QUIZ
Are you a
smart shopper?
Learn how to best shop on a budget, then take our quiz to test your skills
Economy Mar. 2, 2023 7:00 PM ET
By Casey Kuhn and Jenna Cohen

If you’ve been to the grocery store lately, it’s hard to miss: Consumers are having to eat the cost of higher food bills. While overall inflation is down after hitting a decades-high last year, grocery prices were still 11.3 percent higher this January compared to the same time in 2022, according to federal data , affecting what and how much food made it to many dinner tables.

There’s a wide variety of reasons that certain items have gotten significantly more expensive in recent months. Eggs have increased the most – 70 percent – from Jan. 2022 to Jan. 2023, largely due to a U.S. outbreak of the avian flu.

While the factors behind these fluctuations are out of consumers’ hands, learning how to shop around the economic ebbs and flows is one way to reclaim some control.

“An easy way to manipulate your budget is based on what you choose to buy and what to cook, or not cook,” said Beth Moncel, founder of the blog Budget Bytes.

Watch the video below to hear directly from our shopping expert.

Moncel began to document her attempts at saving money through menu planning in the wake of the 2008 recession.

“I had nothing left that I could cut back, other than food,” she said.

So Moncel started breaking down the costs of what she was cooking to fit her budget, while still making delicious meals at home.

Her top three pieces of advice when planning a cost-effective grocery trip are: make a list that takes into account the food already in your pantry; check local fliers for nearby stores to compare prices; and avoid food waste at all costs.

“When [customers] buy things and then don't eat them, let them spoil, or they end up getting thrown away, that is literally like throwing away money,” Moncel said.

And that money is not going as far as it used to at the grocery store.

“Incomes, by and large, have not kept pace with the increases in the food prices that we've seen,” said Jayson Lusk , head of the Department of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University. “So the consequence of that is people aren't able to afford as much food as they did a year ago.”

Lusk said the recent inflation also means buyers are not able to weather the costs like they did when prices went up in 2021, when they may have had more money saved or were receiving more aid.

“There was a lot of money in the economy and people were just stomaching those higher prices,” he said. Now, “they're starting to try to find ways to economize in ways they weren't even just six to 12 months ago.”

Suggestions for smart shopping, according to Moncel:

  1. Freezing fresh food like cheese, bread and some vegetables creates less waste by avoiding spoilage.
  2. Generic food items almost always will be cheaper than brand-name items. That’s why Moncel avoids things like coupons, which usually are directed toward a specific branded product.
  3. Buy more of the things that are both cheap and filling, like beans, and less of the things that cost the most, like meat.

“I like to look at a recipe and say, OK, which ingredients are going to be the most expensive in this recipe and which are the ingredients that are going to be the least expensive?” she said. “So I kind of try to tweak those ratios.”

Lusk said price increases trace back to things like animal feed, food transportation and labor becoming more expensive. Those elements were only heightened by an ongoing war in Ukraine and climate-related natural weather events that have pushed up the price of food across the board.

“We've got a lot of extra costs that are in the system that weren't there a couple of years ago,” Lusk said.

Moncel said weathering the price increases means more awareness when shopping, especially when it comes to looking at price tags. Obviously the largest number will be the cost of the item, but the tag also usually lists the price per ounce. That can be a better metric than overall price to compare similar products, especially amid reports of shrinkflation.

But, Moncel said, a budget shouldn’t stop you from treating yourself every now and then.

“Food isn't just for sustainability,” she said. “It’s how we communicate with each other. It's how we say ‘I love you.’ So, you know, make sure to leave room in your budget for something a little extra special every now and then.”

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Test your shopping skills

Now, let’s test your knowledge on shopping smarter.

In this scenario, you’re having a friend over and want to impress them with your homemade pizza-making skills. But, you’re on a strict budget of less than $20 for everything and you don’t have a ton of time – they are coming over 2 hours after you get off work. The shopping list includes: pizza sauce; mozzarella cheese; spinach; mushrooms; and something with which to make the pizza crust.

You get into the grocery store and it’s time to start filling your shopping basket.


Q1
Your first decision is the base of the pizza. You saw a pre-made pizza dough ball in the refrigerated section of the store, and a non-refrigerated, flat crust pack. Which one do you buy?
That's correct! Dough is the way to go.
The fresh pizza dough is the best option because not only is it cheaper on face value, it’s also a cheaper price per ounce so you get more ingredients for your money. Because the flat crust is more processed, it’s more expensive. If you don’t use all of the fresh dough, you can also freeze it for when you have another pizza night, creating less waste and taking up less room in your freezer. All it takes is a little more work to shape it into a crust - but that’s part of the fun of pizza night!
Not quite. Dough is the way to go.
The fresh pizza dough is the best option because not only is it cheaper on face value, it’s also a cheaper price per ounce so you get more ingredients for your money. Because the flat crust is more processed, it’s more expensive. If you don’t use all of the fresh dough, you can also freeze it for when you have another pizza night, creating less waste and taking up less room in your freezer. All it takes is a little more work to shape it into a crust - but that’s part of the fun of pizza night!

