Let's take an honest look.

[CKwi88]

Managing as well as I can. My household has had to go down to one working parent as I have a son with special needs and a daughter that recently turned two. Just made more financial sense for my wife to stay home as childcare costs and transportation to therapies are absurd. We feel it mostly at the supermarket with food costs. I'm in the public sector so my health insurance is criminally cheap for how good it is, and the yearly raises and cost of living adjustments are helping significantly. I also drive an EV with free charging or cheap charging at home, and we have to fill up the gas vehicle twice a month max so I've been fairly insulated from gas prices. I also recognize that I am lucky enough to be debt free (minus the mortgage), so I'm in a pretty financially privileged situation. My family certainly goes out to eat less frequently, but I also attribute that to developing some cooking skills during the pandemic. The cost of eating out simply isn't worth it.

As for people around me, I lived and married in Brazil, which is in a significantly worse economic situation. I also work in a department that has representation from 15 countries from Central/South America to Europe to the Far East, all countries that have had a significantly worse go of it since the pandemic, so that has helped to gain some perspective.

It's understandable that most people care only for how they and their immediate circle are doing, but stepping back and taking a look at the big picture and being grateful for being in a country that has done among the best in recovering from a once in a century pandemic and the ramifications of the global supply chain issues and ongoing wars helps me appreciate the current situation we find ourselves in.