Inflation surges. These ‘FIRE’ adherents are escaping the flames.

In March, when the inflation rate hit a 40-year high, Kim Massale didn’t fret about rising prices for food or other goods. She and her husband, John, had already cut back on unnecessary spending on Amazon.com and elsewhere. Instead, they socked away $30,000 into a retirement fund. 

The day before he quit his lucrative aerospace job last week, Ryan and his wife bought a new Subaru Ascent after years of making do with one vehicle. “That’s probably the only thing so far inflation-wise that’s really adjusted our lifestyle and decision making,” says Ryan, who declined to have his last name published for privacy reasons.

Rising prices and looming fears of a recession have caused legions of consumers to worry about the future and pull in their horns. Security is at stake even among Americans earning $100,000 or more, two-thirds of whom say they are “very concerned” about inflation, according to a Morning Consult/CNBC poll conducted