Americans are filming their own breaking point, and nothing is affordable anymore. A thirty-dollar roast at Aldi. One bag of groceries that rings up at $91. Fifteen people turned their cameras on and did the math out loud, a man working 41 hours at his first job who still DoorDashes at night, a woman who stopped eating dinner so her partner could take lunch to work, a mother cooking on a mini griddle in a hotel room. In this video we look at what the cost of living crisis actually looks like from the inside, why working Americans can no longer cover rent, groceries and gas, and what it means when the paycheck arrives and still does not reach. Comment your thoughts below.
August 14, 2026 — US consumer sentiment deteriorates in August
https://www.reuters.com/business/us-consumer-sentiment-deteriorates-august-2026-08-14/
Consumer sentiment fell from 55.2 to 51.0, while one-year inflation expectations climbed to 4.3%. The biggest deterioration was among lower-income consumers and people without college degrees.
August 13, 2026 — Wholesale price inflation slows last month as gas, food costs fall
https://apnews.com/article/f9bf278f4550a956b1f350722817371d
Wholesale inflation cooled, but consumer prices have still been rising faster than wages for four straight months, putting continued pressure on rent, utilities and other necessities.
August 12, 2026 — US consumer inflation mild in July, economy still not out of the woods
https://www.reuters.com/business/us-consumer-prices-increase-expected-july-2026-08-12/
Inflation was still 3.4% year over year in July, while inflation-adjusted wages fell 0.2% from a year earlier. So even with inflation cooling, purchasing power is still going backwards.
August 12, 2026 — US credit card debt climbs to $1.26tn, nearing last year’s record high
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/aug/12/credit-card-debt-increase-fed-report
Credit-card balances jumped $21 billion in one quarter to $1.26 trillion, while the share of credit-card debt more than 90 days delinquent reached 12.8%, up from 7.6% in late 2022.
August 2026 — Behind High Credit-Card Delinquencies: Stale, Charged-Off Loans
The latest credit data shows delinquency readings remain unusually high, particularly among lower-income and younger borrowers, even though there is debate over how much older charged-off debt is inflating the headline numbers.
August 2026 — Retail Sales Fell Last Month
https://www.wsj.com/economy/consumers/retail-sales-fell-last-month-78fdf39a
July retail sales fell 0.6% to $763.6 billion, while Bank of America data showed household credit and debit-card spending growth slowing to 5% year over year, from 6.3% in June.