Rising rent and grocery bills are making life harder for everyone from teachers to gig workers and small business owners.

Dallas, United States – Melinda, a teacher at a Dallas high school, has an easy way to predict if her students will have a good day.

“If they show up and they’ve had breakfast, it’s a really good day,” said Melinda, who has worked as a Texas teacher for 13 years. Her students showing up fed, she added, “is rarer than you think”.

To help, Melinda spent about $45 per week on breakfast items and snacks during the last school year. While such practices are common among US teachers, she asked Al Jazeera not to use her real name. However, rising prices for groceries and school supplies may force her to stop, especially since Texas teachers’ salaries are not keeping up with inflation.

When Melinda went to the store in late August, the same items now cost her $56 per week. That means, over the course of a school year, she could spend $400 more for the food her students rely on.

“I’m trying to work out how to keep that in my budget, because prices are just crazy, and I like to keep it to where it’s [available to all students] so people aren’t singled out.”

Melinda’s worries are just one example of a broader problem brewing in the United States. After the administration of US President Donald Trump issued an onslaught of tariffs on countries arou