I have a confession…I am not a loyal grocery store shopper. I shop at 3 or 4 (sometimes 5) stores each week. Most folks cringe when I say that, but with more time than money, this makes sense for me. I’m fine if you’re loyal to your grocery store, but are they worth what they charge?
Once again, you’re about to see my inner “kitchen nerd.” But stick with me and the payoff could be huge! I’m going to compare 4 stores’ prices on 3 meals to illustrate how much difference there is in their pricing. The meals I chose are at least semi-healthy but also easy enough for a beginner to cook.
Disclaimer – these prices were the regular prices (not sales) in September 2021 in Middle Tennessee. Prices are always subject to change, particularly meats and seasonal veggies. Because everyone’s taxes are different, none were included. Also, the cost for the meals does not necessarily equal the cost for the total grocery list as some brands included more in the package. I broke the prices down by ounces in those cases. The total grocery bill would be higher, but you’d have some things left over. All recipes include 4 servings.
Sheet Pan Everything Bagel Seasoned Fish and Green Beans (original recipe here)
I adjusted this one because you can really use any fish, and while asparagus can be pricey, this is just as good with a can of green beans any time of year.
Here’s the ingredients I accounted for:
- 12 oz frozen flounder fillets
- 1 14.5 oz can cut green beans
- 2 Tbsp (1 oz) olive oil
- Everything Bagel seasoning (roughly 1/8 of the bottle just for comparison)
Seriously simple spaghetti with spinach salad
The college student special, this one is super simple and anyone (yes, I said ANYONE) can make it and enjoy a nice meal. I didn’t add garlic bread, but you certainly could!
Here’s the ingredients I accounted for:
- 12 oz spaghetti noodles
- 24 oz pasta sauce
- 3 oz spinach leaves
- Italian dressing (roughly 4 ounces)
Paleo Taco Skillet (original recipe by paleogonesassy but I can no longer find her)
This is actually a “kitchen sink” type meal so you could sub in any other vegetables or seasonings you want. I just chose these for a reasonable comparison.
Here’s the ingredients I accounted for:
- 1# 73% ground beef (link to beef differences)
- 10 oz can tomatoes and green chiles
- 1 Tbsp taco seasoning
- ½# russet potatoes
- 1# zucchini
- 8 oz mushrooms
Totals for all 3 meals
Let’s looks at the cost when you put those 3 meals all together by grocery store.
Publix $30.36
Kroger $25.27
Aldi $17.96
Walmart $16.33
Anyone surprised by this? I actually did these figures to show a group of women in transition from prison the way they can stretch their shopping money simply by walking the extra 3 blocks to Kroger instead of Publix. Where their transition house is, they have only those two stores within walking distance and most don’t have cars, so this info is essential for them.
Even with just the difference between Publix and Kroger at $5, that’s roughly $20 per month, or $260 per year if you saved that much or more every shopping trip. That could make a HUGE difference for these ladies. Couldn’t you benefit from those savings, too?
Why I don’t buy my ground beef at normal price…EVER!!!
Those prices on the Paleo Taco Skillet included 73% ground beef at the normal single pound price for each store (except Aldi because they normally don’t carry single pounds of ground beef; so I used the Publix/Kroger price there). I am simply NOT going to pay the normal price of $4.99/# for ground beef.
If you’re willing to buy the 3# package and you can get that for $4.50/# (Kroger’s normal price for a 3# roll), that saves you 50c on the pound for the taco skillet and leaves you 2# to freeze for something else. Is it worth the savings? Yes, but it’s not the best. I would suggest you only do this if there is nothing better available and you simply must have it.
Instead, I suggest you look for the fairly common 2.99/# sale price at Kroger for the 3# of meat, which would bring the Kroger price for the 3 meals down to $23.27.
Or today, Aldi happened to have a 5# roll at the cost of 2.29/#, which brought the overall Aldi price down to $15.26 for the 3 meals. I have seen it as low as 1.99/# in the 5# roll there, which would put the price for the 3 meals at $14.96.
Publix (with bulk price beef) $29.86 – Aldi (with sale price beef today) $15.26 = $14.60 savings!!!
Is being loyal to your grocery store worth that?
Publix is nice, and they’re certainly helpful. But I gotta tell you, I make friends with the workers in all my stores and get the help I need all the time. When you treat people with kindness, they’ll usually treat you the same way (sorry, I had to go all “mom” on ya!)
With the roughly $15 savings between Aldi and Publix totals today (November 2, 2021), assuming I saved this much or more each and every week, my savings for the month would be about $65 and for the year would be $785 (go ahead and pick up your lower jaw…I’ll wait).
Is it worth shopping the sales or shopping different stores? A resounding YES! I actually do most of my shopping at Aldi, then shop the loss leaders at Publix and Kroger. (Walmart is simply too crazy to get in and out of, and I honestly save more the way I shop than simply going to Walmart. My sanity is worth that.)
I’m not asking you to ditch your store just ‘cause I said so. I AM asking you to open your eyes, check prices, and “vote” with your dollars (but not more than you need to).
You can do this! If you want help, consider letting me coach you. You can do it on your own, but sometimes a coach is what you need to be successful in less time!
Want more meal cost comparisons? Try this…
