According to a nation-wide survey of more than 4,400 workers by CareerBuilder, nearly eight in ten workers (nearly 80%) report they are living paycheck to paycheck. And one in five say they have missed payments on their bills.
The nearly 80-percent is a significant increase from last year's number when just 23-percent of Americans were living paycheck to paycheck.
As Cathedral City mom, Aurora Vega, headed to the grocery store, she told us how the recession has forced her to change her spending habits.
"I uses coupons, I never used coupons before...When I go grocery shopping, I look for the cheaper brands whereas before I just grabbed whatever I needed," Vega said.
Vega was laid off recently and says she's been making cutbacks in every area.
"We have three children all together so we're living on just my husband's pay check right now," Vega said. And right now that paycheck is about $200 a week.
To help ride out the economic downturn, the vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder offers these tips: cut back where you can, set aside savings, and maximize your benefits at work.
KPSP Local 2's Mobile Journalists Arti Nehru and Kurt Beabes have more in this video report.
