She's 30 and has never seen inflation this high. Her mom remembers when it was worse

https://www.npr.org/2022/02/10/ [login to see] /january-inflation-consumer-prices-cpi-economy-federal-reserve
Jeanette Vecchio is 30, and everywhere she goes, she's feeling the pinch of something she hasn't experienced before in her life: high inflation.

The latest reminder came when she went to her favorite corner restaurant in Chicago where she loves the bread and butter.

"They're now charging for bread and butter," she says. "I was so devastated by it. But it's just another example of an increase across the board."

From restaurant meals to apartment rents, consumer prices have been climbing at the fastest pace in 40 years, meaning younger adults are witnessing the highest inflation of their lifetimes.

On Thursday, the Labor Department will report how much prices climbed in January. The annual increase is expected to exceed December's inflation rate of 7.1%.

For Vecchio, high inflation is affecting not only personal decisions — like when and where to shop for a house — but also her job.

Vecchio is a project manager at Chicago Metal Rolled Products, a company that's been in her family for four generations.