Food costs remain at a record high and data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics shows this past year, groceries saw the biggest price increase since 1979.
ABC15 spoke with Deacon Hayes, founder of Well Kept Wallet, about how families can make every dollar count.
His first tip: food already prepared is going to cost you more. He showed the difference in price between ground beef, side by side with already-made beef patties.
"It's significantly cheaper to buy it unprepared with the patties not made already versus this," Hayes said. "So this was $8.31 but it's three pounds of meat. This is $10 but it's two pounds of meat."
His second tip: when scanning the aisle, check the price per ounce. Two bags of chicken nuggets may look similar in size but read the fine print.
"This right here is 18 cents per ounce," Hayes said. "So it's less than 25% of the price of this and you get more nuggets."
Hayes says buying generic can make a big difference. He also recommends swapping out expensive granola or fruit bars as something to snack on for real fruit.
So when is the best time to go grocery shopping to get the best deals? Hayes says it varies depending on which day of the week your store begins its weekly sales. But Instacart says Wednesday, on average, is when most stores begin their specials. The company also states most stores tend to mark down their produce and meat later in the evening.
There are also apps that allow you to put in what you buy at the grocery store, and in return, give you cash back. Nerdwallet has a full list of apps here.