It would be interesting to track the prices of things, compared to what proportion of income it takes to make the purchase.
For example, we’ve all heard stories from our elders how they bought a house for $10,000 and that was a lot of money back then. But what proportion of grandpa’s paycheck was needed to pay the mortgage back then?
And, what proportion of grandpa’s pay went to pay taxes back then? What percentage of income was needed to buy movie tickets and vacations and all the rest of the items on the list in 1948, vs. how much people are spending today for the same items? That would probably be an eye opener.
And then talk about how some items, such as the student loans, were a non issue decades ago, but are a huge burden for some people today.