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Sometimes we miss the obvious.

I’m aware that items in the grocery store and elsewhere have shrunk, but recently a neighbor pointed out that the 20 pound propane gas tank I exchanged for my grill is no longer filled with 20 pounds of propane.

This, after I said I was surprised the exchange was still $20 at Home Depot, considering the rise in price of propane and natural gas we hear on the news.

Sure enough, right on the plastic wrapper of the tank, it clearly states it is filled with only 15 pounds of propane. A loss of 25 percent of propane. I thought it was my intense workouts of lifting weights and bench pressing 350 lbs. that made the canister feel lighter.

It’s called, “Shrinkflation.” Manufacturers appear to hold prices steady, but are providing less product in order to maintain, or increase profit and sales.

Ice cream is a good example. I remember when containers were a full half-gallon (2 quarts). Years ago, they became 1.75 quarts. Now, they are 1.5 quarts, and prices have actually increased despite what is now a 25 percent loss of product, of what we still refer to as a half-gallon of ice cream.

I noticed the coffee beans I like went from a 13 oz. bag to 11 oz. I’m also paying 50 cents more for each bag.

Don’t be fooled by the package being the same size, either.

Peanut butter jars are a good example of how manufacturers hide the loss of product inside. Ever wonder why most peanut butters have that annoying hump at the bottom of the jar? It allows for less product inside, while maintaining the original size of the container.

Among the many products being reduced in quantity are these, along with a few “reasons” from the companies:

• General Mills shrunk its “family size” boxes from 19.3 ounces to 18.1 ounces.

• Frito-Lay shrank bags of Dorito’s from 9.75 ounces to 9.25 ounces. “We took just a little bit out of the bag so we can give you the same price and you can keep enjoying your chips,” a Frito-Lay spokesperson said.

• Gatorade redesigned its 32 ounces bottle to be “more aerodynamic and it’s easier to grab,” a representative told the public. The new design holds 28 ounces – a 14% drop, despite both bottles being the same height.

• Walmart Great Value Paper Towels dropped from 168 sheets per roll to only 120, while the price stayed the same.

• Hershey cut down its 18-ounce pack of dark chocolate Kisses by almost two ounces.

• Hefty’s mega pack went from 90 bags to 80 bags, at the same price.

• A two-pack of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups used to weigh 1.6 ounces. Now it’s just 1.5 ounces.

• Some of Royal Canin’s cans of cat food now weigh 5.1 ounces, down from 5.9 ounces – but they still cost the same. Royal Canin, a subsidiary of Mars, said that it had reduced some product sizes because of “unprecedented demand” for pet food during the pandemic.

• Post downsized Cocoa Pebbles and other family-size boxes from 20.5 to 19.5 ounces.

• Quaker’s Life cereal also shrunk from 24.8 ounce to 22.3, and it was renamed from “giant” to “family” size – even though the box actually got bigger.

• Cottonelle’s Ultra Clean Care toilet paper is down to 312 sheets from 340.

• Bounty Triples reduced sheet count from 165 sheets to 147. Procter & Gamble stated, “It’s still a better deal than before because the sheets are more absorbent.”

• Cadbury changed the shape of its famous Dairy Milk bars in 2013 – and changed the size of them, too. The individual pieces now have rounded edges and contain nearly 10% less chocolate than before.

• Crest shrunk 3D White Radiant Mint toothpaste from 4.1 to 3.8 ounces.

• Wheat Thins changed its family size from 16 to 14 ounces, with about 28 fewer crackers per box.

• Pedigree changed the size of some dry dog foods from 50 lbs to 44 lbs while keeping prices the same.

• Folgers Coffee reduced its large 51-ounce container down to 43.5 ounces, but the company says it makes the same number of cups of coffee thanks to “lighter beans.”

• Procter & Gamble shrunk its Pantene Pro-V Curl Perfection conditioner from 12 fluid ounces down to 10.4, while the price stayed the same.

I took a look on the Internet, and found pictures posted by astute shoppers. Below are only a very few. So, the next time you think you’re getting less than you were getting before, you’re probably right.

Bear in mind, the changes of receiving less product is not calculated in the government’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) reports on inflation.