Seattle-area families are struggling to make ends meet due to rising costs for groceries, gas, insurance, and housing. One family, with ties to Microsoft, is selling their home and downsizing as inflation continues to strain household budgets.
Financial Strains
Liesl Gatcheco, a self-employed esthetician, and her husband, who works at Microsoft, are feeling the pinch. Gatcheco said, ‘The last year has definitely been an absolute tightening up of what we’re spending on.’ She added, ‘It’s very stressful. I feel like I’ve been living emotionally in survival mode.’ Her husband’s job at Microsoft, once considered stable, now has him worried about layoffs.
Another resident, Dusty Wilson, a math teacher at Highline College, said he and his wife have had to adjust their spending habits. ‘We were always just drivers, and then gas hit $6 a gallon,’ Wilson said. Food prices have also risen, with restaurant food increasing by 6.2% over the past year.
City Response
A spokesperson for Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson said the city is working to address affordability and inequality. The mayor’s office has proposed legislation to ban certain ‘junk fees’ charged by landlords and has accelerated construction of new shelters to help people find long-term housing.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
