Don't celebrate those cheaper gas prices just yet. While pump prices have pulled back, American families face a far more painful squeeze elsewhere – surging electricity bills are wiping out the gains and then hitting harder. The real story here? Energy costs remain stubbornly elevated across the board, weighing heavily on household budgets. This matters for more than just personal finances. When discretionary spending gets crushed by utility bills and essentials, it ripples through consumer sentiment, investment capacity, and how people allocate their savings – whether into crypto or traditional assets. It's a classic inflationary trap dressed up differently than we expected.