The Money: High grocery bill? Apps can help now, hurt later.

Welcome to The Money, where we break down financial news and provide the TL;DR version of how decisions by the Federal Reserve, government and companies impact you.

Buy now, pay later on your groceries

You have likely noticed your grocery store trips have become more expensive. The spike in grocery bills caused by inflation is bad enough that more people are using "buy now, pay later" apps to cover costs.

One in five people who use buy now, pay later services say they've used them to pay for groceries, said Hugh Tallents, senior partner at management consulting firm cg42.

Financial experts warn the practice could push people into deeper debt by paying for essentials using those services.

These zip codes are ?? for home buyers

New England weather may slowly start to cool, but interest in home buying is red hot. Six of the top 10 hottest zip codes for homebuyers are based in New England, according to Realtor.com.?

The real estate website's report found zero zip codes on the West Coast because "affordability concerns have pushed buyer interest elsewhere."

Looming railroad strike could be 'economic disaster' for consumers?

If you're planning a trip by train, you might want to have a back-up plan.

There could be a national railroad strike starting Friday, which industry experts say would shut down 30% of the nation's freight and keep passenger and commuter trains from running.

As of this past weekend, 10 unions representing 125,000 workers had reached tentative agreements, but the two biggest rail labor unions are holding out for additional quality of life concessions.

If the unions can't reach an agreement by the end of the week, Congress will likely intervene to prevent a strike because of the significant disruption a work stoppage could have on the economy.

Visa, Mastercard, American Express plan to break out gun shop sales

Gun control advocates have sought ways to flag suspicious surges in gun sales that could be the build up to a mass shooting. On Saturday, the world's largest payment processor Visa Inc. said it intends to separately break out sales at gun stores which could make such tracking easier.??

Previously gun shop sales were deemed "general merchandise.'' But Visa is adopting the new gun sales merchant code announced last week by the International Organization for Standardization. Mastercard and American Express say they will also separate gun shop purchases.?

The change will likely anger gun rights advocates and lobbyists who have said carving out gun sales is unfair since most purchases don't result in mass shootings.?

?? More stories you shouldn't miss ??

That quarter may be worth way more than 25 cents. A design flaw in some Wisconsin quarters could make the coins worth hundreds of dollars.?

Inflation impacts insurance too. Home and car insurance premiums are on the rise, but your limits are likely staying the same which may leave you underinsured.?

What to bring to a job interview: The do's and don'ts of getting hired.

?? Today's Menu ??

This is for fans of “The Office.” Brian Baumgartner, aka Kevin, spills real-life love for chili in his new cookbook.

"I never thought 10 years ago or whatever, when we were filming this, that I would still be talking about chili or that I would even have ever made chili," Baumgartner said.

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