When hard times hit

In this story first published earlier this year in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, families talk about the effects of skyrocketing food and gas prices on their budgets.

“Living in troubled times is giving teens a hard-knocks lesson in economics. Some kids in middle-income and working-class families are opting out of senior prom, class trips and travel tournaments,” wrote reporter Kathleen Kernicky. “Their parents, battered by rising food and gas prices, home foreclosures or job losses, don’t have the disposable dollars this year.”

According to the story, some families have no choice but to limit the number of activities for their children. Even teens who have summer jobs also struggle because their minimum-wage pay barely covers gas money.

How is the economy affecting your family and other families in the region?