Having friends or family over for Sunday's big game can be just like celebrating a holiday.
This year that gathering could be 14 percent higher than last year, according to data from Wells Fargo.
If your gameplan for watching the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams includes grilling out, be prepared to pay more. Wings and hamburgers are up 26 percent.
To save money you should build your spread around side dishes and snacks.
“You're going to find some bargains especially around chips and guacamole and some fresh fruits and vegetables," Wells Fargo Chief Agricultural Economist Dr. Michael Swanson said. “Salsa, for example, also one of those important ingredients for a lot of celebrations. Chips probably only up 3 to 5 percent.”
Swanson pulled those numbers from the USDA Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Your wallet will also feel the difference when packing a cooler. Soft drinks are up as much as 12 percent. Beer and wine are also up slightly from a year ago.
There's a combination of reasons of why just about everything is more expensive. It's a mix of labor shortages, supply chain issues, and the omicron variant.
"Companies are having trouble staffing, enough workers. A lot of workers are just out sick, and that affects every part of this complicated supply chain," Kristen McGrath, editor, retail me not said.
Here are a couple more ways to save:
- Watch out for specials at the grocery store.
- Try cheaper off-brand goods.
- Make a dish using cheese – where the price has actually gone down.
