YORK COUNTY, Pa. — The U.S. has reached yet another record-high inflation mark with the Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting a jump of 8.5% in the last year.
It's an increase experts say the nation hasn't seen in more than 40 years, impacting the cost of necessities like food, fuel and shelter.
"We have a pandemic and a war which is a shock to the economy, and the economy is not able to adjust to that shock – at least not in the short term," said Yeva Nersisyan, an associate professor of economics at Franklin & Marshall College.
The rise in costs may have people looking for other alternatives to save. When it comes to food, greenhouse managers say they've already seen people making a switch.
"They have definitely been stocking up on their veggies and their herbs so that they can soon plant them in the ground once it does get past that like frozen, freezing rate," said Kayla Petrucci, a manager for Hueter's Greenhouses.
Petrucci says the back and forth to the grocery store may be stressful for folks with an increase in food prices. Some residents say heading to the greenhouse to grow some fresh produce may be beneficial to both finances and quality.
"I need some more herbs from a place where I can trust that they're grown safely rather than going to a big box store," said Sue Burg of East York. "We do have to be concerned about prices, but I'm willing to put whatever it takes to get a quality herb because I'm going to be eating that and I'm feeding that to my family."
As locals continue to find ways to adjust to higher costs, economic experts say it’s still unknown when prices will take a dip.
“Now with the war in Ukraine, it’s like all bets are off," said Nersisyan. "We don’t really know how long this is going to last, [or] what the impacts are going to be for us because we don’t necessarily feel the impacts directly."