ECONOMICS FOR EVERYDAY LIFE
Make sense of prices, purchasing power and the numbers behind the headlines. One worked example at a time.
Start with the essentialsNo jargon required. Just a little curiosity.
The same groceries. A bigger bill.
Understand the number.
Then understand the headline.
THE FIRST THREE EXPLAINERS
The same groceries. A bigger bill.
A smaller jump. Still a higher price.
Think of the same bag of groceries. A smaller price rise still leaves you with a bigger bill.
Read the explainer
Some of your pay rise goes to higher bills.
$40 leftfor other purchases, after covering the old budget
A pay rise is good news. How much it helps also depends on what happens to your everyday bills.
Read the explainer
More bread? Or more expensive bread?
Loaves made
5 more loaves
Price per loaf
$2 more per loaf
Two different changes. One bigger money total.
A tiny bakery makes the difference easy to see: more bread and more expensive bread are two different changes.
Read the explainerFOLLOW YOUR CURIOSITY
01 — Start with a question
Something you have seen in a headline, a price tag or a payslip.
02 — Work through the numbers
Simple examples with clearly labelled assumptions and calculations.
03 — Know the limits
Primary sources, definitions and the context a headline can leave out.