This 6-To-1 Grocery Shopping Method Makes Store Runs Faster & Cheaper

If you’re in charge of feeding a family, you might already have a meal planning system down. Or, maybe you know you should have one but you just can’t find a system that works for you (and then you wallow in guilt every time you have to order in). If traditional meal planning — choosing which recipes you’ll make for the week ahead, creating your grocery list based on them, and shopping accordingly — hasn’t worked out for you, there’s a new technique in town that might. Chef Will Coleman (@chefwillco on Tik Tok) is spreading the good word of his 6-to-1 grocery shopping method, and honestly, it sounds so easy.

Here’s the gist: you’re not going to think long and hard about what you want to eat this week or painstakingly prepare a shopping list. You’re just going to show up at the store. Into your cart, you will add...

• Six vegetables
• Five fruits
• Four proteins
• Three starches
• Two sauces or spreads
• One “fun” food you just want to have in the house

Chef Will says his method makes grocery shopping way easier and way cheaper (please God make it cheaper), and helps you get in and out quickly. If you’re someone who tends to overbuy, it’s a great way to stick to just what you need, though you may need to add some extras here and there, like your kid’s favorite yogurt pouches.

If you’re not someone who keeps a lot of seasonings and herbs on hand, or a solid stash of pantry staples, perhaps traditional meal planning is a better fit for you to ensure you have everything you need. But even then this 6-to-1 method sounds like such a nice hack for when you know you need to go grocery shopping, but you just haven’t had the chance to plan out your meals and prep a list yet. If showing up to shop is all the energy you have to put toward getting groceries today, you’ll still leave with the store with all the building blocks for delicious, nutritious dinners. They really don’t have to be complicated.

Need some inspo for how to use your starches, sauces, and proteins? These recipes are simple, delicious, and would work perfectly with this method:

• Instant Pot ground beef and pasta from Damn Delicious: a hearty one-pot meal that takes 20 minutes start to finish
• Caribbean confetti rice from A Spicy Perspective: a long-grain rice loaded with flavorful veggies to serve alongside chicken or pork
• Brown sugar glazed tofu from Make It Dairy-Free: All you need is tofu and pineapple, plus some pantry staple seasonings, and dinner’s ready.
• Chicken fajita bowls from All The Healthy Things: one starch (rice) plus two proteins (chicken and cheese, and maybe beans, too) plus lots of veggies
• Hibachi-style vegetables from Simply LaKita: Grill ‘em up to serve with rice, a protein of your choosing, and plenty of yum yum sauce.
• Lemony broccoli pesto pasta from Gimme Some Oven: A fresh pesto with a hidden veggie? Yes please.
• 6-ingredient breakfast quinoa from The Modern Proper: Use up a grain and pop whatever fruits you have on top.

Maybe this is just the meal planning system you’ve been looking for, or maybe it’s just a little hack you keep in your back pocket should you ever need it. In any case, the 6-to-1 grocery shopping method will come in pretty handy.