Lowrey Wealth Management

Even as overall inflation has cooled, food costs remain a persistent pressure for many households. New data shows U.S. food prices are up nearly 19% since 2022, driven by a combination of supply constraints, higher input costs, and ongoing demand.

Some of the factors contributing to higher prices include:
➡️ Rising costs for staples such as beef, coffee, and produce
➡️ Higher labor, transportation, and utility expenses across the food supply chain
➡️ Increased costs for dining out compared with grocery purchases

The days of $5 lunches are over and as food becomes more expensive, I thought it would be helpful to share some numbers related to food costs in retirement.

Let's say you find a way to achieve an average of $5 per person per meal of a retired couple, you would still need around $273,000 to eat three meals a day for 25 years.



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Chew on this: U.S. food prices are up 19% since 2022 Food prices in December saw their biggest jump in more than three years, data shows, while the cost of eating out has also risen.

At times, 2025 felt like an extraordinary year for stock investors. From tariff uncertainty to international tensions to drama at the Fed, 2025 felt like no other year before. But in hindsight, 2025 was pretty ordinary. In fact, from a volatility perspective, there was nothing special about 2025 at all. In fact, through November, there were three drops of five percent and one drop of more than 20 percent. Both numbers generally line up with historical trends.