We Asked Real Women to Track Their Grocery Spending for a Week. Here's What Happened.

Summary

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Podcast Summary: HerMoney with Jean Chatzky

Episode: "We Asked Real Women to Track Their Grocery Spending for a Week. Here's What Happened."

Date: May 22, 2026
Host: Jean Chatzky
Guests: Yasmeen Khan (Consumer Reports, Bread and Butter newsletter), Laurie (Boston-area mom)

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Episode Overview

This episode delves into the real-world grocery spending habits of women, featuring listener stories and expert insights. Jean Chatzky and Yasmeen Khan discuss how a group of women, including guest Laurie, tracked every dollar they spent on groceries for one week. Together, they analyze the strategies, challenges, frustrations, and small victories that shape how women feed their families amid rising food prices, drawing on research and advice from Consumer Reports.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Emotional Toll of Rising Food Prices

• Opening Theme: Jean highlights how nearly everyone feels sticker shock at the grocery store, from everyday staples like eggs and coffee to surprise price hikes on items like yogurt. Rising prices mean more consumers hesitate and rethink every purchase.
  • Quote (Jean, 01:05): “When was the last time you walked out of the grocery store, looked at your receipt and thought, well, that felt totally fine and reasonable? Yeah, we didn't think so.”

2. Laurie's Week in Her Wallet: Shopping Habits & Reflections

• Laurie's Profile: Mom of two (ages 7 and 11), Boston suburbs, shops at Trader Joe’s, Costco, Stop & Shop, and others.
• Budget Reality: Has a $200 weekly grocery budget “as a concept,” but admits she rarely tracks against it consistently.
  • Quote (Laurie, 03:50): “It’s the budget... It’s a concept we don’t actually track against... we buy whatever we need or want when we get to the store.”

Breakdown of Laurie's Grocery Week

• Monday — Trader Joe’s ($60, Impulse Buys):

  • Perceived as holding the line on price better than traditional stores, especially for specialty items.
  • Impulse buys often found on “end caps”—unique, tempting products.
  • Laurie's family favorite snack, Bomba peanut snacks, doubled in price but she still bought them.
    • Quote (Laurie, 06:10): “...they’re still very affordable overall.”
  • Teaching Moment: Laurie stands firm with her children about not buying out-of-sale snacks.
    • Quote (Laurie, 06:10): “The one he wanted was like, 4:59... But it all adds up. And I wasn't going to give in.”

• Wednesday — Costco (Opportunistic Shopping):

  • Costco is a destination for large quantities and cost-savings on staples (especially eggs & coffee).
  • Perception that the same money gets far more product.
    • Quote (Laurie, 10:43): “You can get two and a half pounds of Kirkland whole bean coffee ... for like $14. And at the grocery store, you can get one pound for $14.”

• Friday — Stop & Shop (Shopping with Kids):

  • Acknowledges how much harder it is to shop with children, who influence the cart with unexpected requests (like papaya).
  • Tries to make shopping a learning experience but prefers to shop alone to maintain control and avoid treat overload.
    • Quote (Laurie, 12:08): “It's way better if I just do not take them to the store with me... Everybody likes a treat. They just seem to like a lot of treats.”

The "Onion Incident" — Price Disparity Frustration

• Notable Moment (13:18): Laurie encounters a bag of onions for $1.99 at Wegmans but waits to buy, only to pay $2.88 at Stop & Shop later. This triggers reflection on her upbringing, values around thrift, and aversion to paying more than necessary.

  • Quote (Laurie, 14:04): “I have good friends that do all of their grocery shopping at Whole Foods, and I’m like, how do you mentally pay those prices?... Getting one over on the man, right? Like, finding a coupon... feels really good to me.”

  • Insists on sale prices being honored; recounts going to customer service to get a $1 correction.

    • Quote (Laurie, 14:04): “If you have a sale, honor your sale... I have friends that would be so mortified... but to me, if you have a sale, honor your sale.”

Weekly Spending & Feelings

• Outcome: Laurie landed right at her $200 budget, but notes this was during a vacation week with more eating out, so the figure isn’t fully representative.
  • Quote (Laurie, 16:59): “The $200 did not feel like I nailed it. It felt like, oh, we ate out a lot. And we've spent more on food than we probably should have.”

