UK statistics). #inflation #economics #personalfinance