Staying Fit
No doubt about it: Inflation has risen at its fastest rate in 40 years. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the Consumer Price Index (CPI), the government’s key measure of inflation, jumped 7.9 percent in the 12 months ended February 2022. The cost of gasoline soared 38 percent, used cars sped up 41.2 percent and food at home rose 8.6 percent.
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Not everything goes up at the same time, however. Some items even fall in price while others rise. Although they’re not many — and not likely to be a big part of your budget — here are some segments of the CPI that have actually fallen during the past 12 months.
1. School lunches (-53.3 percent)
The federal government expanded the school lunch program as part of the effort to help those hurt most by the coronavirus pandemic. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020, signed in March of that year, authorized special waivers for school lunches and allowed schools to distribute meals at drive-through sites.
Those waivers could end June 30, as pandemic measures wind down. If Congress does not extend the provision, the schools would receive an average of $2.91 per meal served, compared with $4.56 per meal during the pandemic, according to an estimate by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. When the pandemic measure ends, more students will have to pay more for their lunches, and by midsummer, school lunches could wind up near the top of the list of the biggest price increases.
2. Video equipment (-2.7 percent)
Equipment that has been supplanted by newer technologies typically declines in price, even though it may well produce excellent results. Looking for a videocassette player? A disk player? You can generally get them reasonably cheap — and, most likely, even cheaper next year.
