Madison Reporter

Joan Smebak, a Watertown resident and member of the St. Henry's parish, said grocery prices are "ridiculous" and the current presidential administration has ruined the American economy. 

“The price of groceries is ridiculous, and I don’t have any hope of things getting better,” Smebak said. “I'm not sure how Trump can fix it, but things were better when he was in office before, and the current administration killed the economy, so how can she make it better?”

The cost of living has greatly increased in the past four years as housing prices have gone up, groceries are more expensive, and gas prices have significantly increased. People can no longer afford to live within the means that they are used to because incomes have not expanded at the same rate as the cost of living. 

Grocery prices have increased almost 25% since March of 2020 and are one of the most important factors in this financial crisis. These prices affect individuals and families across the country on a daily basis. 

“During the last federal election on Nov. 3, 2020, food inflation was running at just 3.9% annually,”  reported Lauren Beck with Yahoo Finance. “Fast forward to March 2024, and the latest data shows food prices have risen a whopping 25.8% since then. To put that in perspective, a basket of groceries that cost $100 in November 2020 would now set you back $125.80. That’s an increase of nearly $26 for the exact same food items.”

Eggs, dairy products, and baked goods – including cereal, crackers, cookies, and bread – have seen the most significant impact due to inflation. Egg prices have increased 54%, milk prices rose 36%, and baked goods saw a 28% increase.

However, it is not just these products that have seen an increase in cost; all groceries have steadily risen in cost throughout the last three and a half years, making it hard for families to afford groceries.

The Biden-Harris administration has not effectively curbed the climbing inflation that began around the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the rate of year over year inflation having only dropped below 3% for the first time since 2021 in July of 2024. 

Vice Presidential Candidate J.D. Vance recently commented on this in an interview, “Why aren’t we talking about inflation? Why aren’t we talking about the fact that groceries are unaffordable thanks to Kamala Harris’ policies? And so is housing. We’ve talked a little bit about the border, why aren’t we talking about the fact that the entire world is on fire because of Kamala Harris’ foreign policy, she’s just asleep at the wheel.”