Smart Shoppers, we’ve heard just how much you want to save money on groceries. That is why ABC15 is now teaming up with Valley residents and, together, learning how to find the best deals.
Throughout 2025, the ABC15 team will be following four local shoppers on their journey to stretch their dollars further at the grocery store and become smarter spenders.
It is a game for Steve Nemecek to scour grocery ads each week and it has even earned him a nickname: 'The Coupon King.'
"My friends have teased me about it for years, but it sure does save you a lot of money in the long run,” Nemecek said.
In fact, Nemecek credits coupon-cutting for letting him partially retire from his law career about eight years ago when he was just in his late forties.
“I tried to make savings a priority,” Nemecek said. “I was always a frugal shopper, and everything I did was kind of towards an eye of early retirement.”
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It is a strategy he has deployed his whole life, and one that revolves fully around the weekly coupon drops each Tuesday and Wednesday.
“For me, the most time I spend on grocery shopping is actually outside the store. I look at the ads when they come out each week,” Nemecek said.
Then, it’s targeted shopping: Nemecek attempting to fill his cart with items that are on sale only.
He is part of rewards programs at every local store. With ABC15, Nemecek took advantage of personalized offers through the Bashas’ app that cater to his tastes.
“Bashas' might know that I like to buy a lot of produce, so they've given me 20% off on potatoes, 20% off of pears,” Nemecek said.
For Nemecek, who prioritizes produce, items marked ‘Manager’s Special’ are another way he grabs a healthy meal without shelling out for all the separate ingredients.
“You got a 99-cent salad that would have cost $4.99 a couple of days ago,” he said. “They're going to do all the work for you, and you don't have to pay the full price.”
He's also on the hunt for fresh flavors to transform into childhood staples, like a cucumber salad — a nod to his German heritage and a recipe made often by Nemecek’s mother.
“You know, it's like part of Mom,” he said. It is a memory to savor after Nemecek lost his mother last January.
“It's been a tough year,” he said. “I miss her terribly.”
Beginning last year with grief, Nemecek is kicking off the new year with ambition.
As an avid hiker, Nemecek tells ABC15 he plans to conquer the 3,330-foot elevation gain of Humphreys Peak and dedicate more time to outdoor Arizona hobbies.
“Coupon shopping has certainly been a contributing factor to the early retirement,” Nemecek said. “You start adding up and doing the math, you save a couple of thousand a year and a couple thousand the next year. And over the course of 20 or 30 years, it makes a difference.”
Instead of investing money in groceries, he's able to invest time into the things he loves.
ABC15 has been tracking the price of grocery staples for weeks leading up to this story. For more price comparisons across multiple Valley stores check out abc15.com/smartshopper.