Joe Sixpack is getting his butt kicked by rising fuel and grocery costs. He’s got no choice but to part with more of his paycheck.

The federal Bureau of Economic Analysis said we are on the receiving end of a curb-stomping when it comes to buying power, though not in such colorful language. Here’s how the BEA put it in relation to January’s numbers:

Personal income rose 0.3 percent in January, after increasing 0.5 percent in December. Wages and salaries, the largest component of personal income, increased 0.5 percent, reflecting bonus payments among other things. In December, wages and salaries increased 0.4 percent.

Real disposable personal income (DPI), income adjusted for inflation and taxes, increased 0.1 percent in January, the same increase as in December.

Real consumer spending was unchanged for the second straight month. Spending on services rose, especially spending on home energy. In contrast, spending on autos and parts fell.

Prices, as measured by the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, increased 0.4 percent in January, compared with a 0.3 percent increase in December.

Income moved up, but prices increased by even more. Inflation has us in its robotic gunsights, ready to pump lots of rounds into our bank accounts. Said an analyst cited at Bloomberg News:

“The big issue is the fact that inflation is accelerating, and it’s taxing consumer spending,” said Drew Matus, a senior economist at Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. in New York. “The first half is not going to look all that good.”

Here’s news for you. It doesn’t look good now. If the little guy doesn’t get some economic relief, he may feel like he’s hopelessly falling down: