Rebuilding Rob

As WordPress continues to recycle old prompts, I pulled another prompt from The Coffee Monsterz Co to respond to today

What has become way too expensive?

Everything.

Everything has become way too expensive. I’m no economics whiz, but I feel like particularly since COVID, the cost of living has surged while wages have not kept pace. Since January 2021, U.S. consumer prices have risen roughly 22.7%, while nominal wages have struggled to match that climb, leaving our actual purchasing power technically “underwater” (Source: Visual Capitalist/BLS).

This is to say nothing about the increase in cost as a result of the tariffs over the last year. Recent estimates from groups like the Yale Budget Lab and the Tax Policy Center suggest these import taxes are costing the average American household between $1,700 and $2,100 annually (Source: AP News/Tax Policy Center).

Something has to give. I don’t think the world can continue the way it has for the last few years. I know we’ll never live in a world where a comic book costs a dime, or even $.75 again. The dollar will continue to diminish in value, but at the very least, wages should increase to keep up. Right now, it’s not even close.

Of course, this prompt is asking for something a little deeper. To truly answer this question, I harken back to the old Van Halen music video for the song “Right Now.”

That video is over 30 years old, but one line has resonated with me since the day I first saw it. While the image on the screen showed a condom, the message—“nothing is more expensive than regret”—can be applied to anything in life.

I travel through life by this philosophy, almost to a fault. Sometimes I’m a little more concerned about the present or instant gratification than I am worrying about the future. It has come back to bite me in the rear end on more than one occasion.

But I also know there are times when I get too worried about the future and don’t do things I want to do in the present. I won’t spend money because I want to be sure there’s something there “for a rainy day,” or I’ll decide not to go on a trip because of the cost. More often than not, I regret those decisions later. I think to myself, “I should’ve done this when I had the chance.”

The older I get, the more I realize that almost everything in life is about achieving a balance. Far too often, the advice we get is taken to one extreme or the other. We’re told to save every penny or to “YOLO,” but the truth is usually found in the middle: live in the present, while remaining at least mindful of the future.

The truth is, as humans, we have a hard time understanding the magnitude of an expression like “for the rest of our lives.” We understand it on a superficial level, but until you take part in a true, lifelong commitment, like getting married or having children, you don’t really know what forever truly means.

This is why “Option C” is so vital. It’s about the importance of being “selfish” in the most literal sense—thinking of yourself and putting your own needs first. Choosing yourself isn’t about ignoring the future; it’s about realizing that your own happiness is an investment you can’t afford to put off for a “rainy day” that might never come.

Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like 👍, comment, and subscribe below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media and check out my recent posts!

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The article “Beyond Inflation: The True Cost of Regret and the Art of Balance” first appeared in Rebuilding Rob.

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