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What do I know-not a lot but experience has taught me something? Listening without judgment is essential for understanding.

BY WAYNE INCE · MIAMI, FLORIDA · BIG SARGE ECONOMY WATCH · AUGUST 25, 2026 I did 23 years in the Air Force before I retired to a Florida that keeps getting more expensive by the month. The Dale Mabry Publix parking lot does not care which president signed which tariff. The line at the VA pharmacy does not care. Neither does the Wawa pump that keeps ticking past what the young mother in front of me was planning to spend. Trump calls these tariffs strength. They a

Wages are barely keeping pace with rising costs, and real gains have almost disappeared. The cost of living is increasing across six fronts, including housing, childcare, healthcare, and utilities, making it a challenging time for many families to make ends meet.

Week two, and the relief is already fading. Six fronts tracked in real numbers — gas climbing back, rent turning upward, childcare and healthcare still swallowing paychecks, and a power bill that just broke its own record.

Prices up, paychecks behind. Six fronts — groceries, gas, rent, childcare, healthcare, and utilities — tracked in real numbers, no spin. The inaugural issue of Big Sarge Economy Watch.