Laurie's Top Tips for Controlling Grocery Spending

• Meal plan and make a list—don’t shop hungry.
• Reverse engineer meals based on what’s on hand or what’s on sale.
• Use store circulars to plan trips and maximize savings.
  • Quote (Laurie, 17:41): “Plan out your meals, make a list, and do not go shopping hungry... Sticking to your plan.”

3. Other Women’s Experiences

• Pattern Noted: All three women tracked in the experiment spent around $200/week and shopped at multiple stores—Aldi, Costco, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, local shops.
• Theme: The modern grocery experience is more effort-intensive, with women acting as their own “personal shoppers.”

4. Is Shopping at Multiple Stores Worth It? (24:24)

• Yasmeen’s Take: Shopping at multiple stores for the best price can pay off—if it fits into your regular routine. Don’t burn time or gas chasing every deal, but do take advantage of natural routes and errands.
  • Quote (Yasmeen, 24:24): “There's always a calculation that's not just about numbers that you have to make. Is shopping around worth my time? Is it worth the mental energy?”

5. What Families Are Actually Spending

• Data: $800–$900/month is on the low end nationally; USDA estimates for a family of four are now $1,000–$1,600/month for groceries.
  • Fruits, vegetables, and meat have all seen rapid price hikes in recent years.
  • Quote (Yasmeen, 27:03): “The cost of food has increased almost at the same rate of inflation for the last year... the cost of things like fruits and vegetables is actually much higher.”

6. Consumer Reports’ Best Tips for Saving at the Grocery Store

Rethinking Store Brands (29:12–30:50)

• Private Label Savings: Store brands typically cost 25–30% less than name brands and have improved in quality—sometimes even preferred in blind taste tests.
  • Quote (Yasmeen, 29:12): “If you ever thought of them as sort of knockoff versions... a lot’s changed. Private labels are putting more effort into making higher quality products...”
• Insider Knowledge: Many private labels are actually produced by well-known brands (e.g., Starbucks makes Kirkland coffee).
  • Quote (Jean, 30:24): “There have been stories on how some of your favorite manufacturers are actually behind some of these private labels brands...”

Other Top Tips (31:20–33:53)

• Join Loyalty Programs and Use Coupons: Many are digital now; take advantage.
• Reduce Food Waste: Families lose up to $3,000 a year via food waste—make an effort to use what you buy.
  • Quote (Yasmeen, 31:35): “A family of four might lose about $3,000 a year to food waste. That’s according to the EPA. Yeah, that’s real money.”

Practical Food Storage Advice

• Lettuce & Strawberries: Wash, dry, and store produce with paper towels to extend life and encourage usage.
  • Quote (Yasmeen, 32:40): “I try to just set aside time either that day or within the next day to go ahead and wash it... make sure it's really dry. I put it back in the bag with a paper towel, and it will keep better...”

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Jean (03:35): “Let me start with you. Tell us a little bit about you before we get into your week. What does your household's rough grocery budget look like each month? And are you someone who goes into the store with a number in mind?”
• Laurie (13:18): “Shopping at multiple stores to get the best prices is frustrating. It's a game. It takes a lot of time and energy.”
• Jean (19:14): “One of my money rules. Don’t shop hungry, don’t shop angry, and don't shop sad.”
• Yasmeen (24:24): “Is shopping around worth my time? Is it worth the mental energy? Those are the things you should think about.”
• Yasmeen (31:35): “Food waste is actually something that can really add up.”

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:05 — Opening on grocery sticker shock and what inspired the episode.
• 03:50 — Laurie discusses her real grocery budget vs. intentions.
• 04:55 — Deep dive into impulse buying and price sensitivity at Trader Joe’s.
• 10:43 — The Costco strategy: two staples that drive membership.
• 12:08 — Shopping with kids: influence and challenges.
• 13:18–14:04 — The Onion Incident: Why small price differences still sting.
• 16:59 — Reflections after a week: Relevance of budgeting when eating out.
• 17:41 — Laurie’s top tips: meal planning, making lists, not shopping hungry.
• 24:24 — Yasmeen on whether shopping multiple stores is worth it.
• 27:03 — What’s normal to spend now? Consumer Reports/USDA numbers.
• 29:12–30:50 — Store brands vs. name brands: Surprising secrets and savings.
• 31:20–33:53 — Food waste, loyalty programs, and food storage hacks.

