What is it like to reach the end of the month with inflation that rises more each month?

PROFILE came out to put a face to the 8.4% inflation in April. He collected the testimonies of a typical family that does not pay rent, a retiree who continues to be the breadwinner, and a young man who became independent and faces the monthly rent. They all put their bodies to the constant rise in food and housing prices. His words reflect what happens in many homes every day. They tell of their juggling to live and the tricks they resort to in order to make ends meet and support their families, without falling into poverty.

Paola Sancio (40). She has a family made up of four members, two adults, a child and an adolescent. They have their own house.

“Today it is complex to carry out a routine without changing based on current inflation. It can happen when you have to renew your family footwear, or even worse, your coat (which in these cold days that are coming make us rethink about the faded sweatshirt or the short jacket, especially when we have children). As for meals, we skip dinner itself, because by starting very early and returning late, which entails a lunch, it ends up joining a kind of “snack-dinner” that lasts until the next awakening.

No more monthly purchases. The fortnightly manner was also reduced, today the purchase is weekly, trying to find an occasional offer. We buy some extra items (in case the business on duty allows you, because there are also restrictions to buy things like oil, which are sometimes offered, two per family)”.

Valerio Bertolot (73). joy. He has his own house, lives with his wife and his daughter.

“Inflation doesn’t allow us to eat well, pay taxes, and makes us sick, because we can’t buy all the medicines we need. The cleaning items are made by my wife based on vinegar, bicarbonate, because these products increase a lot every day.

The bonus is a day of shopping full of cheap products. The washing machine broke, with the bonus I can’t buy it.

We can plan purchases very little. We buy all the cheapest products.”

Geronimo Bazan Pereyra (26). He lives alone, works in his house, pays rent.

“For now, I am keeping inflation in check, because the company where I work gives us an increase at the beginning of the year in line with inflation. But I had to spend a lot to refurbish the house where I rent, and the prices of materials and services have gone up a lot. I buy and cook a lot, sometimes I buy food depending on the weather, generally twice a week. Lately the prices of food have been increasing, I calculate that about $200 every two weeks.

I work from home, because we have a remote modality, and in services such as internet and electricity I also have big increases every month”.