A customer buys groceries at an H-E-B grocery store earlier this year in Austin, Texas. Many shoppers are cutting back on purchases due to higher prices.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
hide signature
switch signature
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Many families across the country expect vacations to be more expensive this year. leaving them less about what the season is: family and food.
“Oh my God, this year is different!” Steve Posey said this week while reviewing the dairy case at the Aldi supermarket in Medford, Mass., “Given inflation, the cost of eggs and cheese and all that stuff, it's just ridiculous.”
He and his wife India came to the store to do some shopping, but not for themselves. They recently took a second job at Instacart to help cover their rising costs.
Even though Posey works as a case manager for a veterans' organization and his wife takes care of the children, they still can't make ends meet. For Thanksgiving dinner they received turkey and canned goods from food pantry. They collect leftover food, but Posey says it has dampened their holiday spirit.
“It kind of takes the joy out of it,” he said. “This year I don’t feel it. Honestly, I'm just trying to stay above water.”
Posey has also seen how difficult it is for the veterans he works with. Many have seen their federal SNAP Food Assistance was disrupted this month during the government shutdown and has yet to catch up. The tension is now starting to show, he said.
“We're starting to see a lot more people frustrated, a lot more people dissatisfied,” he said. “You start to see an uptick in violence, especially domestic violence, but also widespread substance use because they're just overwhelmed.”
Steve and India Posey say they're not quite feeling the joy of the holidays this year due to rising costs and the increased stress they're feeling “just trying to stay afloat.”
Tovia Smith/NPR
hide signature
switch signature
Tovia Smith/NPR
In New York City, Queens resident Rosetta Savannah faces her own challenges. She's one of those who saw their SNAP benefits cut off during the government shutdown and is still waiting for benefits this month. So far, she had received only half of what she usually receives and had additional medical bills.
Her family's Thanksgiving dinner will also be lighter than usual.
“We do mostly chicken because chicken is cheaper,” Savannah said. “Usually I bake cakes and pies, but this year I’m not doing that.”
She also relies on the local food pantry for a small ham and a few sides, but she knows there's no guarantee there will be any left over.
“You have to get up really early to be at least the 30th person in line, and then you just wait and watch,” she said.
Savannah is also cutting back on gifts this year. Her three children will only receive one small gift instead of the several she usually gives them.
There will also be fewer gifts under the tree at Bonnie Green's home in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
“I’m cutting back on gifts significantly, it’s just not possible,” she said. “I can't afford it.”
Green, a 60-year-old professional and homeowner, has always considered herself upper-middle class. She loves Black Friday shopping and planned to buy several new outfits for her children and her first granddaughter's first Christmas. She usually also hosted an elaborate and lavish festive feast.
“I’m going big,” she said.
This year, Bonnie Green is using one of her mother's favorite books to suggest ways to celebrate the holidays on a budget. Despite the deep cuts she's had to make since leaving her federal government job, Greene is determined to keep smiling and focusing on joy, “even in the midst of austerity.”
Jacob Schiepel
hide signature
switch signature
Jacob Schiepel
But earlier this year, her job at the National Science Foundation was one of many eliminated by the Department of Government Effectiveness, which President Trump created by executive order on his first day in office. She still works as a professor at East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania, but her total income is now half of what it used to be.
“That’s a lot of money that’s gone,” Green said. “It's really hard.”
This has led to big changes this year. Besides skipping gifts, she's not decorating as much as she usually does, and her holiday menu is much more modest. Chicken soup will replace her usual seafood soup. And forget about beef Wellington and pecan pie, she said. Instead, she leans toward dishes that can be made with much cheaper ingredients.
Biggest blow: Her sister won't be able to come for Christmas. This is not only because of higher airfare, but also because she feels squeezed and has to work an extra shift.
“I have friends who (say) the economy has never been better,” Green said. “I don’t know what kind of economy they live in, but it’s not mine.”
Still, Greene adds that she feels fortunate compared to others, especially the many low-income students at her school.
She said the campus food pantry is nearly double its normal capacity, and she's heard from students who say they are so financially strapped they may be forced to drop out of school before they can make it. obtaining a degree, which will jeopardize their future earning potential.
Green, who has dedicated her career to researching how to improve educational outcomes for low-income students, created scholarship fund this fall to help students who are as close to graduating as they are to running out of money.
“It would be an unspeakable tragedy,” she said. “They will never be able to (sit) at the table without a bachelor’s degree. They won’t even be invited to the table, and they deserve to be there.”
So far, the foundation has raised enough money to keep one student in school until graduation. But there are dozens more people who have been found eligible for the program. Greene is doing everything he can to help. Even as she cut back on holiday spending, she increased her holiday giving to support the foundation.
