[VegasCowboy]

It is energy prices and food that typically blows the family budget.

You're right. BUT, our monetary policy is not what drives inflation in these areas. It's worldwide demand and energy policy that do. That's why its excluded from "core" CPI. The Fed needs to act based on movements in prices that are impacted by its decisions.

[mpstan]

The Fed’s primary job is to fight inflation. However, articles that only quote the core inflation rate are very misleading... Most pocket books see an erosion in their buying power relating to other inflationary factors, for example, a weaker dollar which is negatively affected by rate cuts.