Our fridges are still stocked, and no one enjoys a meal out more than an American. Problem is, the fridge is on credit, and both parents have to work to pay the grocery bill. Plus, living paycheck to paycheck means that any unforeseen expense (i.e. a busted transmission) gobble up your grocery money.
This isn't everyone. But there's a growing number of people who've fallen behind the "paycheck to paycheck" cycle - hence, the booming business of "title for cash" shops. I travel a good deal in my profession, and I see whole swaths of cities turning into pawn shops, dollar stores, and title for cash shops. The symptoms of a populace in the red.