In the latest #MyTwoCents, Charlotte Cowles deals with what is, for many, a familiar and increasingly glaring problem: Inflation. You keep making the same amount of money (maybe more, even!), but everything you need to spend it on suddenly costs more... and more, and more. “Over the past year,” a reader writes, “I’ve noticed that I can barely cover my bills every month. At first, I chalked it up to the rush of post-COVID activities, but now I’ve realized it’s probably inflation. Either way, it’s getting worse and worse, and it seems like my money just disappears every month even though I’m not doing anything wild. I cook most meals at home and pay about the same amount in rent. I even got a raise at work right before the holidays, which should help — my salary is now $78,000 total. I recognize that this may sound like a lot, but in New York it goes pretty fast. I recently had $42 in my checking account after I paid all my bills, which was scary. My biggest issue is that it feels harder to save than it ever did before, even though I’m not doing anything different and technically making more money. Is it possible to get myself out of this cycle without making major overhauls? What am I doing wrong?” Read Cowles’s response at the link in bio.