How Much Have Groceries Gone Up Since 2020?

We’re going to have to up our grocery budget. No, it’s not because we are eating more or we’ve added another person to our family. It is from pure inflation.

You’re not imagining things when you feel like you used to get more groceries for your money this time last year.

I’ve got the past grocery hauls with item costs included that show that groceries have just gone up.

I first noticed something was up when it was really really difficult for me to get a grocery haul under $100. Then, it was hard for me to get it all under $110. And well, you get the picture. Everything from eggs to graham crackers have gone up over the past 12 months.

It made the “math-y” part of me (former high school math teacher here!) wonder though. How much? Exactly how much have things gone up? I know as an American to expect inflation every single year. But according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics, the rate of inflation for food items at home is only 3%.

That’s slightly higher than the overall rate of inflation in the U.S., but not too drastic.

So, in theory, if the rate of inflation for food items from the grocery store is 3%, then my grocery order that cost $100 a year ago, should now cost $103. Not too bad. I can totally deal with that and figure out how to cut out $3 worth of items to help me hit my budgeting goal.

However, that is not what I’m seeing actually happen in my grocery hauls.

My dollar is going substantially shorter than it was a year ago.

The question now is, how much?

I compared my grocery hauls from October 2020 to January 2021 to the current cost of items in my local Walmart.

Get ready, this is about to blow your mind.