Millions of Americans take on debt and drain savings to afford food [View all]
Source: CBS News
Updated on: July 13, 2026 / 9:17 AM EDT / CBS News
Millions of Americans are borrowing money or draining their savings to buy groceries, highlighting the financial strain many households face as the cost of living rises, new research has found.
More than a quarter of working-age adults who relied on credit cards to buy groceries were either unable to pay their balance in full or missed their minimum payment, according to the Urban Institute, a nonpartisan think tank. About one in 10 adults relied on so-called "buy now, pay later" loans to cover their groceries — of those, about a third missed a payment last year, the analysis found.
About 20% of working-age adults said they had tapped long-term savings that weren't intended for everyday expenses, such as an emergency fund, at least once in the last 12 months to pay for groceries, the researchers said. "Families still need to eat. They will still need to pay for their basic needs," Kassandra Martinchek, a co-author of the study and public policy expert at the Urban Institute, 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." Over the past five years, grocery prices have jumped 32%, making food affordability a top concern for many Americans, the Urban Institute said. The group's findings are based on a December survey of 7,500 adults ages 18-64.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/americans-credit-card-debt-buy-groceries/
Link to Urban Institute REPORT summary - Many Families Rely on Credit and Savings to Afford Groceries
Link to Urban Institute REPORT (PDF) - https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/2026-07/Final_Many%20Families%20Rely%20on%20Credit%20and%20Savings%20to%20Afford%20Groceries%20%281%29.pdf
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