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Conclusion & Resources

• The episode combines the authenticity of real women’s stories with actionable advice from Consumer Reports.
• Shared resource: Subscribe to Bread and Butter (Consumer Reports' Substack) for more grocery and savings tips.
  • Yasmeen (34:16): “We’re on Substack... crbreadandbutter.substack.com... Every week we take on a new topic...”
• Closing encouragement: Listeners can volunteer for future “Week in Her Wallet” episodes and are reminded to consider pre-ordering Jean’s new book.

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This summary offers a comprehensive look into the episode’s candid discussions, practical tips, and memorable exchanges, making it a valuable overview for anyone aiming to spend smarter at the grocery store.

Transcript

[A]

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[A]

Hey everyone. Welcome to Her Money. I'm Jean Chatky. Quick question. When was the last time you walked out of the grocery store, looked at your receipt and thought, well, that felt totally fine and reasonable? Yeah, we didn't think so. We are all feeling it at the checkout line right now. Eggs, berries, coffee, onions. Things we used to throw in the cart without a second thought. Yogurt people. They're now making us stop and do the math. And that moment of hesitation tells us something really important about where we are all feeling the squeeze financially right now. So today we're doing something a little different. We have teamed up with our friends at Consumer Reports for a special edition of our series, A Week in Her Wallet, focused entirely on the grocery store. We asked a group of women to track their grocery shopping for a full week. Every store run, every sale they hunted, every impulse buy and send us voice notes along the way. The response was overwhelming and what we heard was funny, relatable and surprisingly revealing. Joining me today is Yasmeen Khan, the writer behind Bread and Butter, Consumer Reports, wonderful newsletter that revives a 1940s classic and brings its mission into 2026, helping people stretch their dollars, spend wisely, and cut through all the noise. Yasmeen, so glad to have you here.

[C]

I'm so glad to be here.

[A]

In the first half of the show, Yasmeen and I are gonna be joined by Laurie. Laurie is a mom of 11 and 7 living right outside Boston. She was one of the many women who raised her hand to track her grocery spending for us this week, and she bounced Between Trader Joe's, Costco, and Stop and Shop, all places with which I am intimately familiar. Hunted yellow sale signs. Let her kids talk her into a papaya. I gotta say, it's impressive that that's what they wanted. And got genuinely annoyed about the cost difference. On a bag of onions. Different stores. Lori, we loved every single one of your voice notes. We are so happy you're here.

[B]

Thank you for having me.

[A]

Let me start with you. Tell us a little bit about you before we get into your week. What does your household's rough grocery budget look like each month? And are you someone who goes into the store with a number in mind?

[B]

That's a great question. So what we have in our budget for groceries is about 200 a week. This exercise showed me that we're probably not sticking to that consistently because it's the budget. You know, it's a concept we don't actually track against it. It's like, kind of like in the line item, but we buy whatever we need or want when we get to the store. So I find that I spend probably more on prepackaged treats and snacks than I realized from doing this exercise.

[A]

A lot of people. A lot of people do.

[C]

Yes. Totally relatable. Lori, can we go ahead and jump into your week of grocery shopping?

[B]

Yeah, of course.

[C]

Okay, so on Monday, you kicked things off at Trader Joe's, spent about $60 almost entirely on impulse purchases, as you said. No list, but you said that prices felt pretty reasonable. Do you think Trader Joe's has actually held the line on prices better than other stores, or does it just feel that way?

[B]

I actually do think that's true. I find that there are certain things, especially specialty items, like a can of coconut milk, which we don't use typically. I know that's not a specialty item, per se, for many families, but for us, we don't cook a lot with coconut milk. And it's way cheaper at Trader Joe's than at standard regular grocery stores because I think they attract a different clientele that is cooking more diverse menus and more interesting ingredients. Overall, I always. I feel like most of Trader Joe's stuff is always a little bit cheaper than standard grocery stores, except for, like, then they have these interesting. What is it? The cap, you know, at the aisle, the end cap at the aisle, where it's like, oh, I've never seen anything like that before. Sure, I'll buy that. And then we almost always regret it. It's always, again, that impulse buy of something that's unique but maybe not necessarily all the novelties. Yeah.

[C]

You know, you mentioned, for instance, the bomba peanut snacks that you bought, but they went from $0.99 to $1.99, which is 100% increase, but you still bought them. So I'm wondering, actually, what's your threshold for when a price increase actually changes your behavior?

