Grocery Shopping Without the Sticker Shock

According to recent data from the U.S. Census’s Household Pulse Survey, the average U.S. household spends around $270.21 per week on groceries. That should come as no surprise to anyone who goes grocery shopping, especially if you’re on a budget. So, while sticker shock is not technically a medical condition, we thought we’d share some pointers to help you spend less on groceries.

Shop your pantry and freezer first. This helps you avoid unnecessary purchases and plan meals around the leftovers and produce you already have.

Make a List. Plan the week’s meals ahead of time and consider overlapping ingredients. For example, if you’re roasting a chicken, plan a chicken-based soup, salad, or casserole for the next day rather than leaving the leftovers in the fridge until nobody wants to eat them. Try keeping a running grocery list where the whole family can add to it when they see a need.

Watch Out for End Caps and Impulse Buys. End caps are those colorful displays between aisles that highlight new or discounted items. This is a marketing tactic to get you to spend more. Stores often use endcaps to group items that go together, such as peanut butter, jelly, and bread. The goal is to get you to buy all three because it seems like such a good deal. Don’t toss anything in your basket without first considering whether you even need it. Just because it’s a good deal doesn’t mean you should buy it! If you’re often tempted to try something new and tasty looking, budget for a weekly impulse buy.

Use your Store Reward Cards. Many major grocery chains, such as Safeway or Lucky’s, offer loyalty programs or credit cards that allow you to earn points, cash back, or exclusive discounts on purchases. Look into discounts tied to your credit cards. For example, the American Express Blue Cash Preferred® Card lets you earn 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 of purchases per year.

Look Into Shopping Apps

A variety of shopping apps are available to help you save money, find out about discounts and sales, plan meals, make grocery lists, and more. Here are just a few:

• List Ease helps you create your shopping list, share it with family members across multiple devices, and track spending.
• Mealime lets you create meal plans that fit your budget, preferences, and dietary needs. You can choose from a variety of cuisines in the app’s recipe library. Create a meal plan for the entire week and the app will make a grocery list for it.
• Flipp allows you to find deals on what you plan on buying as you prepare your grocery list. You simply input your zip code to browse weekly ads and circulars for relevant sales and discounts at stores near you.
• AnyList allows you to create and share shopping lists, collect and organize recipes, and plan meals.

Buy Bulk

Warehouse clubs offer big savings provided you have the storage space and are feeding more than one or two people. Bulk is best for dry goods like rice, flour, or sugar. If there’s only two of you, that giant container of yogurt may go bad before you’re done with it.

Buy Seasonal

Fruits and vegetables are usually less expensive—and taste better—when they’re in season. When produce is in abundance locally, stores often lower prices to move inventory quickly. For example, berries are typically cheaper in summer, while root vegetables like carrots and squash are more affordable in the fall and winter.

Go Generic

It’s hard to part from the brands you grew up with but in-store brands from your grocery chain are going to be a lot cheaper. In addition, generics don’t tend to use “shrinkflation”, the practice of switching to smaller packaging so you can skimp on content without raising the price.

Do Your Own Prep Work

Peeled garlic, chopped onions, or cut up fruit are a nice convenience, but they cost more than whole produce. Refine your slicing and dicing skills and trim your grocery bill.

Don’t Shop at Eye Level

Stores tend to place the more expensive items where people will see them. Check the lower and higher shelves for a cheaper brand.

Eat Less Meat

Meat, especially beef and lamb, has really gone up in price. Eat more beans, lentils, grains, and pasta and use meat as a flavoring component as opposed to making it the main dish. Start a meatless Monday tradition at your house.

Use Cash and Carry a Calculator

If you need to restrict your spending a lot, allocate a certain amount of cash for your weekly grocery run. Using only cash forces you to limit what you spend. As you shop, type the price of each item into the calculator so you can have an idea of when you’re getting close to your limit.

Watch Your Timing

If you can shop in the early morning, that’s when you’re likely to get the best fresh produce or seafood. It’s also a great way to beat the lines. Many stores introduce new sales mid-week (typically Wednesdays), so it is often the best day to shop.

The unfortunate fact is that grocery prices are unlikely to go down anytime soon, so taking some steps now to reduce waste and increase shopping efficiency will help you save money in the months and years to come.

This article first appeared in the October 2025 edition of the HealthPerks newsletter.