The housewife's shopping basket
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Every month, Insee calculates the consumer price index (CPI), sometimes referred to as the "housewife's shopping basket." This indicator is used to measure inflation. Each month, Insee determines the share of consumer spending represented by every product purchased by French people, together with its price. So the CPI includes much more than the products a housewife buys at the supermarket! The "basket" includes the purchase prices of cars and computers, as well as the cost of maintaining them. These products are divided into several categories, each representing a certain percentage of household spending.
