Takeaways:

• Grocery shopping has morphed into a financial triage situation, reflecting our economic realities.
• Coffee prices have surged by 20%, making it a luxury for some coffee lovers out there.
• Using coupons isn't just for saving money; it's a sign of planning around tight budgets.
• The grocery store serves as a direct reflection of the economy, revealing all our spending struggles.
• We all find ourselves juggling budgets and making tough choices before even entering the store.
• Next time you're shopping, think about what your grocery cart says about your finances!

Links referenced in this episode:

• jamesabrown.net

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Albertsons
• Wall Street Journal

This is the Daily Note.

I'm James A.

Brown.

Financial triage.

That's what the Wall Street Journal calls what we're doing in grocery stores now.

Coffee is up 20%, ground beef up 12%.

Even bananas are up 6%.

The CEO of Albertsons says coupon usage is up too.

That that detail hits differently than all these abstract percentages, doesn't it?

Using coupons means planning around what you can't afford, making choices before you even get to the store, doing math on every aisle, myself included.

We're all performing some version of this calculation.

The grocery store never lies about the economy.

You can't avoid it, can't wait it out, can't shop around it every week.

Same choices, same too small budget.

So what do you think?

What's your grocery store telling you?

Let me know on jamesabrown.net on that note.

I'm James A.

Brown and as always, be well.