Smart grocery strategies for the holidays

With grocery prices still climbing, many Arizona families are looking for ways to cut costs, and consumer expert Daphne Munro is offering help.

The former ABC15 Smart Shopper now leads monthly online classes through the Phoenix Public Library, teaching practical strategies to lower food bills, avoid common shopping pitfalls and plan smarter for the holiday season.

Her next class is scheduled for December 7, 2025, offering fresh strategies for navigating today’s food prices. Munro joined “Arizona Horizon” to share her top tips for saving at the store.

According to Munro, food in its most raw form will be the cheapest, and also healthiest. This means that food that has already been cleaned, cut and prepared will be more expensive.

It will cost a family of four approximately $1,000 a month to buy groceries, an exponentially high price point compared to previous years, especially when looking before the pandemic. To try to curb this cost, Munro suggested meal planning for families.

“Meal planning is basically where you decide what meals you’re going to have for the week,” Munro said. “How you save money is either check what’s on sale, and I’ll meal plan accordingly.”

Munro explained one of the ways to manage meal planning and grocery lists is to use technology. Using apps and websites is another way people can keep track of what meals they are planning and what groceries are on their list.

“Another one, if you want to use your mobile app, and use that on your phone, is Recipe Keeper,” Munro said. “This helps with meal planning; meal planning is very important to helping you save money at the grocery store.”

Munro also suggested buying food in bulk as a great way to save money at the grocery store. For example, buying peanuts or pasta by the pound.