Millions Of Americans Taking On Credit Card Debt To Pay For Groceries 

It’s truly absurd that we’re nearly two years into President Donald Trump’s second term and he’s done absolutely nothing to address affordability. In fact, it appears the affordability crisis has only worsened over the last couple of years. As a result of rising food prices, millions of Americans have taken on credit card debt to simply afford groceries. 

CBS News reports that research from the nonpartisan think tank, Urban Institute, found that 34.9% of adults who used a credit card to pay for groceries say they paid their credit card bill in full, 19.6% said they made their minimum payment, and 8.7% said they struggled to make their minimum payment. 

That means one in four adults has taken on debt to feed their family and is facing repayment challenges. 

“What it means is that there are millions more people, when we look at the overall population of Americans, who are struggling to make that minimum payment when they’re putting groceries on their credit card,” Kassandra Martinchek, a co-author of the study and public policy expert at the Urban Institute, told CBS News. “And that feels meaningful because that financial pressure is affecting a lot of different families.” 

The study also found that one in 10 adults used a buy now, pay later service to pay for groceries, with one in 3 of those folks missing at least one payment. 

Realizing that people actually have to use buy-now, pay-later services to afford groceries is honestly one of the most depressing things I’ve read this week. It’s not like we’re talking about people who are financially irresponsible or don’t work. These are working-class people whose wages simply aren’t keeping up with inflation. 

Trump ran a campaign on bringing costs down, but many of the moves he’s made since taking office have only exacerbated the affordability crisis. Inflation was already high when Trump started the misguided war with Iran, and the conflict only worsened it. The prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz led to higher prices for fuel and basic goods. 

It also doesn’t help that these increases came after Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” which placed new restrictions on SNAP benefits that led to over 3.5 million people being booted from the program. 

“Families still need to eat. They will still need to pay for their basic needs,” Martinchek told CBS News. “Now they have the additional burden of also needing to repay debt — it could constrain their ability to meet their basic needs in the future and get back on their financial feet.” 

If there’s any good news I can try to extract from this, it is that if you’re one of the folks who use credit cards or buy now, pay later options for groceries, you’re very much not alone in this situation. You shouldn’t feel any ounce of shame for doing what you have to do to make sure food is on the table for your family. These are hard times for damn near everyone who isn’t part of the 1%, and we’re in the throes of an administration that’s completely indifferent to the issue. 

SEE ALSO:

Poll Finds Nearly Half Of Americans Struggle To Afford Basic Needs

Nearly Half Of Americans Say They’re Financially Worse Off Than A Year Ago