The Survival Podcast Measuring Prices in Hours Worked – Epi-3775
Dec 15, 2025
The discussion highlights the flaws in measuring costs solely by dollars, advocating for a metric based on hours worked instead. Notably, Jack reveals shocking increases in the time needed for essentials: housing now requires 147% more effort, college costs have surged by 699%, and even ground beef demands 58% more work. He also emphasizes the importance of building adaptable skills in a changing job market and warns of potential economic resets due to fiat currency failures, encouraging listeners to prepare and leverage AI for new opportunities.
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Measure Cost In Hours Worked
- Measure prices by hours worked, not nominal dollars, to see real cost differences across time.
- Jack Spierka argues hours-of-work reveals true affordability shifts hidden by CPI-based comparisons.
Inflation Masks Life-Force Costs
- Many consumer prices moved roughly with inflation, but that masks life-force changes for average earners.
- Jack shows inflation-adjusted dollar parity can hide larger increases in required work time.
Food Costs Rose In Work-Time
- Ground beef now costs 58% more in hours worked for a median earner than in 1970.
- Jack uses median-income time as a consistent ruler to compare past and present affordability.
