On a recent Saturday morning my wife and I had run a few errands when she reminded me she had been given a gift card for a new business. Neither of us were familiar with the place but gathered from the name of the business that they sold cookies.

After a frustrating search to find the business, we finally pulled into a parking place. Julie asked what kind of cookies I preferred. I told her it was her gift card; get whatever she liked. She said she would get some chocolate chip cookies which we both like.

When she returned to the car, she was carrying an attractive box which she opened to reveal four large chocolate chip cookies.

“Is that all a $10 gift card will buy?” I asked.

“No, that’s what a $10 gift card plus $5 will buy. Actually, it was $15 plus tax. $15.99.”

“That’s four bucks a cookie!” I said incredulously. “They better taste good.”

Oh, did they taste good and they were large. They were the most delicious chocolate chip cookies I can remember eating. They were so delicious that as large as they were you still wanted another.

As I had waited in the car, I noticed young families with multiple children entering the store. “How can families afford those cookies?” I asked, my old country boy frugality showing. Julie explained that smaller cookies were available at a lower price.

“By the way,” she added, “a dozen of these chocolate chip cookies sells for $42.”

The purpose of telling this story is not to criticize or ridicule the cookie store. They are selling an incredible product, a wonderfully delicious product, in a part of town where some folks probably don’t have an objection to paying four bucks for a cookie. That’s good marketing. I wish them success.

Meanwhile, my point of reference goes back to five-cent ice cream cones and 25-cent gasoline.

When they were young, I remember telling my children about my pre-adolescent adventures in the late 1950s when I could buy a soft-serve ice cream cone at the local dairy for a nickel and a fresh glazed donut at the bakery for the same price. At Paul’s U-Save grocery store I could buy a Snickers candy bar for five cents and at Brown’s Hardware a pack of BBs for my air gun sold for a nickel.

My children reacted with amazement. Then I brought them back to reality by explaining that I didn’t always have a nickel in my pocket.

We are all living with the reality of inflation, which is particularly hard on family budgets right now. Inflation over a long period can be shocking. When I was buying ice cream cones for five cents I never dreamed that some day a cookie would cost $4.

I first remember becoming aware of inflation in the late ’50s. Grocery shopping with our mother one Saturday afternoon, I noticed that a loaf of bread, which had been selling for 19 cents had gone up to 20 cents. Yikes!

Another moment of inflation-shock hit me about 40 years ago. My family often ate Sunday dinner at fast-food restaurants. One Sunday noon the four of us went to a favorite chain eatery and ordered our favorites. The cost exceeded $10.

Holy cow! I thought to myself. This is awful. It now costs more than 10 bucks to feed a family of four!

Fast forward to 2026 and it’s difficult to feed one person for $10 at most fast-food restaurants.

When my children were young, one of their great-grandmothers sent them birthday cards with a dime for each year of their age. The kids loved it! These days, 40 some years later, Julie sends her grandchildren a birthday card with a dollar bill for each year of their age.

No one sends me a buck for every year of my age!

Humorist and writer Sam Ewing described inflation this way: “Inflation is when you pay 15 dollars for the 10-dollar haircut you used to get for 5 dollars when you had hair.” Fair enough, Mr. Ewing, but I’m so old I can remember when haircuts cost 50 cents.

Times change and inflation changes the times. And both changes are hard on an old country boy who remembers nickel ice cream cones.

Arvid Huisman can be contacted at huismaniowa@gmail.com. ©2026 by Huisman Communications.