From driving less to buying in bulk and relying on government assistance — here's how rising prices are affecting families

• Prices are going up across the country, from gas to food.
• Parents are already faced with high costs when it comes to childcare or education.

I stand at the gas pump watching the numbers go up. No matter how hard I will the number to stop, it keeps climbing, and I wonder what I will need to give up this month to pay for the gas I have to put in my car just to get to work.

Parents around the US are feeling the pinch, spending hundreds of dollars more a month on basic living expenses, with rising prices on everything from gas to food. Gas prices have increased 54% in the past year, and food prices increased over 8% between March 2021 and March 2022. A few dollars at a time doesn't sound like it would have a big effect, but when you add it up, it's getting harder to make the numbers work.

In a society where parents already felt strapped financially with the high costs of things like housing and childcare, I wondered how were others coping with the rising costs?

Simply put: They're making changes.

Across the board, families are aware of the gas pump

Kim Mastriano-Guile, a mom of three teen boys, recognizes the challenge in reducing essential items like groceries. Saving on gas seems like the only variable, so she has cut back on driving.

"Gas prices definitely make you think twice before hopping in the car and going," Jennifer Caprio, a mom of five, told Insider. "My kids are concerned they won't be able to afford gas with their part-time jobs and still be able to save money, and I'm concerned I can't help them."

Families are making changes in driving habits by doing everything from biking or walking more to asking employers for hybrid work schedules so they can work from home a few days a week. Things like road trips, which are so popular in the summer, are getting cut back or eliminated.

Suzanne McDermott's family of four has always used driving as family time. It was their way to escape the day-to-day and spend time connecting with one another. With gas prices so high, she has become aware that her family drives are more expensive, but she's not willing to give them up because they are important to her. Instead, she's going for shorter local drives so she doesn't lose that time with her family.

Cutting back is the name of the game

Exploring creative ways to save money on the items we need can make a big difference. Using things like consignment shops and Facebook groups that offer free items people no longer want, families can save quite a bit. It all adds up. Sari Fordham remains hopeful, saying: "I hope we all can be creative about buying less, repairing more, and buying used."

Many families are making changes when it comes to their food choices. Whether it's being intentional about shopping for sale items at the store or shopping at bulk warehouse stores, families are looking for any way they can to save on food in light of rising costs.

"The increased prices of food have me looking weekly for the best deals and basing home-cooked meals around that," Amy Albe, who has a family of four, said.

Resources people did not need in the past, such as community food pantries and government-assistance programs, have become essential to parents feeding their families.

Alicia G, who asked that we use only her last name's initial to protect the privacy of her four children, said her husband's hours were cut drastically at work. While he's looking for new jobs, looking out of the area is cost-prohibitive because of gas prices.

"We have had to cut back on everything, even though we were already scraping bottom," she said. "We've had to go to the food pantry more than once now."

More work feels like the only way to bridge the gap

For some families, supplementing their income with additional work feels like the only solution. Some parents find themselves taking on a second and, sometimes even third, job to have the income to offset rising prices on things they need. Even this can feel limited because rising gas prices make it prohibitive to look for work outside the immediate area.

Robert Auger, a self-employed truck driver with a family of four, is working 13-hour days and picking up shift work with the local fire department to compensate for additional fuel charges required to do his job, he said.

As parents do everything they can to provide for their families despite rising costs all around them, one thing many families can relate to is the feeling of helplessness as they face unprecedented price increases.

"Honestly, I'm completely exhausted and have no idea what else to eliminate," Alicia G. said. And she isn't the only one.