Oh, you simply won't BELIEVE what I'm hearing, my dears! Our dear President Trump was on the news the other day, talking to his supporters, and he actually called this whole 'affordability crisis' a big fat 'hoax'! A HOAX! Can you imagine?

Heavens to Betsy, What's Going On?

Now, my sweetie, you know how I feel about these things. Back in my day, we knew a rising price when we saw it! But this President, he's out there saying folks are just imagining things. He thinks the Democrats are playing a trick! Well, I never!

But Grandma, What Does the Data Say?

Bless his heart, he might *believe* that, but the numbers? They’re telling a whole different story, a story that’s making my purse strings pucker tighter than a prune! The Bureau of Labor Statistics, bless their diligent little hearts, says grocery prices are STILL up 2.7% this year. And electricity? Don't even get me started! It's jumped over 5%! I'm shaking my head so hard right now…

And it's not just me! YouGov and AP-NORC polls show that a whopping 57% of voters think President Trump is losing the fight against these rising prices. Sixty-eight percent of people told AP-NORC the economy is just plain bad or very bad. Even that smarty-pants political fellow, Frank Luntz, said it's dangerous for the President to tell us 'happy days are here again' when we're all feeling the pinch!

Why Grandma Just Can't Even Today

It’s just baffling, isn't it? It reminds me of when your Uncle Herbert swore he didn't eat the last cookie, but there was chocolate all over his face! You just have to see it to believe it. While prices did go down from their peak during that whole pandemic kerfuffle (when inflation hit a scary 9%!), they're still higher than they were. And some of the President's own policies, like those tariffs he’s put on goods, are making things even more expensive. Honestly! It's like trying to patch a leaky boat with a colander!

They say these tariffs are supposed to help American businesses, and maybe they do for some, but for us regular folks trying to buy a loaf of bread or a new dress? Oof! It stings!

• Grocery costs up 2.7%!
• Electricity bills up over 5%!
• Many voters feel Trump is losing the inflation battle!

Oh, sweetie… what are we going to do? I just hope things get better before the next election, or someone’s going to be very surprised! For now, I suppose I’ll just have to knit another sweater instead of buying one. Back in my day, we knew how to make a dollar stretch!