A couple of times per week, we like to get a “build your own” salad for lunch. Unfortunately, at two of the places we usually frequent, the cost of the salad, with tax, is running over $7. 12 months ago, the same meal was about $5, a difference of 20%.

Food prices have risen over the past year, but energy costs have spiked even more. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, consumer prices are up by about 4.5% over the past year. Now, 4.5% is a big difference from 20%. We have not dug into the CPI report in detail, but our guess is that lettuce and tomatoes have not soared in price by that much. More likely, the restaurants have figured out that they can charge more and still get the same amount of people in the door. It’s a good way to run a business, but we sure don’t like forking over more green for our greens.

Our alternative is going to be the pre-made salads at McDonalds and Wendy’s. They’re cheaper, but there is not as much choice. As with any salad, the ingredients make a huge difference. Low-fat or non-fat dressing, grilled chicken and no cheese are low calorie choices. Choose battered chicken, Thousand Island dressing and tortilla strips, and you might as well eat a hamburger and fries instead.