Which things hit by inflation have affected your spending the most?

[Kim N]

Bouncing off a post in the "what are you cheap for" thread—interested in seeing your lists!

Airfare, soaps and cleaning products, and certain foods like rice come to mind for me.

 

[Karl_K]

Food in general.
Medical issues limit what we can eat so we can only cut so much. I would say food costs even with reductions have doubled+.

 

[Begonia]

Food, and because that's so high, and I've gone 3 years without a raise through a time of high cost of living increases, my spending is down on everything else. Waaaaay down.

 

[missy]

I don't want to seem obnoxious but if I answer this question honestly the answer would be nothing. But we do not spend much anyway anymore besides to maintain our homes. We have what we need for the most part and we do not skimp on food. But it is just the two of us so we have less expenses than most who have larger families. I don't buy clothes for the most part. I don't buy shoes or boots. I don't buy luxury items. But yes we do buy good food. I am super picky about what I eat so I really do not have a choice if I want to eat that is.

We are also older than many here and we have saved sufficiently so we don't have to skimp on things. But yeah it's a challenging time for most and I am acutely aware of that. My sister and BIL will have two kids in college soon and their combined college costs will be more than their salaries. I feel their pain and I feel others pain about the cost of things. It has gotten out of hand IMO and something has got to give

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

The grocery store, utilities, auto repair. I don't buy clothes. And no raises this year for anyone, while the doctors decided to redecorate the lobby and exam rooms. Nice move.

 

[MeowMeow]

For us it's food mostly. Utilities as well. And our usage hasn't really increased to match the prices. Thankfully bulk diapers and wipes are about the same price or the monthly hit on my husbands account would be even larger. Need this kid to get peer pressured into using the toilet like the other 5 year olds already so we can save 500 dollars a month lol.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Food for sure, especially having a teenage son! Utilities really did a number on us, electricity rates soared right before winter and we have electric heat so it was tough.

We also had to replace our water heater recently and when I called a company to find out how much it would cost to install a new one, they wanted over 2k! They blamed the pandemic and shortage of materials and increased cost for the price. We ended up buying one from Home Depot and having a friend help us install it. Just for reference, the water heater we bought was $800.

Pet food, for whatever reason the dog’s food became much more expensive, we had been using one brand for years and had to switch. With three dogs we go through a lot of food daily.

 

[tyty333]

What do I notice the most...food! I'm still feeding 4 adult size people. It doesn't affect how much I buy but I cant imagine how
people who were living paycheck to paycheck are managing.

Edit...our last two electric bills were $460 and $440. We try to keep it down by keeping the temp set high...but ouch.

Cat food...I used to pay 0.46 cents/can prepandemic. I think I'm now paying 0.76/can.

 

[SandraLynn]

What do I notice the most...food! I'm still feeding 4 adult size people. It doesn't affect how much I buy but I cant imagine how
people who were living paycheck to paycheck are managing.

Edit...our last two electric bills were $460 and $440. We try to keep it down by keeping the temp set high...but ouch.

Cat food...I used to pay 0.46 cents/can prepandemic. I think I'm now paying 0.76/can.

I noticed the grocery store brands had almost doubled. My cat is 18 and has become a very picky princess. I recently had to switch her diet due to her age and health problems. I’m now spending about $150 plus a month on food and supplements for my one cat. Worth it though. She will leave this world happy and full. That’s all I can ask for.

 

[Austina]

Again, older, and like @missy, we are in the position that we don‘t have any expensive colleges to fund. House is paid for, so no mortgage. Our gas and electricity bills are pretty reasonable, (we have solar, so the big expense has been up front), there aren’t any expensive restaurants where we live, so no fancy meals out. Our food bills are more than double here, but we’re not going to skimp on eating well.

So for the most part, inflation isn’t really affecting us, because when we lived in the UK, our tax bill was much higher than here, and we’re both healthy, (so far).

 

[musicloveranthony]

I've been thinking about this a lot lately as I've found my monthly income has lost a lost of it's purchasing power. The following percentage deltas have been over the last year or two.

Food - at the market, a lot of the things I consume regularly have gone up 40-50%. Some have even gone up 100%. At restaurants, many items have gone up 30-50%.

Dog food - my dog's food has gone up nearly 75%

Water bill has gone up 30%

Property tax has gone up 18%

 

[Slickk]

The thing I notice the most is my grocery bill. Two adults and it nearly doubled. Also like @Austina and @missy we are of a certain age and we have no dependent children so we aren’t feeling it as much as we would’ve years ago. I won’t scrimp on my food shopping, most of it in the produce section. Sheesh, it has gotten expensive though.

