inflation

Trumpflation has been in the news lately, although I think I've gotten used to price creep and hard to notice for a lot of things. Today I got a notice that my electric bills would be increasing 10% for 2026. Bulk coffee at Sprouts is now running 19.99 a pound and bulk chocolate covered nuts have gone up a lot, which I understand is due to crop failures. People have been warning me to expect a big increase in homeowners insurance. On the other hand gas is lower than it's been for a few years. The numbers the government churns out saying something close to 3% inflation doesn't seem quite right to me. Most things even besides groceries just seem more expensive.

I sometimes think Americans will complain about how expensive things are regardless.

Hmm...Oreos - haven't had one of those in decades but I can still taste them. Out of habit, I keep logs of basic expenditures like groceries. Last October, we spent $453. This Oct, $536. Two adults, two cats. I don't think our shopping habits have changed much in a year but certain things have certainly gone up in price.

I put gas in my truck today. $5.99/gallon.

Our gas prices have just decreased to less than $3 but noticed diesel has gone up to more than $4.

Milk is $2.29 right now and eggs are less than $2.50. Butter is around $3. Just found an ethnic grocery that has great prices on onions, garlic and butternut squash. Will start checking them more often.

I cannot find anything that is lower in price and even sale prices are higher than previous years.

We talked today and we are actually eating less but eating better. I have sale asparagus, sale cauliflower, 49 cent a pound sweet potatoes and Delicata squash and will roast them all tomorrow. We can use it as is or on salads and such.

We have just about the highest gas taxes here in the US in IL. I paid $3.03 for regular unleaded on the way home tonight. A few stations closer to home are $3.47ish. Gas tends to be cheaper near work, which is further away from Chicago and in a different county.

$2.49 gas at Costco today.

Bird flu has dropped out of any common news I've seen lately, but the egg shelves have been well stocked. There's a big price range. "Vital" brand, organic, pasture raised, a 100 sq ft per hen claim was $7.50 per dozen today. Normal every day was about half that. Gas has been in the 2.50-3.OO range for several weeks. My grocery bill today was exactly $100.00, which was sort of weird. Coffee, a pound of raw almonds, some produce, bread, milk etc., and no meat. I will probably have to pick up odds and ends within a week. The news today said the average price of a new car just topped $50,000. and quoted a woman who said she remembered when you could buy a house for that.

In the big scheme of things, I'd think energy, insurance, housing, and health care may hit a lot of wallets more than groceries and gas, but those seems to be the common gauge of inflation judgement.

Bird flu is still rampant though. It just killed two of the swans in our lake in my former neighborhood.It also killed some geese there.

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Originally Posted by pinkytoe

$2.49 gas at Costco today.

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Gas is the only inflated good I notice. It seems reasonable at the moment.

Wow Rogar, that's a lot for one person, especially with no meat. I don't think you are buying pet food either, right?