Grocery prices have seen substantial increases, prompting consumers to seek new ways to save money at the checkout.
Channel 2 Consumer Adviser Clark Howard shares his strategies to help shoppers stretch their dollars.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that between January 2020 and January 2026, milk prices climbed 26.04%, bread rose 36.42%, and chicken increased by 44.85%.
These changes have led many, including Mother Starla Bailey, to adjust their shopping habits.
Bailey, who was first interviewed by Channel 2 in 2022 about food prices. She had been living in an apartment with her son after selling her previous home, intending to downsize.
The pandemic, however, sidelined those plans.
“Life overall has been really well. We’ve since moved, we’ve bought a new home,” Bailey said.
She says she feels fortunate to be able to afford a home, despite higher interest rates and home prices.
Despite her improved living situation, one place she has had to be more flexible is at the checkout.
She explained that where she shops has changed over the years.
“Years ago, I could choose my grocery store that I absolutely loved and take care of all of my needs there, but there’s changes now,” Bailey said.
One of Bailey’s key strategies involves actively searching for sales. She meticulously checks supermarket circulars to find BOGO deals.
This is a great idea and what I call a “reverse shopping list.” This allows you to plan meals around discounted items, saving money before she even steps into a store.
Another way to save at the checkout: Switching to store brand products. You can find significant savings by opting for non-name brand items.
For example, when we checked Walmart brand vs. name brand items, we found the store brand whole milk was listed at $2.76 a gallon, compared to a name brand at $4.57.
Store brand bread cost $1.42 a loaf versus $2.47 for a name brand.
And store brand chicken was $2.57 a pound, while the name brand was $3.42 a pound.
If you shopped just store brand on all three of these items and bought around four and a half pounds of chicken. You would save more than $6 on just these three items.
“It’s more about what it is that is on sale and what benefits us financially,” said Bailey.
The choice of where to shop also plays a crucial role in saving money.
Consumer Reports found that typical grocery stores can cost a little under 10% or more than 10% more on average compared to Walmart.
And the warehouse clubs offer even greater savings, with shoppers potentially saving more than 20% more on average. When buying in bulk from these clubs, make sure to check expiration dates to ensure all items can be used in time.
Bailey says her efforts have really paid off. “I’ve seen our grocery bill almost cut in half,” Bailey noted.
She emphasized the positive impact these savings have had.
“It definitely helps to feed that money back into your budget and to be able to really see where your efforts are paying off,” she said.
“Groceries can be so expensive. Life is so expensive right now. The more you can think through every bit of spending you do. The more money you’ll keep in your wallet. It becomes a habit. Try to make it one in your life,” Clark said.
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