Even a family with ties to one of America's biggest tech companies says it can no longer make the numbers work.Faced with rising costs for groceries, gas, insurance and housing, a Seattle-area family is selling their home and downsizing as inflation continues to strain household budgets."The last year has definitely been an absolute tightening up of what we’re spending on," Liesl Gatcheco told The Seattle Times in an article by business reporter Jessica Fu published Tuesday."It’s very stressful," Gatcheco said.
"I feel like I’ve been living emotionally in survival mode."LIZ PEEK: DEMOCRATS’ AFFORDABILITY SCAM COLLAPSES IN STATES THEY ACTUALLY RUNHomes for sale in the West Seattle neighborhood on Tuesday, June 18, 2024.The National Association of Realtors is scheduled to release existing homes sales figures on June 21.
(David Ryder/Bloomberg via Getty Images)Fu wrote that inflation in the Seattle area "remained high" in June and continued to outpace the rest of the country.Consumer prices in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue region rose 4.5% over the past year, down from 4.9% in April but still higher than the U.S.
inflation rate of 3.5%.Gatcheco is a self-employed esthetician, whose income "has gone down as fewer clients make bookings," according to The Seattle Times.Her husband works at Microsoft.FURY ERUPTS AS US BRAND FIRES 1,600 EMPLOYEES AFTER SECURING THOUSANDS OF FOREIGN WORKER VISASThe cost of living in Seattle is causing some residents to move out of the expensive city.(Reuters/Chris Helgren)"That used to mean stability and even upward mobility," Fu wrote.
"Now, he’s constantly worried about layoffs.Just last week, the company cut 4,800 workers in its Xbox division and sales teams; in 2025, it laid off 15,000 employees.
This year, the tech giant also offered voluntary buyouts to 7% U.S.-based employees."Gatcheco said, "Working in tech used to be a sure thing, and it’s absolutely not anymore."Gatcheco and her husband, who have twins, said they are...