The Most Expensive 4th of July Ever?

The burgers cost more. So will everything else.

I celebrated the 4th of July last Saturday with sushi.

Honestly, I wanted a grilled burger and a grilled hotdog; I bought a grill for the deck when we moved to Braga last year and it’s one of the best investments I’ve made in Europe.

But here’s the problem with America’s 4th of July… it conflicts with my wife’s 4th of July birthday. And in the tug-of-war between celebrating America’s birth and my wife’s… well America doesn’t walk around the house in cute dresses and snuggle up against me at night.

Yulia wanted sushi for her birthday from a place she loves in Porto, 40 minutes from where we live, and so we made an afternoon of it.

Thus, toro and sake replaced burgers and dogs.

On a related front, I read that celebrating the 4th is more expensive now than ever, assuming the American Farm Bureau Federation is mathing correctly.

The Federation’s 2026 Summer Cookout Survey says a classic Independence Day cookout for 10 people costs $73.82, 4% more than last year. The accompanying chart shows that in 2018, the last time I celebrated the 4th inside American borders, the cost was $54.27. So a 36% increase in 4th of July food costs in eight years, or nearly 4% per year.

That’s the thing about percentages: they really don’t sound like all that much. 

I mean, 4%… who’s gonna even really notice that?

But it’s 4% here, 4% there, 4% somewhere else, and suddenly your month is heavier than your paycheck and you’re wondering “what the hell changed? I’m buying exactly what I always buy.”

Incomes are not rising as fast as inflation.

You add in the cost of food, electricity (up 5.5% per year since 2021), auto insurance (up 12.1% per year), streaming subscriptions (Netflix subscriptions are up 7.8% per year since I moved to Europe)… and you have to ask yourself not “what the hell changed” but rather “well how the hell am I supposed to find all this extra money when my income isn’t growing as fast as my outflow??”

I feel it even here in Portugal.

My health insurance is up about 6%. My auto insurance is up 3%. Netflix is up as I noted. Electricity is up 6% per year on average since I moved, which is annoying because so much of Portugal’s power comes from wind. So maybe Portugal is now using premium wind?

My pain, however, isn’t as intense as it would be in the US because so many of my food costs are so much more affordable than back in the States.

Still, even I think about my cost structure despite a more affordable life overall.

And in the back of my mind, a thought is increasingly inching its way to the forefront: Do I have enough saved for retirement?

I don’t mean that in terms of “I need to save more!” I mean it in terms of “will the nest egg I’ve saved so far generate the income I need to afford my life one day when the paychecks dry up?”

That thought specifically is why I’ve spent the last several years structuring a large chunk of my retirement savings around safety and income. That’s paramount to me.

I don’t want the portfolios that so many financial planners push that are tied to the S&P 500 and some random bonds funds. Bonds, I suspect, are in for a rude future as America progresses toward a debt-induced Come To Jesus meeting, and that is going to hurt a lot of American savers.

The S&P, meanwhile, is vastly overvalued, and the yield it generates wouldn’t afford a Dollar Menu meal at McDonald’s, assuming those still exist.

I want specific investments in specific industries where I see fundamental tailwinds, regardless of the economy, and which spit out substantial income that will help me afford whatever life costs when I’m kicked back in retirement. (Later this week I’m hosting a free event where I’ll be going into more detail on how exactly I’m structuring my portfolio, and how my readers approaching retirement can set themselves up with income streams that not only protect, but grow their wealth. Click here if you want to join us.) 

At the rate inflation is racing at now, 4th of July, 2036 is going to be so pricey, you might want to join me and Yulia in skipping the burgers and dogs for toro and sake.