so you do realize you lost money with the following stats right?
Based on the data from several reliable sources, the increase in the cost of groceries and other essential goods over the past four years has been significant. Here are some key findings:
Food and Beverages: The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for food and beverages indicates that prices have risen by 22.13% from 2020 to 2024. This translates to an average annual inflation rate of about 5.12% for food and beverages alone (OfficialData) (FRED).
Overall Inflation: The overall inflation rate from 2020 to 2024 was approximately 21.1% for various consumer goods, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Specific Items:
Eggs: The price of eggs has seen a dramatic increase, with reports indicating spikes of over 100% during certain periods, especially due to supply chain disruptions and other economic factors.
Gasoline: The price of gasoline has also significantly increased. For example, the price per gallon of gas has roughly doubled from around $2.50 to $5.00 in many areas.
Utilities: Utility costs have seen an average increase of around 33.33%, reflecting higher energy prices and other factors.
Weighted Average: Given the significant increases in these essential items, a more accurate reflection of the increased cost of living over the past four years would indeed be higher than the initial estimate of 12.10%. If we account for these substantial increases, particularly in groceries, gas, and utilities, the actual increase in cost of living might be closer to 30% to 40% or even higher for some households, depending on their specific spending patterns.
Realistic Estimation: If your grocery costs have truly quadrupled (from $100 to $400 per week), that represents a 300% increase, which is much higher than the average inflation rate. Applying similar increases across other categories would result in a much higher overall increase in the cost of living.
Conclusion
Given the significant price increases in key categories like groceries, gas, and utilities,
it is reasonable to estimate that the overall increase in the cost of living over the past four years could be between 30% and 40%, or even higher in some cases. This more accurately reflects the real-world experiences many consumers are facing.
I started out this year:
20% NAIL (3X XHB)
20% FNGU (3X FNGS)
20% SOXL (3X SMH)
10% NVDL (2X NVDA)
15% TBIL
15% Various fixed income ETFs/CEFs
I gave up on NAIL about late April since it was obvious the homebuilding stocks no longer went up due to lower rates. Even HD & LOW are dogs now.
I am now at:
25% FNGU
25% SOXL
20% NVDL
10% TBIL
20% Various fixed income ETFs/CEFs