Denver inflation hit 4% in September, and almost nobody’s bills look like it

By Tamara Chuang | The Colorado Sun

The price of one of Robert Elliott’s favorite snacks is now $10.49, up 40% from $7.49 a year ago. 

It hasn’t yet stopped the Loveland resident from buying a bag of wasabi and soy almonds. But it’s caused him to think about how much he’s been spending. 

“It’s something I buy once every month or so. But overall, I do feel like my grocery bill is up by 40%,” Elliott said. “It’s impacted me in terms of stress, but I’m not in the position that many people are in, where it’s, you know, food or the electricity bill. I can absorb this.”

The rise in wasabi and soy almonds is far from 4%, which was the Denver-area’s annual overall inflation rate in September. But Elliott didn’t benefit from lower used-car prices, an item tracked by the consumer price index, or CPI. He didn’t buy a new TV or a sofa. He didn’t visit a museum. And he’s not paying college tuition or childcare. All of those things are tracked by the U.S. Bureau of Statistics to figure out the inflation rate. 

READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT THE COLORADO SUN