The Grocery Savings Handbookfrom Read the Back with Dee

From Read the Back with Dee

The grocery store was built for a family of four. This book is built for one.

Cover of The Grocery Savings Handbook: A store manager's secrets for shopping, storing and cooking for one. Dee, a smiling woman with grey hair and a blue cardigan, stands in a grocery aisle.

Nearly everything in the store is sized, priced and planned for a family of four. When you live alone, you pay for it twice: once at the register, and again when half of it goes in the trash.

The Grocery Savings Handbook is the fix. It’s 74 chapters of store know-how for anybody shopping and cooking for one, written the way Dee talks on the channel: plain, warm and practical.

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The math

Feeding one person costs more than it should.

The family packs. The “10 for $10” signs. The recipe on the back of the can that feeds six. The little cups made for one that cost more per bite than almost anything else in the store. And on the nights cooking for one feels like too much trouble, the takeout menu.

None of it is there to cheat you. A grocery store keeps about a penny or two of every dollar, and it lives on getting each shopper to buy a little more than they came for. Once you see how that works, you can shop it on purpose. Here’s what that can be worth over a year.

One person · one year of foodUsualWith the book
Takeout, delivery & eating outTired-night suppers from your own freezer, and half the plate in a box · Ch 54, 58
$2,249$1,350
Meat, poultry & eggsMarkdown stickers, and freezing it right · Part V
$715$520
Fruit & vegetablesBuying small, skipping the cut-fruit markup, using it up in time · Ch 16, 18
$680$450
Ready meals, deli & “made for one” packsCook once, eat six times · Ch 14, 16, 54
$500$250
Bread, cereal & bakingThe day-old shelf, and freezing bread in portions · Ch 41, 49
$440$300
Snacks, drinks & impulse buysEnd caps, checkout lanes and “10 for $10” · Part I
$420$270
Milk, cheese & dairyHow long it really keeps, and shelf-stable milk · Ch 9, 45
$340$250
Pantry staples & name brandsThe store-brand rule, and buying big on what keeps · Ch 15, 37
$300$210
The year
$5,644$3,600
About $2,000 a year you get to keep.That’s about $10,000 over five years, or close to $40 a week. The book costs $39, once.

And if you qualify, there’s more. Fewer than half of the older adults who qualify for SNAP ever sign up. Chapter 72 walks you through SNAP, senior food boxes and farmers' market coupons, the help you’ve already paid for.

Estimates, not a promise. “Usual” is what the average one-person household in the US spends in a year: $3,395 on groceries and $2,249 eating out (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024), with groceries split into the usual shares. “With the book” is our estimate if you use the chapters listed. The average household throws out nearly a third of the food it buys (Penn State, 2020), so much of the savings comes from food you stop throwing away. Your kitchen will differ.

Get the Handbook · $39 Instant download · PDF + EPUB · 650 pages · large 16-point print

Dee’s one rule

Read the back of the package, not the front.

“The front of the package is advertising. The back is where the company has to tell you what’s inside.”

So here’s the back of this one. No big promises, just what’s in the box.

One thing you won’t find is exact prices. They’re out of date the minute they’re printed, so the book teaches you how to spot a real sale instead.

Book Facts

Serving size1 chapter (about 7 pages)
Servings per book74
Pages650
Parts12
Chapters74
Recipes for one50
Printable pages16
Print size16 pt
“Short Version” boxes74
IndexYes
Sources listedUSDA, FDA, CDC & more
Filler 0gSubscriptions 0

Ingredients: Store know-how, plain talk, USDA food-safety rules, Walt’s freezer rule, a cat named Biscuit.

Contains: strong opinions about lunch meat.

Format: PDF (US Letter) + EPUB. Reads on a Kindle, tablet, computer or phone.

What’s inside

From the front door to the freezer door.

Every chapter stands on its own and ends with The Short Version, the whole chapter in a few big-print lines. If something is costing you money right now, turn straight to it.

IInside the Store7 chapters

“I spent thirty-eight years on the other side of the cart. This is what the store looks like from there.”

