DAILY DIRT: This year’s Fourth of July feast might cost a little less than a year ago

And so will a tank of gas! … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 654 of The Daily Dirt.

1. There’s actually some good news about the economy as we approach July 4, which is another reason to celebrate on Tuesday.

The National Retail Federation says 87 percent of Americans plan to celebrate the holiday this year, the most since before the coronavirus pandemic. 

The same report indicates 65 percent of those celebrating said it would be with some type of cookout. Consumers surveyed plan to spend an average of $93.34 on food per person for the holiday.

“While the increase in food prices has slowed since this time last year, it still won’t be cheap to host a cookout this Fourth of July,” writes Sarah Ewall-Wice on yahoo.com. “Grocery prices overall are up 5.8 percent from a year ago, but the pace of increases has slowed to about half of what it was last summer at 12 percent.”

Here’s some advice for those planning a cookout:

• Sirloin steak costs an average $10.75 per pound, up 2.9 percent from a year ago, according to the Wells Fargo Fourth of July Food Report. But a year ago prices were up 14 percent.
• If the hamburger is the picnic choice, the average cost of ground beef per pound is currently $5.36 – up less than 1 percent from a year ago. The inflation rate for beef last year: 16 percent. (Unfortunately, making it a cheeseburger will add to the price increase – processed cheese per pound is up 10 percent from 2022.)
• For those looking to spend less, chicken breast has actually declined nearly 2 percent in price from last summer. It now costs $4.24 per pound, according to the report.
• If egg salad or deviled eggs are on the menu, egg prices at $2.67 a dozen are now down 7 percent from a year ago.
• Bread costs 22 percent more than a year ago, chocolate cookies are up 14 percent and potato chips are up 15 percent. Dips, condiments and ice cream are all up up 9 percent.
• The price of soft drinks has started to slow, but is still up from last year. Beer prices are also up.

2. On Saturday, we looked at the most famous Fourth of July birthdays. Today we examine five current names in the news who are celebrating a birthday on July 4:

• Post Malone: The rapper will be 27.
• Malia Obama: The president’s daughter will be 24.
• Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino: One of the stars of the infamous MTV reality show “Jersey Shore (2009-12)” will be 40.
• “Die Hard 2”: The Bruce Willis movie, released July 4, 1990, turns 33.
• Eva Marie Saint: The acclaimed actress will turn 99 on July 4. She is one of the few to have won both an Oscar and Emmy in her long career. She was also nominated for Golden Globe and British Film awards.

3. For several years, I dealt regularly with GasBuddy.com’s Patrick DeHaan on the ups and downs of gas prices.

He’s one of the most knowledgeable U.S. experts on this subject, and he had some good news to report a few days ago.

Gas prices for the Fourth of July are projected to be at least $1.30 lower than they were a year ago. The national average estimate for the holiday is $3.49 per gallon — a huge saving from 2022.

“On average, a tank of gasoline for a mid-size vehicle is about $20 less than it was a year ago,” DeHaan said. “An average tank now in some of the cheaper states is as little as $44 to fill your tank, but in some of the more expensive states, (it is costing) about $76 to fill your tank.”

De Haan said 47 out of 50 states are seeing gas prices more than $1 lower than a year ago. Prices are expected to drop even further by Labor Day, barring changing external risks like the hurricane season or war in Ukraine.

Steve Thought O’ The Day – After reading some of the aforementioned economic news, I almost feel optimistic. Almost.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. He may eat more burgers and hot dogs than a small village this week.