How AI can help you save money on groceries

With rising grocery costs at the top of everyone’s mind, Whole Foods’ “everything pays” joke hits a little too close to home these days. While food inflation hit a 43-year high in August 2022 at 11.4%it has since tapered off, sitting at around 2.1% today. But inflation has compounded since 2020, making it even smaller food carries considerable expenseno matter where you do your shopping.

These days, the cost of eating out versus buying all the ingredients and cooking at home are about the same, especially if you’re cooking for one or two people. And our convenience-driven culture has made food delivery apps Uber Eats and DoorDash part of our busy routines, compounded by the exorbitant cost of groceries.

If your weekly grocery spending has become a stressor, see what artificial intelligence can do. If the AI ​​can write a script, surely it can strategize how to save the eggs, right? I decided to take the AI ​​Copilot tool for a spin to see what it could do.

Microsoft’s Copilot was launched in February 2023, two months after ChatGPT’s debut. You can read CNET practical review of Copilotbut I chose over competitors’ generative AI chatbots ChatGPT and Google Gemini because it has a specific GPT “kitchen assistant”, which felt like a good sign to save on food.

Like ChatGPT, there is a free version of Copilot or a paid option for added features. It promises to be my “daily AI companion”. Let’s see.

Prepare the first prompt

Before I opened Copilot, I made a list of my grocery items and how much we usually spend as a family. Here’s what I included:

• Organic coffee
• Coffee cream
• apples
• Bananas
• Sourdough bread
• Ova
• Avocados
• Mushrooms
• Arugula
• The feta cheese
• Yogurt
• Granola
• Veggie chips or pretzels
• Chicken, salmon, steak
• Rice and potatoes
• Asparagus and broccoli
• Ice cream bars
• Chocolate

We spend $100 to $150 a week, for just two people.

I fed this information into Copilot and asked for suggestions to save money on groceries.

While some of the recommendations were interesting (like adding plant-based proteins that are cheaper), the recommendations were not useful for the most part. I doubt that the matcha or mushroom coffee are cheaper than the organic coffee of the store brand, and I am looking for a less expensive way to buy eggs, not for an alternative of eggs in cooking like applesauce. I don’t even want to make my own sourdough or eat cottage cheese instead of avocado.

Prompt 2: “I prefer to eat organic, fresh products, with a Mediterranean diet. Whole Foods is my closest grocery store. How can I save money on the items on my list? I don’t want to replace or exchange items. cheaper to buy in store at ShopRite or buy online at Whole Foods?”

Copilot told me that ShopRite is cheaper and might be worth the 10 minute car ride. I asked what day and time is best to buy groceries, and he told me: “The consensus among different sources is that Wednesday is generally the best day to buy groceries if you’re looking for a bargain. Many stores start their new sale on Wednesday, so you will have first access to the discounts and promotions of the week.

I was also told to wait until late evening or just before the store closes to get discounts on perishable items including meat and produce.

So far, I’ve learned three valuable takeaways:

1. Add cheaper sources of protein, such as plant-based items.
2. Switch to ShopRite (a 10 minute drive vs 7 minute walk).
3. Shop on Wednesdays, after work if possible – or ask the store when the sale usually starts.

Buy groceries based on recipes suggested by the AI

I decided to try this a different way and ask for food advice.

Prompt 3: “Use my grocery list to plan five lunches and dinners for me and my partner. We like to eat an organic Mediterranean diet and you can add tofu as another source of protein. Our budget is $75 to week “.

I will pass it on to Copilot and Copilot Cooking Assistant. I preferred the Kitchen Assistant list, but it was a little too fancy for my liking. Who has the energy to cook bechamel-eggplant moussaka on Friday night?

I asked her to use more items from my grocery list and add the chicken, salmon and steak dishes as well as the egg dishes for lunch and I specified that I didn’t want anything too fancy, time consuming or dear

Copilot makes me salivate!

Once I was happy with the meal plan, I asked for a shopping list of the ingredients I needed for the week, staying under $75. He gave me a shopping list with exactly how much of each item I needed. , and divided into sections for produce, protein, dairy, carbs, pantry and “other”.

Caveat on AI pricing knowledge

Although Copilot has access to the Internet, it is unlikely to have the most up-to-date prices, especially for daily sales in your local shops. In other words, take Copilot’s advice with a grain of salt.

You may need to further customize the plan according to your local prices. Expect to drop, replace or exchange items based on your budget once you actually get to the store and see which items are on sale or have jumped in price.

What Copilot does well is help you easily build and curate a meal list with your standard ingredients, so you can do more strategic grocery shopping.

For more ways to use AI, here how to use Copilot to create notes on almost anything and how to use ChatGPT to find the job of your dreams.