HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — A North Carolina family is strategizing its grocery shopping in order to save money.

Ashley Johnson started spending more time on finding ways to save since May, when she stopped working full time.

“I knew I needed to save money in order to stay home with my kids more. I noticed our grocery bill was really high,” Johnson said. 

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in 2022 Americans spent the biggest share of their income on food in 30 years. Food prices grew slower in 2023. However, the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics reports prices were still on the rise until this February.

“You are having to ship the things. It’s costing more. For people there is costing more so they have to make their money somehow, but it’s hard that it comes down to everyday people that are trying to feed their families,” Johnson said. 

Johnson starts her process taking inventory of food at home. 

“[We have] very busy schedules and then trying to plan out meals to go with those schedules and what we have on the house,” Johnson said.

After meal planning for her family of five, she searches for coupons and deals on rebate and grocery apps. 

Then, she makes a list for each grocery store she’ll visit, a process that can take up to two hours. 

This time, she found deals at Publix and Food Lion.

Her method is working for her family.

“It was probably $1,500 a month and since doing all of this, we were able to cut it back to $1,000,” Johnson said. 

This estimate doesn’t include rebates. 

The biggest reward of the savings for her is spending more time with her kids. 

“That I don’t have to work full time anymore, that I can work part time. That’s the biggest help for that,” Johnson said. 

Johnson said she learned strategic shopping methods from influencers on TikTok. 

Since she began shopping this way, she estimates her family has saved more than $5,000.