To save money, Alex Diaz-Papkovich, a postdoctoral research associate and vice chair of the Brown Postdoc Labor Organization, has started bulk ordering his groceries. He and his partner are insulating their house to avoid heating costs, and they’re front-loading purchasing small appliances in case tariffs increase the costs of these items in the coming months.
Diaz-Papkovich is not alone in struggling with a cost-of-living crisis that has been ongoing for years. A report released by United Way Rhode Island last month showed that in 2024, nearly 43% of Rhode Island households were struggling to afford basic needs like rent, groceries and health care.
The study is based on the “asset-limited, income-constrained, employed,” or ALICE metric. The ALICE measure serves as an alternative to existing methods of measuring affordability, such as the federal poverty level, under which 13% of Rhode Island households were considered to be in poverty in 2024. ALICE households lie above the Federal Poverty Level but make less than what they need to afford necessities where they live, according to the report…