[B]

Great question. So the bombas are, like, very, like, fan favorite in the family. And I remember during the pandemic, going to Trader Joe's and waiting in line for, like, you know, an hour to get in to buy all the bombas I could because they were 99 cents and I knew my kids would eat them. Fast forward to today. Well, we still love bombas, so we still want to buy them. Even though it's their, you know, increase so much in price, they're still very affordable overall. So I actually had a conversation with my oldest at the grocery store this week when he really wanted me to buy something, and I think it might have been Doritos or some, like, a chip snack. And I was like, it's not on sale, but the other brand is, and we're not gonna. He's like, well, I don't want that brand. I want this brand. And I was like, well, we're not gonna buy it. Then you can either get the cheaper one or you can get nothing. And he held his ground and did not want the cheaper version. And we walked away from it because it was. It was something like two for $6. So $3 each. Or, you know, the. The one he wanted was like, 4:59. Again, it's still under $5. Right. It's not that big of a deal, but it all adds up. And I wasn't going to give it at that.

[C]

I love that. It's a little teaching moment.

[A]

I was thinking when you were talking about the bombas, Laurie, if it has to do with the actual number rather than the price doubling, that. If it had been the Doritos doubling from $4 to $8 roughly, would we still go for them? And my guess is probably not right. It's that absolute number that is interesting, which is why I think the yogurt is getting to me so much. Like a cup of yogurt on sale used to be able to get 10 for $10. And today it feels like it's $2.49 a piece no matter what you do. And that's the purchase that's bumming me out. Cause we eat a lot of yogurt in this family. We are gonna take a quick break. We'll be right back. You know that feeling when you've tried everything, the diets, the early morning workouts, telling yourself this time will be different and the scale still won't budge. Or worse, you lose the weight and then watch it slowly creep back. It is so frustrating. And hon, honestly, it's not a willpower problem for a lot of people. It's biology. Which is why I want to tell you about Weight loss by hers. Hers now offers access to an affordable range of FDA approved GLP1 medications. Ready to reach your goals? Visit forhers Hermoney to get personalized affordable care that gets you that's F o r h E-R-S.com hermoney forhers.com hermoney Weight loss by hers is not available in all 50 states. Wegovy is the registered trademark of Novo Nordisk as To get started and learn more, including important safety information, WeGovy clinical study information and restrictions, visit forhers.com as someone who loves to cook, I've always been particular about where my protein comes from. I seek out the good stuff, the butcher counter, the farmer's market because I believe quality ingredients make all the difference. But honestly, with all my travel lately, that takes time that I don't always have. That's where Omaha Steaks has been a genuine revelation for me. My husband asked me to make him the Steak Diane that his mother used to make him. I did. It was delish and you could taste that. It's a real quality standard that shows up on the plate. What I love most is that I always have something exceptional to work with, whether it's a quick weeknight dinner or a weekend dinner party. Get flavorful, high quality proteins delivered by visiting omahasteaks.com/35 off when you use promo code hermoney at checkout. That's omahasteaks.com code hermoney terms apply. See site for details. When you popped into Costco opportunistically on Wednesday, you made a point that at cost you might spend the same dollar amount as at a regular grocery store, but you get two to three times the quantity. Maybe I should buy my yogurt at Costco. But is Costco a regular part of your strategy or is it when you're nearby?

[B]

Great question. So we have long been members of Costco specifically for eggs and coffee. Like we sometimes are the people at Costco that are quite literally buying two things behind people with giant carts of things, right? So eggs and coffee was the driving force. I like a good whole bean coffee and the prices at the Grocery stores are insane. So with coffee, you can get two and a half pounds of Kirkland whole bean coffee, which is actually Starbucks coffee, for like $14. And at the grocery store, you can get one pound for $14. So that was kind of why we started with Costco. At Costco, you can get 24 eggs for less than what two dozen eggs would cost at the grocery store by a huge margin. So Costco, slowly, like, we started shopping their produce and their berries. And if you haven't been buying berries at Costco, you're missing out because you can buy blueberries at Costco for way, way less than what you can buy the same amount for at a grocery store.

[C]

Okay, I like that Costco is such a destination spot for these two things. Let's hop to Friday when you went to stop and shop with the kids in tow. And you said that you cannot overstate how hard it is to grocery shop with kids, which feels real. Your youngest convinced you to buy a papaya. How often do the kids influence what ends up in your cart?

