2.3% my ass

Supposedly, inflation has hit a six-year high of 2.3%.

I'm reminded of Peter Grant's "burrito index".

Long-time readers may recall the Burrito Index, my real-world measure of inflation. The Burrito Index: Consumer Prices Have Soared 160% Since 2001 (August 1, 2016). The Burrito Index tracks the cost of a regular burrito since 2001. Since we keep detailed records of expenses (a necessity if you’re a self-employed free-lance writer), I can track the cost of a regular burrito at our favorite taco truck with great accuracy: the cost of a regular burrito has gone up from $2.50 in 2001 to $5 in 2010 to $6.50 in 2016. 

It's time for an update: the cost of a regular burrito has now reached $7.50, triple the 2001 cost. That's a 200% increase in 17 years. According to the federal government, inflation since 2001 has risen about 40%: what $1 bought in 2001 now costs $1.43, according to theBLS Inflation calculator.

The Burrito Index is five times the official inflation rate ... Lest you reckon only burritos have tripled in cost since 2001--have you checked out college tuition or rents lately?

In case you haven't guessed it yet, the Mrs. and I are on holiday with some friends.  We stopped in at Ye Oldde Bulke Shoppe in order to purchase some provisions so that we could provide meals for the entire gang that is currently in the house.  We did not get steaks.  We didn't buy crab or lobster.  We got the cheapest cuts of meat we could find, because included in this mess is two teenage boys and possibly some of their friends, and I understand very well what kind of empty stomach a teenage boy can have.  So the rack of lamb is out.  The pork roast that we can cut apart and put in a crock pot to make carnitas is in.

We got protein for six people to eat six meals.  It was over $100.  And that didn't include the veggies (green beans, because again, cheap and nutritious) or starches.

One of the people in my office is married to a German woman.  Her family came to visit.  They were stunned at how much food costs in the USA.

The official inflation rate might only be 2.3%, but that relates to your cost of living the way the price of tea in china relates to my coffee from Ethiopia.  In short, it doesn't.