>>A contributing factor is people wanting [not needing] to live at a more luxuriant level than is necessary.
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>I agree. I've seen several articles recently that suggest that while the income of the middle class has been pretty steady, their cost of living is not. This is totally ridiculous. I think most people are clueless to the fact that making your own tacos from fresh food at the grocery store is much cheaper than dropping $25 to feed four people with low quality food at Taco Bell.
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>The cost of living is more or less the same, the cost of ignorance and laziness has gone up. They shouldn't be confused.

Mike,

While I don't argue your points here, I do want to point out that the "cost of living" is a defined measure that I doubt includes things like eating out REGULARLY.
It is also important to note that the cost of living is going UP and that in fact it is going up by more than the government stated amount. People who have been retired for several years knnow this only too well, as they have gone from steak to burgers to hamburger-helper to Kraft Dinner to noodles.
Keep track of the prices of things you buy over a 12 month period, including things like insurance. You will find that the quoted rate is different, and lower, than your actual increased costs! And beon the lookout for product size changes. Make sure that your calculations include a cost-per-measure so that the coffee that stays the same price but comes in a smaller container is accounted for.