💵 Chattanooga Gas Slips to $3.72, Eggs and Butter Get Cheaper, and Medicare Day Two Means Look Past the Premium

Or: The Pump Keeps Easing, the Egg Basket Got Lighter, and Sunday’s Frost Says Check the Furnace and the Medicare Fence

By Thomas Seest, Dunlap.Today · Friday, October 16, 2026

It’s Friday, and the week is winding down like a porch swing after supper. The big numbers came out earlier this week. Today is about the small, practical moves that keep a few more dollars in your pocket over the weekend.

Here’s what’s on the money table this Friday: Chattanooga gas slipped again to about $3.72, roughly 17 cents lower than a week ago; eggs, butter, milk and bacon cost less than a year ago, while coffee, apples and tomatoes cost more; Medicare open enrollment is on day two, and the best tip is to compare a plan’s total yearly cost, not just the premium; frost is possible Sunday morning, and federal heating-help money was released Oct. 9; and mortgage rates held at 7.40% in Freddie Mac’s weekly survey. Plus, your next paydays are on the calendar.

Most of this is national or statewide news. We’ll say so as we go, then bring it home to the Valley kitchen table.

⏱️ What this means for you in 30 seconds

• At the pump (Fri., Oct. 16): Chattanooga regular about $3.72, Tennessee about $3.87, national about $4.33. Tennessee diesel is about $6.00.
• Grocery bargains: Eggs are down more than 20% from a year ago, and butter is down about 10%. Coffee, apples and tomatoes are up.
• Medicare, day two: On Medicare.gov’s Plan Finder, enter every prescription and compare the total yearly cost. Free help: TN SHIP, 1-877-801-0044. Deadline: Dec. 7.
• Frost Sunday: Dunlap could dip to about 37° Saturday night. Heating help (LIHEAP) for Sequatchie County runs through SETHRA, 423-949-2191.
• Next paydays: Social Security for birthdays on the 11th–20th lands Wednesday, Oct. 21. SSI’s November payment comes early on Friday, Oct. 30.

⛽ Friday Pump Check: Chattanooga Down to About $3.72

AAA’s Friday, Oct. 16, reading puts Chattanooga (TN only) regular at about $3.72 a gallon, down from about $3.74 yesterday and about $3.90 a week ago. A month ago it was about $4.05, so Chattanooga drivers are paying roughly 33 cents less per gallon than in mid-September. Cleveland is about $3.78. Statewide, Tennessee’s average is about $3.87, down from about $3.96 a week ago. The national average is about $4.33.

Diesel is mostly holding steady: about $6.00 statewide and about $5.75 in Chattanooga. Prices are still well above a year ago, when Tennessee regular averaged about $2.73.

What it means for you: On a 15-gallon fill-up, 33 cents a gallon adds up to about $5 back in your pocket compared with a month ago. That’s a sack of groceries, or a tank of goodwill. If you’re headed toward Chattanooga, Jasper or Cleveland for a ballgame or a weekend errand, fill up while you’re there. Dunlap stations can run a little different, so check your gas app before you pull in.

👉 Read more (AAA Tennessee gas prices)

🛒 Weekend Grocery List: The Dairy Case Is Your Friend

Wednesday’s government price report showed grocery prices slipped 0.1% in September and are up 1.8% over the year. That’s about half the overall inflation rate. Digging into that same national Bureau of Labor Statistics data, ABC News found some real bargains and a few items to watch.

Cheaper than a year ago: eggs (down more than 20%), butter (down about 10%), milk, cheese and ice cream (each down more than 2%) and bacon (down about 3%). Meat overall dipped 0.9% in September.

Costing more: coffee (up more than 7%), apples (up 7.5%), tomatoes (up 6.8%), seafood (up more than 6%) and ground beef (up 5.4% from a year ago, though it slipped 0.8% in September). Marketplace reports that high diesel prices may start nudging up prices for fresh produce and frozen foods, since those have to be kept cold and hauled a long way.

What it means for you: Build this weekend’s meals around what’s on sale and what got cheaper. Eggs, cheese and butter make a mighty fine Saturday breakfast or a Sunday casserole. For pricier items, buy what you’ll use this week so nothing goes to waste. It’s like planting what grows well this season instead of fighting the weather.

👉 Read more (ABC News: which grocery prices are rising and falling) · Marketplace: diesel and grocery prices · BLS price report

🩺 Medicare Day Two: Look Past the Premium

Open enrollment started yesterday and runs through Monday, Dec. 7. Changes take effect Jan. 1. If you’re happy with your plan and your Annual Notice of Change letter shows nothing troubling, you don’t have to do anything. If you want to check, here’s how to do it without getting tangled.