[B]

More like, it's way better if I just do not take them to the store with me. Because how many 7 year olds see a papaya and say, I want to try that. I'm not going to say no to that. The experience alone is worth the money. Exactly. The papaya was actually a hit. It came out. They priced it by the pound. I think I ended up paying almost $4 for it, which I didn't realize that until we were at the checkout line. But he enjoyed it, and he said he does not know if he would want another papaya, but he did eat the one I bought. The kits are really at the grocery store. They want to go do a task. I'll be like, go get some pasta. Go get this. I'll send them to the different aisles to get things. And they always find themselves, you know, somehow in the chip aisle with containers of Pringles in their little arms, asking for me to buy Pringles for them. They are very opinionated about their snacks and they want to have say so. It's preferential just to do it without them because it's just a fight. And I don't want food to be a source of argument with my children. Everybody likes a treat. They just seem to like a lot of treats. And I don't want to buy them that many treats.

[A]

The moment that I want to talk about is the onions. You saw a bag at Wegmans for 1.99, didn't buy them. Found them at Stop and Shop for 2.88 the next day. You said that having to shop at multiple stores to get the best prices is frustrating. It's a game. It takes a lot of time and energy. And then you said something that really stuck with me, which was that standing there, when you were annoyed with the onions, you thought, is this because I was raised working class, because I can afford to pay full price? I just don't want to. There is so much in that moment. Can you unpack it?

[B]

I have good friends that do all of their grocery shopping at whole foods, and I'm like, how do you mentally pay those prices? And I love a whole foods produce section. Like, their stuff is beautiful, and it's always great, but it's very expensive. So as. As a kid who grew up working class, like, the cost of things was talked about, and it was important, and it was something that was very much present. You know, you. You could only get things on sale. We didn't just buy things because we wanted them. They had to f to a menu, a meal. It wasn't just, like, treats all the time. And so I. That's, like, my core. So I had stopped into Wegmans, not to grocery shop. I think my little one had to go to the bathroom or something. I don't remember now, but I saw the onions, and I'm like, well, I'm not shopping. I'm not gonna drive around with onions in my car all day. So we just didn't buy them. And then when I saw them at stop and shop, it was only like, it wasn't even a dollar more. But I was so mad that at one store versus another store, it was like an almost 30% price increase. I needed the onions by the time I went to stop and shop, and I had to pay the price that they had it at. But I think I have these values of finding a deal. Feels really good to me. Like, getting one over on the man, right? Like, finding a coupon. Like, being able to save money at the checkout line matters a lot to me. And it doesn't need to. I could afford to shop at whole foods for everything too. I just. I don't want to spend my money like that. That, and I don't want to feel like I'm being tricked or money's being taken out of my wallet when I could just make one more stop and go somewhere else and get the better pricing. So there is, like, a mental game to this. I'm a gen Xer, you know, you gotta, like, do the hard work and make the multiple stops to save the money. This is very funny. I was at the grocery store again yesterday, and they had Friendly's ice cream. So it was like 3.50, but if you bought two, it was two for six, but you had to buy two. I'm fine with that. I bought two half gallons of ice cream, and I went through the line and I left, and I was like. I looked at my receipt and I was like, oh, no. They charged me 3.50 each. I went to the customer service counter and I got my dollar back. Just because I was like, that's your sign. You advertised it. Buy two. You convinced me to buy two to get the cheaper price, but you didn't give me the cheaper price. I mean, they refunded me the money, but still I was like, I have friends that would be so mortified to be with me if I had to do that. But to me, if you have a sale, honor your sale. I can get it right. And, you know, I'm spending a lot of time thinking about what I'm buying at your store based on your prices. So make it right.

[C]

You know, I'm totally with you on that. Maybe because I'm a Gen Xer also. So Sunday was your final run. You went back for onions, or onions, yogurt and cereal, and you ended the week right around $200, which is almost exactly what you'd budgeted. How did that feel?

[B]

It was a weird week because here in Massachusetts, the kids have school vacation in February and April. We don't do one spring break, so they get two. So I had. We had actually gone out to eat a couple of times that week. So the $200 did not feel like I nailed it. It felt like, oh, we ate out a lot. And we've spent more on food than we probably should have. So, you know, I should probably do it again on a week that the kids aren't home with me the whole week. And we' day trips and excursions and see how it shakes out.

