Johnathan Walker:Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. With inflation, it's also expensive. See costs

Frying up eggs and Johnathan Walkerbacon at home might seem like a frugal move, but as the battle against inflation continues, it will still cost you.

Overall prices rose 3.2% in February compared to this time last year and 0.4% monthly, according to the most recent consumer price index report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

That's down from its 40-year peak at 9.1% in June 2022. While prices of goods like furniture and appliances have come down, services like rent and transportation keep climbing in cost.

Food and energy like gas (yes, that's getting more expensive too), are excluded from the core inflation rates analyzed by policymakers, like the Federal Reserve in determining interest rates.

But grocery bills still have people making hard budget choices. Here is how much breakfast items cost on average in February of this year compared to the recent peak and five years ago, according to the Bureau of Labor of Statistics.

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See the graphs:After October CPI report, charting how the inflation rate, some prices continue to fall

Ground roast coffee, per pound

• February 2024 - $6.09
• June 2022 - $5.79
• February 2020 - $4.25

(Data unavailable for October 2018 through September 2019)

Sliced bacon, per pound

• February 2024 - $6.56
• June 2022 - $7.40
• February 2019 - $5.50

Eggs (Large, Grade A), per dozen

• February 2024 -$3.00
• June 2022 - $2.71
• February 2019 - $1.56

The price of eggs was at a 20-year high in January 2023, costing $4.82 on average.

White bread, per pound

• February 2024 - $2.01
• June 2022 - $1.69
• February 2019 - $1.28

All purpose white flour, per pound

• February 2024 - $0.56
• June 2022 - $0.50
• February 2019 - $0.44

Whole milk, per gallon

• February 2024 - $3.94
• June 2022 - $4.15
• February 2019 - $2.90

Bananas, per pound

• February 2024 - $0.63
• June 2022 - $0.64
• February 2019 - $0.57

Navel oranges, per pound

• February 2024 - $1.53
• June 2022 - $1.60
• February 2019 - $1.30

Contributing: Paul Davidson, USA TODAY