More and more American households are doing the same uncomfortable math every week: $70 to fill the gas tank, $160 for just two bags of groceries. That squeeze helps explain a growing trend: public school teachers working second jobs just to keep up, because the classroom salary alone no longer stretches far enough.

A recent survey suggests teachers working second jobs has become the norm rather than the exception. According to the annual Walton Family Foundation-Gallup "Teaching for Tomorrow" report released in March, 71% of K-12 public school teachers said they work at least one second job, and 21% said they were struggling financially.

Christine Regal, a 54-year-old second-grade teacher at Barlow Elementary School in Plainfield, New Jersey, is one of them. She has taught for 26 years and says she chose the profession out of love for the work.

"I just love working with kids," Regal told CBS News. "I love the kids. I mean, I've been teaching for 26 years, and I still remain in contact with a lot of them."

To keep up with her bills, she layers several jobs on top of her teaching salary. She handles breakfast and lunch duty at her school, tutors students after class, and works part-time at the Cheesecake Factory.

Everyday Costs Add Up

The financial pressure Regal describes tracks with a broader rise in prices. On Wednesday, the Labor Department reported that the Consumer Price Index rose in May at an annual rate of 4.2%, the highest inflation rate since April 2023. For households, that translates into steeper costs for the basics, from groceries to gas.

"I'm getting hit everywhere," Regal said. "Just this past weekend, it cost me $70 to put gas in my car. Last night, I went grocery shopping, two bags of groceries, $160. That's where I'm getting hit."

The squeeze does not ease when school lets out. Regal says she will keep waitressing through the summer for extra cash. She also sets money aside for classroom supplies, spending up to $1,500 a year of her own money to stock her room.

She shares some of that burden with a colleague, but says the cost is straining both of them.

"Luckily, I have a co-teacher where we split everything, but I know she's feeling a hit herself and we've already had conversations, like, we're going to have to probably take it easy, especially with her, because she just has a new baby," Regal said.

Regal, who is single, says she will "probably" retire at age 60 and is trying to save what she can in the meantime.

"I'm going to just keep hustling and just keep putting money away, and then pray that when I hit 60, that things will be a lot different," she said.