[A]

For women in our community, Lori, who are trying to get their grocery spending under control but feel overwhelmed, you already gave them one hot tip, which is, don't take the kids. But where else would you tell them to start?

[B]

I think it's really important to plan out your meals. Plan out your meals, make a list, and do not go shopping hungry. Anytime I'm a little hungry or like, oh, I need a snack, the decisions I make are terrible. But when I have a list and the list supports a menu right? So if you are I work from home, so all of my meals I'm eating and preparing at home for myself. So I'm always thinking, what's my lunch plan? What's my dinner plan? What am I going to give the kids when they get off the bus for snacks? Like, I, I always have an agenda or a plan because otherwise things go haywire and then you end up with food that you're not going to cook that just rots in your fridge or that you're scrambling to make a menu. Kind of reverse engineer your, your meal plan. So I don't have like a strict, like, Monday's this, Tuesdays is this. But I, I always think every week, like, oh, you know, we haven't had, I haven't made homemade pizza in a while, so let's do that this week. Or I haven't had a big leafy green salad in a while, so let's do that this week. So planning and, and making a list, sticking to your plan. And finally, I don't know if you guys get flyers, circulars in the mail from your grocery stores, but we look at those, I'm like, okay, well though. And again, because my disposition is I'd rather make two trips and save a couple of bucks. Might not work for everybody or not in every community, but like, I'm gonna go to this store for this thing. Cause this is on sale. Oh, yogurt's on sale. Let's stop and shop. I'm gonna go to stop and shop for yogurt. Like, I, I plan that out, which again, is more work, but it makes me feel validated. I'm like, taking advantage of sales.

[A]

I love it. And just to give you two tips back, I have a book of money rules. One of them is don't shop hung. And also don't shop angry and don't shop sad. Because anger actually makes us more of a risk taker than we would be. So you shouldn't invest when you're angry either, by the way. And when my kids were teenagers, I came up with this concept of the surprise bowl, which was what I would give them when they came home from school. And it allowed me to curate snacks to get rid of whatever I wanted to get rid of in the house. But because it was a surprise to them, they always thought that it was special.

[B]

I love that. Thank you. I love that.

[A]

You're very welcome. I haven't thought about surprise bowls in a while, but something you said triggered, triggered the thought. Thank you for taking us along on your grocery shopping, Lori. We loved every single minute of it.

[B]

Thank you for having me.

[A]

Absolutely. Yasmeen, hang with us. We are gonna take a quick break and then we're gonna dive into how to actually cut costs at the grocery store right now because unfortunately, we are all feeling the effects of inflation in our carts. We'll be sharing Consumer Reports best strategies for saving more time every time you shop. Plus what the other women who tracked their spending this week revealed about just how savvy shoppers have gotten when grocery store prices are sky high. We'll be right back. You know, I have to say it. Cats are having a moment. Our producer Emily has two cats and. And every time their little faces pop up in our virtual meetings, it brings a little more joy to my day. Here's the thing, though. As much as we love our feline companions, the litter box, not so glamorous. That's where Whiskers Litter Robot comes in. It automatically cycles after every use. So you're never scooping, never handling waste, never doing that. That thing where you just hold your breath and hope for the best. I can see why Emily is so excited to start tracking their cats routines. The future is feline. Learn more about Whisker litter robot models and starter kits today. Take an additional $50 off bundles with code HERMONEY. That's an additional $50 off bundles with Code HERMONEY. Visit whisker.com hermoney to shop now. Jeanne here and I have some really exciting news to share. My new book, the Forever PayCheck, comes out September 9, and pre orders are live right now. Here's what it's about. There is fascinating research showing that people who retire with a steady, reliable paycheck, like a pension or guaranteed income actually feel comfortable spending double in some cases what people with the same amount of money in assets spend. Yeah, you heard me right. They're spending double with the same amount of assets overall. And that means more travel, more time with the people you love, more of the retirement life that you have worked so hard for without the constant fear of running out. The Forever Paycheck is your guide, your step by step guide to building that kind of security for yourself no matter where you're starting from. Now, a quick favor for me, pre orders genuinely matter. They signal to the booksellers and the publishers that there is a real interest in a book, which means more copies on shelves, more women getting access to this information. If you've ever found value in this show, pre ordering this book is one of the most meaningful ways that you can support my work. So head to the link in the show notes to pre order the forever paycheck today. I cannot wait for you to read it and thank you. Welcome back. Before the break, we heard from Lori, but she wasn't the only one who generously tracked her grocery spending for us. We had a couple of other women do it, too. And what they shared gave us this really rich picture of how women are shopping right now. One thing that I kept noticing across all three women is that every single one of them shopped multiple stores in a single week, rotating Aldi, Costco, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and their local stores. Essentially, we've become our own personal shoppers based on what Consumer Reports is seeing. Yasmeen, is that level of effort actually worth it, or are people spending more in time and gas than they're saving?

