When did food get so expensive?

I ran to Hy-Vee last night and managed to spend $100.68. That's not an all-time record or anything, but I was surprised considering that I wasn't making a full-fledged grocery run. The reason I went at all was that Evan was the "snack person" at school today so I had to pick up some Go Tarts.

The immediate rationalization was that I "got drinks" and beverages seem to be expensive. And how!

Item	Quantity	Cost
Juicy Juice	Gallon	$4.58
Coffee	34.5 oz. (dry)	$5.99
Water	5 Gallons	$1.95
Half & Half	Quart	$2.09
Whole Milk	Gallon	$3.79
Skim Milk	Gallon	$3.49
Soy Milk	Half Gallon	$2.50
Diet Coke	24 cans	$8.54
Sierra Mist	24 cans	$9.78
Total:		$42.71

Over 40% of the cost of the groceries were in the form of beverages?! Is that normal? I guess pop and coffee aren't an "every time" expense and they amounted to over half of the beverage totals. But sheesh!

The other $60 included the Go Tarts ($9), ingredients for approximately 10 meals (That's 10 person-meals, i.e., 3 dinners for 3 people and not 10 dinners for 2-3 people.), and a smattering of staples (bread, eggs, bananas).

Can I count on Obama to fix this?