Inflation’s Effects on the Princeton Area and How to Counter Them

ISSUE #30 – August 12, 2022

Editor’s Note

The sight of men and women begging for spare change at the border of Lawrence and West Windsor is a sign of today’s times. Inflation slowed in July, showing it’s now only up 8.5% for the year, versus the 9.1% peak we saw in June. That’s supposedly good news, but we’re still hovering at a 4-decade high inflation. Though gas prices have slightly decreased, high prices on consumer goods and services are having an impact on everyone’s lives. And it’s keeping money on everyone’s minds.

So, that’s what we’re talking about in the latest issue of Princeton Perspectives, Inflation’s Effects on the Princeton Area and How to Counter Them. Some locals luckily don’t have to change their ways, while others are unfortunately having to decide what they can live without.

In This Issue

Perspectives Revisited

The Pulse of Princeton: How is inflation affecting you?

Record-High Fuel Costs Benefit the Big Guys and Hurt Local Owners and Consumers by Lisa Jacknow - Regular gas prices across Mercer County are $1.10 more per gallon than one year ago, according to AAA, and the current cost per gallon is still amongst the highest statewide. Though we’ve… Read more...
Traveling from Princeton Doesn’t Have to Stop, Suggestions to Vacation Near Home by Meg Wislar - For many Princeton Area residents, travel has played an extremely important role in their life. Whatever their budget or interests, people here prioritize travel. Then - boom! March 2020 the world shut… Read more...
Tips & Tidbits to Help You Enjoy NJ Despite the Current Economy by Lisa Jacknow - Are you living your life, perhaps noticing rising costs but still spending? Or perhaps you’re making more conscious choices about what you need versus what you want? Maybe you have stopped eating… Read more...
Inflation is Here – Steps to Help You Get Through by Robert M. Church and Alfred Crumlish - Many Princeton area residents are feeling the crunch of inflation and recent increases in interest rates. Inflation has had a broad impact on food prices, gas, and normal day-to-day expenditures such as… Read more...

Perspectives Revisited

Last year, (July 2021) in the issue Princeton – The History All Around Us, we shared, in the article Does Technology Shape of Share History, how technology is a tool that opens up opportunities of who you can reach, how you can reach them and what you can share. For both business and personal reasons, people often need to find historical information about a property they own or are seeking to purchase. The Mercer County Clerk’s office is now making that easier. By September of this year, deed, mortgage release and chancery notice books dating back to the County’s establishment in 1838 will have been scanned and preserved into the land records management computer system. Title searches will now be available at the click of a button!

In How Has 2020 Shaped Princeton (December 2020) we wrote in the article In the Face of 2020, Princeton Stands Tall about Princeton’s decision to turn Witherspoon Street into a “strEATery” and other outdoor dining that was created in response to the pandemic. Businesses and customers alike were welcoming the idea of outside dining, and they still do. Some still remain and are thriving, though most of the Witherspoon Street outdoor dining has been temporarily removed due to the road reconstruction. For those that really appreciate the outside option, Gov. Phil Murphy has just made it a more long-term option. Last week he signed legislation (good through Nov. 2024) that will enable municipal zoning officers to permit restaurants bars, distilleries and breweries to continue serving outdoors, as long as they are following required safety and health protocols.