Clayton ParkUSA TODAY NETWORK – Florida
Oct. 23, 2026, 5:03 a.m. ET
- Consumers can save money by utilizing BOGO deals, but should be mindful of product expiration dates.
- Membership clubs like Costco offer low prices on bulk items and other perks like cash-back rewards.
- Shopping at discount grocers and choosing private-label brands can lead to significant savings.
- Visiting multiple stores may yield the best deals, but shoppers should weigh the convenience against the value.
As the cost of living continues to climb, USA TODAY Network-Florida asked several Florida consumers and a national expert for their grocery savings tips.
Their suggestions ranged from waiting for BOGO deals (Buy One, Get One Free) at Publix, joining membership warehouse clubs such Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s, shopping at discount grocers such as Aldi, and not being afraid to try private-label brands.
But price is not the only important consideration, some added.
Here’s five tips (and a bonus sixth tip) for consumers on how to save on groceries:
1. BOGOs are great buys, but not in every case
Denise Weigand of Lake Worth Beach in Palm Beach County takes advantage of Publix BOGO deals, but only if she can use the second item before it goes bad.
“Many purchases are worth the BOGO, but some are not,” she wrote adding that BOGOs are worth it for canned goods, condiments and juices, (but) “perishables and meats are often not good bargains. Some fruits, vegetables, etc., are not often good buys if you wind up throwing most of it away.”
BOGOs are a big draw for many, but not for Judith of North Port in Sarasota County.
“People needing these items can’t sit around and wait for them to become BOGOs,” she wrote.
2. Membership clubs like Costco offer low prices, but there’s a catch
Some readers said they save money by belonging to member-only warehouse clubs such as Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s.
The catch is you have to buy items in bulk.
Because of that, Weigand wrote membership clubs are not aave to sign up for a membership in order to shop, not to mention the fact that you are buying in bulk to save money.”
That doesn’t bother Julie Davis of Melbourne in Brevard County, who noted membership clubs offer other advantages, too:
“We shop at Costco because receiving money back several times a year is quite appealing,” she wrote, referring to manufacturers’ rebate deals the chain sometimes offers. But they only make sense “if we like the item and it is a good value!”
Fortunately, at Costco, “if we don’t like the item, no questions asked, we can return the item,” she wrote, adding, “And yes, we use their (Costco) credit card because of the percentage give-back program with Costco dollars we can use on other buys.”
3. Private brands tend to be cheaper. Are they as good?
Some readers save money by shopping at discount grocers such as Aldi that offer their own versions of national brands (known as private-label <a Aldi prices generally beat Publix regular prices," wrote George Primm of Lantana in Palm Beach County.
In September, USA TODAY Network-Florida found Publix offering a BOGO special on Hebrew National beef franks: two 12-ounce packs for $8.99, which works out to $4.50 apiece. Walmart was selling same brand for $5.74, while Aldi was selling a similar national brand, Nathan’s, for $5.45.
But Aldi also offered Parkview “classic” hot dogs (its own private label brand) for just 99 cents. Its classic hot dogs are made from a combination of “mechanically separated” chicken, pork and beef.
For those preferring all-beef, Aldi also sells Parkview uncured beef hot dogs. In September, the price was $4.29 a pack.
“Private brands don’t bother me,” wrote Primm.
Weigand and her husband prefer stores with a wider selection that includes national brands.
“Walmart and Target come closest (to offering as many different brands as Publix), but with all the other departments within those stores, and their use of self-checkout lanes now, I would guess the wait in line would be even longer,” she wrote.
4. It pays to shop around to get the best deals
Many readers said they shop multiple stores to get the best deals.
Julie Davis of Melbourne in Brevard County wrote that she and her husband “shop all over to get the special items and the bargains. … I don’t use Publix except for the items I cannot find anywhere else.”
Primm shops at both Aldi and Publix, but mostly limits the latter to BOGOs while waiting to get his prescriptions filled at its in-store pharmacy.
While prices at Aldi tend to be lower, Primm finds it isn’t always the case.
“One thing that surprises me each holiday season is that Publix sells turkeys and semi-boneless hams cheaper than everyone else,” he wrote. “I’ll buy a few to slice and freeze for sandwich meat months later.”
5. Convenience vs. value is something to really consider
National retail expert Carol Spieckerman of Spieckerman Retail agrees shopping at multiple stores can save money, but cautioned there are other important factors to consider, not just price.
“Florida shoppers should carefully weigh the tradeoff between convenience and value,” she wrote. “On one hand, it’s tempting to default to stores that are close by or offer <a
She also warned: “Penny-pinching shoppers need to be careful since a few hot BOGO deals and price-slashing promotions don’t necessarily mean everything in the store is a deal. In fact, shoppers should assume that retailers are going to try and make up for the lost (profit) margin somewhere else.”
The bottom line, she wrote: “Doing research in advance and sticking to the list are the safest money-saving approaches.”
6. One sure-fire tip that works regardless where you shop
Davis offered one piece of advice guaranteed to save money whether at Publix or any other store: “We try to buy only what we need.”
Clayton Park is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida. He covers everything from insurance, utilities and home prices to groceries, gas and auto prices as the Florida consumer pocketbook reporter. If you have news tips, please send them to cpark@usatodayco.com. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at .
