15 Common Foods We Can Barely Afford Anymore

Does it seem harder than ever to save on groceries? It’s not just you — it’s much more expensive now to stock your fridge and pantry than before, even if you’re buying the same items as always. 

You may be getting less food for your money, as “shrinkflation” — the deceptive yet common tactic of selling a smaller amount of product for the same price — has taken hold of household goods from potato chips to paper products.

While this list is far from comprehensive, here are some common manifestations of the painful reality that the cost of living is rising, even if inflation isn’t.

Even President Biden called out vendors of potato chips for shrinkflation. PepsiCo openly acknowledged that they “took just a little bit out of the bag so we can give you the same price, and you can keep enjoying your chips." So if you’ve noticed more air than chips in your bag, you’re not alone.

Shrinkflation is alive and well in the breakfast cereal aisle. A number of posts on Reddit have shown pictures of the different contents of “family size” boxes of the same cereal. One post showed a larger box of Raisin Bran that actually contained less cereal than the smaller box!

According to Consumer Price Index data, food away from home increased 7.7% in 2022 alone. Between 2021 and 2024, prices have outpaced inflation, with McDonald’s as the top culprit. Their prices have increased 100% since 2014. The increased cost is most noticeable in places with a higher cost of living.

You may have noticed that your favorite fountain drinks have gotten pricier. Coca-Cola confessed that it raised prices by 10% in 2023 alone. While they’ve slowed down their price increases, water is looking like a better option than ever.

According to USDA data, beef and veal saw huge price increases from 2021 to 2023. Once a staple protein for cheap meals, ground beef is now a luxury, with prices over $6 per pound.

It’s not your imagination — the prices for ice cream have gone up lately. Ice cream is at an all-time high price right now at almost $6.20 per half-gallon (an almost fifty-cent increase in just one month). Kids worldwide are outraged by the price increases, as documented in a viral TikTok video from the U.K.

Once a cheap option for lunch, canned soup is a lot less so than it used to be. Formerly well under $1 per can, it’s now nearly impossible to find a can of Campbell’s chicken noodle soup for less than $1.25 — and that’s to say nothing of more expensive varieties like steak and potato or chicken sausage gumbo.

Milk has come down a little since its high of over $4 per gallon in 2022 and 2023 and currently sits at an average of $3.87. However, this is still elevated compared with prices in 2018, which were at $2.84.

As it’s sold by volume, the gallon of milk has largely resisted shrinkflation, but the half-gallon hasn’t been so lucky. Some brands have chopped the volume from 64 ounces to 59.

Candy and gum have increased in price by nearly 40% over the last 10 years, and 7.5% of that gain was in the past year. Much of this has been due to increased prices of candy components like sugar and cocoa, but about 7% of the price increase is attributable to shrinkflation.

Like milk, the price of cheese is high but not as crazy as it once was. It’s currently sitting at around $5.51 per pound — higher than it was even at the end of 2021. This is easy to spot when you’re buying a one-pound block but less evident when buying shreds, slices, or dishes that have reduced cheese content.

Customers are turning from ordering delivery pizza to frozen grocery store pizza to save money. However, these items have experienced price hikes too. In some places, a frozen pizza is the same price as a delivery pizza. Plus, shrinkflation is taking thin-crust pizza to a whole new level.

It’s surprising that something that’s over 90% water could rise so much in the past few years, but it has. Romaine lettuce has almost doubled in price over the last 10 years from $1.57 to $2.85, making it even harder than ever to eat healthy.

Here’s another staple that has fallen victim to rising prices. Both wheat and white bread have jumped about $0.60 per loaf since 2020. That might not sound like much money, but that’s a 23%-30% increase in four years, depending on which variety you prefer. Shoppers have noticed that the loaves have gotten smaller as well.

Boneless skinless chicken breasts are down from their 2022 high price of $4.75 per pound, but chicken is still about 25% more expensive than it was in 2020. Even chicken patties and nuggets have become victims of the increased cost of living. Not surprisingly, the high prices of meat are one reason about 21% of vegetarians decide to eat the way they do.

Even Cookie Monster has complained of shrinkflation on X (formerly Twitter), bemoaning, “Me hate shrinkflation! Me cookies are getting smaller!” One Redditor also showed evidence of companies skimping on ingredients, posting a picture of his small chocolate chip cookie containing a single chocolate chip.

Staying away from restaurants isn’t enough to cut down your food budget anymore. With prices that have jumped 25% to 30% in just a few years and shrinkflation affecting everything from milk to the cereal floating in it, it’s clear that it takes significantly more money to maintain the same standard of living we enjoyed just a few years ago.

Nowadays, it takes a little more strategic planning to save money shopping. Opting for less meat, cooking more meals from scratch, and cutting out extras like candy and soda are not fun choices to make, but they will help you eat for less (and be a bit healthier too).