When you’re trying to trim your budget, one of the most common pieces of advice you receive is to cook at home. However, grocery store sticker shock has become a growing stressor for Americans since 2020, and while the pandemic is over, the aftermath of high prices and lagging supply chains still affects much of the population.
Unfortunately, it looks like food prices will increase again in most categories in 2025. Here’s what a shopping expert has to say about what to expect when it comes to groceries that are likely to cost more and smart ways to save at checkout in the coming year.
Why Grocery Prices Have Continued to Go Up
If you’ve gone grocery shopping in the past couple of years, you know staple items like milk and eggs have gone up dramatically—but why? Many of the reasons have to do with the global economy, related to the pandemic which caused supply chain disruptions and higher labor and fuel costs.
“Prices have been high for the last five years, up over 25%, and are just starting to decrease in certain categories,” says Trae Bodge, smart shopping expert at truetrae.com. “Prices can also go up due to global issues, weather occurrences, like fires and storms, or an illness amongst animals. For example, an outbreak of avian flu earlier this year caused a dramatic increase in the price of eggs.”
Groceries That Will See the Biggest Price Increase in 2025
“The USDA is predicting that food costs will increase 2.4% in 2025, after increasing 2.3% in 2024,” Bodge says. “Some of the more problematic categories are expected to be eggs—which we experienced in 2024—beef, and pork.”
There are also political reasons that some of the prices could go up. Bodge explains that Trump tariffs passing could impact items imported from China, Canada, and Mexico.
These items could include grains and meat imported from Canada and tomatoes, avocados, raspberries, strawberries, and peppers from Mexico. The U.S. also imports goods from China, where the cost of everything from shrimp to spices could skyrocket.
But it’s not all grim news. “I can’t point to specific categories, but I would expect some grocery prices to decrease in 2025,” Bodge says. “We’ve seen retailers, like Target, committing to reducing prices on essential items—including frozen spinach, butter, and roasted nuts from their Good & Gather brand.”
4 Smart Tips for Saving on Food
No matter what prices look like, you have to buy food. So, as Bodge says, “When prices are high, it’s important to look for ways to save.” Here are some tips you can try to ease the pain of expensive groceries.
Shop Seasonal and Local
This doesn’t work for all items, but one way to avoid potential tariffs and costs associated with fuel surcharges for long-distance shipping is to buy foods grown close to where you live and eat seasonally. Visit your local farmers’ markets to get your produce and chat with farmers to learn more about the benefits of sourcing fresh fruits and veggies.
Use an App
Bodge recommends checking out Flashfood, an app-based marketplace that helps shoppers find deals on groceries, including fresh produce, meats and fish, dairy, and baked goods. The items are either in surplus or nearing their best-by date, and participating stores sell them at up to 50% off the retail price. You simply purchase them through the app and pick them up at your participating grocery store.
Pay the Right Way
“Many credit cards, and some debit cards, allow you to earn cash back or points, so be sure to use the credit card that gives you the best bang for your buck,” Bodge says. “For example, with the Bread Cashback American Express, you can earn 2% back on every purchase, and that includes grocery stores, restaurants, and even takeout.”
Of course, this only applies if you aren’t carrying a balance on your credit card and racking up interest charges every month, which would cancel these savings out.
Shop Online
While there are clear benefits to buying your produce in person, Bodge likes to shop for some non-perishables online.
“It’s less to carry at the grocery store, and you can often find ways to save by using a browser plugin, like the Sidekick from CouponCabin,” she says. “Right now, CouponCabin has offers for ShopRite, Food Lion, Safeway, and more.”
Shopping online also makes it easier to compare prices and make sure you’re getting the best grocery deals possible. Plus, gas prices don’t seem to be getting cheaper either—so any trip you can skip could help you save big.
