Remember when milk was $2.99 a gallon? Now, it’s $5. What was supposed to be a weekly grocery trip ended up with a $200 receipt and an empty wallet. As you look down in your cart, you wonder why a few items cost so much. California is known for its luxurious lifestyle, but for many it’s becoming an expensive place to live. Prices are increasing by a ridiculous amount and items are becoming less affordable by the second.

California has become one of the most expensive places to live due to the ongoing increase of inflation rates. People have to constantly deal with the overwhelming stress of determining whether they have enough to make ends meet.

Minimum wage isn’t enough for a person to provide for themselves or their family financially. Housing utilities, like rent and bills, have outrageously increased, which has resulted in families not being able to afford a roof over their heads.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition has ranked California as the most unaffordable state when it comes to housing. The estimated cost of living ranges from 47% to 75%, which is more than the national average.

Items like groceries, utilities and transportation have increased 28% from the national average. RentCafe’s Estimate, an app used to calculate and compare the cost of living in an area, has put the cost of living in California at 42% more expensive than nationwide.

Saula Martinez, a mother of three daughters, has expressed concern regarding the phenomenon of inflation in California.

“All these economic factors significantly affect the health of parents who see how day after day things for daily consumption are increasingly more expensive and the impossibility of providing a decent life for their families,” Martinez said.

Martinez has noticed the expenses on daily use products at home have become more expensive, especially as a mother of young girls.

“Another havoc caused by inflation in this state is on a mental, psychological and health level, creating constant anxiety and worry about knowing if next month we will have a job, and consequently income to continue supporting our families,” Martinez said.

Parents all throughout the state are overwhelmed with feelings of distress caused by the rise of the inflation rates. Baldomero Zavala is one of these parents whose main goal is to keep his family financially stable.

“As inflation is increasing, people stress themselves more because the amount of money a person earns isn’t enough to pay bills, food, rent and basic necessities,” Zavala said.

Families are struggling economically because of the increase of inflation rates.

“The average income is very low compared to the price increase of clothing and shoes, which doesn’t make it any easier for families who are struggling financially,” Zavala said.

In the past, civilians have raised concerns about inflation; the government responded with a promise that was eventually broken. California isn’t the only state struggling to control inflation, but it seems to be a lost battle due to the greed of large corporations and society itself. The survival method of the people struggling monetarily is to work in a society where the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.