You guys, this inflation is killing me! I am a super frugal shopper. I always price compare by the unit down to the penny. It’s almost concerning how hard I work to save money on food. It’s hard to do budget friendly meals for a family of six that includes boys and teenagers. Oh my goodness!

I used to brag about getting all of my groceries for just a hundred dollars a week. Ha! Granted that was a completely different era and our family was basically just J and I (breastfed baby and picky little eater). Let’s zoom in  on the past year though. I have documentation of what I spent before this “super spike”. Like I said, I am a crazy person. Since 2019 I have used a budgeting app where all of our expenses are categorized and in November of 2020 our grocery budget was $750. Our grocery budget increased to $50 a month more over the next year. So in 2021 our monthly grocery budget was $800. Now in November of 2022 our grocery budget is $1,000 and many months we still go over budget no matter how hard I try. These are real life numbers, a nearly $300 a month increase in groceries!

Back in May when I was freaking out about the price of cheese I thought to look back at my Walmart online purchase history to price compare. I was shocked to find the difference.

I had been paying $5.34 for a 31 oz bag of shredded mild cheddar cheese and now the price was $7.48.

 

I knew inflation was real and I had noticed, but to see solid numbers from my own purchase history really blew my mind. For a bean counter like me that’s a whole lotta beans!!!

Here is a list of the ten items I made note of

5 lb chicken breast in 2021 was $10.76  NOW $16.56

Large has avocados 3-4 count bag  was $3.78 NOW $7.98 

Great Value traditional pasta sauce 24 oz was .88 NOW $1.40


peanut butter 40 ounces was $2.74 NOW $3.47

Great value thick bacon 24 ounce was $5.18 NOW $6.84 

Great value whole milk gallon was $2.59 NOW $3.38


 

Land o Frost Deli Meat was $3.36 NOW  $4.92

18 large eggs was $2.33 NOW  $4.03

11 oz pack of fun size candy bars was $2.98 NOW $4.18

12 pack of soda (for a party) was $4.88 NOW $6.78

 

I meant to do a blog post about my findings and never did. So, those prices that say “NOW” are what they were when I typed it out in May of 2022. Out of curiosity I figured I would see if there were any more increases in the past 6 months and there were.

Past sauce is 8 cents more.

Peanut butter when up 17 cents.

Turkey went up another 75 cents.

Eggs went up 13 cents.

Heavy whipping cream increased by another 90 cents.

So while this particular list of groceries went up by $2.03, milk dropped 54 cents so it’s a little closer to the price it was in 2021 (but still 25 cents more). I know this isn’t official research, but my momservation (observation  as a mom) would report that things appear to have leveled off in the past 6 months instead of the steep price increase we saw a year ago.

We all know that the Pandemic and supply chain issues are at least a big part of why this has happened. I really wish that if we were going to be spending hundreds of more a month it would be on travel, or towards braces or a better computer, but alas that is not the case. I may rant and kick and scream, but that it isn’t changing anything.

I know the Bible says a million different verses about trusting in the Lord, and gratitude and contentment. It isn’t literally a million, but it’s a lot. It’s enough for me to know the truth. I am blessed. Even in this challenging season of inflation we’ve had more than we needed. This month we were able to give to “One Day to Feed the World”, for people who genuinely do have to worry about if their kids will eat or starve to death!

We were also able to give sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving baskets for those in need in our community. Even tonight I am so blessed to be able to bring some lasagna to a friend whose young daughter had surgery. I am not saying these things to brag. I’m actually just realizing it in the moment that I am typing it (this is super spontaneous!). So I know that I don’t have to worry. My God will supply all my needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus as Philippians 4:19 says. And not just my needs, but exceedingly abundantly more than I need so that there is enough to share even when it feels like there is not! I can do grocery math all day long comparing the prices of before to the price of things now, but that’s not God’s math. His math is the 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish equals 5000 people fed! My grocery store math is “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.” That’s the verse from Elijah and the widow in 1 Kings 17:12, I’m not quite that desperate, but it’s my attitude. God’s math is ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land… So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family.” Whoa! That gets me fired up!

I know times are tough. I have plenty of proof via my screen shots, but with Thanksgiving a week away I’ll end with a fitting verse. Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplications with THANKSGIVING let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Amen!