OPINION — Summer in Surprise is sweltering, with temperatures routinely exceeding 100 degrees. Like every household in the state, my husband and I must run our air conditioner to stay cool. He is 83, I am 70, and we are both retired.
We played by the rules, lived within our means and saved carefully to retire in Arizona, which was once known for affordable living. Yet, it feels harder and harder to make ends meet.
The costs of basic necessities — food, gas, water and insurance — have grown to be astronomically expensive while our fixed income stays about the same. The value of our retirement is shrinking.
