Remember good ol’ Kevin McCallister from the 1990 classic, “Home Alone”? The cheeky eight-year-old who was accidentally left behind during the holiday rush and had to fend for himself while his family was halfway across the world? Well, he’s back in the news, but not for his booby trapping skills. This time, it’s his grocery shopping that’s grabbing headlines.

Back in the day, Kevin took himself on a little grocery run, buying a cartload of food and household items for a mere $19.83. A steal, right? Well, fast forward to today, and you’d need a mini fortune to buy the same items.

According to a report on Fox News, the exact same list of items that our young hero bought – including milk, orange juice, a TV dinner, bread, frozen mac and cheese, laundry detergent, cling wrap, toilet paper, a pack of army men, and dryer sheets – would now set you back a whopping $72.28. That’s an increase of almost 250%.

Now, I’m no economist, but something doesn’t seem right here. Even accounting for inflation, this increase is enough to make anyone’s wallet cry. And it’s not just us regular folks feeling the pinch. Entrepreneurs are also grappling with these surging costs.

Take Rochelle Chalmers, a mother-of-two and small business owner from West Virginia, who shared her experience on “FOX & Friends First.” She said, “The inflation that we have felt in the grocery store has been just the same as every other American. And it is tough trying to pay for groceries week to week.”

And let’s not forget, this isn’t just about groceries. Rising costs affect everything from gasoline to rent. According to the October consumer price index (CPI), prices climbed 3.2% from the same time last year.

So, what’s the takeaway from all this? Well, it seems clear that the cost of living is on the rise, and it’s hitting us where it hurts the most – our grocery bills. And while Kevin McCallister might have managed just fine with his $20 grocery run back in the 90s, today’s reality is a whole different ball game.