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I like this question.

Personally, I don't think looking at grocery store prices is a great indicator of overall well-being, because incomes could also be going up.

I don't have anything official, but some of the things that determine how I feel the vibes are include:

  • how many people do i know personally who are looking for work but can't find it
  • how many people do i know who switched jobs recently for something better
  • how many people do i see progressing in major life milestones like getting married, having kids, buying a home

I really like that third one.

I also tend to pay attention to these kinds of markers and put more stock in them than all the official signals.

It's also nice following the different threads that show up here in ~econ. It gives me another window into how people are feeling about the state of the world.

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5 sats \ 0 replies \ @Contra_ OP 13 May -30 sats

Yeah, fair point on groceries. Though honestly I have not heard of anyone getting paid more lately. Raises seem to have quietly gone out of style. So the price side of it still hits even without the wage side moving.

Your three are good ones. Marriage, kids, a house you actually own. That is the stuff that tells you if a country is alive or just running on momentum. No agency tracks those honestly because the trend lines are ugly and nobody wants to be the one holding the chart.

What are you seeing in your circle?

But also a lot of late twenties guys still renting with roommates and no real path off that track.