Ice Cream and 10 Other Grocery Items That Will Ravage Your Summer Food Budget

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It’s been an extra tough time for consumers on a budget. Grocery prices have been skyrocketing, cornering many Americans into living paycheck-to-paycheck. Though we’ve seen some items drop in price — eggs have had a historic decline in price, after a period of drastic markups — food, overall, is pricier. 

From April to May, grocery prices got 0.1% more expensive, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index (CPI). And over the year, the food-at-home index jumped 5.8%.

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These summer grocery items are more expensive than ever before, so look for deals wherever you shop, and, if possible, seek alternative foods or ingredients. 

Ice Cream 

This year, the cost of ice cream jumped 8%. 

Juice and Nonalcoholic Beverages 

Over the course of the year, juice and nonalcoholic beverages rose 9.9%. 

Flour 

Also over the year, the price of flour rose 17.1%. 

Beef 

The price of raw ground beef jumped 2% in May. 

Chicken 

Fresh whole chickens got more expensive in May – by 1.9%. 

Ham 

The price of ham jumped 1.6% in May, and grew 8.2% over the year. 

Margarine 

The price of margarine increased 2.1% in May, and jumped 22.5% over the course of the year. 

Sugar 

The cost of sugar went up 0.5% over the year. 

Bread 

Bread jumped 0.4% in May and 12.5% over the year. 

Apples 

The price of apples went up 1.9% in May. 

Lettuce 

The price of lettuce soared 5.3% in May, and went up 9.4% over the year. 

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