Imagine this: you go to the grocery store one day and buy a loaf of bread for $2.
The next month, you go back to buy the same loaf of bread, but now it costs $2.10.
You might think, "Why did the price increase? Is it just this store or is it happening everywhere?" This is where the CPI comes into play.
The CPI is a measure that examines the weighted average of prices of a basket of consumer goods and services, such as transportation, food, and medical care.
Essentially, it tracks how the prices of these goods and services change over time.