The Great Grocery Experiment

Something that I have been wondering about for a long time is where to get the cheapest, best groceries.  When we were living in Philadelphia, grocery stores were small and expensive, so I primarily stuck with Trader Joe's.  But now that we're living in an area where we have access to multiple grocery stores, I decided to conduct an experiment.  

Johnny helped me create a spreadsheet of all the grocery items that I would normally have in my kitchen, and I went to Trader Joe's, Wal-Mart, and Target and wrote down the prices of all the items.  I did my best to keep the quality of the items the same across the board and documented not just the cheapest item but the items I would actually purchase.

The short story of what I found was that surprisingly, there wasn't much difference between Trader Joe's, Target, and Wal-Mart, but there were certain things that stood out.  Here are a few of those major things that I found interesting, and if you are interested in getting more information, the spreadsheet is available here: Groceries

1. The best place to get cooking supplies is Wal-Mart.  Things like bulk flour and bulk sugar should definitely be purchased there; though, Trader Joe's has the cheapest chocolate chips (Who knew?).
2. Super Wal-Mart also has a large, high quality meat selection with prices that beat out Trader Joe's and Target.
3. Produce should NOT be purchased at Wal-Mart.  I have a tie between Trader Joe's and Target, but I like to think that Trader Joe's has better produce than a huge box store like Target.
4. Ginger and most other spices were the best variety, quality, and price at Target.
5. Nuts are the cheapest at Trader Joe's, which is really good to know for the holidays.
6. Everything else generally tied.  Prepared foods, frozen foods, dairy, and others are either evenly divided across the board or have very little difference in price between the three stores.

I really thought that Wal-Mart would win out, but I am personally thankful that it didn't.  I find that Target and Trader Joe's tend to be happier, cleaner shopping experiences.  So except for a few things, don't let Wal-Mart fool you that their prices are the best, and don't feel guilty for shopping elsewhere because you're probably not spending much more.