Your Plan Finder walk-through (Medicare.gov/plan-compare):

• Make sure you’re looking at 2027 plans.
• Enter every prescription, with the exact dose and how often you take it.
• Pick the pharmacies you actually use. The costs can differ from store to store.
• Compare the estimated yearly total (premiums plus drug costs), not just the monthly premium.
• Check for prior authorization or step therapy on your drugs, and look at each plan’s star rating.
• If you’re on Medicare Advantage, make sure your doctors and hospitals are in the network.

A few national facts from AARP worth knowing this year: some stand-alone Part D drug plans are raising premiums a lot for 2027, while others are holding steady or even dropping a little. KFF says $0-premium stand-alone drug plans are going away for 2027 for people who don’t get Extra Help, so if you had one, read your letter carefully. Every plan still caps your covered drug costs at $2,400 for the year. Medicare Advantage plans can’t make you pay more than $9,850 for in-network medical care in 2027.

What it means for you: A low premium is like a cheap pair of boots. It’s only a bargain if it fits and lasts the winter. Sit down with your pill bottles and your letter, or let a free TN SHIP counselor do the comparing with you at 1-877-801-0044. They don’t sell plans. And if your income is limited, ask them whether you qualify for Extra Help with drug costs.

👉 Read more (AARP: Medicare open enrollment) · Medicare Plan Compare · Medicare: Your Yearly Medicare Review · TN SHIP

🔥 Frost Sunday Morning: Check the Furnace and the Heating Help

The National Weather Service forecast for Dunlap calls for a high near 80 today, then a cool-down. Saturday’s high is near 60, Saturday night drops to about 37°, and areas of frost are possible before 8 a.m. Sunday. Sunday night is about 38°. That’s the first real “turn the heat on” weekend for a lot of us.

If heating bills strain the budget, Tennessee’s LIHEAP heating-help program opened its new year on Oct. 1. Applications are done online through the Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA). In Sequatchie County, the local agency is SETHRA in Dunlap, at 423-949-2191. When the year opened, THDA had not yet received its federal money, so agencies around the state put new applications on a waiting list. On Oct. 9, the federal government released about $3.6 billion in LIHEAP money to the states. We haven’t seen a Tennessee announcement yet on when waitlisted applications will move, so call SETHRA to ask.

What it means for you: Apply now so you’re in line, and keep paying your utility bill while you wait, because LIHEAP pays the utility directly, not you. Before Saturday night, run the furnace for a few minutes to clear that first-of-the-season dusty smell, change the filter and test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. A little prep beats a cold surprise, like bringing the porch plants in before the frost.

👉 Read more (SETHRA Housing & Energy) · THDA LIHEAP · Federal LIHEAP release (Oct. 9) · NWS Dunlap forecast

📅 Mark the Calendar: Late-October Paydays

Social Security pays on Wednesdays by birthday, and SSI shifts when the 1st falls on a weekend. Here’s what’s left in October:

• Wednesday, Oct. 21: Social Security for birthdays on the 11th–20th.
• Wednesday, Oct. 28: Social Security for birthdays on the 21st–31st.
• Friday, Oct. 30: SSI’s November payment, paid early because Nov. 1 is a Sunday.

One more heads-up: in November, Veterans Day falls on Wednesday, Nov. 11, so people with birthdays on the 1st–10th get paid a day early, on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

What it means for you: If you get SSI, that Oct. 30 deposit is not a bonus. It has to last through all of November, so set some aside like seed corn for spring. Write the dates on the fridge calendar now so nobody has to remember them later.

👉 Read more (2026 payment dates) · SSA 2026 payment schedule

🏠 Mortgage Rates Held at 7.40%

Freddie Mac’s weekly survey, released Thursday, shows the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate unchanged at 7.40%. The 15-year average dipped to 6.71% from 6.73%. A year ago, the 30-year rate averaged 6.27%. These are national averages for borrowers with strong credit and 20% down. Your own rate may differ. The next weekly reading comes out Thursday, Oct. 22.

What it means for you: Steady is better than climbing. If you’re shopping for a home, vehicle or land loan, get two or three quotes, including one from a local bank or credit union. If you’re a saver, now’s a good time to ask what a CD or savings account pays. Higher rates help that side of the ledger.

