LOUISVILLE, Ky. —

With the federal government shutdown continuing, some households are making tougher choices about how they spend.

“People have to make tougher decisions, I think, even more than ever on how they're going to spend their money,” said Thomas Lambert, an applied economist at the University of Louisville.

Lambert says benefit lapses, missed paychecks, and broad uncertainty mean less money for everyday essentials for some families, and that the effects won’t stop there.

“That’s less spending at groceries and restaurants, less spending for clothes, less money to give to the landlord for rent,” he said. “And then that in turn has further ripple effects, because as these grocery stores and retailers see less business, they're going to have to cut back as well.”

Against a weak

See Full Page