Woman Shares Three Tricks to Spend Just $50 a Week on Groceries Amid Rising Food Prices

While Americans are shelling out hundreds on groceries each week, Kristy Nguyen, a TikTok user, has found a hack that caps her weekly grocery expenditure to $50. The California resident, 23, is currently using the hack to save for her and her partner's first home. In an interview with The New York Post, she said, "Food doesn’t have to be expensive if you know how to find the best deals and budget properly." 

Nguyen says that sometimes her weekly grocery bill can be as low as $35 as she already keeps items from her previous haul. The Los Angeles resident currently works multiple jobs. She is serving as a full-time manager at Aldi and is also a part-time sales associate at Walmart. Nguyen told the Post that she is earning about $60,000 per year from her two jobs. Moreover, she is also a TikTok content creator, from where she earns an additional $12,000. Nguyen says that buying from Aldi, the German chain has helped her cut down her bills to a huge extent. "A bag of spinach costs less than $1.50, and most of the fresh meats that they have available range from $3 to $12," she told The Post. 

She goes on to share three specific tips on how she saves money and keeps her grocery bill within $50, the first one being, planning meals ahead of time. She says that itemizing the list of ingredients that she needs for every meal helps her save time while shopping and ensures that she shops with a purpose. 

The second top is to include a lot of staple items throughout the week. This means that she mostly buys the same things every week that can be used to make a variety of dishes. "Some of my most purchased items include ground turkey, ground beef, white rice, tortillas, bananas, and frozen fruits," she said. "These are staple items that I can use to essentially make anything." "My meals are quite healthy and nutritious," she added. "I still eat veggies, fruits, and protein daily with the type of shopping list that I have."

The final tip is to compare the prices at different stores to grab the best deal. She goes on to say that Aldi, the chain from where she buys the majority of her groceries has deals on Wednesdays. "Every store has deals on a specific day—you just have to call and ask beforehand so that you’re aware," she adds. 

 As per Robert Frick, corporate economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, "Prices very rarely go back," and "It's going to take two or three years before people feel real relief from the surge in inflation, especially with things like food," via Fox Business.

While inflation has come down, the prices of groceries are still pretty steep. As per The Washington Post, grocery prices have jumped by 25% over the past four years, which is more than the overall inflation which was at 19%. This is partly due to the labor shortages and other factors beyond the control. "I think people are waiting for prices to return to what they call ‘normal’ — and except for a few things, like eggs — we’re not going to see that. We’re going to see prices stabilize, and that’s likely it," said Dawn Thilmany, economist and professor at Colorado State University.

For more budgeting content, follow @asap.kristy on TikTok.