Homebodies and bookworms avoid inflation

Those who chose to drink at home paid only 2.7% more for a drink than in the previous year, while those who drank at a bar faced a 4.9% increase. Prices for distilled spirits—like brandy and rum—inched up by just 0.8% in the past year, though whiskey lovers had to pay a bit higher.

People who continued spending on pandemic indulgences like personal care products and ice cream saw prices go up less than 3.5%.

Meanwhile, those who relied on reading for entertainment didn’t spend much more than last year: 1.1% for recreational books and  2% for newspapers and magazines.

Prices for sewing machines, fabric, and supplies rose less than 2%, even as sewing machine sales soared during the pandemic. Prices for televisions actually dropped, by 1.5%.

While Americans who chose to get on a plane and stay at a hotel paid 20% or more than last year, people boarding cruises got a deal ship fares dropped by 1.6%. Of course, that’s probably because until last month, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was recommending against boarding cruise ships.

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