Amy Scott

When it comes to inflation, there are things we can give up when prices get too high.

But food is non-negotiable.

From American Public Media, this is Marketplace.

From Colorado Public Radio in Denver, I'm Amy Scott, in for Kai Risdahl.

It's Tuesday, January 13th.

Good to have you with us.

The overall inflation news today from the Consumer Price Index wasn't too bad.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics said headline prices increased 0.3% in December from the month before.

2.7 percent on an annual basis, same rate as in November.

One stubborn outlier, though, was food.

The cost of food consumed at home, a.k.a.

groceries, was up 7 tenths percent for the month.

And if you go back five years, it's up about 25 percent.

Marketplace's Stephanie Hughes takes a look at how people are getting by.

At Patterson Food Market, a small corner store in Baltimore, Courtney Johnson is shopping for a snack.

These are jerky, dried sausages.

Johnson also gets a 16-ounce soda.

Another customer, Eric Smith, buys a soda, too.

It's $2.

And outside the store, Smith says that's too much.