<![CDATA[Changes in food prices are one of the factors that need to be considered in household consumption decision-making due to the limited budget of consumers. This study aims to describe the spending patterns of the Indonesian people, examine the development of inflation in the food, beverage, and tobacco groups, and formulate practical ideas in adjusting consumption decisions when there are price changes. The study uses a quantitative descriptive approach by utilizing secondary data sourced from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), Bank Indonesia (BI), and various recent studies on food demand and household consumption. The results show that the average per capita expenditure per month in 2025 will reach Rp1,569,088, consisting of Rp775,516 for food and Rp793,572 for non-food. Food expenditure accounts for around 49.43% of total household expenditure. In October 2025, national annual inflation was recorded at 2.86%, while the food, beverage, and tobacco group experienced annual inflation of 4.99% with a contribution of 1.43 percentage points to general inflation. Descriptive findings show that food price dynamics have the potential to affect household budget management and require adaptability in determining consumption priorities. As a practical implication, this study proposes a Priority-Substitution-Budget (PSA) strategy, namely prioritizing basic needs, choosing more affordable and appropriate substitute goods, and setting spending limits before shopping. However, this study does not examine causal relationships, so the findings obtained are descriptive and cannot be used to conclude the direct influence of inflation on changes in consumption patterns.]]>
