What I Learned From Losing Over 30% of My Purchasing Power in 3 Years
Three years ago, I was preparing to buy a home. I had done what you’re supposed to do: save diligently, stay liquid, avoid unnecessary risk, and wait patiently for the right opportunity.
Then COVID hit, and everything changed.
In response to the crisis, the Federal Reserve dramatically expanded the money supply. In a very short period of time, it grew by roughly 40%. That number sounds abstract until you experience the consequences firsthand.
Asset prices didn’t just rise, they absolutely exploded.
Housing went vertical. Homes I could reasonably afford just a few years earlier were suddenly 30–50% more expensive. Without changing my spending habits or lifestyle at all, my purchasing power was crushed by more than 30%.
That’s when the real lesson hit:
Saving dollars is not the same as preserving purchasing power.
One of the hardest truths to accept was this: your gains are not what you think they are if they aren’t keeping up with inflation. Watching an account balance rise feels like progress…until you realize it buys less every year. Nominal gains can hide very real losses.
That realization pushed me to start saving in Bitcoin. Not as a trade. Not as a shortcut. But as a way to measure value in something that doesn’t require constant expansion to function.
It reframed everything.
•I now measure the price of goods and services in Bitcoin, not in dollars designed to lose value.
•I focus on real purchasing power, not nominal balances.
If you’re working hard, saving responsibly, and still feel like you’re falling behind, you’re not crazy. You may simply be measuring the wrong thing.
That’s also why we built Inflation Buddy, to make this visible. It helps you track your actual expenses and understand your personal inflation rate, measured in fiat, Bitcoin, and gold, so you can see what’s really happening to your purchasing power over time.
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