A National Summer Crisis: Ice Cream Inflation and Other Grocery Staples Rising in Cost

One minute we're reeling from inflation at the grocery store and the next we're being told price increases are slowing down. It's inflation-induced whiplash, but it's here to hit you where it hurts again. Here's the latest round of grocery staples that are getting pricier, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index.

If you've been using margarine instead of butter to save a buck (or to keep your choloresteral levels at bay), you're in for a rude awakening. The price of the shortening spiked 22.5% over this time last year so it might be time to kiss I Can't Believe It's Not Butter goodbye and say hello to the real thing. (This might be a blessing in disguise because if you ask us, butter makes everything better.)

If you've been tampering with the idea of getting rid of gluten, now might be the time to swear it off because flour and bread (more on that below) prices are both on the, well, rise. Over the last year, flour prices rose 17.1%.

Listen, carbs are life. Bread is our weakness. This is one price hike that we'll likely just live with — even at a 12.5% rise in cost.

Grocery inflation is turning baker's delight into baker's disdain. First flour, now sugar? Prices jumped a not-so-sweet 11.1%.

So, inflation is telling us we should ... drink more alcohol this summer? Okay, maybe they didn't say it outright, but telling consumers that the price of juice and other non-alcoholic beverages leaped 9.9% in a year eludes to that, no doubt.

This salad staple saw a price hike of 9.4% — sounds like it's time to embrace our inner Popeye and opt for spinach salads to save some money.

At least Easter is over? There's a little silver lining to the 8.2% ham price hike, unless of course it's your go-to lunch meat.

Related: 13 Delicious Leftover Ham Recipes

Now, for the blow we never wanted to have to deliver to you, dear reader. For this gut punch, we apologize. It's not our fault. Still, just in time to snatch your summertime serotonin spike away, the price of ice cream has gone up 8%. Blasphemy. 

These items also increased in cost, albeit not significantly:

• Cheese: 3.6%
• Chicken: 0.9%
• Fresh fruits and vegetables: 0.6%

To cushion the blow of everyone's favorite frozen treat getting more expensive, these grocery staples are getting cheaper:

• Eggs (fell by 13.8% for a historic decline)
• Bacon (fell by 9.3%)
• Citrus fruit (fell by 5.3%)
• Fresh whole milk (fell by 3.4%)
• Pork chops (fell by 2.2%)
• Fish and seafood (fell by 1.1%)