The Inflation Number You Hear vs. The One You Feel

If inflation is only around 2–3%, why does everything feel so much more expensive?

In this episode, we break down how inflation is actually measured, and why your personal experience can feel completely disconnected from the official numbers. From grocery bills and gas prices to rent and mortgages, not all price increases hit the same way—and some matter a lot more than others.

We also dig into the hidden forces shaping your cost of living: shrinkflation, quality drops (“chocolatey” vs. chocolate), and the limits of how agencies like Statistics Canada track price changes. The result? A single inflation number that masks wildly different realities depending on how you live, spend, and earn.

In other words: there isn’t one inflation rate. There are millions.

Chapters

00:00 Intro: Why We Underestimate Inflation

00:28 Official Stats vs. Public Perception

01:20 Breaking Down the "Spending Basket"

02:07 Why Every Family Experiences Inflation Differently

03:33 Why Reading & Media Prices are Dropping

04:04 Biggest Price Jumps & Surprises

05:56 The Reality of Shrinkflation at the Grocery Store

06:46 The Kraft Dinner Test: Smaller Sizes, Same Price

07:43 Cutting Ingredients: Chocolate vs. "Chocolaty"

09:03 Housing & Shelter Inflation

11:46 Boomers vs. Gen Z: Who Wins in High Interest Rates?

12:55 Final Thoughts: One Economy, Multiple Realities

Research Links:

Consumer Price Index and Inflation Perceptions in Canada: Can measurement approaches or behavioural factors explain the gap?

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/62f0014m/62f0014m2021017-eng.htm

Shrinking products, rising prices: Food-specific quantity adjustments in the Consumer Price Index

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-627-m/11-627-m2025016-eng.htm

Greedy bastards. This just happened in the past few weeks.

https://www.reddit.com/r/loblawsisoutofcontrol/comments/1s116uj/greedy_bastards_this_just_happened_in_the_past/

Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux

Produced by Meredith Martin

This podcast is funded by the Neptis Foundation and brought to you by the Smart Prosperity Institute.