Inflation Angst Causes Dramatic Shift In Spending And Savings Habits With inflation reaching historic highs and no immediate relief to the financial pain in sight, American consumers have abruptly changed their spending and saving habits, according to a pair of newly published data surveys. On The Spending Front: According to a nationwide survey from Provident Bank , an Iselin, New Jersey-based subsidiary of Provident Financial Services Inc. (NYSE: PFS ): 10.5% of respondents acknowledging they eliminated all non-essential purchases. More than 71.67% say they have made at least some changes to personal travel habits. In terms of product purchases, 53.3% of respondents said they now spend between $101 and $500 more per month on groceries. 32% of drivers are now spending between $101 and $250 more per month on gasoline. 13.5% reporting a monthly increase in fuel costs between $251 and $500. To save money, many of the respondents are concentrating their shopping trips at discount stores, switching to generic or store brand items and … Full story available on Benzinga.