How to Beat Double Digit Grocery Inflation in Idaho

Grocery inflation is basically 15 percent in Idaho year-over-year.  The link shares a national average of almost 12 percent.  Idaho’s inflation rate has been hovering well above the national average for months.  U.S. Senator Mike Crapo told me a couple of weeks ago that we’re running roughly a point higher than the overall average.  This week I saw a politician from Nevada on a TV show.  He said his state’s overall average is 12 percent across the board.  The entire western region is ablaze when it comes to price increases.

A story I shared on my radio program made the point that the Consumer Price Index weighs gasoline on its average at four percent but for the poor, it’s actually three times as much a burden.

How do we get around this?

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A few days ago I was talking with a woman shopping at Grocery Outlet.  She used to be a regular at Fred Meyer but is now looking for some bargain prices.  A cashier told the two of us the stores share some of the same suppliers of produce.  Others are spending more at Dollar Tree and related shops, even though some items now cost more than a dollar!

On Monday, a friend had a day off and planted a garden.  Her daughter had gotten the land tilled last week.  What we’re seeing is a more creative approach to not only shopping but an emphasis on getting back to the land.  It cuts out everyone in the middle.  My gardening friend also raises chickens and hasn’t faced the exorbitant increase for eggs you’ll see at most grocery stores.

We may see more people start darning socks and patching clothes.  Things my parents did when I was a boy.

I’m not saying any of these things are convenient or easy.  They follow necessity!