What I haven't seen mentioned[but have not read every reply] is this:
Fuel/oil/gas rose very quickly triggered by Katrina not giving "cost of living" a chance to catch up. Inflation went wild on the product most of us need-food. While .gov may not include food in their formula, in my experience it's pretty damned important.
While I can cut out most things[extras] in life food and fuel just can't be given up.
