About

Finding small ways through expensive times.

Prices changed. You noticed at the register, at the pump, and when the bills landed. It's not just you. It's pretty much everyone.

Backroads & Overdrafts is where we point that out, with receipts. We chart what ordinary life costs now, remember what it used to cost, swap notes on cheaper ways to get by, and keep a little room for the good stuff that never charged admission in the first place.

This is for people who still like a good Sunday drive, a dinner that doesn't require a spreadsheet, an old habit that quietly pays for itself, and an actual price comparison before the comments start flying.

Dale Forrester, the editorial voice behind Backroads & Overdrafts.

How we do the numbers

Every price you see here traces to a real source: government price data, live grocery shelf prices, and dated receipts. When a chart says coffee doubled, that's the actual national average, not a feeling. Sources sit at the bottom of every article, and when a number comes with a caveat, we say so. No invented savings, no outrage math.

Who is behind it

I'm Dale Forrester, the owner and editorial voice here. I pick the questions worth asking, check the numbers, and try to keep the tone honest. No lectures about lattes, no rose-tinted "everything was better back then." Most of us are already doing the math in the cereal aisle; this is just the place where we compare notes.

What we cover

The Receipt charts what things really cost now vs then: groceries, rent, gas, wages, bills.
Stretch-It Kitchen is real dinners priced with live grocery receipts, built to go further than they look.
Budget Trips is cheap routes, packed coolers, small towns, and drives that pay off.
What Still Works is the old-school habits and fixes that still cut the bills, with the why.
Free Stuff We Forgot is the good days that don't cost a dime.

Come say hi

We're on Facebook, where the comment section is half the fun: first cars, first rents, what a candy bar cost when you were a kid. Bring a story. If you spot a price that doesn't match your town, tell us; that's the whole point.