PHOENIX — It has been a year of delving into savings strategies, exploring deals at Valley stores, and tracking grocery prices at ABC15, as we have run our Smart Shopper series every week throughout the year.
Since January, reporter Jane Caffrey has followed four local shoppers as they hav learned from experts about coupon cutting and digital deals, smart spending, and saving.
Now those Smart Shoppers are reflecting on how the year has reshaped their financial strategies.
When ABC15’s year-long series launched, Viola Lucero and Steve Nemeck were already dedicated coupon clippers.
"I was a master couponer!” Lucero said. "Look how cheap these avocados, 4 for a dollar!”
Lucero had hoped to save up for the arrival of her first grandchild.
"There's a lot of things that I learned, like different apps that I downloaded to my phone that I didn't have prior that gave me savings throughout the year,” she said.
Nemecek, who credits coupons for early retirement, focused on saving even more.
"Apps that I started using that I didn't even know about were Fetch and Ibotta, and they have saved me a lot of money this year,” he said.
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For DJ Leonidas Love, it was all about finding healthy and affordable food while tackling credit card debt.
"My credit cards are fine. Now my credit score is over 700,” Love reported at the end of the year.
For Marzia Munari, who uses SNAP benefits to support her family, stretching every dollar was essential. She even saved for one very special celebration for her daughter’s birthday.
"I saved all year a little bit of the time to be able to do that for her when she turned 21,” Munari said.
The Smart Shoppers say the biggest takeaways were simple, but powerful.
- Look at grocery stores’ weekly ads
- Use store apps an sign up for digital deals
- Stack coupons to maximize savings
- Buy store brands
- Shop in-season produce
- Use third party savings apps
All year, ABC15 has also tracked prices of six staple grocery items at five Valley stores, showing just how much costs can swing week to week.
Eggs hit a high of $10.49 for a large dozen in March. This week, our team saw the year’s low, at $1.76 a dozen.
"It really does prove to be smart, because you can get something for half the price one week. And it has nothing to do with changes across the U.S., or tariffs, or political policy, or chickens getting sick. It has to do with taking advantage of a great sale,” Jim Rounds, Rounds Consulting Group President and CEO, said.
Heading into 2026, Rounds, an economist, expects food prices to rise slightly due to tariffs and inflation, keeping smart shopping strategies important.
“In this economy, we're still seeing people buying stuff, but it's the upper end, the higher income individuals buying things,” Rounds said. "Lower income individuals are starting to get pinched a bit. So it's even more important to find ways of saving a dollar here and there, because it does add up.”
For Munari, who lost SNAP benefits during the government shutdown, the struggle continues.
"It's a bit been kind of a rough year, but now we are at the end of it,” she said.
It’s a reality for more than 41 million Americans on SNAP. Munari says coupons and sales can help make ends meet.
"You take a little bit from each one and put it in your toolbox, you know, and then use it,” she said.
Tools, the Smart Shoppers say they plan to keep in 2026.
"I think my savings is a lot more now, since I have been part of the Smart Shopper series,” Love said. "I’ve been more conscious about what I'm buying and what I'm not buying."
All consumers are continuing to stretch their dollar to the max.
You can take a look back at all of our Smart Shopper stories over the past year and see our price tracking data at ABC15.com/SmartShopper.