DeludedRaven OP t1_jef7fk1 wrote on March 31, 2023 at 3:58 PM

Reply to comment by drblah1 in ELI5:Why do we exclude the price of things like Food, Housing and Energy costs when looking at the total number for inflation? by DeludedRaven

So in terms of placing an accurate number on inflation as felt by the consumer its best to look at the price of groceries, energy etc?

I see your point on housing.

drblah1 t1_jef8uid wrote on March 31, 2023 at 4:08 PM

That's a reason why real estate may be excluded. All this stuff is tracked however, and things like food and energy may or may not be included in certain numbers as well. Energy can be affected by things like wars, natural and unnatural disasters and shutdowns, while food is subject to extreme weather, diseases, fuel costs etc. However you want to count it though, all these things either directly or indirectly affect the cost of everything else eventually.

The things affecting a family of 5 and the things affecting someone running a business are very different, so various tracking methods and numbers are used.