"inverse proportion" usage...

[nq:1]"The spending power of the money he stuffed under his mattress is shrinking in inverse proportion to the cost of ... that is) If the "inverse proportion" phrase used here is inappropriate, what would be a better (succinct) phrase to use?[/nq]
This is not a clear sentence because:
(1) "shrinking in inverse proportion" functions
like a double negative i.e. is ambiguous at best; (2)

[nq:2]"The spending power of the money he stuffed under his ... inappropriate, what would be a better (succinct) phrase to use?[/nq]
[nq:1]This is not a clear sentence because: (1) "shrinking in inverse proportion" functions like a double negative i.e. is ... not: The spending power of the money he stuffed under his mattress is shrinking as the cost of living grows.[/nq]
Or retianing an ex

[nq:1]Is the following statement correct? "The spending power of the money he stuffed under his mattress is shrinking in inverse proportion to the cost of living" (...assuming the cost of living is rising, that is)[/nq]
Assuming the example sentence made any sense (it doesn't), the above disclaimer is absurd. The value of the money changes in inverse proportion to the cost of living whether th

[nq:2]Assuming the example sentence made any sense (it doesn't), the ... mattress is in inverse proportion to the cost of living."[/nq]
Thanks for the input. Are you sure that a noun phrase like "spending power" can be "in inverse proportion" to something? It sounds wrong to me...
Jake

[nq:2]Or retianing an explicit reference to proportionality: The spending power ... shrinking as fast as the cost of living is growing.[/nq]
Thanks, all, for the input. I'd be interested to read any further suggestions on how to rephrase the above sentence with fewer words.

Jake

[nq:1]Thanks for the input. Are you sure that a noun phrase like "spending power" can be "in inverse proportion" to something? It sounds wrong to me...[/nq]
As far as I know, no grammatical category, be it "noun phrase" or something else, can be in inverse proportion to something. On the other hand, everything that can be in inverse proportion to something can be designated by a noun ph

[nq:1]Thanks for the input. Are you sure that a noun phrase like "spending power" can be "in inverse proportion" to something? It sounds wrong to me...[/nq]
No problem here. Spending power and cost of living both name calculable values. Any value may be
proportional (directly or inversely) to any (related) value.

Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

[nq:1]Is the following statement correct? "The spending power of the money he stuffed under his mattress is shrinking in inverse ... that is) If the "inverse proportion" phrase used here is inappropriate, what would be a better (succinct) phrase to use?[/nq]
Inflation is steadily eroding the value of the money he stuffed under his mattress.
Nigel
ScriptMaster language resources (Persia

[nq:1]Inflation is steadily eroding the value of the money he stuffed under his mattress.[/nq]
I should make it clear that I didn't have an air mattress in mind.

[nq:2]I wrote I should make it clear that I didn't have an air mattress in mind.[/nq]
No; in that case, the adverse factor would be deflation - not inflation. ;-)
Jake