Apr 10, 2026
Soaring gas prices — and inflation in general — are straining the lives of many Massachusetts residents, forcing them to make tough choices on things they might have previously taken for granted, such as visiting a relative, buying a bouquet of flowers for a loved one, or even eating a meal.
The spike has worsened what it’s like to live during the state’s ongoing cost-of-living crisis, especially for those who already live on the margins, some said.
“When you look at the rising prices of food, it’s too high,” said Abigail Fosuaa, a nursing assistant and mother of four from Bedford outside the Market Basket in Chelsea. “The pay rate in Massachusetts has not gone up.”
Rent, utilities, and groceries have all climbed at once, she said. Spending roughly $4,000 a month in housing costs has left her little room for anything else. Fosuaa makes $25 an hour, and she has been forced to work more hours to pay the bills.
“I have to overwork myself and work 80 hours or even more before I can put food on the table for my kids,” she said. “Sometimes I get so exhausted that when I get home and my kids are smiling at me, I can’t even smile.”
…
The daily struggle for households to cover their necessities is stifling their ability to get on more stable economic footing, said Sharon Scott-Chandler, president and CEO of Action for Boston Community Development.
“They’re not able to put any savings — they are going into debt, they are losing housing,“ Scott-Chandler said. ”They’re really juggling to stay alive and stay afloat.”
Jeanette Cutts, 61, a self-employed minister, lives in Dorchester with her husband and 21-year-old granddaughter. On a good year, she said, they make about $40,000. Cutts also gets a monthly stipend for being the primary caregiver for her elderly father, who is in his 80s.
Things are tough right now — gas is expensive, electricity costs are elevated, and jobs are difficult to find.
“We’re conserving things. We don’t leave lights on, we don’t leave heat on, and all those other good things. We try to live … within our means and below our means,” Cutts said in a phone interview. “Now it’s like you have to come down even further. Now it’s one meal a day. … So, where do you go from there, no meals a day?”
Read more at The Boston Globe.