In the year 2025, financial stress is a big part of daily life. Whether it is groceries, taxes, prices, etc. With prices going up daily, the need of having money goes up. Everyone would say that if we had money, we would be mentally happier. But is it really the money that makes us happy, or is it the safety of knowing you can have a living without stressing about income?
I thought that researching the prices of everyday items would help set a better standard. So, was it the prices that kept going, creating an unstable life, or was it really the money after all that made us happier?
Food is a necessity, without it we wouldn’t survive. But was food always this expensive to begin with? Obviously, the value of money has changed through hundred years, but what about not so long ago? Fifty years ago, a dozen eggs cost 0.61 cents (1). Now in 2025, the average dozen egg costs around 5 dollars. In fifty years that is an increase of 733%. With food costing much more now, the need of having money grows more and more, especially if you want some more expensive food.
Shelter is another necessity. Housing prices have skyrocketed since fifty years ago as the average house cost in the USA cost 100,00 dollars and now on average costs around 900,000 dollars (2). As teens begin their adulthood, buying a place to sleep becomes a must. And with prices like this, financial stress causes mental struggles. Having money to afford a place to sleep and more would definitely be useful. Nowadays, the stress of the rent being due lives “rent free” in the average adult’s mind.
The last necessity I decided to research is the price of the average college tuition in the USA. Education is a gift that not every can achieve, or afford in today’s life. Without education, how would we go on to have jobs? College tuition is becoming unbearable for the average parent to pay for. But was education always this expensive? Because without education, how would we go on to have jobs? The average college tuition in the USA in 2025 is 10,000$ (3). With privates reaching up to 40,000$. But in the 1970s the price of the average college tuition was about 400$(3). That shows how in order to acquire education to find a job later on in life, you have to spend a lot of money. Money that was significantly less at the time.
One thing we do have to consider, though, is that the value of money has changed a lot over these last fifty years, so we can’t judge it with the most amount of precision. One thing we can see is that having money will always make you happy. But not happy that you can spend it on one thing, happy that you can use it on everyday necessities.
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Hey Kian, great post. I think you have a strong topic and clear effort in connecting rising prices to mental well-being. To improve, try accounting for inflation and comparing prices with incomes to show real financial stress. Focus on how money provides security rather than happiness itself, and add some research on well-being to strengthen your argument. Also, refining the flow and reducing repetition would make your essay clearer and more compelling. Here’s an article you could use to strengthen your argument: https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/does-money-buy-happiness-heres-what-the-research-says/?
Great job and I’m looking forward to reading your next one.