[C]

It can definitely be worth it, you know, with a caveat. So I'll tell you that in terms of just prices, different stores charge different things for the same products. So, you know, anyone who shops at multiple stores sees these variations in prices. Consumer Reports did, too. In an analysis of the most and least expensive supermarkets, based on the cost of a basket of specific goods, we saw a lot of differentiation. So the base prices differ. Also, grocery stores offer sales at different times. So for that reason, shopping at multiple places is definitely an effective strategy to save on groceries. And most Americans actually do shop this way. We know that most Americans visit at least two stores a week. Lori obviously does. So the reason why shopping at multiple places works, at least for my family, is because we fit it into our regular routine. You know, we do the whole food shop, which is near where my kids do their sports practice, and we dip into the key food in our neighborhood pretty often. So we're not. Not going out of our way. Certainly with gas prices what they are, I think it may not make financial sense to drive completely out of your way, whether it's for groceries or for gas, by the way, and it may not be worth your time. I think there's always a calculation that's not just about numbers that you have to make. Is shopping around worth my time? Is it worth the mental energy? Those are the things you should think about.

[A]

Yeah, I think about that a lot. I feel like I shop much less like my mother shopped and more like my grandmother probably shopped because I live in a city. I walk, I shop much more frequently than I did when I was living in the suburbs and used my car because I'm carrying everything home. And I sometimes think about, is this costing me more? Is this Costing me less. Am I being inefficient because I am dipping into the store so often, which probably means that I should do our exercise to figure out where my numbers exactly line up. For Lori and for the two other women who shopped with us, Julianne and Kimberly, they all ended up spending right around $200 for the week. And their lives looked completely different from one another. Multiply that out, you're at 8, $800 a month, maybe $900 a month. Cause we have those five week months. Is that in line with what Consumer Reports is seeing in terms of what American families are actually spending now?

[C]

Just about. It is actually on the modest end of spending, according to some national numbers. So the USDA estimates that a family of four might spend anywhere between $1,000 to $1,600 a month on food at home. So that's groceries, which is a substantial sum. I think what's hard to deal with beyond just the spend, the thousand dollars a month, is the changing prices. So the cost of food has increased almost at the same rate of inflation for the last year. And if you drill down on that specifically, like, the cost of things like fruits and vegetables is actually much higher. It's gone up at a much higher rate. We all see that and we feel that. And I think that's why it's worth just thinking about the things that are in our control to bring down grocery costs, because there are things we can do.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I am, as my listeners know, not a frequent Costco shopper. I am one of those people who goes twice or three times a year and spends a lot of money. And we tend to go in advance of the summer. We have a house in New Jersey where we go on the weekends. We have a lot of guests. And a lot of what I buy is meat, chicken, to put in the freezer. I was so struck by how much more expensive it was to buy a flank steak this year than it was last year or the year before. Like, meat prices are just crazy. And it made me really think, well, this is an easy dinner. It's something I like to cook a couple of times a summer. But is it worth it? Is it something where I should really rethink my choices? And I don't usually get that. I don't usually get that granular about the prices. But they definitely bothered me because I'm still thinking about them today. You published a piece in Bread and Butter on Consumer Reports. Seven best tips for saving on grocery. And one that really did jump out at me was rethinking store brands. You blind taste tested name brands against store brands. The results were surprising. So, so tell us about that.

[C]

Yeah. Writer Toby Stanger looked into this for Consumer Reports. So, you know, buying store brand goods, which are called private label goods, are where you can save money. So these private label goods are generally priced about 25 to 30% lower than name brand products. But Toby writes how it's not just about value. These private label products have evolved. So if you ever thought of them as sort of knockoff versions of name brand goods, a lot's changed. So private labels are putting more effort into making higher quality products, also more original ones. You can only get Wegmans spicy tomato oil at Wegmans. So these private label products are possibly something that you would go to a store for specifically. I would say that they're also maybe the last stand against shrinkflation, which is where manufacturers reduce the size or the volume of what they're selling, but they keep the prices the same. So when you're shopping, don't just compare package to package, but compare unit prices and just try different private label products and see what you like. You know, not everything may be a win, but you might realize that you actually prefer some of them.

