The US Bureau of Labor Statistics documented that food prices have increased 30% since 2020! Contrary to what politicians promised and with few exceptions, the November 2025 Wall Street Journal reported that food prices aren’t coming down! The USDA reported families spend more than 15% of their income on food (Singles $300-$600, Couples $600-$1,000, and Families of four $1,000-$1,700). Expenditures are influenced by age, diet, cooking abilities, shopping habits (conservative versus liberal spenders), and eating out.
Bank of America Research Institute determined that one-in-four families (50% seniors) live “paycheck-to-paycheck.” Many are financially struggling with high prices on everything. While in a grocery check-out lane, we painfully listened as a senior widow counted her last coins for her food purchases. She told the cashier, “That’s all I have until my social security check arrives in two weeks.” Those in poverty with fixed-incomes, especially seniors, will cut expenses, like medications, to buy food for survival.
We enjoy helping others and serving the Lord, so our new mission focuses on analyzing how to save buying groceries. As university researchers, we wanted to create facts comparing “apples-to-apples” in finding where to shop depending on individual preferences. Based on nationwide research, we identified 21 most popular-selling grocery products. Some included Folgers House Blend Coffee, Dukes Mayonnaise, Honey Nut Cheerios, Ground Beef (80/20), Large Eggs (dozen), Bananas, Lays Classic Potato Chips, Charmin Mega Ultra Toilet Paper, Land-O’Lakes Butter, 2-Pound Bag Apples, Half-Gallon Milk, 5-Pound Bag Potatoes, etc. We compared pricing using “exact variables” (brands, products, sizes, and weights). We realized consumers wouldn’t select all our listed items. Our theory: “If shoppers save at the lowest-priced stores using our core 21-most-popular-item-process, chances are high they may experience similar savings with other purchases.”
We studied four major South Carolina food chains (Publix, Kroger, Food Lion, and Walmart), which carried similar brands, while offering online shopping, pick-up, and delivery. Some sold generics like apples, potatoes, milk, and bananas. In one case, Walmart only offered 3 pounds of apples versus the 2-pound bag we were seeking, so we prorated the price. It was a time-consuming experiment since each store’s products were in unfamiliar places within the facility. To be fair and consistent, all items were calculated based on the store’s shelf-labeled “regular price” viewed during on-site visits. Specials, member discounts, Buy-One-Get-One-Free promotions, coupons, and Publix’s 5% Senior Day concessions were excluded. Food prices can vary weekly among store locations, so we collected all our price data within a three-day window in November 2025.
The literature revealed Aldi’s products were the lowest-priced, and Trader Joe's was mentioned, but both carried off-brands and weren’t used in our comparison examination after visiting the stores. Costco and Sam’s Club surfaced as potential savings centers, but one must buy in volume, and prices weren’t always lower when comparing “unit costs” to other competitors.
Publix scored highest on grocery pricing while Walmart was lowest (A difference of $28 or nearly 24% cheaper) based on our 21-item survey, which doesn’t seem significant. However, when you consider families shop about 2 times per week and may buy up to 70 food products, savings could skyrocket!
When higher prices are excluded, Southeastern-based Publix (1,400 employee-owned stores) has many pluses compared to other markets: bright and clean stores; excellent, friendly, and knowledgeable customer service with 40+ staff present during peak hours; and, cited for its fresher produce and meats. Departments include delis, pharmacies, bakeries, and catering, plus Wednesday’s 5% “Senior Discount.” Visiting these stores is a pleasurable experience.
Food Lion is the 7th largest grocery chain with 1,100 stores. It was next-to-the-lowest in pricing, and 2nd in cleanliness.
Walmart stood out not only for its lowest food prices and 3rd in looks, but it’s also a “one-stop shop” where consumers can buy wide-ranges of discounted family products. Staff were less familiar with item locations but quickly found them using apps. Walmart supports 5,400 stores, and it’s interesting that 90% of Americans live within 10 miles of a Walmart!
Kroger has 2,700 stores in 25 states, 2nd highest on the price chart, provides many services like Publix, and is known for good-quality products. The store we visited placed 4th lowest in appearance among other stores.
Now, let’s focus on food-buying strategies to find the best deals and freshest products.
Design Weekly Menus: While they seem tedious, planned meals serve as buying-roadmaps and help prevent impulsive buys. Studies document that families who plan their meals ahead spend fewer dollars and experience less waste. However, rather than developing your menus and then seeking products, reverse strategy—project future meals around advertised deals.
Identify Discounts: Download a great app, www.flipp.com to select your grocery and other local retailers. Then, view online weekly, promotional flyers, and specials versus visiting stores for hard copies. To maximize savings, shop at multiple sites. Average families buy groceries twice a week, so they make grocery runs in a “single-planned-day” to save on automobile expenses and time.
Maximize Savings With Apps, Loyalty Programs, and Digital/Paper Coupons: By enrolling in retailers’ loyalty memberships, you’ll receive frequent coupons and alerts such as “Buy-One-Get-One-Free” specials and free products.
