7 big reasons why everything is so expensive right now in NC

Groceries are too expensive. The social safety net is weaker than ever. And people in NC communities could really use your generosity this year. 

When I was a kid, people would say “It’s better to give than to receive.” It was corny. And, as a kid, I won’t deny a certain preference for receiving. But as an adult, giving does feel better. 

At Cardinal & Pine, we’re going to honor this benevolent impulse to give with our 2025 Giving Guide. On Saturday, Dec. 6, we’re sending out a special edition of the Cardinal & Pine newsletter, filled with tips on the best ways to give back to your local community this season. Sign up for our free, daily newsletter on “all things NC” using the form below. 

This isn’t a one-and-done. Giving feels as good in January or April as it does in December. But we hope this inspires North Carolinians to show off what truly makes them great, and that’s their general decency and kindness.

To help fuel your giving, I’ve broken down seven reasons why everything’s too expensive right now, and one reason for why giving to others is more important than ever. Like actually, truly, life-savingly important. So keep reading.

Groceries cost a lot more

It’s been a brutal five years for rising grocery prices, thanks to things like the pandemic, supply chain disruptions, President Trump’s tariffs, and, of course, corporate greediness—“greedflation” if you will.

According to NBC News’ grocery tracker, prices are up pretty much across the board since last November. At the nationwide level, chicken, bread, bacon, and juice—they’re all more expensive than they were in November 2024, by varying degrees. Some are very modest increases, indicating prices are mostly stagnant. Others are more significant. For instance, the average price of ground beef is up 78 cents per pound. Chicken is up 24 cents per pound.

Eggs—which for some reason are everybody’s favorite thing to talk about come campaign season—are actually down 4 cents per dozen, but don’t let all that extra cash go to your head.

It’s even more expensive when you zoom in

Not all markets are the same. Let’s zoom in to Atlanta, one of the closest major markets to us that was reported out in the NBC tracker, and everything is up.

Eggs are up 14 cents a dozen. Bread’s up 7 cents a loaf. Chicken’s up 48 cents per pound and ground beef is up 63 cents a pound. Those numbers add up.

Gas, energy bills rising too

The Consumer Price Index, which is kept by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, is generally considered the gold standard for tracking costs.

In the last year, the price of everything is up about 3%. According to their most recent data, from September 2024 to September 2025, natural gas prices rose 11.7%, electricity costs increased 5.1%. Cost of shelter was up 3.6%. Medical care 3.3%. Household furnishings 4.1%, used cars and trucks 5%. Gas prices were one of the few decreases. They were down 0.5% than a year earlier.

Big social safety net cuts

People who rely on federal benefits are headed for a hard 2026. In this year’s federal budget bill, which Republicans called “the One, Big Beautiful Bill,” Republicans and President Donald Trump passed huge cuts to social safety net programs in order to pay for tax cuts. 

Medicaid expansion on the ropes in NC

Because of the “One, Big Beautiful Bill,” Medicaid expansion might be over with in NC.

That’s how about 600,000 low-income and working-class North Carolinians get their health insurance. Without it, they’ll have to get private insurance. Many will choose to be uninsured.

NC deficit on Medicaid

Without action from the state legislature in NC, Medicaid services are bound for huge cuts in addition to the loss of Medicaid expansion.

In order to maintain the status quo of benefits, the legislature would have to put in more money, but the Republicans who run the legislature can’t agree on whether to do that or not.

What that means is healthcare providers will get less money back from the government when they provide care for people on Medicaid. Some of those providers are going to decide it isn’t worth it to serve people on Medicaid. This month, Gov. Josh Stein tried to call a special session of the legislature to solve the Medicaid shortfall, but Republican lawmakers rebuffed him.

Affordable Care Act premiums going up

Speaking of private insurance, Republicans in DC are split on whether to continue to extend federal subsidies to help people pay for insurance on the Affordable Care Act marketplace.

The subsidies were issued during the pandemic and they helped millions of people, especially rural people in the South, get insurance. Democrats in D.C. shut down the government in an attempt to force Republicans to extend the subsidies. Democrats caved. And as of right now, it’s still unclear if Republicans will extend them or not.

President Trump said recently that “it may be necessary” to do so, although he also said he doesn’t want to. Republicans in Congress seem less inclined to do so.

Who knows where this ends? The president is known for shifting his position unpredictably. But in the meantime, people should be counting on much higher premiums in 2026.

(krakenimages via Shutterstock)

It really, honestly, feels good

Giving back is one of the actually, honestly, really good ways to not feel powerless.

We can sit around and talk about the bad things of the world until we’re blue in the face, but one of the ways to beat that creeping feeling of futility, which I know a lot of us are feeling, is to actually do something.

Thanks for reading, North Carolina. Give back. To get this week’s 2025 Giving Guide, which goes out Saturday, sign up for our free newsletter.