What Is The 5-4-3-2-1 Grocery Shopping Method And How Does It Actually Help?

The only thing worse than going to the grocery store hungry is going to the grocery store unprepared. Sure, you know you're out of oat milk and that you're down to three eggs in the carton, but what happens when you can't for the life of you remember what else is missing from the pantry? An already chaotic grocery shopping experience can become even more chaotic when you aren't sure what you need. Luckily, Chef Will Coleman, also known as @chefwillco to his more than 20,000 followers on TikTok, devised a method to ensure that you don't overspend or waste any food, even when you're not sure what to buy. Enter: the 5-4-3-2-1 method. 

About as rudimentary as it sounds, Chef Coleman's method involves buying a specific number of items from specific food groups. You start with buying five vegetables, then pick up four fruits, three proteins, two sauces, one grain, and a bonus of one fun thing for yourself. The point of this method, as Chef Coleman explains, is to help save shoppers money, encourage people to "step up" their grocery shopping game, and avoid making any grocery shopping mistakes.

Oftentimes, if you head to the grocery store without a plan, you'll end up overspending. Worse yet, back home, you'll quickly discover that it's pretty hard to make a well-rounded meal out of Lay's potato chips, ground beef, and a tub of ice cream. Thankfully, with Chef Coleman's 5-4-3-2-1 method, you can lay out a plan ahead of time with an appropriate portion of ingredients to whip up something delicious. Of course, there might be other things in your cart like oils, spices, and similar necessities. However, at least now you'll have a much lower risk of overspending. Better yet, paired with these 13 other ways to help save money at the grocery store, your days of uninformed shopping will be a thing of the past.

The 5-4-3-2-1 method is also extremely versatile because there aren't many rules to it. Whether you're using it spur of the moment on a last-minute shopping trip or sitting at the kitchen table planning meals for the week, it's a great strategy to help you make the most of your grocery visit since there are no limits to what you can choose. The five vegetables can be anything from fresh onions and carrots to frozen peas and canned black beans, and the same goes for fruits. Meanwhile, your choice of protein can be in the form of ground turkey, frozen hamburger patties, or even items like cottage cheese and tofu if you're thinking of going vegetarian to save even more money. That said, the method isn't foolproof. For example, if you're shopping for a family, you might have to double the items. Nonetheless, the principle of the method still applies.