[dgm885]

The CPI understates inflation. Do you eat out? Go to grocery stores. Calculate you personal inflation rate. For me it seems to be 10% to 15%.

[sb057]

Hence my caveat about the BLS having to be honest. That said, while they do massage the CPI numbers (hedonic adjustments making cars cost the same over a 20 year period being the worst example), it has been historically vaguely accurate.