PSE Zone 13 Survey, CWU Responses
How do you feel your buying power has changed in the last 5 years? My buying power has dropped. I do not have any buying power. I live paycheck to paycheck. Declined
With all goods and services rising in cost, I am able to afford less each month. I can’t put money into savings anymore and I often have to dig into savings to supplement the cost of necessities. We don’t go out to eat often, we don’t buy espressos every day. We don’t have car payments because we drive older cars. We try to live within our means daily. Four years ago, I spent between $100-$150 week on groceries. Today I spend $200-250 for less items. Decreased Buying power has significantly decreased in the last 5 years. It has gone down. Used savings have had to cut back My buying power has remained similar, largely because I went back to work fulltime. It's harder to have extra funds nowadays. It's hard to purchase anything extra (sports equipment for kids, dinning out for fun, extracurricular activities). Ellensburg cost of living is in the top 8 for the state so my salary is fully used each month on necessities. My pay just hasn't kept up with inflation. How has your change in buying power affected your life? What changes have you been forced or pressured to make? We're watching our spending much more closely I afford the necessities only Owning my own home seems like a joke. I can buy less. Inflation has decreased my food budget, so I don't eat as healthy. We are often unable to buy things we need unless we take out credit. We basically live paycheck to paycheck so we can’t do fun things that cost money, such as vacation, often. Buying a house as a single person is out of the question, thank God my partner has a better income Less disposable income. Less savings. Less money into my son’s college fund. No extras, very basic groceries. no vacations, eating out, entertainment etc. Deliver food 10-20 hrs per week for utilities and to afford the occasional date with my spouse/ It's stressful to go shopping. The bill is high. We have been forced to buy lower grade goods (veggies, fruit, dairy, meat) to make ends meet. October 24 3
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