"It's Really Tough Here": Americans Struggle as Inflation Rises

US inflation continues to rise, and this month's jump was higher than expected. Here's how some Americans are getting by.

Katherine Vaughan returned to a rural elementary school in West Tennessee this fall with far more stress than in years past.

The 46-year-old, like many Americans, is juggling how to support her family with, as she describes it, "everything" on the rise.

She spends her days working three different jobs to support her family of four, including as an elementary school art teacher, as U.S. inflation continues to soar.

Over the past 12 months, prices rose 3.7% - up from 3.4% in the 12 months to August - according to official figures for September released on Wednesday. The price increase was more than the forecast of economists and Wall Street analysts.

High energy prices have driven up the cost of living in America as diesel prices have reached record highs and gasoline prices have soared, all of which has been passed down to everyday Americans.

After school, Vaughn takes on a second job as a facilitator in an after-school program for at-risk youth. Her five-year-old son can also join, reducing the need and cost of after-school care for the Wan family.

"I have done incredible things to survive," he says. I model for a local jewelry store, I sell anything in my house for more than ten minutes on Facebook swap sites, I resell clothes on ThredUp and Poshmark.

Van even writes obituaries for people who have passed away to make extra money

And it is still not enough to support his family.

Punal Bowsar thought 2026 would be the year he saved enough money to buy a house.

"I thought interest rates would come down and then I would be able to buy a house, but I don't think that's likely now," he said.

The 39-year-old said the rising cost of goods has made it difficult to save money.

And the biggest burden for Bhavasar is the price of gasoline.

"I drive a car that uses premium gas and unfortunately in California and the area I live in it's about $6 (£4.50)," he said.

In November, when midterm elections loom and economic turmoil is on voters' minds, Bhowsar said he may become a single-issue voter: "To me, it's just like gas prices need to be under control."

He described the current economic outlook as bleak and his numbers back it up.

The Gallup Economic Confidence Index summarizes Americans' assessments of current economic conditions and the economic outlook and ranks them on a scale of -100 to +100. In September, this index was -40. It fell to -45 in May, the lowest since 2022.

A summer poll by the Guardian found that 95 percent of respondents think the United States is in a price crisis.

This fall, across the United States, people are finding ways to cope.

When Caitlin Green first moved to Utah seven years ago, her mother moved her into her new home and left her with the wisdom: "If you need a cheap and easy meal, always eat ground beef."

As prices have risen, Greene has struggled to follow suit. He remembers paying $2 a pound for ground beef. Now he pays $8, he said.

Instead, Green and her husband sometimes opt for alternatives, opting for ground turkey or ground chicken.

“[Grind meat] isn't nearly ... like a luxury steak ... but only to the point where it's a luxury. If we are going to buy it, we have to think about it."

Green and his wife have gone from $200 a month on groceries to $400 a month.

I know inflation is one thing, but I feel like I've never seen inflation so fast and so hard in my entire life.

For Vaughn, a Tennessee school teacher, tough choices still lie ahead.

When her children returned to school, she was stunned by the $130 bill she faced for her five-year-old son's school supplies.

Vaughan made the call to have her son buy lunch at school every day, rather than eat a home-cooked lunch, because the cost of groceries continues to rise and she calculated that would be a cheaper option.

The family has even decided to forgo a trip to Florida this fall to see Vaughn's parents because gas prices are so high.

"It's very difficult here," he says. "The cost of everything is crazy. Gas to get to work, my insurance costs have gone up, food for two kids and a husband. It's a lot."