Tuesday
Mostly summarized from Gregory Mankiw’s Principles of Economics, 5th Ed. PART 8 The Data22 of Macroeconomics Chapter 24 of 36 Measuring The Cost of Living Section 5 of 15 … Figure 1 – The Typical Basket of Goods and Services This figure shows how the typical consumer divides spending among various categories of goods (and services). The Bureau of Labor Statistics, when constructing the consumer price index: tries to: · include all the goods the typical consumer buys · weight these goods by how much consumers buy of each … Per Figure 1 Housing is the largest category, 43% of the typical consumer's budget. This category includes: · cost of shelter, 33% · fuel and other utilities, 5% · household furnishings and operation, 5% Transportation is 17%, includes for cars, gasoline, buses, trains, and subways. Food and beverages is 15%, includes: · food at home, 8% · food away from home, 6% · alcoholic beverages, 1% These three are about 6% each: · medical care · recreation · education and...