US workers in debt to buy groceries - 'I had to downgrade my life'
www.bbc.com
Americans are taking loans to afford basic necessities - as groceries prices have surged by 25%.

…

Ms Ellis works full-time as a nurse’s assistant and has a second part-time job.

But she needs to economise. She has switched stores, cut out brand-name items like Dove soap and Stroehmann bread, and all but said goodbye to her favourite Chick-fil-A sandwich.

Still, Ms Ellis has sometimes turned to risky payday loans (short-term borrowing with high interest rates) as she grapples with grocery prices that have surged 25% since Mr Biden entered office in January 2021.

“Prior to inflation,” she says, “I didn’t have any debt, I didn’t have any credit cards, never applied for like a payday loan or any of those things. But since inflation, I needed to do all those things…I’ve had to downgrade my life completely.”

The leap in grocery prices has outpaced the historic 20% rise in living costs that followed the pandemic, squeezing households around the country and fuelling widespread economic and political discontent.

  • @werefreeatlast
    -3•2 months ago

    Also, as a simple demonstration…I vote for Biden!

    There, that’s exactly the same thing as voting for Biden in the coming election. I’m not saying don’t, because god forbid Trump fucks this country over once more. No, what I’m saying is:

    #1 let’s vote via phone constantly… Oh the public hasn’t agreed with anything you did for 3 weeks? GTFO, you gave it a good try!

    #2 currently we don’t actually vote for the president or in any direct way actually do for him. The electoral college does, we don’t. The electors are not mind controlled by anyone, they literally could give us the finger and vote Trump into office.

    #3 if we voted electronically via our phones, we would still not influence the election of the president in a direct way, so why the hesitation to make elections faster and less expensive?..is it because then we would really know how we all feel?