  1. 1A Penny on the Dollar: How the Store Really Makes Its Money
  2. 2The Front Door: Big Carts, Flowers and the Smell of Warm Bread
  3. 3Why the Milk Is Always in the Back Corner
  4. 4Eye Level Is Buy Level: Who Paid for That Shelf
  5. 5Signs That Do the Selling: End Caps, “10 for $10” and the Big Yellow Sign
  6. 6The Reset: Why They Moved the Peanut Butter
  7. 7The Last Sales Pitch: Checkout Lanes, Shopper Cards and Coupons on Your Phone
IIReading the Back: Labels, Dates and Codes6 chapters

“The front of the package is talking to you. The back is telling you.”

  1. 8Sell By, Use By, Best By: Four Phrases and the One Date the Law Requires
  2. 9How Long It Really Keeps: Bread, Eggs, Milk and Cheese
  3. 10The Lunch Meat Rule, and the Other Times You Throw It Out Sooner
  4. 11Reading an Ingredient List in Ten Seconds
  5. 12The Little Codes Nobody Reads
  6. 13Words on the Front That Mean Less Than You Think
IIIThe Living-Alone Tax5 chapters

“Living alone costs enough already. It shouldn’t cost you extra at the register.”

  1. 14Made for One: The Most Expensive Food in the Store
  2. 15Buy Big, Buy Small: The One Rule for Shopping Alone
  3. 16Paying for Somebody Else’s Time: Cut Fruit, Deli Salads and the Hot Bar
  4. 17Little Jars, Little Pods and the Card Rack
  5. 18Food That Spoils Before You Finish It
IVThe Store’s Calendar13 chapters

“Everything in that store has a cheapest week. Most people never find out which one.”

  1. 19The Store’s Week: Ad Day, Truck Day and Markdown Morning
  2. 20January
  3. 21February
  4. 22March
  5. 23April
  6. 24May
  7. 25June
  8. 26July
  9. 27August
  10. 28September
  11. 29October
  12. 30November
  13. 31December
VThe Meat Case and the Markdown Sticker5 chapters

“The markdown case is the only place in the store where regular people eat like rich people.” — Walt

  1. 32What the Markdown Sticker Really Means
  2. 33The Hour and the Day: When the Stickers Go On
  3. 34Good Markdown or Bad: Color, Smell, Feel and the Puffed-Up Package
  4. 35The Person Behind the Meat Counter
  5. 36Freezing Meat Right: Walt’s Rule
VIStore Brands, and Which Store for What6 chapters

“Turn them both over. If the backs match, the only difference is the price.”

  1. 37The Store Brand Rule: When It’s the Same and When the Name Earns Its Money
  2. 38Aldi for One
  3. 39Walmart for One
  4. 40Costco and the Warehouse Club When It’s Just You
  5. 41The Dollar Store, the Bakery Outlet and the Day-Old Shelf
  6. 42The Medicine Aisle: Store Brands, the Drug Facts Box and Your Pharmacist
VIIThe Pantry for One5 chapters

“A pantry isn’t really about food when you live alone. It’s about not having to ask.”

  1. 43Two Weeks, Not Two Months: How Much Is Enough for One
  2. 44The Protein Shelf and the Soup Shelf
  3. 45Milk That Doesn’t Need the Fridge, and Other Shelf-Stable Friends
  4. 46The Things Nobody Puts on the List
  5. 47First In, First Out: Rotating, Eating Down and Building It Slowly
VIIIThe Freezer for One6 chapters

“Your freezer is how you stop paying for your groceries twice.”

  1. 48Paying Twice: Why the Freezer Matters More When You Live Alone
  2. 49Portions for One: Bread, Bananas, Rice and the Half-Can Bag
  3. 50The Freezer as a Pantry: Butter, Nuts, Flour, Cranberries and Cookie Dough
  4. 51Labels, Lids and the List on the Door
  5. 52When the Power Goes Out
  6. 53Thawing, Cooking From Frozen and Refreezing
IXCooking for One5 chapters

“Cooking a real supper for yourself isn’t silly. It’s self-respect.”

