SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Rising prices are forcing some Valley residents to make significant changes to their budgets and lifestyles.
The latest numbers show inflation is up 3.7% year-over-year, according to the latest report from the U.S. Labor Department.
In Scottsdale, people say higher costs for fuel, groceries, and other essentials are stretching household finances and making it harder to get ahead.
Bryan Singh, a long-haul trucker, said fuel costs have become a major burden.
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“I’m a trucker; I go coast to coast, and when I go to California, the diesel is almost eight dollars. As a trucker, it’s hurting me a lot.”
Singh said grocery prices are also taking a toll.
“The groceries are very expensive. Pound of beef is like seven, eight dollars. Used to be three to four dollars.”
Singh played pool with a friend on Wednesday morning at the Granite Reef Senior Center. But rising prices were not far from his mind.
He said his family has reduced spending in several areas.
“We are living paycheck to paycheck.”
Singh said they are eating out less often, buying second-hand clothing and looking for ways to stretch their budget.
At a Goodwill store in South Scottsdale, Apache Junction resident Maggie Sicoli said she has started a second source of income to help offset rising costs.
Sicoli, a radiation therapist, said she buys second-hand purses and resells them on eBay.
She said inflation has also changed how she thinks about major purchases.
“We used to think about getting a bigger house, bigger car. Now I think we all have to be downsizing - a smaller house, a smaller car.”
The next inflation report will provide a new snapshot of price trends and whether consumers may see any relief.
