I'm sure you've noticed the last time you were in the grocery store and having to follow those stupid  directional arrows on the floor that the prices of just about everything has increased. Over the last few years, you've probably also noticed the packaging getting smaller but the prices stayed the same. In the past, we've had inflation, deflation, stagflation and hyperinflation. Now, with this phenomena of shrinking packages, we have a new term, shrinkflation.

Producers tried to keep the masses calm by using the shrinking method, smaller cereal boxes, soda cans, chocolate bars and the list goes on. A roll of paper towels now has less sheets. Same goes for toilet paper. Most people were fooled into thinking the price never went up but it most certainly did, on average about 15%.

But what happens when producers can't shrink their packaging anymore? Those little cans of soda are an absolute joke. Producers have reached the point where they have no choice but to pass on their own rising costs to the consumer and we 're now seeing visible price inflation  averaging another 15%, so it's safe to say that in the last 3 years or so, your grocery bill has gone up about 30%.

There's a reason for all of this... central bank money printing. Trillions have been printed around the world. This is unprecedented and we humans have never seen this happen before on a global scale. The real threat now is a hyperinflation event. Waking up tomorrow and paying twice as much for groceries as you did last week is a very real possibility and could hit us at any moment.

Instead of putting your hard earned cash in some bank that pays you 0.5% interest, maybe you should invest in canned food stuffs and dry goods while prices are still affordable. The return would be far higher when you really think about it.

This reminds me of the term, 'negative real rates'. If you haven't heard of this term before, don't worry, most people haven't because most people are not financially literate. Don't blame yourself. They never teach this stuff in school. Here's a quick lesson in a line or two: You put your money in the bank for a year to earn 0.5% but during this time, the cost of everything went up 15%. Your real rate of return is negative 14.5%. Hence the term, ' negative real rates'.

Then, the banks turn around and take your money, lend it to someone else through their credit cards and charge 20% or more to their customers. Are you one of them paying 20% or more? That's why I'm suggesting to invest now in non-perishable food stuffs and everyday things you need in your life because I can assure you, prices are going to keep going up. Notice the price of gas lately. If you have some spare gas cans lying around, it would be a good idea to fill those up. You'll actually 'earn interest' on your gas as prices go up.

Been to the dollar store lately. It should now be called the five dollar store. Soon, the'll have to change the name to ten dollar store and so on. I found a dollar store item the other day in a drawer that still had the price tag on it, $1.25 which I'd bought a couple years ago. That same item now sells for $2.

If you've done renovations on your home these last few months, then you definitely noticed the price of lumber. It went up over 300% in the blink of an eye. The pacifiers are saying everything's ok now that lumber prices have gone back down. I hate to rain on their parade but lumber prices are still up 75% or more. Lumber costs affected the price of new homes which were already way beyond what most of us could ever afford, increasing an average of $25,000.

There are ways to get around price inflation. Starting a garden and growing your own food for starters. Stock up on canned and dry goods as they can last, sometimes for years at a time before consumption. Don't leave all your cash sitting in some bank account. Consider converting some of your cash to silver and gold bars or coins. Silver is the only commodity that has NOT surpassed its 1980 high of $50. I believe silver is an excellent hedge against inflation and with its suppressed price, you can acquire silver for dirt cheap, less than $40 an ounce. In fact, adjusting to 1980 price inflation, silver should be at or near the $600 range per ounce. I'm not making this up as it is proven factual.

And then of course, there are the myriad of crypto-currencies, mainly Bitcoin and Etherium. Be sure you understand cryptos before you start investing in them. I figured things out a little late so Bitcoin and Etherium are now beyond my range of affordability but I did manage to get my hands on 100 Theta tokens about a month ago. Also, because I use the Brave browser, I've earned 207 BAT tokens. Keep in mind, cryptos fluctuate wildly in dollar price so this type of investing is not for the faint of heart.

Consider using the brave browser to earn free tokens if you haven't signed up yet already. They actually pay you to send text like ads on your smart phone. It's very non-invasive and theirs is an excellent concept.

A great way to keep costs down is to keep the family unit intact. I published an article last week titled, 'Should you move back in with your parents?' which outlines the enormous savings of families pooling their resources. Be sure to have a quick peak at this eye opening article.

How are you beating price inflation? Please share your experiences in the comments section. Thanks for reading and please subscribe to receive notices when I publish future articles. 'Likes' are greatly appreciated.