Household budgets were already tight. Then came inflation.

Abby Walter said she started noticing her grocery bill creeping up earlier this year. Prior to January, the Maryland resident had typically spent about $75 a week on groceries. Now her bill is averaging about $150 or even more. 

Some of that increase is likely due to a change in where Walter shops for groceries. Because of a move, she and her partner stopped shopping at a discount market near their previous home. Even so, she's noticed that prices are just generally creeping up — and up and up. Produce, eggs, meat and bread all cost more than they used to, Walter said. That's causing them to rethink their budget. "It means that we can't buy a lot of the more fun things that we want," Walter, a 29-year-old wildlife biologist, said. "We probably won't be traveling as much, we probably won't buy clothes even though we'll be going back to the office soon."