Easter costs (a little) more this year

Target’s Easter circular this year featured virtually all of the same categories and weighed in at 36 pages, but prices were increased in select areas including bags of Easter candy featured on the cover at $2.69 versus $1.99 last year. Candy may cost more, but the price of small bamboo baskets (75 cents), Easter grass (25 cents), 12-count unfilled plastic eggs (65 cents) and Peeps ($1.49) stayed the same.

Price increases were evident on asparagus, $1.99 versus $1.49 last year, Sutton Dodge bone-in roast, $6.99 versus $5.99 last year, Market Pantry frozen turkey at 99 cents versus 78 cents last year and Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup at 75 cents compared to 66 cents.

Prices on other directly comparable advertised food items that were featured both years remained constant and included strawberries ($1.99), Philadelphia Cream Cheese (99 cents), Archer Farms bread ($2.99) and a complete Easter feast ($59.99). Prices declined in a few cases, including whole pineapple at $2.50 this year versus $2.99 last year and Kraft jet-puffed marshmallows at 96 cents this year versus 99 cents last year.