Inflation beyond the headlines
InflataCart is a grocery list that carries official inflation data, so you can see how the larger economy is reaching the cost of your everyday essentials.
Why it exists
The app started with eggs. In late 2024 the price was soaring, and the US presidential election focused on solving the high price of groceries "on day one". With a degree in International Economics, Wes wanted to build a tool to help inform people about inflation and how it impacts their groceries. The Bureau of Labor Statistics had the answer in a series going back decades, but not in a form anyone checks while holding a carton. InflataCart was built to close that gap.
The data
Open, public average-price series from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, plus the Consumer Price Index for inflation adjustment. A small pipeline fetches them on every CPI release day. The data can be incomplete or have gaps; where that happens the app and this site say so instead of guessing.
Privacy
The app collects nothing. No account, no analytics, no advertising identifiers. Your list lives on your device and in your own iCloud backup. This website counts page views with cookie-free analytics.
The author
InflataCart is a passion project designed and built by Wesley Grubbs, a data visualization designer and creative technologist with a background in economics and information systems. He founded Pitch Interactive, whose data-driven election and economics work is where this app comes from.
The typeface
neue Serie57 is a beautiful font with a fascinating backstory, and its use here is no accident.
Support and contact
Ideas for improving InflataCart, or something not working? Email info@pitchinteractive.com. Release notes and charts are on @inflatacart on Instagram.
If InflataCart is useful to you, you can buy me a coffee.