To understand this, you must first adopt the pov of the average citizen: a person who assumes money as a pre-existent condition of the universe and thus has no real understanding of what money even is nor why it works the way it does. You only understand that you are given money for your job and that you have to give that money to get groceries. And that's it.

I'm not going into the mechanics of how the inflationary spiral starts, I will publish that later. I will only describe what the average citizen experience is in such circumstance.

You can hear this on the background as you read.

Life is decent, workable at the very least. The most "terrible" crisis consist of recessions on this or that sector, standard corruption, etc. You always hear about all of that on the radio in the morning, but it all always sounds afar... it just never affects you. You wake up in the morning and go to your job as every day and it all just works as it should. You and anyone you know can get afloat and get a very decent life and savings with a normal working load. You have a normal middle class life, and you worry only about mundane stuff. Life is good.

You don't even know about financial stuff at all. You have your bank account and that's it. You were offered to put some of your savings to give interests but you did not understood a thing on what the bank employee was talking about and preferred not to do it. After all, what for? You're making good money and savings are piling up nicely. At that rate, you have nothing to worry about and are safely securing your retirement.

One day, some people you knew were already working in state dependencies suddenly start having a much better economical position than usual, although it's always uncertain what even they do, and they seem to have a life of leisure which you can't quite conciliate with the time a normal work requires. Ok, lucky of them.

Then, an unusual number of acquittances you knew were always slacking off start getting extremely comfortable positions in brand new governmental areas, although they do not seem to have to do much, if anything. They are always very relaxed, even seem bored sometimes. Again, you don't think about it much. It doesn't affect you anyway. Plus, you once heard someone criticizing those positions but being shut down by the argument "what's your problem? it's not your money, the state pays for it, not you!". It's true! It's not my money so, sure... whatever... it doesn't affects me.

You hear the radio every morning as usual. There seems to be a lot of optimism on the the new government. Although, from time to time, some voices rise concern on state funds being misallocated or vanishing in unjustifiable ways. They're never referred to as "public funds", it's always money the state has, somehow, so you don't really worry about all of that, for it's never your money. After all, you still have to wake up in the morning and go to your job as every day and it all just works as it should.

You start hearing on the radio both increasingly bombastic announcements from the government, and increasingly concerned and grim presages from a small group of voices. This people seem completely out of place with their pessimism contrasting the apparent general well-being and good omens from government. Above all: you do not understand a word of their arguments on why the current course of the economy is bad... they speak in terms you can not even parse... and after all, isn't statism good? why would the state break the economy? It makes no sense! Anyway, I still have to wake up every morning to go to my job as always, so, whatever, not my problem.

If the subject ever arises on conversations, you quickly realize you are completely ignorant not only on economic terms, let alone macro economy, but also you don't even know how the government actually works. If you ever lay a concern on something and there's anyone with seemingly more information that refutes you, it's game over. After some failed incursions you save yourself the humiliation and become a devote "I don't get into politics" guy. Gracefully enough it turns out that, the reality of politics being apparently increasingly grim, being an "I don't get into politics" guy starts rising to the status of a "superior moral stance", meaning that you don't meddle with grim stuff, so you start saying it proudly, successfully avoiding the subject, and keeping on about your day in peace.

After all, nothing of that affects you. You even have a great vacation with your family that year.

You were used to pretty generous promotions on the market and even small stores. You notice they all start to disappear, or become unsubstantial and mere marketing tricks.

Some time later, some prices on non-essential stuff start to rise subtly. Nothing really dramatic but... why? ... "rising costs" is always the answer...

Some coffee-shops and restaurants start to charge for things they used to offer for free, or stop offering them altogether. Always small stuff, nothing really dramatic... but, why? ... "rising costs" is always the answer...

Some everyday treats start to add up sensibly, other have become something of a "small luxury".

Ok... you still can do it, not so often maybe..., although, even then, it starts feeling increasingly uncomfortable...

Some upper-class luxury items start experimenting sharper increments, although they are far from middle-class reach to be something to worry about. It do not affects you at all so, why bother?

