I have my dosage calculation exam this morning, which, as you know, is very anxiety-provoking for me. I have always passed it, but I hate the high stakes with this one; more than two wrong, and you fail.
And it’s not even that the math is all that hard; it’s just that you really, really have to get it right, and you’re under a time crunch too.
BLEAH. I will be so relieved when this is behind me.
NPR tracked Walmart grocery prices for six years
(Here’s the article for your perusal.)
NPR has been doing this tracking for six years, so they have a nice little pile of data to look at. The good news is that prices didn’t budge much from 2023-2024, but the big picture trend is predictably discouraging (we all knew grocery prices had gone up, up, up since 2019!)
I cannot change the complex causes of grocery inflation, of course. But as you know, when I am faced with a problem where I feel helpless, I always like to ask, “What CAN I do?”
(Interestingly, I wrote about that in 2018, in the midst of my first marital separation.)
So I reminded myself:
- cooking at home is still always going to help reduce overall food spending
- avoiding food waste is even more important when grocery prices are so high
- basic staple foods are still the most affordable options (oatmeal, rice, beans, tuna, chicken, carrots, sweet potatoes, etc.)
- tap water is always an affordable option for hydration (juices, sodas, and alcohol are all skippable with zero negative impact on nutrition)
You can’t get your grocery bill down to Tightwad Gazette-era levels with these basic frugal strategies, but you can minimize the impact that inflation is having.
And focusing on what you can do will usually make you feel a little more cheerful. 🙂
Speaking of alcohol…
I’m getting asked about alcohol consumption now
Something I have noticed is that at most medical appointments I go to now, I get asked if I drink any alcohol. I have always been asked about smoking, but the pervasiveness of the alcohol question feels new.

just water, with lime!
I actually love this because even setting aside alcohol-related issues such as addiction, drunk driving, danger due to lack of inhibition, and so on, alcohol is a class 1 carcinogen and is the third leading preventable cause of cancer.
Sooo, if they’re gonna inquire about smoking, it sure makes sense to inquire about alcohol use as well.
It is interesting how in 2025, we all know that smoking can cause cancer (it’s a class 1 carcinogen), but not nearly as many of us realize that is also true of alcohol. Mostly we think of alcohol as causing liver problems, but that is hardly the extent of the damage it does.
Lucky for me, I dislike the taste of alcohol, so there is no reason for me to drink it. My alcohol consumption sits at 0, which is good for my body and also for my wallet (alcohol is expensive!)
I love when health and frugality overlap.
A story-telling podcast
Someone I know started a sweet little peaceful podcast of classic children’s stories, and I thought those of you with young kids might enjoy it! It’s called Inflection Audio.
Here’s a link to it on Apple Podcasts, but you should also be able to find it on any podcast player you normally use. 🙂
On “you guys”
I have recently heard multiple people talking about how they hate the phrase, “You guys”. This phrase seems so common and generic to me, I am always surprised to hear it has irritated someone.
I personally use it in real life (I’ll text my girls and be like, “You guys! Guess what happened today??)

The face I make before a happy, “You guys!” kind of information session. Ha.
People around me use the phrase too, even at work.
For instance, a doctor will go into a room and say to a patient and family, “We’ll see if we can get you guys out of here today once we get the bloodwork back.”
Or the nurses/techs will say, “Do you guys need anything else while I’m in here?”
I know in some areas of the country, people say “Y’all” instead but “you guys” is far more common here.
At its most literal, I realize “you guys” is not gender-neutral, but everyone around me does use it that way (and I obviously do too when I text my girls. Ha.)
And I suppose you could argue that it would be less sexist of a term if we also were comfortable using, “you gals” as a gender-neutral term.
But….also I think that there are far bigger sexism battles to spend our energy on.
For instance, I personally don’t care if everyone at the hospital says, “you guys”, but I would appreciate it if male patients stopped saying creepy things to the female staff. 😉

