Chase is a recent college graduate with a new job as an engineering trainee for a large defense company. now that he is making good wages, he hopes to start saving for his first house and also contribute toward the company retirement plan. as he looks over his monthly bills, chase is concerned about ever getting ahead of the game. his food bill, car payment, and mounting gasoline payments keep him in the "just making ends meet" category. as his mind wanders back to the good old college days, he reflects on a time when gas and food seemed a lot more reasonable. chase is experiencing the effects of: