Grocery prices increase, impacting holiday meals

Reporter: Andryanna Sheppard
Published: Updated:
Grocery story

High grocery prices have put a dent in all of our wallets but how many dollar signs will be on your Christmas dinner menu?

Inflation has taken a big bite out of our budgets this year. New data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics shows inflation is slowing down. It rose 3.1 percent in November 2023 compared to November 2022. The Federal Reserve targets a 2 percent year-over-year increase.

Nayla Matos and her friend Lumarie Velez have strict weekly grocery budgets to get by.

“I have a maximum amount and a minimum amount and then I just go off of my main needs,” Matos said. “If I need other stuff, I might go throughout the week but I really try to stick to my $50 budget.”

Grocery prices vs restaurant prices

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, food at home went up 1.7 percent in November 2023 compared to November 2022. That’s down from the 2.1 percent increase in October 2023 compared to October 2022. With all the gifts for family and friends, wallets are getting squeezed even more.

“It’s not fun,” Matos added. “There’s a max that I can spend due to daily bills and things.”

For more than two years now, WINK News Consumer Reporter Andryanna Sheppard has tracked the same 10 grocery item prices at the same Fort Myers Walmart, Target and Publix. This Christmas, Southwest Floridians may want to hold off on the homemade eggnog. 18-count eggs are going up again. They went up $0.83 cents to $2.56 at Walmart. Over at Publix, they went up $1.07 to $4.54. The last time Publix eggs were that expensive was in May. Prices for everything on Sheppard’s list went down, including eggs by $0.10 to $1.79.

Matos and Velez’s grocery baskets change with the prices every week.

“The car payment, the everything payment and how expensive food is lately, I don’t think you can really budget per month because it runs out so fast and it is so expensive,” noted Matos and Velez

To ease some of your financial stress, experts recommend talking to your family and friends about having a pot luck this year. Don’t forget to use cashback apps to get some money back when you grocery shop.

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