Shoppers are financing their groceries to make ends meet

CLEVELAND — Amber Jascob says grocery shopping has gotten more difficult.

“When I spend $200 and only walk in the house with four or five bags, it’s defeating,” she said.

She and her husband work full-time, but with prices climbing, Jascob has cut back on big trips and instead shops in smaller batches to be able to afford them.

That changed when she turned to Afterpay, a buy now, pay later service that lets shoppers split purchases into installments that are interest-free.

Other similar services include Klarna and Affirm.

Once mostly used for clothing, the option is becoming more popular for groceries.

In 2014, LendingTree reported that just 14% of users were paying for groceries this way. Their latest numbers show that figure has grown to 25%.

Jascob recently bought a $300 Walmart