Examine Pantries and Refrigerators Before Shopping: You’ll likely find expiring “Use-By” items and leftovers to go on the table and not be trashed, while avoiding duplicate purchases. Research shows families waste 30% of foods they buy!
Shop On Wednesdays: There are fewer shoppers in the stores, especially early morning. Publix has 5% senior discounts and new ads, or clearance items are launched by vendors on this day, so you might take advantage of both expiring and new sales. Look for price markdowns which become available 1-2 days before “Sale-By” dates, especially 9:00 AM or evenings in meat sections. Remember, “Sale-By-Dates” appear earlier than “Consume-By-Dates.” Many stores restock shelves on Tuesdays and Fridays, so Wednesdays have abundant, fresher products.
Create Your Grocery Item Chart: While shopping, document and learn prices for the best discounts. Carefully buy the lowest cost-per-unit savings since 5-pound bags of sugar are now 4-pound bags! Manufacturers cleverly create products to appear like the ones you have previously bought, but only smaller at higher prices! We found a larger Honey Nut Cheerios Cereal 18oz. boxes were $1 cheaper at Walmart than identical 15oz. ones sold by competitors! Since Cheerios comes in 12-21 ounces, pricing, box sizes, and appearances are deceptive!
Avoid shopping hungry! Seeing and smelling all that delicious stuff can unconsciously load up grocery carts!
Create Grocery Lists and Stick to Them: They reduce impulsive buying. Organize your items by category, like meats, to hasten trips, but be alert for unannounced sales.
Buy Generics and Store Brands: They’re lower-priced (sometimes produced in the same name-brand factories) with similar quality, saving families about $1,000 annually.
Document Store Sales Cycles: Grocery chains place the same items on sale every 6–8-weeks, so document calendars when the lowest-priced items are advertised and buy enough to last until the next promotions.
Prep Meals at Home: Cooking in batches, using slow cookers, rotating, mixing leftovers, and serving meatless meals can significantly reduce costs. Limited dining out also saves money, but having fun and laughing with friends is cheaper than seeing a psychiatrist!
Choose Nutritious, Low-Cost Foods: Eggs, beans, frozen vegetables, rice, potatoes, and seasonal fruit offer great, low-cost nutrition.
Avoid Taking Children Grocery Shopping! They’ll distract your saving focus and want everything they see!
Track Grocery Spending: Budgeting and documenting purchases reduce grocery expenses 10–25%. Charge everything on 2% Cash-Back credit cards to review monthly expenses while obtaining refunds. Based on spending over several months, create a family budget that will guide how much to spend.
Carefully Buy Organic Products: They’re more expensive and often aren’t organic, unless USDA seals are displayed, since “Organic” has many meanings. Vigorously rinse fruits and vegetables with water to remove bacteria, dirt, and pesticides. Using detergents isn’t proven to be any more effective than H2O. Wash your hands with soap before and afterwards.
Seek Clearance Sections: Often, they have surprises. Remember, the highest-priced items are placed at shelf-eye-levels.
Use Artificial Intelligence: Expert Shopper Eddie Spencer, who provided tips for our article, suggested, “Make detailed food lists, plug them into AI like chatgpt.com or Grok.com and ask, ‘Where to find best discounts in (city/state) for my food-list.’ ”
Shop in Bulk: Extensively used purchases on sale save money if you have storage space. Meat is extremely expensive so watch for sales. Purchasing an inexpensive, frost-free freezer with a 5-year warranty is useful when great deals surface (Meats, vegetables, bread, some fruits).
Visit Local Farmers’ Markets: They generally run from April to October and offer great deals with the freshest fruits and vegetables. To find them, Google, “Farmers’ Markets (City/State).” The lowest discounts are retrieved at the end of the day.
Take Advantage of Fuel Savings: Retailers like Kroger and Sam’s Club offer discounts. Cosco provides members with top-rated Tier-One gas at the lowest prices.
Monitor Receipts: Mistakes occur during checkouts so resolve problems before leaving stores. Consumer Reports documented that pricing isn’t always updated in checkout systems.
The Bottom Line: Saving on groceries doesn’t demand sacrifice or losing your mind—it requires strategy. With thoughtful planning and smart shopping, families of four can reduce food spending by $3,000 annually. Play food-shopping like fun games and you’ll save a bunch! Bon appétit!
E-mail Mike at mike@grantexperts.com. He voluntarily authors articles for 5 newspapers and his website to fulfill his purpose, “Creating opportunities to improve lives.” Visit his nonprofit website www.mikedubose.com and register to receive his monthly articles or Daily Thoughts plus free access to his books, including “The Art of Building Great Businesses.” The website includes 100+ published articles he has written on business, travel, and personal topics, in addition to health research with Surb Guram, MD, Allison Cashman, MD, and David Hurst, DMV.
© Copyright Mike DuBose. All Rights Reserved December 2025. You are encouraged to share this full article with the author’s credits to help others following our purpose: “To create opportunities to improve lives.”
