The other day I noticed this official and rather tongue-in-cheek tweet from the Joe Biden* White House:
Planning a cookout this year? Ketchup on the news. According to the Farm Bureau, the cost of a 4th of July BBQ is down from last year. It’s a fact you must-hear(d). Hot dog, the Biden economic plan is working. And that’s something we can all relish. pic.twitter.com/7h9qLauIbC
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 1, 2021
Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t ever recall having pork chops at a traditional Fourth of July American Cookout. But no matter, Biden*s economic plan has saved each of us 16 cents versus a similar cookout in 2020 (when Donald J. Trump was President).
Personally, I planned my usual Traditional American Cookout for America’s Birthday, and discovered that (p)Resident Biden*s “Economic Plan” saved me a bit less than “16 Cents”: Click the link below to see how your cookout compares.
My 2021 July 4th Cookout Planner
| Food | May 2020 Price | May 2021 Price | Price Went… | To Serve 4 People | Price Increase | |
| 1 | Potato Salad | 1.26 | 1.336 | UP | 1 lb (4 oz. each) |
7.6 Cents |
| 2 | Macaroni Salad | 1.26 | 1.336 | UP | 1 lb (4 oz. each) |
7.6 Cents |
| 3 | Hot Dog Buns | 1.412 | 1.511 | UP | 1 pkg (2 hot dogs each) |
9.9 Cents |
| 4 | Hamburger Buns | 1.412 | 1.511 | UP | 1 pkg (2 buns each) |
9.9 Cents |
| 5 | Chocolate Chip Cookies | 3.617 | 4.019 | UP | 1 pkg (6 cookies each) |
40.2 Cents |
| 6 | Ground Beef | 4.931 | 4.703 | Down | 1 lb. (1 burger each) |
-22.8 Cents |
| 7 | Sirloin Steak | 9.48 | 9.892 | UP | 1 lb. (4 oz. each) |
41.2 Cents |
| 8 | Chicken Breasts | 3.348 | 3.371 | UP | 2 lbs. (1 breast each) |
4.6 Cents |
| 9 | Chicken Legs | 1.581 | 1.593 | UP | 3 lbs. (four drumsticks per person) |
3.6 Cents |
| 10 | Gallon of Milk | 3.21 | 3.497 | UP | 1 gallon | 28.7 Cents |
| 11 | American Cheese Slices | 4.097 | 4.048 | Down | 1 lb. (16 slices) |
-4.9 Cents |
| 12 | Vanilla Ice Cream | 4.934 | 4.685 | Down | 1/2 gallon | -24.9 Cents |
| 13 | Whole Tomatoes | 1.851 | 1.804 | Down | 1 lb. (4 tomatoes) |
-4.7 Cents |
| 14 | Orange Juice | 2.375 | 2.387 | UP | 1/2 gallon (eight 8 oz. servings) |
4.8 Cents |
| 15 | Soda | 1.69 | 1.69 | Same | Two 2-liter bottles (reg and diet) |
0 Cents |
| 16 | Potato Chips | 4.985 | 4.929 | Down | 16 oz. bag (4 oz. each) |
-5.6 Cents |
| 17 | Beer | 1.494 | 1.506 | UP | Two six-packs (3 beers each) |
10.8 Cents |
| 18 | Wine | 12.547 | 13.519 | UP | 1/2 liter red, 1/2 liter white (1 liter total) |
97.2 Cents |
| 19 | Propane Gas (Grill) | 1.037 | 1.201 | UP | One 20-lb Tank (4.32 therms) |
70.8 Cents |
| 20 | Gasoline (Car) | 1.946 | 3.041 | WAY UP | 1/2 Tank (6 gallons) |
$6.57 |
| 21 | Electricity (Music) | 0.134 | 0.14 | UP | 60W boombox on for 6 hours (0.36 KWH) |
0.002 Cents |
| 22 | Electricity (Car) | 0.134 | 0.14 | UP | 1/2 Tank 4.4 KWH) |
2.64 Cents |
| Total Cost: | $112.39 | UP | Total Price Increase | $9.32 |
Bottom line? Instead of saving me “16 Cents” it’ll cost me – and, I suspect YOU – about “932 Cents” more to celebrate America’s founding this July 4th: That’s quite a bit off from Joe Biden*s math. But then, about half of us already know Joe Biden* hasn’t been making much “cents” for us since becoming (p)Resident.
Thanks for Reading! (and, Happy Fourth of July!)
(FYI: Food prices are from the Biden* Administration’s US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ “Average Retail Food and Energy Prices, U.S. and Midwest Region”, available here, except for the price of corn, which was courtesy of Macrotrends, and the price of Soda which I found at my local Walmart.)
