ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – There’s lots of sticker shock these days when Alaskans are out shopping for groceries.
Milk is almost $5 a gallon. A package of Kraft single slices of cheese is almost $6 for 16 slices. Ground beef is $13 a pound.
Before the midterm elections, a five-part Alaska’s News Source series Priced Out looks at the costs for living in Alaska and explores possible solutions. This series covers everything from cost of groceries to buying a home, (preview: it may not be your dream home) to driving to work.
The report reveals that most Alaskans spend their money on housing (43%), followed by transportation (16%), with food and beverages (14%) coming in third.
Anchorage artist Annie Ciszak says despite her “addiction” to Diet Pepsi, she’s no longer buying her favorite treat.
“I was adding to our little Walmart order a couple weeks ago and it was like, Diet Pepsi, on sale, $25 and it was like, ‘What? This should be $12, but you’re telling me that it’s $25?’” Ciszak said. “Yeah, addiction or not, I’m not getting my Diet Pepsi for $25.”
According to the Alaska Economic Trends report, the cost of food in Alaska is most likely impacted by tariffs.
National inflation was measured at 2.6%. While the state and national rates have typically moved in a similar way, this was the third year in a row that prices rose faster nationally.
“Food and beverage inflation was nearly twice as high as inflation overall, at 4.2 percent. Food at home specifically, which is mostly groceries, rose slightly slower at 3.3 percent,” the report stated.
According to the report, “only Honolulu’s grocery prices were higher than Alaska’s.”
“Everything is already so much more expensive,” Ciszak said. “I think you definitely need to do your math.”
She jokingly says some of her methods are similar to someone planning for the end of days.
“Maybe COVID was the big switch when you go into the grocery store and suddenly there was like no chicken or whatever, stock up,” she said. “You don’t know what’s going to happen, and not like in a prepper way, just be prepared.”
Ciszak, who also teaches classes on how to can food, has an impressive pantry full of canned vegetables and meat. She stretches a $5 Costco roasted chicken into two — or more — meals. She’s a whiz with checking prices and looking for bargains (she may be somewhat obsessed with Facebook posts where people post items for free).
She also only eats meals made from what she has in the freezer and the pantry.
“A treat is $3 fun, not $8 fun,” she said.
Even the pectin for jams and jellies needs a double take.
“I’ve started using a non-name brand pectin instead of Sure Gel because Sure Gel has gone up to, like, $5 a box. I seem to recall it being, like, $1.75 before,” Ciszak said. “So, like… That’s quite the increase. The cost is going crazy.”
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Dining and Cooking