HOW’S THAT HOPEY-CHANGEY STUFF WORKIN’ OUT FOR YA? (CONT’D): Trip to the Grocery Store Costs You More. “As if Americans haven’t noticed, their trip to the grocery store over the past couple of years has cost them more. How much more? Between 12-20% depending on what you purchase.”

UPDATE: Reader Ken Alwes writes: “It’s a good thing that the cost of food and energy are excluded from the government’s formula for tracking inflation, otherwise we might be experiencing an inflationary cycle. That formula makes sense, really. I don’t know anyone who buys food or energy.”