 

[SandraLynn]

The thing I notice the most is my grocery bill. Two adults and it nearly doubled. Also like @Austina and @missy we are of a certain age and we have no dependent children so we aren’t feeling it as much as we would’ve years ago. I won’t scrimp on my food shopping, most of it in the produce section. Sheesh it had gotten expensive though.

100% every time my husband come back from the store he’s saying how what little he bought was this amount or that amount. We are in our thirties and don't have kids so that helps and we both work. He’s on a boat three weeks out of the month and they provide food so that cuts our total groceries a lot. I only have to fend for myself while he’s gone.

 

[marymm]

food and gas for the car

 

[stracci2000]

Food and cleaning supplies, of course.

I needed more spray window cleaner.
It had been a while since I bought any.
So now I see that Windex shot up to $4.99(!) for the regular size bottle at the grocery store.(Kroger)
No store brand available....who knows why.

So I checked at the Dollar Tree.
Side note, the Dollar Tree used to have all items for $1......now all items are $1.25. Isn't that messed up?

Anyway, I bought their house brand ammonia window cleaner, and it works like a charm.
Screw you Windex! I don't need your product for 4.99!

 

[SandraLynn]

Food and cleaning supplies, of course.

I needed more spray window cleaner.
It had been a while since I bought any.
So now Windex shot up to $4.99(!) for the regular size bottle at the grocery store.
No store brand available at Kroger.....who knows why.

So I checked at the Dollar Tree.
Side note, the Dollar Tree used to have all items for $1......now all items are $1.25. Isn't that messed up?

Anyway, I bought their house brand ammonia window cleaner, and it works like a charm.
Screw you Windex! I don't need your product for 4.99!

Not only did dollar tree go up to $1.25 , they are also lowering pack quantities and sizes slowly so people won’t notice as much. I used to get my books there. Haven’t been in a while.

 

[Lookinagain]

Like @missy and @Austina, I'm older, have no dependent children and don't really need a lot of new clothes, shoes, etc. and have no mortgage or car payment. I recently retired so it will be interesting to see if inflation impacts me more. I do notice that groceries have gone up. I never used to use coupons, but now that they are digital, I do look for my regular items and buy them when there is a coupon. What I have noticed the most is the cost of home improvements. I recently had to replace my heat/AC system and it was probably 3 times more costly than when I had it put in. Last winter the cost of oil was probably double to heat my house, not sure if the new system will reduce that. Also replaced 6 windows and those cost more than double of what I paid to replace some about 10 years ago. Had to have a fallen tree removed and that was $3k whereas in the past I've paid much less to the same company. I feel fortunate that I have been able to save during my long working life and am comfortable. I do understand and feel bad for those who are raising families, have college on the horizon, and probably have not gotten any raises to match the increase in the cost of living. I know they are having to cut back on many things.

 

[pearlsngems]

Food, like everyone else. We still buy the healthy foods we always did but have become a lot more careful about avoiding food waste.

I'm more careful not to over-purchase perishable foods-- like fruits that become over-ripe quickly. These days, it's peaches. I only buy what we can we eat within a few days. I hate having to throw out rotten fruit-- might as well be throwing away dollar bills! Also deli meats and cheeses. They don't last long before spoiling, so when I buy them (which is less often now) I'm careful about how much I buy so that it doesn't ever have to be thrown out.

I am also more careful about how much food I make for suppers for my family. We always eat enough, but I try not to cook so much that there are leftovers of some foods. I've noticed that certain foods are not popular leftovers in this house, so I make sure not to cook more of those foods than we'll eat at one meal. For example, seafood. We love it freshly cooked , but none of us like it as a leftover. Pasta and rice are also not popular leftovers in this house. On the other hand, we all love leftover vegetables, soups, and chili. This is a matter of knowing your own household's tastes.

Some stores have a senior discount or a veteran's discount. We always take advantage of those, which can mean only visiting the store on a specific day of the week. Lowe's has a 10% veteran's discount, so if we can find what we need there, we'll buy there instead of Home Depot where there is no discount.

It's not just inflation, though. Being retired now, we have adjusted our budget to reflect our lower income. We planned for this, but even so, inflation makes us think twice about discretionary spending.

 

[yssie]

Pet food has gone through the roof!! Pricing is up 1.5-2x from pre-2020 easy! Unfortunately we’ve got several with dietary restrictions and the rest are stubborn enough to starve themselves rather than eat what they don’t like, so no choice but to cough up

Airfare, car rentals, and hotels. We both had travel-heavy jobs and we both hoarded points like dragon’s treasure - we’re using those points as much as possible now. Of course they’re worth less than they used to be, too, may as well get some use out of them before they devalue further… Pro tip - don’t stash points!

