We asked readers what prices are rising the most for them, and most are feeling inflation in their stomachs.
Out of 108 responses from cleveland.com readers, 66 said food or grocery bills were having a noticeable effect on their budgets when asked what prices were affecting them the most.
Last week the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released data showing prices for consumers have jumped 8.5% in a year’s time, a 40-year high for inflation. The consumer price index measures prices from natural gas to used cars, and it measures the food prices that have hit people’s wallets at the grocery store, which are up 8.8% from March 2021 to March 2022.
Readers have seen increases in other parts of their budgets, like medication, home repairs, airfare and vehicles. Here’s what they had to say (some responses were shortened for clarity):
The comments were solicited through cleveland.com’s free From the Editor subtext account, a platform where readers receive text messages from Editor Chris Quinn about newsroom topics and stories reporters are working on. Sign up for at this link.
Food prices hitting most people
Most readers are noticing higher food prices, and national data shows that those observations are national trends.
One reader says the oranges she buys went from $1 a piece to 3 for $4. Another person, who described herself as a vegan and healthy eater, said produce prices are getting “outrageous.” Fresh fruits and vegetables are up 8.1%, according to BLS data.
A bottle of maple syrup, one reader said, is now anywhere from $8 to $10, when they paid $5 in 2020. Another reader is buying packs of ground beef for $24 instead of $15, turkey lunch meat at $7.99 a pound instead of $6.49, and brown organic eggs at $4.19 instead of $3 a dozen.
A pound of bacon, one reader said, is between $5 to $6 instead of $3.50 at their local store. Meats are up 14.8%, according to the BLS, but steaks on average are up 16.4% while bacon and breakfast sausage is up 16.5% on average.
“I just know my food bill has risen between $75 to $100 more - a week,” one reader said. “Eating in or out has become much more expensive.” (Food away from home has risen 6.9% on average). “I have never had to look at prices as much as I do currently when I grocery shop and looking for specials all the time. Unsure if things will actually ever go down.”
Lettuce heads are up to $3 from 99 cents at one reader’s store. Another is paying extra for chicken salads, now at $6.49 instead of $4.99.
And chicken wings, which a reader called “the mother of all economic barometers,” are now three times higher at his store. Chicken wings aren’t measured by the BLS, but chicken prices are up 13.4%.
Food and energy prices tend to be the most volatile. Taking items like gasoline, beef and electricity out of the mix, prices are up 6.5% year over year, according to the BLS.
Other items seeing price hikes
Readers pointed out that plenty of non-food products and services are up as well.
Medicine and health care goods are rising. One reader’s medicine went up from $4 to $6.09. A two pack of contact solution for another reader is $18.99, up $3. Medical care commodities are up 2.7%.
Buying items for home improvement are also up in price.
One reader needed a quart of paint for his front porch, but the home-goods center only had gallons. A gallon of paint he used to buy for $23 was $36. Another reader said a shelving unit he was looking at buying for his garage is now $64.98, up from $35.98 in April 2020.
Garden supplies and lawncare services have also risen in price for many readers, according to the responses. So have airfares, hotels and other vacation-related expenses. Roundtrip airfare for a domestic flight from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is averaging $246, up 26% over last year, according to an analysis conducted for The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com by travel data firm Hopper.
Cleaning supplies are up too. One reader, who watches prices by the ounce, is seeing laundry detergent at 15 cents an ounce, up from 11 cents, both because prices are rising and the containers in the stores are getting smaller. Household cleaning products are up 8.7%, according to the BLS.
Several readers are also seeing dog and cat food rising in price, which the BLS says has gone up 5.9% in the last year. One reader says her cat food is up to $1.29 a can from 99 cents, and that’s when its in stock. Another said the bags of dog food she buys are at $60, up from $45.
Niche buys are up too. One reader who buys six packs of frozen pizza from Lou Malnati’s, a chain famous for serving deep dish pizza in Chicago, said he is paying $129.99, up $10 from what he used to pay.
“Vacuum tubes for my guitar amplifiers,” another reader said. “Most were made in Russia, and combined with inflation, are nearly impossible to find at a decent price.”