Purchasing food with the "6 to 1" approach for time and cost efficiency
Tackling Grocery Shopping: The 6-to-1 Method
Got tired of that never-ending grocery shopping list and the constant hunt for deals?Me, too! So, I decided to give the "6-to-1" shopping method a whirl, hoping it would save me some bucks and time.
This technique, championed by some savvy shoppers like chef Will Coleman, is all about buying a few key ingredients and concocting various meals for the whole week. Sounds easy peasy, right?
Coleman shows us his secret recipe: six veggies, five fruits, four proteins, three staples, two sauces or spreads, and one "treat." Yep, you can still indulge without breaking the bank! The trick is simplicity and a shortened shopping list, helping curb those pesky impulse buys.
As a solo shopper for me and my partner, I was intrigued if this could shave some dollars off our weekly grocery expenses. So, let me walk you through my 6-to-1 shopping adventure.
Navigating the New Shopping Style
Usually, I meticulously plan meals, pluck coupons, and create a detailed list before hitting the grocery store. But this flexible 6-to-1 approach seemed intriguing. You can simply pop into a store, handpick your faves in each food category, and then cook meals based on your purchases.
At first, my eyeballs bulged at the idea of buying six kinds of vegetables and five fruits for just one shopping trip. Even for a dedicated vegetarian, that sounded like a leafy, fruity mountain. But fear not, I soon reached my veggie and fruity limit!
Selecting three staples proved a tad tricky during my shopping foray, so I got creative: tossed in some Greek yogurt, which high in protein and doubles as a yummy sauce!
Peep the haul:- Vegetables: Carrots, spinach, mixed salad greens, bell peppers, jalapeños, and mushrooms- Fruits: Apples, cherry tomatoes, bananas, blueberries, and frozen raspberries- Proteins: chickpeas, eggs, tofu- Staples: Spinach and ricotta ravioli, small potatoes, and whole grain English muffins- Sauces or spreads: Greek yogurt, Hershey's chocolate topping- "Fun" item: Pistachio ice cream
Buying precisely what I needed for my meals allowed me to save some hard-earned cash. Totaling up, I spent around $60 (about €52) on all my goodies. Usually, I spend between $70 and $85 (about €61 to €75) on groceries weekly.
Mealtime Simplified
To keep things exciting and straightforward, I stuck to my usual breakfast and lunch rotation during the week. English whole grain muffins became my bread and butter (literally) – topped with nut butter, honey, and fruit for brekkie or draped with egg, cheese, spinach, and hot sauce for lunch.
For my lunchtime salad, I mixed kaboom! chickpeas, apple slices, spinach, and bagged salad mix. Simple and tasty – saving me time on meal planning.
When evenings and weekends rolled around, I churned out more complex dishes. One night, I prepared a tongue-tingling tofu-bean burrito with a Greek yogurt dip. My partner swooned over spinach and ricotta ravioli I whipped out from the freezer and served it with sautéed mushrooms and cherry tomatoes.
Weekends were all about frying, quartering, or grating potatoes and preparing veggie and egg feasts.
I appreciated not having to fret over using up every ingredient, as I'd only bought a few in each category.
During the week, I upped my fruit intake by adding it to the yummy desserts I baked for my partner – chocolate chip cookies woven with frozen raspberries. I even indulged in pistachio ice cream with antioxidant-rich fruit and a sprinkle of Hershey's chocolate topping.
Wrapping it up!
My week-long 6-to-1 expedition was quite a success. I used up nearly all the food I bought for this experiment. Plus, I dropped my typical grocery spend during this week. A couple of unconsumed items like ravioli and carrots that didn't make it past seven days can easily be saved for future meals.
This 6-to-1 method seems particularly useful for people battling list-making demons or struggling to avoid supermarket whims. Instead of using it every week, I plan to employ it when I need a spending reset or meal planning simplification.
Next time around, I might switch up the sauces and spreads for cheeses or alternatives, as I believe it would have bolstered my pantry.
So, are you ready to give this wallet-friendly, time-saving shopping method a spin? Get your shopping carts revved up, and let's take a bite out of the grocery shopping beast!
Note: First published on February 23, 2024, last updated on April 28, 2025.
The cooking lifestyle, as demonstrated by chef Will Coleman's 6-to-1 method, focuses on purchasing key ingredients and creating various food-and-drink recipes for the week. With this approach, I was able to simplify mealtime and save money on grocery-home-and-garden expenses. My 6-to-1 shopping haul included six vegetables, five fruits, four proteins, three staples, two sauces or spreads, and one fun item.
