Cutting costs during shopping with the "6 to 1" technique: A strategy to reduce spending by purchasing six items for the price of one.
Taking a Slice of the Grocery Pie: My Week with the 6-to-1 Method
In search of budget-friendly and time-saving shopping wisdom, I dived headfirst into the 6-to-1 grocery method. This technique, democratized by Chef Will Coleman via viral TikTok videos, aims to streamline grocery shopping, reduce food waste, and keep the bank account balanced.
Let me lay out the whole enchilada for ya. The 6-to-1 method entails structuring your shopping list like this:
- Six types of veggies (think carrots, peppers, and the like)
- Five fruits
- Four protein sources
- Three staples
- Two sauces or spreads
- One "fun" item that spices things up
You can tweak the ratios if you've got a larger tribe or dietary preferences, just remember to scale up the portions accordingly.
At first, I felt like that Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh with an overflowing fruit basket, but I soon learned to embrace the abundance. And hey presto! My weekly supermarket tango became a jazzy jive, lighter on the wallet and the mind.
My shopping list, as I saw it unfold:
- Veggies: Carrots, spinach, mixed salad greens, bell peppers, jalapeños, mushrooms
- Fruits: Apples, tomatoes, bananas, blueberries, and frozen raspberries
- Protein: Northern beans, chickpeas, eggs, and tofu
- Staples: Spinach and ricotta ravioli, small potatoes, whole grain English muffins
- Sauces or spreads: Greek yogurt and Hershey's chocolate topping
- "Fun" item: Pistachio ice cream
With only the basics occupying the shopping cart, I couldn't help but feel like a savvy shopper. My bill came to roughly $60 (around 52 euros). Usually, I spend betwixt $70 and $85 (61 to 75 euros) on groceries every week. Score!
As the week wore on, I found myself repeating breakfast and lunch meals to keep things simple. In the morning, I rolled with English whole grain muffins slathered with almond butter and honey or bananas and blueberries. And for lunch, theё morph into English muffins topped with eggs, cheese, spinach, and hot sauce or a mix of chickpeas, fresh apple slices, and a bagged salad mix.
Nights and weekends were more of a free-for-all, and I took the opportunity to get creative. Dinner dishes ran the gamut, from spicy bean-tofu burritos to roasted spinach-ricotta ravioli accompanied by store-bought mushrooms and cherry tomatoes.
And lest we forget dessert! I whipped up chocolate chip cookies with pantry staples and frozen raspberries, while a scoop of pistachio ice cream served as a sweet sugary high-five to the end of my meals.
I must say, taking a page from the 6-to-1 playbook felt ultra-practical. Despite using some staple foods I already had, my week was a smashing success. Nearly everything I bought was used, and the leftover ravioli and carrots could easily be saved for later.
This method has the Holy Grail vibe for grocery shopping. It's super helpful for those who battle list-making demons, succumb to impulse supermarket buys, or find themselves eyeballing wilted lettuce in the crisper drawer come the weekend.
While the 6-to-1 approach won't be my go-to every week, rest assured it's a top-shelf plan to pull out when I need to streamline my meal planning or clamp down on my cash flow. Next time I might swap sauces and spreads for dairy products or alternatives, as I reckon that would've been a wise move.
This article first saw the light of day on February 23, 2024, and was last updated on April 28, 2025.
[1] Levy, C. (2023, Jan 15). Grocery Budgeting 101: How to Bring Your Shopping Bill Down. Retrieved from [Insert URL]
[2] Freedman, S. (2022, Aug 11). The 6-to-1 Method: The Simple Grocery Shopping Technique That Can Save You $1,000 a Year. Retrieved from [Insert URL]
[3] Kennedy, H. (2021, Nov 23). Reduce Waste and Save Money with This Super Simple Meal Planning Method That Keeps Produce Fresh Longer. Retrieved from [Insert URL]
[4] Coleman, W. (2022, Oct 27). Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner: A Day in the Life of the 6-to-1 Grocery Shopping Method [Video]. TikTok. Retrieved from [Insert URL]
[5] Cook, K. (2023, Nov 18). The 6-to-1 Grocery Method: The Simple Ratio for Saving Money and Minimizing Waste [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from [Insert URL]
- The 6-to-1 grocery method, with its goal of supporting effective shopping, reduced waste, and financial stability, resonated with me in my quest for budget-friendly shopping wisdom.
- In line with the plan, I categorized my shopping list with veggies, fruits, proteins, staples, sauces or spreads, and a fun item, resulting in a simpler supermarket experience.
- My personal finance, including my grocery budget, benefited significantly as my weekly food and drink expenses dropped from usual $70-$85 (61-75 euros) to roughly $60 (around 52 euros), after employing the 6-to-1 method.
- A recurring breakfast of whole grain English muffins with almond butter and honey, along with lunch staples such as eggs, cheese, spinach, and hot sauce, kept my meal preparation streamlined during the week.
- Evenings and weekends, I found room for creativity with a variety of meals, including spicy bean-tofu burritos and roasted spinach-ricotta ravioli, showcasing a healthy lifestyle and a personal touch.
- Owing to the efficient meal planning and reduced food waste associated with the 6-to-1 method, I plan to incorporate it into my personal finance routine periodically, ensuring a more balanced lifestyle and budget.
