More than half of Milwaukee residents have skipped social events due to money worries, according to a new survey, as inflation continues to impact discretionary spending.
"I'm trying to. I'm making an effort," said Camille Ross, who is trying to fit more free activities into her already strained budget. "I would like to go walk at the lakefront – which is free, you know, I'm kind of in that phase of life."
Ross isn't alone in seeking out no-cost alternatives like tonight's free Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra performance at Chill on the Hill. The free music series is one of the city's most anticipated summer events.
"Less concerts, kinda less movie dates and stuff like that," said Amir Bilal, describing his own cutbacks.
According to Northwestern Mutual's annual survey, 57% of Milwaukee residents say financial concerns have caused them to miss social events, higher than the national average.
“It breeds a lot of angst. And frustration. And it just starts to chip away at people,” said Matthew Grube, managing director at Northwestern Mutual.
The 2025 survey reveals that inflation is affecting people across all aspects of daily life, from groceries to gasoline. More than one-third (34%) of adults nationwide say they plan to reduce discretionary spending this year.
“I’m not saying you can’t spend money and have discretionary expenses, everybody should, that’s why we work. But without the clarity of a plan in place, it usually breeds that environment to feel guilty of spending the money socially, going out to dinner, whatever it may be,” Grube said.
Watch: Chef Feker sees changes in dining habits
Some, like newly retired couple Mark and Lee Mandernach, are weathering economic changes by sticking to long-established habits.
“We’ve always had a rule, we’ve been married 37 years, and we typically don’t go out during the week,” Mark Mandernach said.
As more people choose to stay home, local businesses are feeling the impact.
“People are very hesitant to go out,” said Chef Michael Feker, who has noticed the ripple effect at his restaurants.
“The cook doesn’t have as many hours as he used to because there are not enough customers, and the server goes home with less money in her pocket,” Feker said.
Despite facing his own rising costs, with meat prices up 30% and fish 30% to 40% higher, Feker refuses to pass those increases on to customers.
“I don’t need to gouge them to make up for the difference. I need to go to my purveyors and say, look guys, I’ve been with you for so many years, I’m giving you three accounts — this, this, this — this needs to make sense, otherwise my customers are not going to be there, your bills are not gonna get paid,” Feker said.
The chef recently added a lunch menu at his Il Mito restaurant in Delafield as part of his commitment to customers and the needs they’re voicing.
“A lot of restaurants talk about service. Service is a task, service is — here’s your water,” Feker said. “Hospitality is a feeling. If I make you feel hospitable and appreciated, you keep coming back. That is the love that I try to share.”
When asked if that was his secret, Feker laughed: “That’s the secret, yeah, that’s the secret. Oh my God, now it’s on camera, now it’s not a secret anymore," he said with a smile.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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