The Bright Spots Nobody Talks About
The inflation narrative is so dominant that it's easy to miss categories where prices have actually fallen or value has dramatically improved. These deserve attention for budgeting and for intellectual honesty about the overall picture.
TVs lead the list: a 65-inch 4K smart TV costs $350-500 today, down from $800-1,200 five years ago. Laptops at $450 outperform $700 machines from 2019. Wireless earbuds that cost $150 are now $60 for comparable quality. Solar panel costs have fallen 30% since 2020.
Beyond Electronics
Used car prices have dropped 15-20% from their 2022 peak. Furniture prices have normalized after the pandemic renovation boom. Gas is roughly flat in real terms. Certain food items including pork and fresh vegetables have seen modest declines. Phone plans offer more data and features at stable or lower prices.
The practical takeaway: lean into deflating categories. Technology and electronics offer exceptional value. Energy-efficient upgrades reduce ongoing costs. And the information economy — libraries, podcasts, YouTube, open-source tools — provides vast free resources. Inflation is real in many categories, but the economy isn't uniformly more expensive.