How I feel when someone makes another “joke” about wanting a bed bath from me
I got a magazine for “mature” people
I’m being tongue-in-cheek with this but…I felt slightly miffed. I know I’m not a spring chicken anymore, but I’m also not exactly nearing retirement age. Who decided to put me on this mailing list??
The publication had helpful articles such as, “What Happens to Your Debt When You Pass Away” and an advertisement for an, “Ask The Undertaker” information luncheon.
Honestly, I feel like the luncheon title went a little too hard.”Ask The Undertaker”? Really?
I am not attending the informational luncheon and I recycled the magazine. 😉
_____________________
Sadlebred
Thursday 30th of January 2025
Ya'll is gender neutral. It means "You All." Everyone.
Peggy
Friday 24th of January 2025
Hi Kristin. In the past year I have been ever more aware of my health (I am 53). I have high blood pressure and was getting ever nearer to going from an "overweight" BMI to "obese." Add that to stress, poor sleep, joint issues and a family history of cancers and stroke and it became clear that I had to take measures.
Part of this (so far successful) change in lifestyle was taking a good look and our family's eating habits. The most obviously troubling thing was our continual snacking habits - and I am not talking apples and cut up veggies here.
After a difficult transition period (for me) we are in a place where I do not buy chips, chocolate, candy, cookies or ice cream (or a host of other high sugar/fat/salt/poor nutrition items) as a regular part of my shop. I am a bit amazed at how little my teens and husband cared that these items were gone. I realized - it was all me. I was craving them, using them to fill holes in my day, and equating care and love with feeding my family and myself these "treats." I am guessing I am not alone in this.
And now to my point: it is amazing how much money I am saving by not buying this stuff!!! Looking back, it feels like these "treats" easily made up 1/3 of what we ate every day. So, along with the very valuable grocery savings tips you provide, this has made a signifigant impact on our weekly spending! It's all been a bit of a revelation, to be honest.
Ruth
Friday 24th of January 2025
I can't remember ever NOT saying "you guys." Nothing offensive about it. It puzzles me when people complain about it. It's an idiom; get over it.
On a semi-related note, I've never been a fan of the word "gal/gals." I have no rationale for this. I just don't like it. At all. Something about it seems condescending to me. I don't know. I'm probably just weird.
EngineerRN
Thursday 23rd of January 2025
Just a perspective on cancer prevention & alcohol, which is a bit of a sore subject right now.
My dad was recently diagnosed with a (thankfully slow-growing & treatable) form of throat cancer.
This man has never smoked a day in his life, though of course as an office worker in the 1970s & 80s, he was probably exposed to secondhand smoke. (Not in bars/restaurants though - he HATES even the smell of smoke.)
He drank alcohol only rarely (never been drunk) & quit drinking entirely when I was a kid due to gout.
Heโs also been treated for prostate cancer.
His heavy-smoking & -drinking siblings? One sister had breast cancer (caught & treated early), the other 6, completely cancer-free.
While I donโt think people should justify heavy drinking with โitโs only a slight increase in cancer risk!โ the reality is that cancer risks are NOT that well-understood, and are likely tied to environmental & genetic concerns much more strongly than anything we do individually, with a few exceptions like smoking (though you can still get lung cancer even if youโve never smoked!) and controlling UV exposure.
I wish we as a society focused more on reducing environmental risks of cancer (like pervasive plastic & hormones in our food) & reducing costs of healthcare & treatment instead of pushing the idea that health is solely based on individual behavior.
Kristen
Thursday 23rd of January 2025
Aww, I am so sorry that your dad has cancer, and I'm glad it's treatable.
I agree that cancer causation is a whole web of things that we don't understand fully. I also agree that it would be good for people in charge to focus on measures that would help the population as a whole.
For me personally, I figure that if I can avoid something that seems to be a cause of cancer, I will do that. Will living this way guarantee I won't have cancer? Definitely not! But I'd rather err on the side of caution with this if I can, and given all the other non-cancer-related issues that seem to be related to alcohol consumption (even at low levels of consumption) I'd rather not risk it. And for me this is a simple decision because I don't even like alcohol.
If I'm gonna consume something that is, at bare minimum, questionable for my health, I'd like it to be something I really enjoy!
My abstention from alcohol is also because I don't like the way I feel when I try drinking it, and I have not enjoyed being around people who are drinking, even moderately. Something changes, it feels like I am no longer talking to the person I know, and it makes me kinda sad. I just really like being sober! And I like to hang out with people who are sober. :)
I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority of American adults here, but it is what it is.
Kara
Wednesday 22nd of January 2025
I experienced some discriminatory practices from our investment company today. I am joint trustee on an account. The male trustee has full access. I only have access if they get the male trustee on the phone to give "permission". When he called them out on it they backpedaled and said it was a glitch. Convenient that the glitch gave the male trustee full access! I have written a paper letter to the managing director and the general counsel.
Anyway, it got me thinking out the "You guys" that we've been talking about here. It doesn't bother me, and I suspect I use it from time to time (not much though). In my generation it was accepted as neutral (I think). But many things we took as neutral really were not. And we either didn't see it or didn't care. I'm 51 and I know my generation stood up for things that my mother's generation did not bat an eyelid at. And I see my kids generation (mine are mid 20's to 30) standing up for things that my generation did not. I think that's good. So if they feel that "You guys" isn't ok then I will respect that.
Sophie in Denmark
Thursday 23rd of January 2025
@Kara, agreed. I don't feel very offended by 'you guys', but I do think there's a larger conversation to be had about how male-centric our language and society is.