  1. 54Cook Once, Eat Six Times
  2. 55A Kitchen for One: Small Pans and a Few Good Tools
  3. 56Cutting a Recipe Down to One
  4. 57Leftovers Without the Worry
  5. 58Eating Alone, and Eating Well
XHolidays for One or Two5 chapters

“Set the second chair.”

  1. 59Thanksgiving for One or Two: The Bird, the Thaw and the Thermometer
  2. 60Thanksgiving Sides, Pie and Leftovers for Two
  3. 61Christmas for One or Two
  4. 62Easter, the Fourth and the Other Days on the Calendar
  5. 63The Second Chair
XIWinter Alone: Sick Days, Storms and Staying Safe6 chapters

“Fill your shelves. Then make sure somebody knows to check on you anyway.”

  1. 64Sick-Day Suppers
  2. 65Carbon Monoxide, Space Heaters and the Stove You Forgot
  3. 66When the Power Goes Out in Winter
  4. 67Ice on the Steps: Getting to the Mailbox in One Piece
  5. 68The Two-Ring Call and Somebody Who Expects You
  6. 69Before the Snow: A Winter Checklist for One
XIIA Fixed Income in the Kitchen5 chapters

“On a fixed income, a few dollars a week is the difference between worrying and not.”

  1. 70Knowing a Real Sale When You See One: The Price Book
  2. 71A Grocery Budget for One on Social Security
  3. 72Help You’ve Already Paid For: SNAP, Senior Food Boxes and Farmers’ Market Coupons
  4. 73Shopping Less Often: The Two-Week Trip
  5. 74Read the Back: What Thirty-Eight Years Taught Me

Recipes for One 50

Each one is sized for one person, or made to divide up and freeze. Every recipe has a freezer note and the safe cooking temperature.

  • Frank’s Meatloaf, six dinners from one loaf
  • Sick-Day Chicken Noodle Soup
  • One Rotisserie Chicken, Four Suppers
  • A Small Pot of Chili
  • One Pork Chop With Apples
  • Sheet-Pan Chicken Thighs and Potatoes
  • Turkey Breast for Two
  • Tuna Noodle Casserole in a Loaf Pan
  • Potato Soup With Evaporated Milk
  • Banana Bread From the Freezer Bag
  • Muffin-Tin Pumpkin Pies
  • Half-Batch Brownies in a Loaf Pan

…and 38 more.

Printable pages 16

Made to print clearly in black and white on a home printer. Print as many copies as you like for your own kitchen.

  • Winter Pantry Checklist for One
  • Freezer Inventory
  • Freezer and Leftover Labels
  • The Fridge Sheet
  • The Store’s Year at a Glance
  • My Store’s Week
  • Master Shopping List in Aisle Order
  • Price Book Page
  • Read-the-Back Cheat Sheet
  • How Long It Keeps
  • Safe Cooking Temperatures
  • Power Outage Food Checklist
  • Space Heater and CO Safety Check
  • Before the Snow Checklist
  • Sick-Day Shelf
  • Thanksgiving for Two Timeline

The Short Version

Every chapter ends with a box that sums it up in a few big-print lines. Read the chapter once, and the box jogs your memory after.

Where the advice comes from

A sources section lists, chapter by chapter, where the food-safety, health and money advice comes from: the USDA, FDA, CDC and more.

A full index

Look up lunch meat, space heaters or a Thanksgiving turkey and go straight to the page.

Look inside

Big print, plain pages, nothing fancy.

The body text is 16-point, the size used for large-print books, on full letter-size pages. These are five real pages from the book. Tap one to see it full size.

