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We’ve been assuming that when we have more money, we will tend to buy more goods. Because this is usually the case, we call the goods for which the assumption holds normal goods. If you buy more of a good when you have more money, that good is a normal good. If the price of a normal good increases, you buy less.
However, not all goods are normal goods. If an increase in your income causes you to buy less of a good, and an income drop causes you to buy more of the good, that good is called an inferior good. College students who aren’t earning a lot of money often subsist on generic soda and dried instant ramen noodles. When they get jobs and a steady income, they’re liable to drop the cheap soda and ramen in favor of Coke and tastier pasta. The generic soda and cheap ramen are inferior goods.
