One writer fed a $400 grocery bill to ChatGPT and Gemini, followed their tips, and his next bill came in at $300.56. Here is what the bots told him to do.
A tech writer at Tom's Guide asked two free AI chatbots how to spend less on food without eating less. After he followed some of their tips, his next grocery bill was $300.56, about $100 below his usual. The writer is Elton Jones, and his usual spend is around $400 a month.
Jones typed the same question into ChatGPT and Gemini: he spends $400 a month on groceries, so what are the seven best ways to spend less without eating less? He said he was fighting inflation and shrinkflation, which is when a package gets smaller but the price stays the same. Chips are his example. From the answers, he picked the tips he found most practical.
ChatGPT gave seven tips. Jones kept three, and the bot attached a monthly savings estimate to each:
Gemini's two tips came with bigger estimates. Buying frozen fruit could save $15 to $30 a month. Skipping convenience markups, such as pre-cut and pre-shredded food, could save $25 to $40.
Jones bought store-brand canned vegetables and checked unit prices on big shelf-stable items like rice and dry beans. He also bought store-brand lentils and now makes lentil curry with white rice each week. For smoothies, he moved to Great Value frozen strawberries, blueberries and mango. He added frozen broccoli, corn and sweet potatoes. He also began buying blocks of parmesan, carrots and romaine and shredding or cutting them himself.
He did not give up everything. Family-size bags of Utz chips and Dr. Pepper are staying in his cart.
This is one person's bill for one shopping trip, not a controlled test. Still, the numbers line up. Added together, the chatbots' estimates run from $75 to $105 a month, close to the roughly $100 Jones saved. Results will differ with your store, your family size and what you buy now.
The method is easy to copy. Tell a free chatbot what you spend on groceries and ask for ways to cut it without eating less. Then pick the few tips that fit how you cook. Store brands, frozen produce and unit prices are good places to start.
Ask a free chatbot for grocery tips using your real monthly spend, then try the easy ones first: store brands, frozen produce and unit prices.
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