Following Tuesday's stock market plummet, we wanted to see how families on the Central Coast are feeling the impacts of inflation.
Those we spoke with say high prices for gas, food and services have them rethinking their expenses. But unlike the massive unloading of investments that was seen around the country Tuesday, Santa Maria resident Debby Jordan says she is holding tight to investments for now.
"I am in there for the long-term to stay put while it is going crazy like this," Jordan told KSBY. "If I needed all that money or if I needed a large income out of there, I would really be freaking out because it is going crazy."
Others have found themselves cutting back on their expenses to make ends meet.
"Things that we normally do we don’t do no more. We are staying home more often. Gas prices are really high. We try to research where is the cheapest place to shop. Coupons, you name it, we are doing the whole works," admitted Guadalupe resident Rosemarie Barba.
"We are going over our budget very carefully now. [We] very recently started doing that on a monthly basis now," added shopper Susan Sherwood.
"Everything from clothes, food, gas obviously is a big one," said Santa Maria dad Gilbert Monteil. "But the thing I am noticing is there is not a lot of increases in wages and stuff."
Rosemarie Barba has also been left wondering if lingering impacts of the pandemic have contributed to the problem.
"I think after COVID, everyone is trying to make up what they lost during COVID, so I think that is why prices are going up," she said. "They have to give us a break somewhere."
Some are still optimistic that positive change will be coming soon.
"I am hopeful that it will get better," Sherwood remarked.
"I am hoping so, I am hoping so," Monteil added.
A day after the stock market's biggest one-day drop in more than two years, investors found a bit of relief as the NASDAQ rose a modest .74% Wednesday to over 11,700.
Still, most shoppers we spoke with say they won't be reassured until they see price tags begin trickling down.
The top performers in the NASDAQ Wednesday included Tesla, Apple and Moderna which rose more than 6%.
