American families are struggling to cope with inflation egged on by President Joe Biden’s willingness to pump government cash into the economy.
While the White House is busy creating social media graphics to tout the small price drop in July 4th cookout ingredients, Americans, especially those who have children to feed, clothe, and diaper, are becoming more worried about rising living costs. What began as surging gas prices and Americans trying to recover from the economic devastation wreaked by government-mandated lockdowns only spread to other goods to create the fastest spike since 2008.
The White House continues to claim the inflation is “temporary,” but some families can’t afford to wait much longer for prices to fall. For Sandra Salave’a, a chef, wife, and mother of two boys, climbing costs due to government-induced inflation affect every part of her life.
“I have to rethink all my spending because everything is becoming less and less affordable,” the Washington state resident told The Federalist. “I am cutting back on a lot of things right now that are what I consider to be ‘wants,’ not necessities.”
Until recently, Salave’a didn’t have to worry about small price increases on grocery store runs. Now, Salave’a’s trips to Costco with her husband on the way home from work carry a new meaning for her wallet.
“We haven’t been to Costco for several months and I was shocked by the prices of the things we got. We didn’t get very many items and I spent $300. The price of vitamins and medicines have gone up too and those were some of the things on my list. Produce and meats are so expensive,” she explained.
A chef by trade, Salave’a said she enjoys cooking with fresh ingredients but is struggling to find healthy and fulfilling options without blowing her work and home budget.
“When the things you normally buy all of a sudden go way up in price, then I have had to rethink my menu. And I don’t want to do processed foods because they are not healthy but they are way cheaper,” she said. “When I shop at Safeway, for instance, I can easily spend over $100 and come home with practically nothing. I am also shocked by how the prices have skyrocketed when I do my ordering for my kitchen. Because I order so often, I kind of know the prices of items so I notice when the prices go up.”
Gas prices, Salave’a said, are also beginning to take a toll on her family’s wallet.
“These gas prices are absolutely ridiculous!” she said. “I was used to filling up my Camry for about $30. Now, it’s $50.”
This drastic rise in the cost of living has forced Salave’a and her family to sacrifice some of their other spending in exchange for simply affording groceries and other bills.
“I canceled Netflix, Hulu, Disney, ESPN. Now, all we have is free movie apps,” Salave’a said. “We do not go out to eat very often anymore because the prices in the restaurants have gone up as well. We have a lot of things that are our favorites but we have had to change to cheaper brands so that we can afford to get everything we need. And anything that is throw-away is definitely going to be the cheapest price.”
Salave’a even made the difficult decision to switch insurance plans to try and save dollars.
“It was hard to do because I have had the same agent for so many years. Since 2000 I have had the same insurance carrier. And I switched to save my family money because of this inflation,” she said.
At this point, Salave’a and her family are unsure about the future of prices and whether inflation will continue to climb, so they are saving “where we can.”
“I am now working on stocking up on canned foods, bottled water, vitamins, medicines, rice, beans, toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning wipes, pet foods — we have a dog, Emma and a bunny, Winston — getting things now while I still can. I worry about food and water shortages. We have to hope for the best and prepare for the worst,” she said. “The summer seems semi-normal but I also fear once summer ends and we enter the fall we are in for something way worse than COVID-19.”
Salave’a blames most of the inflation problems she and so many others are experiencing on President Biden.
“I think a lot of it has to do with our current president before he was in office,” she said. “Gas prices were a lot cheaper, food prices were down. I mean they weren’t cheap, but they weren’t as much. I have seen such an increase in everything besides just food. Just the regular stuff that you buy, that you need from day to day, it’s just going up, up, up.”
“How can people survive with this massive increase on everything?” she added.
It’s a question weighing on many Americans’ minds. According to recent polling, 86 percent of voters said they were “somewhat” or “extremely” worried about the rising cost of living and inflation. A whopping 79 percent said rising gas prices, egged on by the Biden administration’s anti-oil and gas policies, are one of their biggest concerns.
Legislators are aware of these concerns, but the jury is still out on whether they will fight for their constituents. Republican Sen. Joni Ernst declared her disappointment in the Biden administration for continuing to accelerate spending after Republicans joined Democrats in repeat passage of unfunded, big-spending “stimulus” bills.
“We’re all going to be paying back the trillions of dollars borrowed to pay for Bidenenomics, both in higher taxes and in higher consumer costs. And that price, folks, it isn’t right,” she quipped.
Sen. Joni Ernst: "We're all going to be paying back the trillions of dollars borrowed to pay for Bidenomics, both in higher taxes and in higher consumer costs. And that price, folks, it isn't right." pic.twitter.com/0BouO24WKZ
— The Hill (@thehill) July 15, 2021
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy also called attention to the looming financial crisis Republicans helped create, but was quickly censored by big tech, which faces pressure from the White House to suppress dissenting opinions on social media.