Q2
Next, you decide to find some yummy tomato pizza sauce in a jar. Luckily, the two jars are right next to each other in the aisle, so you can easily compare them. Which one do you buy?
That's correct! Generic is more wallet friendly.
The price per ounce on the generic brand is cheaper. A good rule of thumb is that generic or store-brand foods are always cheaper than name-brand foods. In fact, many times, generic brands are the same exact product as the name brands, according to Moncel. But, she adds, you may have to do some testing to ensure the taste of the generic you’re buying matches the taste you’re expecting. And, if it doesn’t, there’s nothing wrong with buying a brand-name product for the preferred taste, even if it does cost a little more.
Not quite. Generic is more wallet friendly.
The price per ounce on the generic brand is cheaper. A good rule of thumb is that generic or store-brand foods are always cheaper than name-brand foods. In fact, many times, generic brands are the same exact product as the name brands, according to Moncel. But, she adds, you may have to do some testing to ensure the taste of the generic you’re buying matches the taste you’re expecting. And, if it doesn’t, there’s nothing wrong with buying a brand-name product for the preferred taste, even if it does cost a little more.

Q3
In the dairy aisle, you hunt for your favorite FoodHour mozzarella to sprinkle on top. You then have to decide: a bag of pre-shredded mozzarella, or a whole block of mozzarella?
That's correct! Block has more bang for your buck.
Even though it is more expensive, the price per ounce on the whole block is a better value . Moncel says cheese is one thing she loves to freeze, so if you shred up all the cheese you need at home, you can freeze the rest along with the leftover pizza dough. The shredded cheese is also more processed, making it more expensive at the price per ounce point.
Not quite. Block has more bang for your buck.
Even though it is more expensive, the price per ounce on the whole block is a better value . Moncel says cheese is one thing she loves to freeze, so if you shred up all the cheese you need at home, you can freeze the rest along with the leftover pizza dough. The shredded cheese is also more processed, making it more expensive at the price per ounce point.

Q4
Now for the toppings. You decide to go vegetarian since meat prices have gone up so much in the last year. You want spinach, but can’t decide between fresh or frozen. Which do you buy?
That's correct! Frozen over fresh.
Frozen spinach will last longer and is a better price per ounce. In this case, frozen spinach can be thawed quickly under warm water, but will also last longer if you find out your friend doesn’t like spinach and you can’t use it. In this case, it could also be a factor of preference - raw spinach CAN go on pizza, but the frozen, cooked spinach would still be a better deal overall.
Not quite. Frozen over fresh.
Frozen spinach will last longer and is a better price per ounce. In this case, frozen spinach can be thawed quickly under warm water, but will also last longer if you find out your friend doesn’t like spinach and you can’t use it. In this case, it could also be a factor of preference - raw spinach CAN go on pizza, but the frozen, cooked spinach would still be a better deal overall.

Q5
Finally, you want to add some pizzazz to the pizza and decide to go with mushrooms. Again, you can decide between fresh or frozen versions of the ingredient. Which do you choose?
That's correct! Follow the sales.
In this case, you might as well buy the on-sale mushrooms because it is, at the end of the day, a cheaper price per ounce with the sale price. Plus, if you are planning on using it that night, it’s very unlikely to go bad in your fridge if you use it all. While neither choice is bad, in this case, an on-sale item gives you more food for your dollar. The sale price is usually the best option in produce, and in this case, would only require a little cooking before the mushrooms become the last piece of the pizza puzzle.
Not quite. Follow the sales.
In this case, you might as well buy the on-sale mushrooms because it is, at the end of the day, a cheaper price per ounce with the sale price. Plus, if you are planning on using it that night, it’s very unlikely to go bad in your fridge if you use it all. While neither choice is bad, in this case, an on-sale item gives you more food for your dollar. The sale price is usually the best option in produce, and in this case, would only require a little cooking before the mushrooms become the last piece of the pizza puzzle.

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Being thoughtful while grocery shopping is one way to save money at a time when food prices could be a source of budget anxiety. You can look at prices and track them as they change when you go to the grocery store to familiarize yourself with what you can cut back on and what you can stock up on.

Also Read: Rising grocery prices put pressure on millions of Americans already facing food insecurity
Produced by Casey Kuhn and Jenna Cohen. Development by Jenna Cohen, Mike Klein and Stephan Rohde. Design by Jenna Cohen and inspired by CHAN YOUNG PARK. Edited by Yasmeen Alamiri and Vanessa Dennis. Illustrations by Megan McGrew.