I reprinted a Facebook post by a friend of my high school golf coach, saying he had to cut back on medicines, doctor appointments and other things because of the rise in prices in both groceries and gas the last three years. I was told by an esteemed professor here that this guy is outright lying. I was also told my wife informing me our grocery bill going up $4,000 annually was bogus.
So, I did what any logical person would do, and that is to further research the subject. According to the Washington Post (Feb. 2), grocery prices have gone up 25% since 2020 (20% since Jan. 2021) and the average family with kids (like mine) spends $17,212 per year (USA Today).
That 25% increase means the average family with kids spent $13,770 before inflation, a $3,442 difference. So I apologize to Chris as my wife was off by $558. Someone without kids, as is my coach's friend and wife, logically probably saw an increase of grocery prices by half that amount, $1,721. If he and his wife drive a total of 18,000 miles per year, their gasoline bill went up $1.21/gallon, and if they get 32 mpg that's $680 more annually.
I'll leave it up to you if my coach's friend who is spending $2,400 more per year on gas and groceries is lying when he says on his fixed income he has had to cut back.