A lot of people picture credit card debt as the aftermath of discretionary spending, like vacations or designer purchases. But for many Florida households, the charges creating the problem are far less glamorous: groceries.
Among Florida credit card holders with unpaid balances, the average debt load is $9,184.
What's happening?
Research increasingly suggests that basic food shopping, rather than indulgence, is helping to drive borrowing.
In Florida, that trend looks especially troubling because high day-to-day costs are colliding with already sizable card balances.
Florida Weekly reported on findings from LendingTree and the Urban Institute that 28.3% of working-age adults bought groceries with credit cards and then struggled to repay what they charged. Put simply, they could not pay off the full balance when the bill came due.
Other coping methods also appeared in the data. Nearly 1 in 5 working-age adults drew on savings meant for something other than everyday expenses, and nearly 1 in 20 used money from a payday loan just to buy food. Separately, almost 1 in 10 used buy now, pay later plans for groceries, and 1 in 3 of those borrowers missed a payment.
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Why does it matter?
Part of the strain is simple arithmetic. USDA Food Price Index data show grocery prices up 3.1%, while households are also dealing with high housing, insurance, utility, and vehicle costs. In many cases, paychecks have not kept up.
That leaves families facing impossible choices. Rent, electric bills, and car payments tend to get paid first because the consequences are immediate. Food often becomes the flexible category, even though skipping meals can hurt health, increase stress, and make it harder for adults and children to function day to day.
What can I do?
High-interest debt can make the situation worse in a hurry. Reaching out early for help through local food banks, community pantries, and benefits enrollment programs may keep a short-term shortage from turning into debt.
One organization responding in Southwest Florida is Harry Chapin Food Bank. In 2026, it expects to distribute more than 40 million pounds of food across Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, and Lee counties, with nearly one-third of that supply consisting of fruits and vegetables grown in Florida.
According to Harry Chapin Food Bank, a $10 contribution can help provide 20 meals for neighbors facing hunger in Southwest Florida.
Larry Goode, board treasurer for Harry Chapin Food Bank, put it plainly: "They shouldn't have to skip meals to save a few dollars."
He also warned about what happens when essentials get charged: "Charging that $5 box of cereal today to a credit card might inflate its total cost to $6, $7, $8 or more down the road when factoring interest. Debt snowballs."
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