The feds keep telling us that all this monopoly money they’re sending out in stimulus checks won’t cause inflation. I think the treasury secretary, or whomever is in charge of the taxpayers’ money, says it won’t be more than 2 percent this year. Ask anyone who does the family grocery shopping about that. Yesterday, I bought 12 ounces of bacon for $6.75. That was the cheapest price. The fancier brands went up to $12 a pound. In 2020, the average price for a pound (16 oz) of bacon was $5.83. No matter how you figure it, that’s about a 25% increase. Bringing home the bacon costs a lot more than it did last year.
Vegans would tell us we’re getting our just desserts for eating meat. If they had their way, we wouldn’t be able to buy bacon at all. As a dietitian, I’m all for healthy eating. But I grew up on after-church, Sunday morning bacon and eggs. My parents made it to their late eighties, so that once a week treat didn’t cause them a premature death. At our house, we have continued my family tradition—in moderation. Each of us has two strips of bacon, one fried egg, toast and orange slices, every Sunday morning. However, the rest of the week we’re very careful with portion control, and follow a Mediterranean diet that includes lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.. We seldom eat red meat
I can remember a short time ago-maybe a year—when a cart full of groceries cost between $50 and $60. Now’s it hard to get out of the supermarket for less that $90 bucks a pop. C’mon Janet Yellen, that’s not 2% inflation.
Let’s go on to housing. Home prices have risen 15 % in one year. Gasoline prices have risen 75 cents a gallon since the November 3 election. The unemployment rate is going down, but fewer people have jobs. I suspect most of us know someone who has dropped out of the workforce, and quit looking for a job, Many small businesses are gone forever.
The point is, we’re experiencing much higher inflation than the feds are letting on. Ask any housewife or house husband. Bringing home the bacon costs more. And fewer people can afford to buy.