👉 Read more (Freddie Mac weekly mortgage rates)

✅ Your Wallet Checklist for the Weekend

• ✅ Fill up on trips you’re already making. Chattanooga is about $3.72.
• ✅ Plan weekend meals around eggs, butter, cheese and milk. They cost less than a year ago.
• ✅ Buy only the coffee, apples and tomatoes you’ll use this week.
• ✅ Gather your pill bottles and your Annual Notice of Change letter. Compare the total yearly cost, not just the premium.
• ✅ Call TN SHIP at 1-877-801-0044 for free, unbiased Medicare help. The deadline is Dec. 7.
• ✅ Before Saturday night, change the furnace filter and test smoke and CO detectors.
• ✅ Need heating help? Apply for LIHEAP and call SETHRA at 423-949-2191 to ask where things stand.
• ✅ Birthday on the 11th–20th? Your Social Security deposit lands Wednesday, Oct. 21. SSI’s November payment comes Oct. 30.

Practical rule: Judge a Medicare plan by what it costs all year, not by what it costs in January.

— Dunlap.Today

📚 Plain-English Money Glossary

• AAA average: The daily average gas price AAA reports for a state or metro area. Individual stations can be higher or lower.
• Plan Finder: Medicare’s free online tool at Medicare.gov/plan-compare for comparing health and drug plans in your area.
• Premium: The monthly price of a plan, whether or not you use it.
• Formulary: A plan’s list of covered drugs. It can change from year to year.
• Prior authorization / step therapy: Rules where a plan must approve a drug first, or wants you to try a different drug first.
• Extra Help: A federal program that helps people with limited income and resources pay Medicare drug costs.
• Out-of-pocket limit: The most you’d pay in a year for covered care before the plan pays the rest.
• LIHEAP: The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps eligible households pay heating and cooling bills. Payments go straight to the utility.
• SETHRA: Southeast Tennessee Human Resource Agency, based in Dunlap, which handles LIHEAP for Sequatchie and nearby counties.
• TN SHIP: Tennessee’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program, which gives free, unbiased Medicare counseling.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Are gas prices in Dunlap the same as Chattanooga?

Not exactly. AAA’s $3.72 is a Chattanooga-area average. Dunlap stations can be a little higher or lower, so check your gas app before you fill up.

Which groceries are the best buys right now?

Nationally, eggs, butter, milk, cheese, ice cream and bacon cost less than a year ago. Coffee, apples, tomatoes, seafood and ground beef cost more. Prices at your local store and its weekly sale ad may vary.

What’s the most important thing to check in a Medicare drug plan?

Whether all your prescriptions are covered at your pharmacy, and what the plan will cost you for the whole year: premiums plus your share of drug costs. Plan Finder estimates that yearly total for you.

My drug plan cost $0 this year. Will it still be free?

Maybe not. KFF says $0-premium stand-alone drug plans are going away for 2027 for people who don’t get Extra Help. Check your Annual Notice of Change, and call TN SHIP at 1-877-801-0044 if you need help comparing.

Do I have to change my Medicare plan?

No. If your plan still covers your drugs and doctors at a cost you’re comfortable with, it renews on its own. Open enrollment is a chance to check, not a requirement to switch.

I applied for LIHEAP and got waitlisted. What now?

Your place in line still counts. Federal money was released to the states Oct. 9, but we haven’t seen a Tennessee announcement on when waitlisted applications will be processed. Call SETHRA at 423-949-2191 to ask, and keep paying your utility bill in the meantime.

Is SSI’s Oct. 30 payment extra money?

No. It’s your regular November SSI payment, sent early because Nov. 1 falls on a Sunday. There won’t be another SSI deposit until December.

📎 Other Resources

• AAA Tennessee gas prices
• ABC News: Which grocery prices are rising and falling
• Marketplace: Diesel and grocery prices
• BLS: September 2026 Consumer Price Index
• Medicare Plan Compare
• Medicare: Your Yearly Medicare Review (PDF)
• Medicare: Open Enrollment
• AARP: Medicare open enrollment guide
• TN SHIP free Medicare counseling
• SETHRA Housing & Energy (LIHEAP)
• THDA: LIHEAP in Tennessee
• National Weather Service: Dunlap forecast
• Social Security 2026 payment schedule
• Freddie Mac weekly mortgage rates

🌿 Keep Learning, Keep Calm

This Friday’s news is mostly gentle: cheaper gas, a few grocery bargains, steady mortgage rates and plenty of time to check your Medicare plan. Change the furnace filter, set your Medicare letter by your coffee cup and write your payday on the fridge. One board at a time keeps the whole fence standing.

For more calm, practical Valley news, read Dunlap.Today, and share this with a neighbor who could use a little help with the Medicare paperwork.