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This Woman's Basic Grocery List Cost $10 In 2020, $11 In 2022, And A Whole Lot More In 2023

BuzzFeed
4 min read

At this point, everyone who's set foot in a grocery store in the last year knows that things are way more expensive than they used to be. I mean, even Cardi B is talking about it:

But unless you've been saving receipts and comparing prices, you might not realize just how much more you're spending on basic, everyday items.

Well, recently Kentucky-based TikToker Amy Way to Save (@amywaytosave) posted a video comparing the prices on a grocery run she did in 2020 with what the exact same items cost her now in 2023. The video has since been viewed 1.8 million times and has over 300,000 likes.

Amy smiling
Amy Way to Save

In the video, she says, "Toward the end of 2020, I went to Walmart, and I purchased all of these things for $10.09. And I made a week's worth of meals for one person."

Amy's receipt from 2020

Here's a list of the items Amy bought and their 2020 prices:

? Pinto beans: $1

? Rice: $0.72

?Tortillas: $1.31

? Corn meal mix: $1.15

? Skim milk: $1.26

? Frozen mixed vegetables: $0.84

? Chorizo: $1.22

? 6 Eggs: $0.77

? Bananas: $0.48

? Potatoes: $0.84

? Green onions: $0.50

@amywaytosave / Via tiktok.com

And if you're curious what she made back in 2020, she also posted a YouTube video sharing how she turned these items into a week's worth of meals for a single person:

She continues her TikTok, saying, "In the beginning of 2022, there was a lot of talk about inflation at the grocery store. So, I went back and purchased all of the same things, and they cost me about 10% more."

Amy's 2022 receipt

Now here are those same items at their 2022 prices:

? Pinto beans: $1

? Rice: $0.72

?Tortillas: $1.48

? Corn meal: $1.26

? Skim milk: $1.68

? Frozen mixed vegetables: $0.84

? Chorizo: $1.33

? 6 Eggs: $0.86

? Bananas: $0.56

? Potatoes: $0.86

? Green onions: $0.54

@amywaytosave / Via tiktok.com

But when she went back to Walmart to buy the same items again in 2023, the prices had gone up even more significantly. "This week, I went back again and purchased those same items. Now, they cost $15.10, which is about 50% more than the prices at the end of 2020."

Amy's 2023 receipt

And now, it brings me absolutely no pleasure to share the 2023 prices for those exact same items:

? Pinto beans: $1.24

? Rice: $0.88

?Tortillas: $1.98

? Corn meal mix: $2.28

? Skim milk: $1.72

? Frozen mixed vegetables: $0.88

? Chorizo: $1.42

? 6 Eggs: $2.18

? Bananas: $0.45

? Potatoes: $1.19

? Green onions: $0.88

@amywaytosave / Via tiktok.com

But before you blame it all on the eggs, which have recently gone up in price, Amy commented that even if you take the eggs out of the equation, her groceries have still gone up 38%.

excluding the eggs it's a 38% increase in prices from 2020
@amywaytosave / Via tiktok.com

In the comments, people are questioning if these increasing costs are inflation or greedflation.

we need to start calling it what it is price gouging
@amywaytosave / Via tiktok.com

And people are also sharing how rising grocery prices are affecting them and their families.

I never thought I'd be someone struggling to buy groceries and yet here we are
@amywaytosave / Via tiktok.com

Amy told BuzzFeed that she decided to check her 2023 grocery prices against the same list from 2020 because she's currently seeing price increases every time she shops. "I'm a couponer, so I pay attention to prices and have many prices memorized. Lately, every time that I go to the grocery store, I notice price increases, and that prompted me to do another price comparison video."

eggs on the shelf at Amy's grocery store
@amywaytosave / Via tiktok.com

She also shared that while she wasn't surprised by the price of eggs going up, there was one item that shocked her. "The price increase that surprised me the most was on dried pinto beans. It seems like a one pound bag of pinto beans has been $1 forever. The price only went up by 24 cents to $1.24, but dried beans are so cheap to begin with that 24 cents higher meant a 24% price increase!"

Amy continued, saying, "Rice and beans are the stereotypical budget foods. They both went up in price since last year."

rice and beans in Amy's shopping cart
@amywaytosave / Via tiktok.com

Since Amy's all about saving money, she shared two quick ways to lower your grocery bill. First of all, coupons. "Most stores now have digital coupons that you can clip to your account and will automatically come off at the register," she says. "If that option isn't available at your grocery store, the Coupons.com app provides a coupon reimbursement when you upload your receipt."

large stack of coupons
Mphillips007 / Getty Images

She also recommends using rebate apps like Ibotta and Fetch Rewards. "Rebate apps provide reimbursement on a wide variety of food and household goods. Many of them are easy to use, and you simply need to upload a receipt to earn cash back or gift cards."

woman looking at her phone in the grocery store
Kupicoo / Getty Images

Unfortunately, grocery prices aren't expected to come down any time soon, so if you've got a tip or trick that's helping you save on essentials, please tell us about it in the comments!

Follow Amy on TikTok and YouTube.

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