The 6 to 1 rule to save time and money at the supermarket

Americans are looking for ways to save money at the grocery store more than ever, as inflation continues to weaken the dollars in their pocket. 

Beyond elevated food prices, some also see food shopping as a time-wasting inconvenience. 

If you want to save both money and time at the supermarket, chef Will Coleman says he has the answer.

He calls it the 6 to 1 rule, and it makes shopping easier because you don’t actually have to come up with a specific list. 

All you have to do to ensure you have a week of meals is buy six vegetables, five fruits, four proteins (meat, tofu or eggs), three starches (rice, pasta or bread), two sauces or spreads and one fun item.

Chef Will Coleman, right, is pictured alongside Today Show host Craig Melvin. In this episode, he made Apple Butter Chicken

Coleman, who has made appearances as a chef on NBC’s Today Show and The Drew Barrymore Show, swears by this method as a way to cut out unnecessary purchases.

‘My 6 to 1 method has literally changed hundreds of lives and saved thousands of dollars, including me too,’ Coleman said in a TikTok video from February.

Allowing yourself one fun item is where the real cost savings come in, as the other 20 things on a list following the 6 to 1 method are essentials.

‘You want to get one fun thing for yourself. I break this rule a little bit of the time, but it’s better than getting the whole grocery store,’ he said.

For most people, fun items likely include processed, sugary foods – which the CDC estimates makes up 60 percent of the American diet. 

Following Coleman’s method may simultaneously save you time by not having to draft an ultra-specific shopping list every single week, but it also could force many Americans to buy healthier, more nutritious foods.

Coleman frequently puts his technique to the test by posting videos of himself using at whichever supermarket he chooses to go to. 

He then often follows those videos up with meals he cooked with those groceries, making it even simpler for his followers to copy him if they want.

Coleman also sells a $10 eBook that’s based on the 6 to 1 method that includes three weeks of grocery lists and recipes. The free version has one week’s worth.

While Coleman’s advice gets consistent praise, some have pointed out that his style of shopping may not be the best for couples or families that consume a lot more food.

Coleman frequently puts his technique to the test by posting videos of himself using at whichever supermarket he chooses to go to

Beyond the 6 to 1 method, Coleman also suggests becoming friendly with the manager of your local supermarket so they can keep you up to date with the best sales and the latest food shipments

‘Soo i got a kid. What do i do? Times it by 2?’ one person wrote on a TikTok he posted in January. 

Others joked that they thought 6 to 1 method might have meant stealing six items and paying for one.

Coleman’s tips aren’t limited to what you should put in your cart, pointing out that there are better times than others to shop.

If you want the freshest produce possible, he recently told TIME you should visit the store near the beginning of the week within the first three hours of opening.

It also helps to have a connection with the store manager, who can tell you when the best sales are or when food shipments are scheduled.