Not exactly the same but my biggest mistake of 2023 was the blasted HE washer that we bought. The 20+ year old no-name we inherited with the house finally died and we figured going with Consumer Reports’ rec would be best… WRONG. Thing has no agitator and doesn’t get stains out half as well as the old, cycles take forever, soap and softener sometimes don’t fully rinse out which means more cycles, and if I don’t hit the “extra water” option some clothes never even get wet so I just do that by default now - and the “extra water” option takes more more water than my old machine ever did. So much waste. Cannot describe how fast and far I will run from any more HE washers or dryers.

 

[SandraLynn]

Pet food has gone through the roof!! Pricing is up 1.5-2x from pre-2020 easy! Unfortunately we’ve got several with dietary restrictions and the rest are stubborn enough to starve themselves rather than eat what they don’t like, so no choice but to cough up

Airfare, car rentals, and hotels. We both had travel-heavy jobs and we both hoarded points like dragon’s treasure - we’re using those points as much as possible now. Of course they’re worth less than they used to be, too, may as well get some use out of them before they devalue further… Pro tip - don’t stash points!

My cat will also starve herself but I’ve got it down now. i had to have most of her teeth removed when she was about 6 or 7. I blend her food. Cat has her own blender in the kitchen. Lol

 

[RMOO]

The grocery bill is what we have noticed the most. We are lucky enough that it is not a struggle to purchase what we always have, but we are near retirement and don't have a lot of other purchases. We have been even more careful than usual to avoid food waste, and we probably eat out less often, just because it all adds up and the number is a little shocking when you total it up. I have also started to use coupons again, and we do more bulk buying when things are on sale to minimize the overall increase.

 

[Petalouda]

Notice it in groceries, especially after moving to NY. I still buy quality produce and meats but don’t eat out as much here.

 

[Arcadian]

Mostly food even though I'm very picky about what I buy and where, its still something I feel because I also feed my 2 pups a partial raw diet. Its mostly the meat thats gone up the most as I make most of their food, and their turkey necks are stratosphericly high (usually less than a dollar/lb and they're now 2 or even 3 sometimes. The dog food I do buy (always a tiny little bag for dad's house...lol) its absolutely outrageous....40+ dollars for a 12lb bag.

The electric bill has been absolutely ridiculous. I'm still waiting for my solar to be turned on (thats a whole other story by itself) Between the 2 houses the electric is near 800 dollars a month. He is in process of getting more insulation in that attic because it needs it badly. The house here is fine, but the rate increases is what made mine go up (because I'm actually using less but paying more which makes perfect sense... Thanks FPL)

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Food. Alcohol. I'd be a lot richer if I didn't drink. And I'm going stop with all this take out food--it was a good run while it lasted but man is it spendy!

I like discount days and coupons. And I like accumulating "points" as well.

cheers--Sharon

 

[nala]

I think I started an inflation thread a couple of years ago so I have become desensitized to inflation at this point, lol. But to play along, hubby and I are blessed that we are at a point in our lives where we don’t have to cut back on any needs. And blessed moreso bc DD has been financially independent since she turned 21! She flies home to visit us a lot or we to her—regardless of the price. That is a blessing.

I do however enjoy marveling over any items, restaurants, outings, that still offer a big bang for your buck.
Here’s an example. A cup of coffee during the pandemic cost me 49 cents. Then increased to 79!cents and then 99 cents. Now its 1.79 —think 7/11 or am/pm.
Idk how McDonald’s keeps their coffee at 99 cents so I am very grateful!

 

[SandraLynn]

I think I started an inflation thread a couple of years ago so I have become desensitized to inflation at this point, lol. But to play along, hubby and I are blessed that we are at a point in our lives where we don’t have to cut back on any needs. And blessed moreso bc DD has been financially independent since she turned 21! She flies home to visit us a lot or we to her—regardless of the price. That is a blessing.

I do however enjoy marveling over any items, restaurants, outings, that still offer a big bang for your buck.
Here’s an example. A cup of coffee during the pandemic cost me 49 cents. Then increased to 79!cents and then 99 cents. Now its 1.79 —think 7/11 or am/pm.
Idk how McDonald’s keeps their coffee at 99 cents so I am very grateful!

I love McDonald’s hot coffee too. So glad to hear about you and everyone else inflation has not impacted. That means timing and the fact that you were doing things right was key and benefited in the long run. It hasn’t affected my quality of life. I don’t want or need for anything. We have slowed down on our travel trips which we used to do every three months or so and now not as much But we still do.

 

[nala]

 

[seaurchin]

I’m fortunate in that I don’t really notice it much or have to worry about it. But my life these days is also pretty simple, for the most part.

 

[nala]

 

[Kim N]

Food seems to be topping the list for almost everyone! Fortunately, most of the seafood and meats we buy haven't increased too much (we usually build meals around what's on sale), but produce and a lot of dry or canned foods have really gone up around here.

I forgot about pet food as well. Definitely spending at least 1.5x compared to before.