This is how close American households are to the financial edge

[Zorro]

Affordability has been a politically potent word, but an ill-defined measure of financial pain, often used as a reference to inflated prices.

But new research from the Brookings Institution released Wednesday describes affordability by comparing the rising costs of essentials against family incomes. By that measure, the report found, in 2024 45.5% of U.S. households did not earn enough to cover their necessities.

The report concluded that a mere $1,000 hike in the annual cost of living would leave another 3 million households unable to make ends meet.

That precarity is partly due to the gap between inflation and wages. In 2024, national wages saw just a small 1.3% bump, well below the rate of inflation of 2.9% that year, according to the Census Bureau.

"My main takeaway is that when we talk about affordability, we've been focusing on inflation. But there's the income side of the story that we often do not talk about," said Andre Perry, the director of Brookings' Center for Community Uplift.

https://www.npr.org/2026/05/28/nx-s1-5836525/affordability-report-brookings-inflation-wages

[Irish_Dem]

1. I went grocery shopping today and noticed carts are less full than usual.

I told the story the other day here, that I had gone shopping and the woman next to me
at self check out, flagged the clerk to come over to her check out terminal.

She said the medium size bag of cherries was ringing up $15 and it must be a mistake.

Clerk checked and said yes this is the correct price.

Lady said no way I am paying that for a small bag of cherries, take it away.

[Ritabert]

2. The grocery store today had a "buy one, get one" offer on those small bags of red potatoes

Needless to say I snatched them up.

[Irish_Dem]

3. They had buy one small watermelon, get the other one free. I got them.

And the same with two smaller bottles of laundry soap.

Today the younger lady in front of me with kids had a large grocery order,
at the end she had a pile of coupons she was using. I don't blame her.
I wondered what the final price of her big order would be.

[Ritabert]

4. And this Wednesday is "10% off for seniors" day. You should see us all with our lists.

[Irish_Dem]

5. I think more people are shopping with lists.

I know people who will not step foot into the grocery store.
They shop online only.
They say they save tons of money by only buying what they need.
No impulse buying at all.

[Ritabert]

8. I don't do impulse buying. I go in with menu ingredients needed for the week's meals...

...and I stick to it. I don't buy chips or soda at all. And I try to stay away from ultra-processed food.

[Irish_Dem]

10. Good on you.

I have been unfortunately known to buy
blueberry muffins, coke, frozen yogurt, even chips from time to time.

I am pretty good about other junk food. Not buying it.

I am disciplined about what I eat.
But I like a treat now and then.

[Ritabert]

11. My husband has a hereditary problem with too much iron in his blood

...so we have to be very careful.

[Ritabert]

12. For example most cereals have 50-70% of the RDA in one bowl.

[homegirl]

14. When I learned

about 10% off for seniors at one of my favorite grocery markets I was there when they opened. The parking lot was full and the check out counter was soon rapidly checking out mostly full carts.

And two for one deals are always a wise purchase.

I find the local Farm Stand is the most economical and interesting place to shop for fruits and vegetables.

[Ritabert]

16. Our local farm stand usually opens in June so I will be down there soon.

[Skittles]

6. direct result of "trickle-down economics"

instead of decent raises, the money went to the top, and the trickling was them pissing on the rest of us

[Marie Marie]

7. More and more people are putting the essentials on a credit card and at the

ridiculous interest rates they are allowed to charge, the banks are happy and the Americans are locked in an endless loop of more payback debt. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

[slightlv]

15. Here's one of the latest caught in that trap...

not proud of it; against everything I've ever lived my life by... but when the SS check doesn't reach the essentials, something has to give. I'm trying to look at it that way so I don't feel so bad about it. It really does a number on my emotional state.

[Marie Marie]

17. I am very sorry to hear that and sadly, you are not alone.

What else is one supposed to do when the incoming can't cover the outgoing at the end of each month. It's been said for years, the system is designed to keep poor people poor. And this coming economic trainwreck is going to put many many more people in this poverty loop.

I'm sure that you are having to do what you never dreamed of doing to make ends meet and you should not feel ashamed over something with which you had no control. Trump did this!! He did this to us because he is an incompetent idiot who doesn't understand how economics works. Nor does he care. May this turn around quickly for us all.

[Cheezoholic]

9. Foot on the floor. ALL ASPECTS OF AFFORDABILITY IS THE ONLY THING DEMOCRATS NEED TO RUN ON!!!!!

Screw everything else right now. The economy will get us numbers. Then a better economy will get us bigger numbers. Nothing else. Stay focused on how broke these fuckers are making the people and how rich they are making themselves at our expense period. Stay in that lane. We all know whats on out trailer. ALL of those things come with us. People know whats on our trailer, they don't need to be reminded. We are so much in "it's the economy stupid" time. Don't deviate. Stay on it hard. For the sake of our country PLEASE!!!!

[WestMichRad]

13. And that was in 2024.

Pretty certain the percentage of households that can’t make ens meet has risen since than, thanks to the trumflation we’ve been experiencing.