My Nitty Gritty Grocery List
SECOND UPDATE: I've updated my list to include Costco prices, which beat or tie Trader Joe's, Vons and Food 4 Less in many categories. Unfortunately, Costco sells a narrower range of products so many categories are blank, like black beans. I missed the lettuce, so that is also blank. Note, I originally created this cheat sheet while writing about coupon clipping, but you can use it as a rough guide for what is a "good" price for something when shopping.UPDATE: My Nitty Gritty Grocery List now includes the Food 4 Less prices for all 35 items. Shoppers not familiar with Food 4 less may be surprised that for many items the grocery chain bumped Vons and Trader Joe's from being the low price leader, which I mark below in bold.
I totally redid my grocery cheat sheet to list just what I consider a "good" price for each item so you don't have to comb through all three store columns. This way if you can't remember the lowest price you can get for an item, just pull out your cheat sheet and the decision is easy.
Remember, grocery prices fluctuate greatly so you will have to update your own list every few weeks.
PREVIOUSLY: Old school coupon clippers make it seem as if saving 50% off your grocery tab is no big deal. As the Bargain Hunter, I figured it would be a cinch. So for "work" I dug through the Sunday newspaper circulars, surfed the Internet for the best online coupon sites, and looked for coupons everywhere. Was I able to drastically reduce my grocery bill? Check out this Sunday's LA Daily News for the full scoop. In the story I tell readers to come here for a full comparison of prices (my "cheat sheet") at two supermarkets I frequently shop at. So without further ado...
Bolded prices mean that store is the clear price leader. If neither price is bolded it means the item was a draw. Items marked with an * frequently go on sale or have coupons available. Use all your willpower to buy them only at these lowest prices!! And remember, sales and coupons can often tip the price in favor of Vons, which doubles coupons up to $1.
Assume items from Trader Joe's are sold under the private Trader Joe's brand unless otherwise noted. A price range is listed for items from Von's because the chain offers a variety of brands. Lower range prices are often the store's own Safeway brand of food.
| Item | Trader Joe's | Von's | Food 4 Less | Costco | |
| Meat | |||||
| Chicken breast* | $3.99/lb - $4.69/lb | $1.25/lb to $6.49/lb | $2.78/lb | organic $5.99/lb | |
| Pork Chops* | $4.49/lb | $2.79/lb - $5.49/lb | $3.28/lb | $2.79 - $2.99/lb | |
| Ground turkey | $2.79/lb - $2.99/lb | $1.79/lb to $3.59/lb | $1.58/lb | $2.29/lb | |
| Beef chuck for stew/chili | $4.99/lb | $4.49/lb | $.98/lb | $3.99/lb | |
| Staples | |||||
| Olive oil | $6.99 for 32 fl oz | $13.49 for 33.8 fl oz | $7.38 for 25 fl oz | 8.49 for 34 fl oz | |
| Tortilla chips | $1.79 for 16 oz | Tostitos restaurant style $3.49 for 13 oz | Padrinos $2.98 for 22 oz | $3.89 for 24 oz Tostitos | |
| Flour | $2.79 for 5lb King Arthur white | $4.17 for 5 lb King Arthur white | Gold Medal $2.78 for 5lb | ||
| Rice | $2.49 for white basmati rice, 32 oz | $4.63 for 5lbs | $2.98 for 5lb | ||
| Black beans* | $.69 for 15 oz | $1.09 for 15 oz | $.58 for 15 oz | ||
| Spaghetti | $.79 for 16 oz | $1.25 for 16 oz | $2 for 2 16 oz packages | ||
