How are citizens going to survive with such rising prices for everyday goods and services?
The Senior Citizens League (TSCL), one of the largest nonpartisan senior citizens advocacy groups, currently has a petition to garner support and attention for an emergency $1,400 stimulus check to cope with unprecedented inflation.
TSCL is a group that advocates for senior citizen benefits like increased Social Security and Medicare benefits.
Most recently, they’ve called for an increase of 6% to the Cost Of Living Adjustment in monthly Social Security benefits, arguing that the rise in inflation made current fixed income benefits unsustainable.
The petition reads:
“I (and/or my spouse) want Social Security recipients to receive a $1,400.00 emergency stimulus check to cope during this unprecedented inflationary year. Social Security benefits are one of the few types of income in retirement adjusted for inflation.”
Read more: Increasing Inflation Puts Heavy Burden on Consumers Right Before Holiday Season!
The group plans to use responses from this petition to help urge Congress to give additional payments.
The payments will be seen as a way to supplement money lost during the pandemic to inflation, as Social Security benefit checks decreased in value as inflation kept surging.
Read more: Stimulus Check Update: $1,400 for Seniors and $600 for Grocery Store Workers
USA TODAY reports that food prices overall rose 4.6% since September 2020, according to data released Wednesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Consumer Price Index, which measures the average change paid by consumers for goods and services, rose 5.4% from a year ago, up slightly from August’s 5.3% gain. This pushed annual inflation back to the highest increase in 13 years.
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs had the highest increased with a combined 10.5% increase.
Read more: $310M SNAP Benefits to be Provided by Health and Human Services
The Food Industry Association, even with the increases in the price of groceries, the average household spending has held steady at $143 per week, which is down from the $161 at the height of the pandemic in March and April of 2020.
Experts say citizens can cut down on grocery spending costs by buying in bulk and stocking up on products and using cashback apps and making the most of rewards programs.
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