One step forward, two steps back, Aliesha says.
Aliesha Miley, 26, and her fiancé, Chris Myers, 22, moved to Tyrone to get out from under the weight of ever-increasing expenses.
Aliesha is a college student, studying applied behavioral analysis. She attends classes online and works full-time. She was working at Lowe’s in Altoona before transitioning to a remote job, but she says school at home and work at home led her to an almost suicidal state.
When the young couple first moved in together, they found an apartment in Newville, just outside of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, but they were barely making ends meet. They had rent to pay, bills piling high, and a car they couldn’t afford to fix. Eventually, they took out loans to pay off their bills, and in 2021 they moved the 80 miles to Tyrone, where they could live with Aliesha’s best friend.
Together, they figure out how to make ends meet with their wages and some government assistance.
Aliesha now works at Goodwill on Pennsylvania Avenue in Tyrone.
Once she graduates with her bachelor’s degree, Aliesha plans to get her master’s in counseling specializing in trauma therapy and uncommon mental disorders, but the biggest thing on her mind is being able to balance it all with the burden of living paycheck-to-paycheck.
The town they once moved to for its affordability is starting to feel out of reach, as well. The cost of utilities and groceries have been climbing.
The three roommates have been traveling two-and-a-half hours to shop at a discount grocery store, where they say they can get double the groceries for the same price as they’d spend at the one grocery store in town.
Aliesha and Chris finally paid off the loans. But every bill she pays has now doubled.
She is still living with her best friend.
They are still using one car.
And they still have $0 in savings.
Read the rest of the profiles of Tyrone area residents Navigating Inflation.
