Have you ever gone price shopping? I hadn’t until today.
On Friday, Mr. Wonderful got paid (wahoo!) and our fridge was E.M.P.T.Y. I had to go to Wal-Mart for something specific. (Digression: I really hate shopping at Wal-Mart. But I live in a fairly rural community and sometimes without ordering online, my only choice is to shop at Wal-Mart. I try to not support this chain, and try very hard to shop elsewhere.) I figured, since I was at this one store, I would do some basic grocery shopping, so I wouldn’t have to take Mr. Z in and out of the car more than was needed.
I went to get just a few basics, and thought I had done a decent job on cost. After Mr. Wonderful got home, I told him that I did some grocery shopping at Wal-Mart. He looked at me, and shocked says, “What! We can’t be that poor. Please tell me Winco is cheaper?”
Well, I didn’t know. So today, while I was in the next town, and since I needed to pick up some more groceries, thought, why not see where was really the cheapest place to shop.
| Grocery Item | Wal-Mart | Winco |
| Lunch Meat | (Great Value 9oz) $2.98 ($0.3/oz) | (Foster Farms 8oz) $1.98 ($0.24/oz)–taxed +0.12 |
| Aidell’s Apple Chicken Sausages | $5.44 | $4.98–taxed +0.30 |
| Bars original hot dogs | $0.98 | $0.98–taxed +0.06 |
| Chicken Tenders | (Foster Farms) $5.52/# ($0.35/oz) | (Just Bare) $5.38/14oz (0.38/oz)–taxed +0.32 |
| Ground Beef 93/7 | SALE $4.78/# | $4.98/#–taxed +0.30/# |
| #5 Red Potatoes | $2.47 | $1.98 |
| Spinach | $2.88 (16oz) (0.18/oz) | $1.98 (10oz) (0.198/oz) |
| Green Leaf Lettuce | $1.88 | $1.78 |
| Bananas | $0.52/# | $0.48/# |
| Green Grapes | $1.48/# | $1.38/# |
| Carrots 2# bag | $1.32 | $0.98 |
| Hot dog buns | (Great Value) $1.28 | (Winco) $0.98–taxed +0.06 |
| Sub-Total (assuming 1# of /# items) | $31.53 | $27.29 |
| Tax (Only applicable to Winco) | — | $1.70 |
| Total | $31.53 | $28.99 |
| Difference | $2.54 less |
Is it worth it for me to go to the next town over to grocery shop to save about 2 and a half dollars?
That’s a personal question. I know people who, would tell you that gas alone makes it not worth it. But for me, who would like to not shop at Wal-Mart, and because I already go to the next town for other things, it is practical for me to shop and save that $2.54.
*Idaho Food Tax* I live in Washington state, there is no tax on food (junk food and soda is, I think). The next town is in Idaho, where they have a 6% tax on food, which does not apply to produce (banana, carrots, oranges, raw vegetables, frozen vegetables are taxed.) This is something that I have always wondered if it made a difference in our budget. If you are an Idaho resident, there is a grocery tax credit. For more information on Idaho’s grocery credit look HERE.