**Inflation is quietly changing our way of life**

Recently, I have noticed that many people around me are "being forced to save," and the reason is very straightforward — there isn't enough money. Prices are rising faster than wages, and some things that used to be daily expenses have now become luxury items.

**Those increasingly expensive daily items**:

I can't afford to go to restaurants often, a single meal costs as much as three used to; traveling? Plane tickets and hotels are ridiculously expensive, so I just stay at home; going to university has become synonymous with "burning money", tuition loans are suffocating; buying a house is just a dream, the down payment is nowhere in sight; even seeing a doctor requires budgeting, some people simply endure without going; saving for retirement? Let's just focus on living first; concert tickets are sold at scalper prices, ordinary people can't afford them at all; eating healthy food is expensive, while cheap food is junk, making the poor more prone to illness; even donating money is something to think over...

**The Truth Behind the Phenomenon**:

Wage increases are far behind the rising cost of living. Mortgage, student loans, and daily expenses are squeezing living space, forcing people to "declutter"—from choosing to cut back to reluctantly letting go.

This is not just a personal issue, but the accessibility of the entire society is declining. The middle-income group is shrinking, and the wealth gap is widening.

**Key Issues**: Can policies keep up? Can the economy rebound? Or do we have to get used to the new normal?