No wonder, with ground chuck approaching $5 a pound ...

Read it all in the San Francisco Chronicle:

For the first time since 2008, inflation is hitting consumers in the stomach.

Grocery prices grew by more than 1 1/2 times the overall rate of inflation this year, outpaced only by costs of transportation and medical care, according to numbers released Wednesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Economists predict that this is only the beginning. Fueled by the higher costs of wheat, sugar, corn, soybeans and energy, shoppers could see as much as a 4 percent increase at the supermarket checkout next year.

I wonder how many station Christmas parties will still include the never-ending platters of shrimp...

So how is this affecting you? How are you cutting back? Using coupons more? Using store brands rather than name brands?

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