I will not buy that Biden is solely to blame for any of this, but I will admit that he and his admin aren't helping. It's not that I think there is much they can do about worldwide inflation following two years of economic upheaval during the pandemic and topped off by a trio of Russian War, a living wage labor shortage, and decimated supply chains. Now we are looking at a resurgence of covid, fed rate hikes, and out of control costs in all areas of our lives. But this still isn't like the inflation that hit when Carter was POTUS. It's worse in some ways and better in others. There is no shortage of opportunities to earn, gas is high but readily available, and variety and choice are declining in all major grocery and retail stores.
That said, I have to share something that blew my mind over the weekend. While at the grocery store, wincing at the prices, I went to pick up a bottle of vanilla extract. The last bottle I bought was high quality and 16 ounces for about $4 to 6 dollars and it's been a year or two since. WOW. At Kroger, the cheapest bottle was around $28 for eight ounces, and Walmart had a bottle of Great Value brand 4 ounces for $11.89. I didn't know there was a vanilla bean shortage. But then I remembered Mexican vanilla located in the Mexican foods aisle. I saunter over to the section and low and behold, Molina Vanilla Blend, a very flavorful blend of pure extract tempered with a hint of french vanilla that I had used in the past. An 8-ounce bottle was a whopping buck and a half and it's leaps and bounds better tasting than the generic store brands of pure extract. It honestly felt like a win. I bought three bottles. So sad.
Last edited by OldColdDawg; 05/31/22 10:23 PM.