In Dallas, Texas, Melinda, a high school teacher, has an insightful way of gauging her students’ day-to-day well-being.
She observes that if her students arrive at school having eaten breakfast, then it likely indicates they’ll have a productive day.
“If they show up and they’ve had breakfast, it’s a really good day,” Melinda explained, emphasizing that breakfast is, unfortunately, not a guarantee for many of her students.
Despite being a commonplace practice among educators in the United States to provide extra support, Melinda is finding it increasingly difficult to maintain this routine due to rising grocery prices and stagnant teacher salaries, especially amidst growing inflation.
After spending around $45 weekly last school year to ensure her students had breakfast and snacks, she returned to the store in late August, shocked to find that the same items now cost $56 per week.
This price hike translates to an additional $400 for the school year, a burden she is struggling to fit into her budget.
“I’m trying to work out how to keep that in my budget, because prices are just crazy,” she admitted.
Melinda’s concern highlights a larger issue permeating the landscape of American households today, where rising costs of everyday necessities coupled with stagnant wages are creating financial distress for many.
The consequences of tariffs implemented during President Donald Trump’s administration have also led to increased costs across various sectors.
These tariffs on imports, initially positioned as a mechanism to protect American jobs, have now turned into an additional financial burden, as evidenced by the experiences of families and small business owners nationwide.
Katie Ventre, a resident of Long Island, has first-hand experience with these rising grocery prices, particularly with basics such as fruit, eggs, and milk.
As she manages payroll and finances for her family’s auto repair company, she noted, “We just had the worst two months in the last eight years,” due to customers cutting back on their spending.
This financial tightening affects not just families but businesses as well, as many are raising prices in an attempt to offset these increased costs stemming from tariffs.
The think tank Groundwork Collaborative has been monitoring how businesses have responded to these economic pressures during earnings calls.
Certain companies have used the tariffs as justification to raise prices significantly.
For example, the CEO of Generac Power Systems noted that tariffs provided cover for increased pricing from suppliers.
59What’s even more concerning is that consumers may be shouldering these costs without realizing how deeply they are affected.
A survey conducted in July showed nearly half of the likely voters believed Trump’s tariffs had negatively impacted their household finances, highlighting the struggle many Americans encounter as prices continue to swell.
The back-to-school season has particularly illuminated these issues, amplifying the financial strain on families as essential supplies become costlier.
Sarah Dickerson, a research economist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, pointed out that items such as wooden pencils—often imported—are expected to see price hikes.
As families gear up for the new school year, they face a myriad of rising prices for everything from shoes to basic supplies.
Fall 2025 could be pivotal in revealing the tariff’s full impact on the American economy, as predictions suggest that the back-to-school and holiday seasons will bear the brunt of ongoing price hikes.
Lindsay Owens, the executive director of Groundwork Collaborative, predicts that essential items for Halloween and Christmas will similarly be affected due to supply chain issues and rising costs.
This situation underscores a growing concern among Americans about their economic futures, which have already been troubled since the onset of the pandemic—now made worse by rising costs partly attributable to tariffs.
Nearly 8.8 million individuals are juggling multiple jobs as they try to stay afloat, reflecting a slight decrease from the highest figures earlier in the year.
Among these workers is Kay Alexander, who was laid off from his job in the tech industry early in 2025.
Forced to cut spending wherever possible, Alexander has noticed that even basic grocery items have grown more expensive.
Statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveal a startling 29 percent rise in grocery prices since February 2020, with another study showing a nearly 3 percent increase compared to last year.
Despite securing part-time work, Alexander remains cautious about how he spends money, particularly on food, expressing concern about the changing quality of the items he purchases.
“I can taste the difference,” he mentioned, as he has had to settle for lower-quality groceries in a bid to save cash.
His focus is now on budgeting, constantly weighing the need to work to pay bills against keeping his mental health intact.
Isabel Deniz, also from Austin, is another American navigating this economic minefield.
Following her own layoff in late 2024, she now juggles multiple side jobs to cover her bills and essentials.
From selling clothes online to working as a theatre stagehand and even cutting ice for cocktails, she has diversified her sources of income in a bid to stay afloat.
Despite finding satisfaction in her work, especially when communicating with customers face-to-face, she has to work excessively, often necessitating three jobs just to survive.
“Going outside is expensive,” she lamented, highlighting the excessive costs even for simple activities.
This financial crunch leads many to classify food as discretionary spending, a troubling realization for Naz the teacher and the many families like hers.
As Deniz put it, “Food is discretionary at this point, and it’s like, ‘Oh, sick, a disposable income of $42. What am I going to do with 42 bones?’”
The pervasive challenge they face reveals a growing reality for many Americans.
Working multiple jobs and still struggling to pay bills has become a harsh new normal.
Many find themselves questioning not just their economic circumstances but also the broader implications of the ongoing inflation and rising costs.
Amid all these challenges, individuals are trying to maintain their resilience, but there are fears that before long, the worst could be yet to come as this economic dilemma persists.
image source from：aljazeera
