I still remember the moment I realized how real inflation had become: I was standing in the grocery store holding a $7 carton of eggs. Not organic. Not cage-free. Just regular eggs. I laughed out loud, partly because it was absurd—but mostly because I felt powerless.

It happened in the checkout line, and I swear I was just there for toothpaste. Five minutes earlier, I didn’t even know I wanted a blender. But there it was—50% off, looking like it had been waiting for me my whole life.