{"id":32827,"date":"2026-06-23T12:55:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T10:55:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/?p=32827"},"modified":"2026-06-23T12:55:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T10:55:26","slug":"americans-find-new-ways-to-survive-higher-prices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2026\/06\/americans-find-new-ways-to-survive-higher-prices\/","title":{"rendered":"Americans Find New Ways to Survive Higher Prices"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong><em>B2 \u2014 Upper Intermediate<\/em><\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As tensions in Iran persist and inflation drives up expenses, ordinary Americans are trying to find strategies to help them cope with the growing cost of living. They are looking for creative ways to stretch their budgets.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some are cutting back on nonessential spending, shopping for discounts, using coupons, and seeking lower-cost alternatives for everyday needs. Others are taking on additional work or adjusting their lifestyles to better manage increasing expenses and maintain financial stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Watch the video and find out about how Americans are finding ways to manage higher costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Americans find new ways to survive higher prices: \u201cIt\u2019s crazy\u201d\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_H1CJal2IEc?wmode=transparent&amp;rel=0&amp;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Vocabulary Questions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What does \u201c<strong>to feel the hit<\/strong>\u201d mean? \u201c<em>Luckily, I have a co-teacher where we split everything, but I know she\u2019s <\/em><strong><em>feeling a hit<\/em><\/strong><em> herself and we\u2019ve already had conversations that we\u2019re going to have to take it easy.<\/em>\u201d Use the idiom in a sentence. Give a synonym.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What does \u201c<strong>to turn up the heat<\/strong>\u201d mean? \u201d<em>We\u2019ve told you how rising food prices are <strong>turning up the heat<\/strong> on restaurants. In Texas, beef is so expensive, now barbecue joints are losing money on brisket, a staple menu item.<\/em>\u201d Use the idiom in a sentence. Give a synonym.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What does \u201c<strong>to hold the line on something<\/strong>\u201d mean? \u201d<em>For now, he\u2019s <\/em><strong><em>holding the line on prices<\/em><\/strong><em>, ordering only what he needs<\/em>\u201d Use the idiom in a sentence. Give a synonym.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Discussion Questions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What are the biggest financial challenges people face when the cost of living increases?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How might continued increases in living costs affect people&#8217;s quality of life?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What strategies can individuals use to manage higher expenses effectively?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do you think taking on extra work is a sustainable solution to rising living costs? Why or why not?\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What role should governments play in helping citizens cope with inflation and rising prices?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Have you or someone you know changed spending habits because of higher prices? How?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>B2 \u2014 Upper Intermediate&nbsp; As tensions in Iran persist and inflation drives up expenses, ordinary Americans are trying to find strategies to help them cope with the growing cost of living. They are looking for creative ways to stretch their budgets.&nbsp; Some are cutting back on nonessential spending, shopping for discounts, using coupons, and seeking [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[291,125,292,290,14],"class_list":["post-32827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-homework","tag-b2-upper-intermediate","tag-economy","tag-first-certificate-fce","tag-listening","tag-video"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v16.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Americans Find New Ways to Survive Higher Prices | phone english blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2026\/06\/americans-find-new-ways-to-survive-higher-prices\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Americans Find New Ways to Survive Higher Prices | phone english blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"B2 \u2014 Upper Intermediate&nbsp; As tensions in Iran persist and inflation drives up expenses, ordinary Americans are trying to find strategies to help them cope with the growing cost of living. 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