I'm Adi Cornish and this is the assignment.

All year long, the economy has felt like it's on the brink of something.

And if our social media feeds or any indication, that something doesn't sound good.

I literally paid like maybe 30, 40 bucks and now it's like $75 for like three bags of groceries.

Does anybody else have $8 to their name until payday in 10 days, or is that just me?

Am I doing this wrong?

Please help.

This is why I can't shop at Walmart now.

$8.92 for freaking chips.

Are you kidding me?

$20 for coffee?

And now we've hit that time of year when wallets tighten, the pressure ramps up, and the general vibe seems to be...

Budget, budget, budget, you need a plan. Also remember, adults don't need gifts, okay?

Focus on the people in your life who are age 3 to 18. Grandma doesn't need slippers. But skimping on grandma doesn't exactly match the message coming out of the White House.

Grocery prices are way down. Energy prices are way down. Mortgage rates are down.

So here we are trying to read the tea leaves watching every everyday recession signals pop up all around us,

while the official numbers keep telling us that things are steady, even good.

It's created this strange tense moment where the data and the vibes don't match,

and the economy looks strong and shaky at the same time.

So as we head into the holidays with all the stress and spending that can bring,

how are we supposed to navigate it all?

Well, we're going to have some answers.

...