I just bought watermelon seeds on Amazon for $5.00. I should have at least 4-5 this summer. 
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8% is the going rate for a 30 year fixed. Time to plant more watermelon seeds.
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I love watermelon.
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“Thinks about editing title to Thoughts On Watermelon…” 
In general I think I have found myself often at the grocery store thinking - especially for anything prepared (soup, cookies, main dishes, salads) - “that price for that?! I can make it for much less myself”. I would love to see some side-by-side comparisons of grocery store item prices 5 years ago vs. today. I think it would be shocking.
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One example.
By adding up the prices from 2019 and the prices from 2024 for the same items, it would take $92 today to buy the same items that only cost about $64 in 2019. This is an overall percentage increase of almost 44%!
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And the volume/weight of the bags is smaller
Shrink-flation!
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And of course, the black swan event of the pandemic doesn’t merit any consideration. You know, the pandemic that was going to “magically disappear.”
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California is ridiculously expensive. Gas is $5.49. Our homeowner’s insurance rates doubled! An ordinary house is $1,000.000.
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Gas is $5.99 ($6.49 for diesel) in my neck of the CA woods. But as we like to say, elections have consequences, so we voters must like higher gas prices.
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Thanks for the graph but I would like to know where they were shopping - I don’t know that I EVER paid .60cents for a bottle of salad dressing or bought tomato soup 3 cans for $1.50!
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The article mentions using coupons or prices at Walmart and aldi whichever was lowest. It’s just a snapshot from one article; depending on where you shop and where you live in the country those numbers will vary.
$65 or $92, that seems like an incredible amount of food for either price. I can’t imagine getting so much for so little.
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There is a large difference in price from my local Publix (where I typically shop) and Walmart. So, after retiring and more time, I order all my name brand canned goods and staples online from Walmart where they will load them in my trunk at desired pickup time all at no additional charge. And get my prescriptions, produce, meat/seafood from Publix (very close by). Although Publix generic brand is pretty good, it’s prices rival name brand products at Walmart. I also do a Costco run every 1 to 2 months for bulk paper towels, toilet paper, NUTS (love their nut section), etc. I’ve never shopped with coupons because I always bought more than I really wanted. This is my most cost saving method of shopping.
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I also think we need to factor in natural disasters into the equation of rising rates.
And rising costs of supplies that make repairs more expensive.
And that the average car is much more expensive, with more safety features that are expensive to fix.
And that insurance companies aren’t in the business to lose money but to make money.
It’s all interconnected
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Back when I worked for a major food company, I learned the term “right sizing.”
And when all is said and done - it’s highly visible to the people that pay the bills.
If you have to explain to people why they have it so good, they don’t.
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Yep, next time the leaders of Gasprom and OPEC are on my ballot, I’m voting against them. 
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You could vote with your feet… 
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I tried that, but I had a lot of trouble holding the handstand and the stylus pen between my toes.
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Very similar behavior with Walmart and local grocery store for us. But, we order online from Costco and it is free delivery is greater than $75.
Gas is $3.17 here.
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