The first page of Chapter 1, A Penny on the Dollar: How the Store Really Makes Its Money, set in large print.
Every chapter opens like thisChapter 1, A Penny on the Dollar
The Short Version box at the end of Chapter 1, listing the chapter's main points in seven lines.
The Short VersionThe whole chapter in seven lines
Recipe page for Frank's Meatloaf, Six Dinners, with ingredients, numbered steps, a freezer note and the safe cooking temperature.
Recipes for oneFrank’s Meatloaf: six dinners from one loaf
Printable Winter Pantry Checklist for One with tick boxes grouped by shelf.
Printable checklistsWinter Pantry Checklist for One
Printable page The Store's Year at a Glance, listing what to look for in each month.
The Store’s Year at a GlanceWhat to look for, month by month

Swipe for more pages →

Who it’s for

Anybody shopping and cooking for one or two: widows and widowers, retirees on a fixed income, and anybody who has stood in front of a family pack of pork chops and wondered what on earth to do with six of them.

Dee, a smiling woman with grey hair, glasses and a blue cardigan, in a grocery aisle.Dee

Who’s behind the book

Meet Dee

I’m Dee. I bagged my first groceries in 1971, when I was sixteen years old, and I stayed with the same grocery chain in Ohio for thirty-eight years. For the last twenty-two of them, I ran the store. My husband, Walt, ran our meat counter, and he dated every package with a grease pencil he kept in his shirt pocket.

These days it’s just me and my cat, Biscuit, on Social Security and a small pension. And I found out what a great many women find out sooner or later: nobody ever sat me down and told me how to shop for one. So I worked it out, on both sides of the cart.

“I’ll tell you how the store really works. Not to make you angry at it, because I loved that job and I don’t think the grocery store is anybody’s enemy. I’ll tell you so that you can shop it on purpose.”— Dee
Watch Read the Back with Dee on YouTube
Cover of The Grocery Savings Handbook.

Get the book

Get your copy

$39one time, US dollars

  • 650 pages in large 16-point print
  • 74 chapters in 12 parts, each ending with The Short Version
  • 50 recipes for one, every one with a freezer note
  • 16 printable pages for the fridge door and the kitchen drawer
  • A full index and a list of sources
  • PDF + EPUB: reads on a Kindle, tablet, computer or phone
Get the Handbook · $39

Your download link arrives by email the moment you pay. Secure checkout through Gumroad, by card or PayPal.

7-day refund. Not for you? Email [email protected] within 7 days of your purchase and you’ll get a full refund.

Questions

Before you buy

Is this a printed book?
Not yet. You download it right after you buy, as a PDF and an EPUB. Read it on a Kindle, tablet, computer or phone, or print the pages you want.
Is the print really large?
Yes. The body text is 16-point, the size used for large-print books, on full letter-size pages, with big headings and clear checklists.
Can I read it on my phone or a Kindle?
Yes. Use the EPUB: the words fit any screen, and you can make the text as big as you like. On the download page there’s a Send to Kindle button that puts it straight on your Kindle.
Can I print the checklists?
Yes. The printable pages are made for a home printer in black and white. Print as many copies as you like for your own household.
How do I get it after I pay?
Gumroad emails you a download link the moment you pay. Keep that email and you can download the book again any time.
Is it a subscription?
No. It’s a one-time purchase, with nothing to renew.
Will it work at my store?
It’s written for American stores and American measurements, with chapters on Aldi, Walmart, Costco and the dollar store. Every store sets its own schedules, so take Dee’s store as a place to start, then ask your own.
Is this medical advice?
No. It’s practical kitchen and grocery advice. Food-safety information follows USDA guidance. For anything about your health, diet or medicines, the book sends you to your doctor or pharmacist.
Can I share it with a friend?
Please don’t pass the file around. Print any page you like for your own household, and if a friend would like a copy, send them to this page.
Do I need to be a good cook?
No. The recipes are short and plain, sized for one, and many use a single pot, a loaf pan or the microwave. If you can follow the back of a box, you can follow these.

Read the back of the package, not the front.

Everything Dee knows about shopping, storing and cooking for one, in print big enough to read without squinting.

Get the Handbook · $39

Instant download · PDF + EPUB · 650 pages · large 16-point print