It’s a common complaint that groceries are costing way more than ever before – and there is some truth to this. Over the past year, the cost of groceries has increased by 1.1%, according to the latest Consumer Price Index.

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But money expert Ramit Sethi believes that many Americans’ perceptions about the increase in grocery prices are grossly exaggerated. According to Sethi, there are other rising costs that are causing way more of a strain on people’s finances.

“Housing, by far, is No. 1, and then auto costs are No. 2,” he told Politico. “Those are the biggest two. Then we have childcare and then food is a distant fourth.”

Here’s why Sethi said that Americans’ perceptions of skyrocketing grocery prices are inaccurate.

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Americans Aren’t Actually Tracking Their Grocery Spending

Sethi said that time and time again, he hears people complaining about grocery costs.

“I’ve spoken to thousands, actually tens of thousands, of people. And they will often say: ‘Inflation is crazy, it’s impossible to afford groceries anymore,’” he told Politico. “And I’ll say, ‘Is that right?’ They’ll say, ‘Well, I’m paying triple what I paid three years ago.’ I say, ‘Really?’”

But Sethi doesn’t take these anecdotes as fact.

“I have a rule which is, never trust someone’s self-report about grocery costs,” he said. “As we dig into it, of course, people don’t track how much they actually spent. They don’t have a realistic comparison of what they actually spent three to five years ago.”

Sethi also notes that very few people are taking action to try to reduce their grocery spending.

“Almost nobody comparison shops at the grocery store,” he said.

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The Reason You’re Spending More Might Have Nothing To Do With Inflation

While inflation can add to your grocery bill, it’s more likely that other lifestyle factors are affecting your bill if it has indeed increased dramatically.

“Often when I ask them, ‘Has anything changed?’ they’ll go, ‘Nothing,’” Sethi said. “They’ll say, ‘I’m buying exactly the same items. Apples to apples.’”

He continued, “[I’ll ask], ‘Hey, how old are your kids?’ ‘Oh, well, they’re 6 now.’ ‘How old were they?’ ‘Four years ago, they were 2.’ Well, when kids get older, they eat more. Families change.”

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Why Americans Tend To Overestimate Grocery Inflation

There are a couple of reasons why Americans believe they are spending significantly more on groceries compared to the past – even if they aren’t.

“Grocery costs [are] super salient in our mind because we go to the grocery store multiple times a week,” Sethi said. “And, more importantly, we hear the press talking about it all day long. ‘Grocery costs are out of control.’ But when I challenge my listeners and readers, ‘Show me the actual numbers’ – they can almost never produce them.

“So, the feelings about grocery costs, while they may be real feelings, they are very, very inaccurate,” he continued. “And we have to take them with a grain of salt.”

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Ramit Sethi: Here’s Why Americans’ Complaints About Soaring Grocery Bills Are ‘Very Inaccurate’