I do a couple multi day trips each season with friends to places that aren't too far away but aren't exactly in my backyard. I do a lot of the cooking & shopping so I keep track of our expenses every year. This year I have already spent considerably more on food over years past. The grocery sales I always coincidentally found when shopping for our trips seem to be nonexistent this year or are scaled down, coffee has doubled, the BOGO price on bacon has doubled, bread and dairy are up and eggs are going through the roof again along with many other staples of our trip. Did I mention beer is up!

For some odd reason lodging has stayed the same although with the cost of propane skyrocketing and reservations down, I doubt that will be the case for the remainder of the year. Obviously my gas expense will increase at least 20%, probably more.

I was angry in 2008 when gas hit $4 over Memorial Day so I'm sure I'll be furious when it gets close to $5 this year, especially when I read about our oil drilling operations being stalled, blocked or delayed while Cuba, Venezuela, China and Brazil carry on. Despite being able to suck up the added cost, I feel for those that can't and I get angry at those that don't seem to care. Where, when and with what does it stop? Do I just accept it as inevitable and follow blindly along or do I make a statement by cutting back? I'm leaning towards the latter!

Every year after Memorial Day when I get back home I realize that I've driven more than 500+ miles for fishing that honestly isn't as good as what I have 10 to 50 miles away. I'm lucky I live where I do and lucky I can afford to go further away but if things don't get back to close to where they were, I'll be staying closer to home next year.

Not because I have to, not because I want to, but because I'm mad as hell and I don't want to take it anymore.

EOR