Three moms reveal how inflation has forced them to make lifestyle sacrifices today

Due to today’s high inflation, some families find themselves having to make difficult lifestyle and financial changes.

Co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy of “Fox & Friends Weekend” spoke with three mothers on Sunday morning, August 21, 2022, to discuss the sacrifices that families are making while the economy remains shaky.

These sacrifices are very real.

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Here’s some information from the moms about their families.

Briana Howard is a mother of 1 in Virginia

“We’re finding ourselves being much more thoughtful [about] the way that we’re spending,” said Briana Howard, a mother of one from Fairfax, Virginia.

“When we’re going to the grocery store, I’m not mindlessly shopping, but I’m planning and not necessarily always getting the stuff that we want but kind of what’s on sale,” Howard continued. 

“We’ve done things like cut out gym memberships and saved on our cable bill,” she said.

“Again, [it’s] Just being more mindful about how we spend our money.

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Howard stated that she believes President Joe Biden and the federal government should do more to assist families struggling to keep up to inflation.

Tina Aviles is a mother to 7 children from Texas

Tina Aviles, a deputy Director of grassroots operations at Americans for Prosperity Texas, said that “we have the same problem.” 

She continued, “We must be very careful about what we spend.”

Aviles added, “I didn’t plan it this way, but I’ve been a parent for the last 30 years.”

“And what I notice now is this year we had to stop and evaluate whether our children will go to camps, which camps they would go to, which sports they’re going to participate in the fall — and that actually is going to affect the long-term outcome of the educational opportunities that they have during this time of life,” she also said.

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While Aviles said she thinks her children are priceless and will do her best to make sure inflation doesn’t keep them down, she did note that millions of families are struggling “in this pay-more, get-less economy.”

Amy Bowman is a mother of three

“Well, like the other two ladies that spoke, we are also being more intentional, and we’re also bundling trips with gas and sports and all those kinds of things,” said Amy Bowman, a mother of three, regarding her family’s financial approach to today’s inflation.

Bowman stated, “I believe that the thing that most hurts is our commitment towards buying local.”

“During the pandemic, we made a concentrated effort to support our local businesses and go out for dinner locally and those kinds of things to keep our communities afloat — and now those opportunities just aren’t there anymore.”

“Our inability to buy local is what hurts us most.”

Bowman also said, “We’re not going out for dinner, we’re not being able to go to the local market instead of the cheaper national chain just because we can’t print money when there are things we want to buy that we can’t afford.”

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Bowman stated on Sunday that she believes “printing and spending more money will never make inflation better” in response to the Inflation Reduction Act being signed.

At this point, she said she doesn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel when compared to the aftermath of 9/11 and the 2008 financial crisis.

Brookings Institution is a research and think tank in the United States that has published a new estimate. It estimates that the cost to raise two children in the U.S. each year is $18,271.

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According to the firm this amounts to $310 605 for middle-income families to raise two children between 18 and 18.

This is 9% more than its 2020 estimate.