Finances FYI Presented by JPMorgan Chase
If it feels like groceries are more expensive than ever and your wallet is draining even faster, you’re not alone. In a 2025 Axios survey, 47% of U.S. respondents said it is harder to afford groceries than a year ago.
Food isn’t the only item where people are feeling the financial squeeze. Gasoline, energy, and subscription prices are rising, too. In fact, the consumer price index (CPI) for all items rose by 3% over the 12 months leading up to September 2025.
What can you do to combat rising prices and survive the obvious affordability crisis? Following these practical strategies can help.
Grappling with Grocery Price Increases
Food is a basic human necessity. It’s essential to survive, but grocery prices have risen 29% since February 2020.
First, supply chain shortages drove prices up during the pandemic, and more recently, tariffs are prompting price hikes on imported items like bananas and coffee. For many consumers, hunting and finding affordable groceries is a challenge.
As prices rise, people must dig deeper into their wallets to cover their grocery bill. If you swore that loaf of bread cost less on your last grocery trip, you’re probably right. Most price increases are small and incremental, but they’re a reality.
Here are some practical strategies to combat high food prices:
- Plan your meals for a week before heading to the grocery store.
- Make a list and stick to it as you wind through the grocery aisles, knowing that you’re on a money-saving mission.
- Buy in bulk when you can for items like rice, beans, oats, and pasta.
- Utilize deals, discounts, coupons, and rewards points, and wait for sales and specials before shopping.
- Buy generic instead of name-brand foods.
- Pay cash for groceries instead of racking up interest charges using credit cards.
- Don’t buy disposable items like paper plates, cups, and napkins. Choose reusable alternatives.
- Don’t buy bottled water. Use a water filter on your faucet and fill a reusable water tumbler.
- Eat before going to the store to avoid hunger-driven impulse buys.
How to Fight Rising Fuel Costs
Gas prices fluctuate and have recently decreased, depending on where you live. Overall, gas prices remain high due to higher oil prices. Some ways to keep more money in your wallet and less in your gas tank include:
- Sign up for rewards programs that offer savings at the gas pump, whether they come from the gas station, grocery store, or a retailer like Costco.
- Use apps like GasBuddy and Fuel Finder to get real-time pump prices.
- Ride share, take public transport, and bundle errands and appointments to log fewer gas-burning miles on the road.
- Drive a hybrid vehicle.
- Work or attend school remotely when possible.
- Perform regular maintenance, including oil changes, to improve your vehicle’s fuel efficiency.
Ways to Save Energy and Lower Utility Bills
Inflation caused electricity prices to rise by 36% and gas service prices to rise by 52% from April 2019 to April 2025. There are many ways to save energy and lower your utility bills, including:
- Turn off the lights when you leave the room.
- Run the clothes washer and dishwasher when they are full.
- Use energy-efficient appliances and shower heads.
- Unplug small appliances, such as the coffee maker and toaster, when you’re not using them.
- Use a programmable thermostat to reduce heating bills.
- Caulk windows to reduce heat and air conditioning loss.
- Use ceiling fans.
- Inspect home insulation and beef it up if necessary.
Streamline or Cancel Excess Subscriptions
If you’re scratching your head trying to figure out where your money is going, review your current subscription stack and cancel anything you don’t use or need.
From online news sources like Washington Post and New York Times to TV streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Apple TV, most digital content providers have bumped up subscription prices, and some subscribers don’t even notice — or choose to absorb the increase.
To review your subscriptions, print a bank statement and highlight every subscription you see — and don’t forget gym memberships and gaming subscriptions. Cancel everything you don’t need.
Also, check your PayPal account for subscriptions or your cell phone settings. Look for subscriptions you are paying for that you might get for free from a cell phone carrier or another third party.
You can use every dollar you save on subscriptions to pay other bills or save the money in your emergency fund. Once you’ve streamlined your subscriptions, you can track them in one place, like the Rocket Money app.
As prices rise with no end in sight, following these tips can help you save more and spend less overall.
Finances FYI is presented by JPMorgan Chase. JPMorgan Chase is making a $30 billion commitment over the next five years to address some of the largest drivers of the racial wealth divide.
