(WXYZ) — The next inflation report comes out this week, but if you ask many people, you'll hear inflation is still forcing tough decisions.
We wanted to know how people were balancing rising costs with summer plans, and I hit the street to see how metro Detroiters are weighing inflation against vacation.
A fresh Rochester University graduate, Baylee Malone, can't miss her morning coffee.
"Have you noticed how latte prices have gone up over the years?" I asked Malone.
"Oh yeah even the price for this has gone up, I want to say a dollar or two," she said.
"But then so have prices for other goods and services?" I followed up.
"Yes, I've noticed price increase in regular grocery shopping. I could get back by about $250 a month and now I'm hitting around $350," Malone said.
"So how are you managing all this?"
"I'm in a lot of personal debt, credit card debt, trying to pay everything," Malone said.
Because of this, she said she hasn't planned any trip that isn't local within an hour driver.
Another Michigander, Jorge Costa, is feeling the inflation pinch. Believe it or not, his 1 1/2-year-old son, Benny, is also under the inflation squeeze.
"With him I'll tell you that, I don't know if you know this, but babies love berries, and berries are expensive. and the cost just keeps going up. Milk, eggs," Costa said.
'With summer around the corner, has inflation impacted your travel plans?" I asked.
"It has made us think twice. You feel it in airline seats for sure. And even gas bouncing up and down. I think we generally as much as possible try to do a direct flight, instead of connecting flight, but you definitely see the disparity in prices, and I don't know how long we will be able to keep it up," he said.
Costa and his partner want more kids, but rising home pries have to be factored in.
"My partner and I, we were talking about this yesterday, is the idea of waiting and having a baby later in life," Costa said. "I mean we haven't grown out of our home yet, its in the area and we love living here. but it doesn't work well with the future, being able to grow into a bigger home with more kids."
Malone, Baylee has also found ways to cut back on her expenses.
"I've been looking for coupons, and things online, deals if I can find them, other than that just working hard really," she said.
"Surely that's not something you had envisioned for yourself, right?" I asked.
"No. I didn't envision having work two jobs, and couple things on the side, like Doordash and stuff, just to make ends meet," she said.
