Inflation causes biggest price increase in three decades

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. - With 15 days until Thanksgiving, the holiday is taking a big bite out of Americans’ wallets. 

Inflation has the price of turkey up 27% over last year. You will be spending almost $5 more on a 15-pound bird. 

Shoppers say they have noticed prices going up, but are surprised by how much. 

"It’s gotten a little pricier recently. Just simple grocery trips are costing a little bit more I’ve noticed," said Milo Merkel, of Altamonte Springs.

"We come here and we do what we can and get the food we like and then say wow, it would be maybe $30. Now it’s $45, $55," said Jim Birkentall, of Altamonte Springs.

Shoppers say they’ve noticed the 6.2% increase, and it feels like even more.

"It would probably be per week maybe $60, $70. Now I’d say per week, it could easily be 50% of that increased, so probably closer to $100 per week now," said Ananias Lucdor, of Altamonte Springs.

FOX 35 News put its own grocery list to the test. A quick stop at the grocery store for bananas, grapes, melon, wraps, and a few other essentials came to a total of $23.58. The U.S. Labor Department just announced inflation is increasing at a rapid rate, with prices up 6.2% in the last year, meaning our shopping bill is about $1.40 more than it would have been last year. That may not sound like a lot, but over the course of the year, that’s nearly $70 more. The average person spends a lot more than $23 per grocery trip and does it weekly, so that adds up.

Shoppers told FOX 35 News they’re finding ways to tighten their wallets. 

"Instead of getting everything at Publix, I might go to an Aldi and get something, go to a Publix, get something there, go to a Walmart, get something there," said Lucdor.

"I get more store brand stuff I’ve noticed. I try to cut out all the pricier name brand stuff," said Merkel.

Even if it means cutting out their family favorites. "You might say we can live without that peppermint bark candy maybe this year or something like that."

In grocery stores, the biggest price increases are on meat and fish. The numbers released by the Labor Department Wednesday were the fastest price increases in three decades. 

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