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The cost of products in the U.S. had the biggest one-month jump in nearly 8 years, driven by rising food costs and rebounding fuel prices.
Every month, the U.S. government releases the Consumer Price Index report, and after a record three months of overall price decreases, things are now moving in the other direction.
Food prices rose the most since 2012 — 0.6% — from May to June, and gasoline got 12.3% more expensive. So what’s a smart shopper to do? We got you.
Buy apples, dairy & seafood — they actually dropped in price.
While most food categories across the board increased in price during the last month, a few actually saw drops — so try to direct your grocery buying in their direction.
Dairy was the only major category of food that saw cheaper prices from May to June — 0.4% less.
Apples were the only fruit that got cheaper last month, and led all foods with a 2.1% reduction in price. Similarly, fish and seafood were the only meat subcategory to drop in price (0.7%). Fresh fish and seafood dropped even more (1.7%).
Don’t get too excited about the price of eggs — yet.
Eggs saw one of the biggest month-over-month price drops, but don’t start planning an omelet party — the 2% barely eats into the record-high price jump eggs saw from March to April. They’re still higher than what was normal pre-pandemic.
We’re always watching for good deals on eggs at Krazy Coupon Lady, so check back often.
Save on other fresh produce by using coupons and rebate offers.
As a whole, fruits and vegetables saw a 0.4% increase from May to June. To push back against the price hikes, make sure you’ve downloaded rebate apps like Ibotta and Checkout51.
Just tap the offer you want to redeem and then scan or take a picture of your receipt after you’ve made a purchase, and you’ll receive money via PayPal (Ibotta) or a check in the mail (Checkout51). These apps have offers for all categories of food and household items too.
RELATED: Your Ultimate Guide to Rebate Apps
Discounted gift cards will help you save on both gas and food.
Check Raise.com frequently for discounted gift cards to supermarkets and gas stations you use — for a fraction of the value on the card.
The best is when your favorite gas station is owned by your go-to grocery store. Then you can get gift cards for Walmart, Kroger, Costco, Albertsons, Publix and others — and use them to get instant savings on fuel and food.
But otherwise, you can seek out gift cards for your gas stations and supermarkets individually.
Make sure you visit the clearance bakery rack to save an easy 50%.
Bakery products rose by 0.4% in June, so create your own discount on the clearance rack.
If you don’t think you’ll use up all the bread and bagels before their expiration date, throw some of it in the freezer and pull it out as needed.
RELATED: How to Save Money on Groceries in 2020
Find out when soon-expiring meat hits shelves at your store.
Ask your store’s butcher when they discount their meat. It’s easy to save 25% this way; just make sure you freeze what you don’t think you’ll use immediately.
That’s a lot better than paying the increasingly expensive retail price for meat. It’s been rising monthly since the coronavirus pandemic, increasing 3.7% just last month.
RELATED: Bizarre & Extreme Ways to Get Meat for Cheap
Save up to $1/gallon on gas by signing up for a fuel points program at your grocery store.
Remember when we could almost get free gas? Yeah, those days are over. Fuel prices have made a comeback this summer, as gasoline saw a 12.3% price increase from May to June.
At Kroger, you earn one gas point for every dollar you spend there. Earn 100 points, it’s $0.10 off per gallon. Earn 1,000 and it’s $1 off per gallon!
Plenty of stores have these programs. Check out our Top 10 fuel loyalty programs list, pick one, and stick with it!
Note: Despite the price hikes, the average price of gas is still about $0.60/gallon cheaper than it was this time last year.
Use price-finding apps for the best gas values.
Find out who has the best gas prices in your area — right now — using apps like:
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