Bobbi Rebell, CFP® and Chief Financial Education Advisor at Accredited Debt Relief, joined NewsNation’s Morning in America to explain what’s pushing grocery bills higher this year, and share practical ways to bring the total down.
Watch the full segment:
Editor’s Note: Bobbi is introduced in this segment as a CFA. She holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification and is a Certified Financial Therapist™.
Why Grocery Prices Keep Rising
The short answer: it costs more to move food than it used to. Rebell pointed to transportation as one of the biggest hidden pressures on the grocery bill. Diesel and fuel costs ripple through the supply chain, and that includes every delivery between the farm and your cart.
The USDA’s 2026 Food Price Outlook projects grocery prices up about 2.5% this year, but that average hides wide variation:
- Beef and veal: up roughly 9.8%
- Fresh vegetables: up about 6%
- Eggs: falling sharply, as flocks recover and production stabilizes
Eggs have been one of the most volatile grocery categories in recent years. “A little good news at least,” as Rebell put it.
6 Ways to Lower Your Grocery Bill
You can’t control fuel costs or cattle supply. You can control what happens between your kitchen and the checkout line, and Rebell has six tips that can help.
- Shop your own kitchen first. Check the pantry, fridge, and freezer before you make a list. Most food waste isn’t careless. It’s just forgotten.
- Plan the week, not the trip. Mapping out what you’ll actually eat is the easiest way to stop buying duplicates.
- Pick one store and lean in. Chasing deals across three stores used to make sense. With fuel prices where they are, the savings can get eaten by the gas. Find the store that covers most of your list, then use its app and loyalty pricing.
- Cook around shared ingredients. A spice you’ll use once is money sitting in a cabinet. Build a week around ingredients that carry across several meals.
- Try farmers markets and “seconds” produce. Bruised or oddly shaped fruit is usually discounted and tastes the same, especially chopped into lunches.
- If you’re charging groceries, be smart about rewards. A rewards card beats no rewards, as long as you’re paying the balance in full. Rewards don’t come close to offsetting interest if a balance carries month to month.
New Data Shows Rising Grocery Prices End Up on Credit Cards
Groceries have quietly become one of the most common reasons credit card balances grow.
In Accredited Debt Relief’s 2026 Everyday Debt Survey, 66% of adults carrying at least $10,000 in unsecured debt used a credit card to cover groceries in the past year, more than any other everyday expense.
It cuts both ways. In that same survey, 45% said they’d cut back on groceries and household essentials to keep up with debt payments, the most common sacrifice reported.
That’s a loop that’s easy to fall into and hard to notice from the inside: the card covers the grocery bill when the paycheck falls short, then the grocery budget gets cut to cover the card. Sacrifices like this can take both an emotional and financial toll.
What to Do if the Balance Keeps Growing
Smarter shopping helps. But if the balance climbs anyway, interest outpaces anything you save at the store, it might be time to explore other options. Balance transfers, consolidation loans, and debt relief programs all work differently depending on your credit, your balances, and your income.
Debt relief programs like the ones Accredited Debt Relief offers work with unsecured debts — credit cards, medical bills, and personal loans. They don’t apply to mortgages, auto loans, federal student loans, or taxes. Depending on your situation, a program could lower what you pay each month, though outcomes and timelines vary and results aren’t guaranteed.
If grocery bills have been landing on a credit card you can’t clear, talk with a debt relief specialist for a free, no-obligation look at your options.
About Accredited Debt Relief
Accredited Debt Relief is a leading debt consolidation company that has helped more than 1.3 million clients take meaningful steps toward getting out of debt. Over the course of its work, the company has supported clients in resolving more than $15 billion in debt.
Accredited Debt Relief is recognized for its client-first approach, earning multiple ConsumerAffairs Buyer’s Choice Awards for Customer Service, Overall Process and Best Value. The company also maintains an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, accreditation from the Association for Consumer Debt Relief (ACDR) and an Excellent Trustpilot rating supported by thousands of five-star reviews.
The information on this site is provided as a general resource and does not constitute legal or financial advice.