So I had the best weekend. Haha you are going to laugh. It’s OK, everyone else has, even the 9yo.
I made a list of about 50 products that we buy a lot. Everything from milk to laundry detergent to tomato paste. And I went to Kroger, Target and Costco to compare the prices. Then I came home and entered them all into the spreadsheet I’d built to see which was cheapest.
It was so awesome.
The upshot: I’ve learned that of the things we buy most, except for laundry detergent, Costco is the cheapest — in most cases, lots and lots cheaper. Of course, there are a lot of things you can’t buy at Costco. And we’ll still be buying all our fruits and vegetables fresh (and organic) at the Turnip Truck. But I will be making at least a weekly trip to Costco from now on — many of the things we will buy there are perishable.
It’s awfully close on the laundry detergent, but it does make sense to buy it at Target.
Next up: Checking Harris Teeter and Publix against Kroger. I have a feeling I know what I’m going to find, but we’ll see.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
You are Da BOMB, Laura!!! I didn’t laugh at all…
Would it be outside the bounds of propriety to ask you to share all that data? I’m watching my real dollars shrink by the month, and we are in serious cost-cutting mode here…
Cheers,
Doxy
Cool exercise.
But did you factor in the driving distance/time for where Costco is compared to Kroger, then factor mileage in fuel, depreciation, and maintenance on your car. (i wouldn’t use the IRS $0.51/mile, but about $0.25 is what i’ve factored when doing a similar chart on whether the bus or driving would be cheaper for my commute and i think thats about accurate for ‘real world’)
Knowing you’re in the hood with us (where Turnip Truck and Kroger are your only options), i’d be curious if the longer haul to Costco is still worth it.
Seriously, i’d be interested. Please let us know, and thanks for sharing your ‘research’ :-)
Doxy, I’ll send you an email. :)
Paul, in my case, the Charlotte Costco is just 1 mile farther from my office than the Inglewood Kroger is from our house. However, the price difference was so dramatic on most items that we use regularly that even a longer drive would be worth it. I try the Eastland Kroger from time to time, but there continue to be too many things I can’t find there. Never mind the general grunge.
I will also clarify on this one — we mostly buy ingredients. The most processed foods we buy are things like crackers [including Goldfish], etc. A couple of kid favorites. So I didn’t compare prices on frozen foods, chips, or snack-y things. Not for individual bags of chips, granola bars, etc.
Oh and, Harris Teeter is also very close to my office, and the new Harding Road Publix is as well, once they get the darn thing built.
Thanks!
Harris Teeter is really close to my house (in Raleigh), but I know I spend significantly more there than I do elsewhere.
I can save a lot of money by going to Wal-Mart—but it just feels WRONG, somehow. Plus the Super Wal-Mart here is as grungy as the Eastland Kroger was when I lived there. Yuck.
No one in my whole family shops at Wal-Mart. My dad asked me once, “Now remind me again — why is it OK to shop at Target, or Super-Target, or Costco, but not at Wal-Mart?” I said, well, a smaller company might be preferable, but when I hear of those stores using predatory business practices, then I’ll mark them off my list. Until now, I’ve only read positive things about them. Not so, sad to say, with Wal-Mart.
It’s a weird line for me. Because I’m a total believer in free trade. In capitalism. Etc. But I just have personal knowledge of too much rule-breaking by W-M. No one’s a saint, but some stores come a lot closer. :)
LOL. I did this when I was trying to determine if a Costco membership was worth it and found Costco was cheaper on everything on our list except a couple of J.J.’s favorite snacks. Check their mailer for detergent coupons – it may make for a better deal than Targhey. I also track what’s on sale at mygrocerydealsdotcom, so I know when to stock up.