Utilities and groceries at the one market in town also have risen 10 to 15 percent a year since the recession hit.
"And when you feed a teenage boy, you're automatically at a different level," Tracey says.
Other things, however, have had to go by the wayside.
The last family vacation — the only week away together Tracey can remember in years — was a trip to Disney World in 2009. But those trips are no more.
Now they rent a video and have a family night, or the kids go to their grandparents' farm for a "getaway."
This isn't all bad, Tracey says. Their kids are learning to value what they have. "They don't seem unhappy or deprived and they certainly know how much they're loved," she says.
But that doesn't stop the worries.
Even working 65 to 75 hours a week, Mike is bringing in less than he did last year. They have little saved for their children's college.
But they hold on to hopes, if not for themselves, then at least for their kids.
"I think it will get better," Mike says. "It's just going to take time."
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Associated Press writers Vicki Smith in Fairmont, W.Va., Martha Irvine in Chicago and Joyce Rosenberg in New York contributed to this report. Adam Geller, a New York-based national writer, can be reached at features(at)ap.org. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/AdGeller
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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