On the radio, the government gets increasingly bombastic and the critics increasingly concerned. You still can not understand a single thing of what the critics say, only that something is going really, really bad.

Inflation is above 5%.

The family vacations that year are a little shorter, leisure spending rationed, and some really strategical thinking is required to call it a day.

One day, all of a sudden, some basic goods start experimenting noticeable price increments. It turns out many merchants where refraining from increasing prices all they could and for a very long time, with the expectation of the trend being temporal, but as it only got worse they couldn't hold it any more, resulting in the sharp increment. It's not on everything yet, but in the following days it keeps happening on other stuff at random, until everything as raised to a very noticeable level on average.

For the first time it starts adding up not sensibly but painfully, and for the first time every-day treats become a one-thing per month luxury at most. Other things have to be discarded outright.

Supermarkets start reducing the variety of products noticeably to keep prices as low as possible so to reduce the impact quickly.

On the radio, the government gets increasingly bombastic and the critics increasingly concerned. You still can not understand a single thing of what the critics say, but you do not need them to tell you that something has gone badly. However, that's all you know.

Inflation is above 10%.

The family vacations that year are a shorter, leisure spending forbidden, and all strategical thinking is required to call it a day.

Prices have started to increase at important levels every 6 months or so. For the first time, the increments become something expected.

People you know on state dependencies have their salaries updated to account for inflation and even seem to be better off than before.

At that point you do start looking who is to blame. Everyone claims they had to rise the prices because their costs increased but, who raised the costs first then?? The only thing you know is that they are all making more money at your expense. They all have reasons on why to raise prices, but the one thing that never rises is your salary. How's that there are reasons to increase everything except salaries? Why people who work on the state do get a rise?

You hear the bombastic announcements of the government on the radio on how they will solve the issue. You hear the arguments of critics on why it's all happening but since you can't understand a single thing and you hear contradicting explanations over and over, unable to discern by yourself, you remain alien to all that stuff. After all, you only need to know one thing only: your salary is falling short, regardless of "excuses", as you call the explanations.

You have no idea that you can lessen the effect of the inflation with the bank interest rates. You do not understand that you can buy a "stronger" currency like the dollar... in fact, what on earth is a "stronger" currency? why would that be better than the one I already have? all I know is that prices are rising and I want that to stop and everything to be as it was before, as easy as that. Why do that people come with all that financial mambo-jambo?

Inflation is above 25%.

There's no family vacation that year.

Prices have started to increase per month.

You start to get increasingly anxious. You are angered at your employer for not rising your salary enough, for you know very well that he has been rising the prices of the products, so he should be making even more than before right? And all the other greedy merchants have become addicted to rising the prices.

The government announces meetings with industry sectors to seek for agreements on price controls and you could not agree further.

Inflation is above 50%.

Prices rise daily.

Price controls are in full effect and state officials start patrolling to ensure compliance.

Markets have increasingly less and less stock, let alone variety, and start rationing products per client.

To buy "stronger currencies" is capped. They are increasingly scarce in the black market, making them increasingly more expensive. The government starts a policy of "frowning" upon those who buy it, calling that action "greedy" and "anti-patriotic".

Inflation is above 100%.

Prices rise as you walk.

You have to get the things closest to the cashier to get the products as fast as possible or you will pay a lot more than the minute before [this is a real-life account, what people actually experienced during the 80's Argentinian hyperinflation].

Your life savings are worthless, you can't retire any more, and have to start over.

To buy "stronger currencies" is forbidden.

Inflation is above 1000%.

You have the deepest resent towards the devilish merchants and industry owners. They raised prices to exploit you, as the government says. The state should expropriate all markets and industries. Salaries and prices can't keep being negotiated "on the fly", they should be fixed by law! Look at what happened when everyone was allowed to set prices and salaries freely! Their greed caused us this suffering!! Capitalism is madness!!

The next socialist government wins by landslide.

There're no more critic voices on the radio.

Inflation is infinite: property is outright expropriated.

[End of log]