Meet 5-4-3-2-1 Shopping: The Internet’s Best Trick for Saving Money on Groceries

We know they say the only certain things in life are death and taxes, but what about grocery shopping? No matter if you love it or absolutely loathe it, it has to be done sometime—though, luckily for those who hate it, there’s grocery delivery nowadays.

But, grocery delivery service or not, you still need to make the list and shop for the items somehow. Anyone who has ever food shopped can relate to the feeling of going into a store, even with a detailed list and budget, only to come out with a buggy full of things you likely didn’t need or went over budget on. I mean, come on, have you ever seen the Aldi Finds aisle? Or any Target store? 

Maybe you’re tired of overspending on groceries, or maybe you’re sick of throwing out all those rotting veggies in your fridge because you were a different person when you went shopping. Either way, in this age of inflation, we’re looking for ways to get the most bang for our buck at the grocery store—enter the 5-4-3-2-1 method.

What Is 5-4-3-2-1 Grocery Shopping?

The 5-4-3-2-1 method is a simple grocery shopping trick created by TikTok user @chefwillco to ensure you don’t buy or spend too much at the store. Each number corresponds to a specific food group that you’ll purchase for easy, balanced meals every week.

Following Coleman’s method, you’d buy five different vegetables, four different fruits, three different proteins, two different sauces or spreads, and one grain—plus a special treat for yourself. Of course, if you are feeding a family, you might need to buy multiples of some items to ensure you have enough, but the method would still be the same.

The whole point of the 5-4-3-2-1 method is to make a grocery list that works for you. So, if that means some weeks you buy five fruits and four vegetables or one jar of sauce and two boxes of pasta, that’s okay. Either way, it will keep your grocery shopping organized and within some kind of spending limit.

How To Use the 5-4-3-2-1 Method

Using the 5-4-3-2-1 method does require some planning, but so does every grocery list. Before you head to the store or place your order online, you’ll want to plan out your week’s worth of meals—may we suggest some of these quick and easy lunches or budget-friendly dinners?

Your grocery list likely won’t only have 16 items on it because, of course, there are those staples you might need for a recipe. Things like spices, herbs, milk, butter, oil, flour, or other ingredients that you need to restock are your “free” items.

However, for the sake of this story, I tested adding just the essential 5-4-3-2-1 items from seven different stores to my grocery cart to determine the final total. I shopped retailer sites in the New York City area and other parts of the country for the following items:

• Vegetables: spinach, bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, and carrots
• Fruit: grapes, apples, bananas, and oranges
• Protein: chicken breasts, ground beef, and shrimp
• Sauce/spread: marinara sauce and peanut butter
• Grain: bread
• Treat: potato chips

Bear in mind that not every store has the same exact products, so the sizes and prices may vary from location to location. Additionally, note that I added only generic items to my cart when possible—and for the fruits and vegetables, I added pre-packaged bags of each rather than individual items. Here’s what I found:

• Food Lion: $55.33
• Kroger: $60.14
• Publix: $64.33
• Target: $62.48
• Trader Joe’s: $57.14
• Walmart: $58.46
• Whole Foods: $70.06

Sure, these totals might not have been as cheap as you expected, but fresh ingredients are pricier than you may think. The 5-4-3-2-1 method isn’t necessarily about saving you money by buying cheaper things but rather by teaching you to be a mindful shopper. Instead of going into the store hungry and impulse buying everything that looks even a little tasty, this method allows you to go in with a plan for your week.

Though, of course, adding a few more treats for yourself won’t break the bank either—wink, wink.