[A]

I was struck how Lori knew that Starbucks makes the coffee for Kirkland. There have been stories on how some of your favorite manufacturers are actually behind some of these private labels brands, which unless you've done some sleuthing, you may not realize. Is it more common than we think?

[C]

Yeah, I mean, I would say so. And I think it also is just a matter of trying things out. I don't know why, but it's not just about price. I have preferred Whole Foods brand peanut butter, the 365 brand peanut butter for years. That is my preferred flavor texture of peanut butter. So I've been shopping at Whole Foods specifically for that peanut butter because I just like it. I think it's better than others that I find. So I think it's just really worth a try.

[A]

As far as those seven tips that were listed in the story, were there any others that you particularly rely on or you feel are just ones that should be at the top of every list?

[C]

Yeah, I mean, there are definitely your grocery shopping best practices. So become a loyalty member of your store. Use coupons, which are still a thing. You know, Lori brought them up. Most of them are digital now. One thing that I am really putting my mind to, though, is just use everything that you buy. We're pretty good about this at my house, but every now and Again, I have to say goodbye to some lettuce that's past its prime. And food waste is actually something that can really add up. So a family of four might lose about $3,000 a year to food waste. That's according to the EPA. Yeah, that's real money. And so it's something to be mindful of. For me, it's more than just saying I'm going to use the lettuce. I've had to actually change my behavior at home just a little bit. So I've changed how I store things and even arrange them in the fridge. And I've just. I've tried to improve my routine of taking inventory so that we can see what we have and use it all.

[A]

Tell me more about storing and arranging.

[C]

Sure. So when I. I'd be happy to. When I buy lettuce now, I try to just set aside time either that day or within the next day to go ahead and wash it, wash it all, make sure it's really dry. I put it back in the bag with a paper towel, and it will keep better in the fridge that way, but also will use it faster because it's ready. And it kind of makes my life easier for the next few days or the rest of the week because it's not a thing to make a salad. I've got the lettuce washed. Same thing with strawberries. You don't want to store strawberries wet. So I wash them right away, but then I make sure they're dry. If you cut the tops off, they will keep a little bit better. And then I put them back into the same container, the same plastic container with a paper towel, and they. Again, I don't know if they last longer or if it's just that we're eating them faster because they're ready for us. So those are some of the things that I'll do with a more delicate produce. But otherwise, it's really about just. I'm not gonna necessarily remember certain things. So I have to kind of put effort into my routine of just moving things around in the fridge a bit so that I can see what's in there and use it.

[A]

I like that. I'm gonna try to adopt the wash and store method, because we always are finding that there's a little bit of stuff that you don't want to see on the strawberries and the raspberries in particular. So anything that we can do to avoid that. Yasmeen, this was fun. Where can our listeners find bread and butter? And what should they expect when they subscribe.

[C]

Yeah. Well come look for us. We're on substack so you can sign [e-mail] youm can find us there. And you can also put your email so you just get our newsletter right to your inbox. And every week we kind of take on a new topic. Something going on at Consumer Reports, some new testing, going back in our archives and digging up some fun material. And we will always find ways to serve up some good deals, good tips on saving, on organizing, on dealing with your life. And every now and again you'll get some sort of fun behind the curtain things about Consumer Reports and you'll get to come into the labs with us.

[A]

Amazing. Thank you so much for doing this with us.

[C]

Thank you so much for having me.

[A]

And thanks again to Lori, Julianne and Kimberly for trusting us with a peek inside your grocery carts. We are very grateful for that. If you want to be considered for a future episode of A Week in Her Wallet, tap the link in the Show Notes. We'd love to to hear from you. And before we go, if you love today's episode, please take a moment to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcast. Your feedback means the world to me, but it also helps other women find the show. And if you haven't yet, be sure to pre order my new book, the Forever Paycheck. It's your guide to building a secure, steady income stream that actually, actually lets you enjoy the retirement you've worked so hard for. Tap the link in the Show Notes to pre order your copy today. Her Money is produced by Hayley Pascalides. Our music is provided by Video Helper. Thanks for listening and we'll talk soon.