Inflation makes Easter breakfasts more expensive as many homes turn down thermostat

Easter breakfasts will be more pricy and many homes across the Netherlands a little chillier as inflation continues to impact daily life. Increased energy and raw material costs are already leading many people to change their routines, according to a new survey.

Many components of traditional Easter breakfasts or brunches have increased dramatically in price over the past year due to inflation, according to De Telegraaf. For example, bread, eggs and fruit juice are around 5 percent more expensive, while milk and cheese are around 7 percent pricier. Coffee prices have jumped the highest: the beverage is 14 percent more expensive compared to last year.

With these numbers in mind, economist Martijn van Garderen calculated that Easter breakfast as a whole will become about 6 percent more expensive this year, according to De Telegraaf. This increase is "historically huge," he told the newspaper. “A year ago, the increase in bread was 0.10 percent and eggs 2 percent.”

Meanwhile, nearly half of Dutch households are responding to ballooning energy costs by turning down the thermostat, AD reports from a survey by Panel Inzicht. Around a third of those surveyed are driving their cars less frequently and are taking shorter showers. People over 65 were most likely to adjust their behavior.

The government earlier this month reduced the temperature in many of its office buildings by two degrees as the Cabinet launched a campaign urging people to conserve energy. The campaign also focused on quickly insulating homes, which a quarter of people also saw as an opportunity to curb energy prices, according to the survey. Another 22 percent of respondents said they are thinking of purchasing solar panels. 

However, a third of those surveyed said they had not significantly changed their energy consumption since Russia invaded Ukraine, prompting a spike in energy prices. This response mainly came from people who are not informed about the war, according to AD.