abc's jim avala shows how that's hurting economic recovery. >> americans already spend one out of five earned dollars on food and gasoline and now the surging cost to eat and drive is putting an even bigger hurt on the family budget. >> it's expensive. everything is expensesive. >> dorothy ward with a growing teenage boy at home in suburban los angeles spent $400 at the supermarket today. and that's with coupons and cutbacks. >> produce, i noticed, has gone up. like i went to go buy watermelon and it was like whoa! i'm not spending, you know, $20 on a watermelon. >> it's a double whammy. squeezed at the grocery store and on the way to it. gas prices up nearly 28% over the last year. food prices increased twice as much as all of last year. jumping the most, beef prices with a double digit increase. tomatoes also a huge spike. and coffee, that skyrocketing price of tomatoes even led to a string of thefts in florida. six entire tractor-trailer trucks stolen before they reached market. and outside charlotte, north carolina, gasoline thefts. the target -- rental trucks. their fuel lines cut

i'm jim avala for "nightline" in concord, alabama. >> thoughts and prayers go out to all the families of those lost and injured in the terrible storms. just ahead, the scene right before the wedding here in london. and the story of the royal bridegroom and the two women he has loved the most. the one he will marry, and the one who cannot be here to watch him walk down that aisle. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ introducing purina one beyond a new food for your cat or dog. if your racing thoughts keep you awake... sleep is here, on the wings of lunesta. and if you wake up often in the middle of the night... rest is here, on the wings of lunesta. lunesta helps you fall asleep and stay asleep, so you can wake up feeling rested. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcoho

jim avala shows how that's hurting economic recovery. >> americans already spend 1 out of 5 of theirm not spending, you know, $20 on a watermelon. >> it's a double whammy. squeezed at the grocery store and on the way to it. gas prices up nearly 28% over the last year. food prices increased twice as much as all of last year. jumping the most beef prices. a double digit increase. tomatoes also a huge spike and coffee. that skyrocketing price of tomatoes led to a string of thefts in florida. six entire trailer tractor trucks stolen before they reached market. outside of charlotte north carolina gasoline trucks. the target rental trucks. their fuel line cut and tanks drained. >> cost a little over $100 to fill each one of these trucks up with fuel. >> how desperate are the rest of us? this morning in seattle, washington, drivers lined up for hours to score free gasoline during a radio station giveaway. one man his car apparently bone dry, rode his bicycle to fill up gas cans. economist stuart hoffman says the one-two punch of gas and food price hikes pinches consumers and forces cutbacks