Utah shopper tracks grocery prices, says the best stock-up strategy may be 'wait'

You may feel like, with rising food prices, you need to stock up when your pantry staples go on sale. However, the creator of the YouTube channel She's In Her Apron said the smartest move may be to pause instead of pounce.

Here's what to know

The video treats each grocery promotion as one of four choices: buy now, buy enough, wait, or skip it. The YouTube video explained that the channel used years of price tracking to compare case lot offers and other store promotions with regular shelf prices, earlier sale prices, and Walmart prices.

The same discount can make sense for one household and not another. A 12-pack of canned kidney beans at 59 cents per can was well below Walmart's 92-cent price, yet the video still raised the question of whether a smaller household would use 12 cans soon enough. Cream-style corn came out differently: at 69 cents a can versus Walmart's 87 cents, it looked like the kind of item worth stocking up on because it was something the household actually uses.

Chicken broth offered another example of why the decision is not just about today's markdown. At 69 cents a can, it was still cheaper than Walmart, but because enough had already been purchased in February 2025 at 49 cents, the better choice was to wait.

More background

Households trying to rein in grocery spending are still sorting through sale formats that can make a deal seem better than it is, including mix-and-match offers, quantity-based promotions, app discounts, and boxed-unit pricing. Those signs can push shoppers toward buying more than they need, even when the savings are limited, or the volume does not fit real usage.

The larger takeaway was that whether a deal is worth taking depends on a household's current stage of life. Bigger families may move through pantry basics quickly, while smaller households may already have enough at home.

One user said, "grocery shopping is more than just buying food. It's knowing the season of life you are in and what foods are regularly moving through your house." 

Another added, "I learned the 'wait' the hard way," before describing how overbuying discounted meat became too much for one freezer shelf to handle.

What can be done?

Rather than trying to memorize the price of every item in the store, the approach begins with a manageable set of repeat purchases — about 10 to 20 staples.

For each of those items, track the current price, your previous low, what is already in your pantry, and how fast you use it. Having that information written down can make case sales and holiday promotions much simpler to judge.

The video also suggested filling only the immediate shortfall when supplies start getting low instead of replenishing an entire pantry at a middling price. Buying that smaller "gap" amount can limit overspending and leave room to wait for a better deal.

Where can I learn more?

For shoppers looking to stretch a grocery budget, these stories explore discount grocery models, late-day markdowns, surplus food apps, and the broader pressures lifting food prices.

• At some salvage grocers, discount shelves can stretch budgets when pantry staples matter most.

• Online retailer Martie shows how surplus pantry goods sell cheaper without waiting on store sales.

• At Tesco, evening shoppers can find bakery goods marked down after 7 p.m.

• Too Good To Go lets buyers grab discounted surplus food before stores throw it away.

Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.