Inflation, at receipt level
ground coffee is up +127% since 2019.
We track 14 essentials at the state level โ and tell you what to do about them.
The promise
Not a feeling. A number.
Government data is free โ and buried. We pull the numbers out, show them at your state level, and pair them with what households can actually do.
50
States covered
per commodity
14
Essentials tracked
and growing
7yr
Of history
monthly data
Every essential
The basket, broken down.
Groceries
Ground Coffee
$9.72
from $4.29 ยท 2019
Fruit
Orange Juice (16 oz)
$4.90
from $2.41 ยท 2019
Energy
Regular Gasoline
$4.30
from $2.26 ยท 2019
Groceries
Ground Beef
$6.90
from $3.80 ยท 2019
Groceries
White Bread
$1.87
from $1.27 ยท 2019
Groceries
Eggs (Grade A, Large)
$2.25
from $1.55 ยท 2019
Groceries
Whole Milk
$4.14
from $2.91 ยท 2019
Energy
Residential Electricity
18.15ยข
from 13.04ยข ยท 2019
Energy
Residential Natural Gas
$14.63
from $10.51 ยท 2019
Groceries
Whole Chicken
$2.03
from $1.47 ยท 2019
Groceries
Sliced Bacon
$6.83
from $5.52 ยท 2019
Groceries
Cheddar Cheese
$4.69
from $3.92 ยท 2019
Fruit
Red Delicious Apples
$1.54
from $1.30 ยท 2019
Fruit
Bananas
$0.65
from $0.58 ยท 2019
Latest stories
Reading between the price tags.
This Month
CPI 3.5%, PPI 2.7% โ what April's inflation reports actually mean for your wallet
The news led with two numbers and a pile of acronyms this week. Here's what that 3.5% CPI actually is, why the PPI line moved first, and what each one means at my gas pump and my grocery shelf โ and yours.
May 13, 2026 ยท 6 min
Explainer
Inflation, explained simply โ and what actually causes it
My daughter asked me why eggs cost more than they used to. I started to answer and realized I didn't really know. So I sat down and worked it out โ here's the plain-English version, no economics degree required.
May 11, 2026 ยท 7 min
Energy
Why your gas is 30% higher than 2019 โ and what carpooling actually saves you
I griped about gas prices for years without ever doing the math. Then I actually ran the numbers on carpooling two days a week โ and the answer was bigger than I expected. Here's the honest version.
May 1, 2026 ยท 5 min
Built for households
You can't talk prices down.
You can keep more of your paycheck.
Defensible math. State-level data. Actions ranked by dollar impact.
Start with what works