| Raisin Bran cereal* | $3.79 for Raisin Bran Clusters, 18 oz | $5.39 for 25.5 oz | $3.58 for 20 oz | ||
| Loaf of bread | $2.99 Milton Whole Wheat, 32 oz | $3.99 Milton Whole Wheat, 32 oz | Orowheat whole wheat $4.08 for 24 oz | $5.39 for 2 - 24 oz | |
| Chicken stock | $1.99 for 32 oz | $3.19 for 32 oz | $2.98 for 32 or 49 oz | ||
| Canola oil | $3.49 for 33.8 fl oz | $4.49 48 fl oz | $2.98 for 48 fl oz | ||
| Walnut halves | $6.99 for 16 oz | $3.32 for 10 oz | $4.58 for 10 oz | $14.69 for 48 oz | |
| Sugar* | $2.79 for 32 oz | $3.65 for 5 lb | $2.48 for 5 lbs | $4.25 for 10lbs | |
| Brown sugar* | $2.99 for 24 oz (organic) | $1.69 for 32 oz | $1.88 for 32 oz | $17.99 for 50 lb | |
| Chocolate chips | $1.79 for 12 oz | 3.98 for 12 oz | $2.98 for 12 oz | $7.79 for 72 oz | |
| Canned tomatoes, whole peeled | $1.19 for 28 oz | $2.39 for 28 oz | $1.98 for 28 oz | $2.55 for 102 oz | |
| Cranberry juice* | $3.99 for 64 oz | $3.89 for 64 oz | $1.88 for 64 oz | $6.69 for 2 - 96 oz | |
| Produce | |||||
| Apples | $.69 each | $1.99/lb = ~$1 each | $.88/lb = ~ $.88 each | $6.29 for 12 = $.52 each | |
| Bananas | $.29 each | $.69/lb = ~ $.27 each | $.98/2 lbs = ~$.24 each | $1.56/4lb = ~$.15 each | |
| Lettuce | $1.99 for 5 oz | $3.69 for 5 oz | $.88 for 10 oz | ||
| Onions | $2.29 for 32 oz =~$1.14 each | $.89/lb = ~ $.89 each | $.98 for 7 lb = ~$.14 each | $4.99/5lb | |
| Green peppers | $1.99 for 3 medium | $2.49/lb | $.88 each | ||
| Potatoes | $1.99 for 5 potatoes =$.40 each | $3.99 for 10 lbs = ~ $.20 each | $2.48 for 10 lb | $5.99/20lb | |
| Carrots | $.79 for 16 oz | $1.29 for 32 oz | $.99 for 3lb | ||
| Dairy | |||||
| Organic milk | $5.99/gal | $5.99/gal | $3.98/half gal | ||
| Eggs | $1.19 for a dozen extra large | $3/doz large | $2.28/doz large | $5.89/3 doz | |
| Cheddar cheese* | $4.49 Wisconsin extra sharp | $3.29 for 8 oz | $4.48 for 16 oz | $5.79/2lb | |
| Yogurts, small* | $.79 cents for 6 oz | $.80 for 8 oz | $.60 for 6 oz | ||
| Yogurt, big* | $2.69 for 32 oz | $2.79 for 32 oz | $2.38 for 32 oz | ||
| Ice cream* | $4 for 1 qt | $6.49 for 1.75 qt | $3.98 for 1.75 qt | $6.49 for 4 quarts | |
| Butter | $2.49 for four quarters | $3.99 for four quarters | $2.78 for four quarters | $6.49 for 16 quarters | |
| Misc | |||||
| Fresh orange juice* | $8.49/gal | $7.49/gal | $6.98/gal | $10.49/2 gal | |
14 Comments
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About The Bargain Hunter
Daily News staff writer Julia Scott loves to find bargains on everything from groceries to Gucci. Her tips will help keep your hard earned cash where it belongs - in your pocket.
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I believe that the 29 cent each bananas at Trader Joe's are the organic. The traditionally grown were still 19 cents last I looked.
Margaret
Good comparison list!!!
TRADER JOES IS MUCH CHEAPER (AND HAS OVERALL BETTER QUILITY PRODUCTS) THEN ANY OTHER SUPERMARKET-OVERALL:IE...WHOLE FOODS MARKET; VONS, RALPHS,ETC.
THERE IS NO...... COMPARASON........
Not all Vons stores double coupons anymore, unfortunately. Apparently, its up to each store. Mine in Granada Hills does not, so I only shop there occasionally for their sale items - otherwise they're way overpriced. Albertson's and Trader Joe's have them beat. Also, Smart & Final have had bananas at $.39 a pound, and Ready Pac's 3 lb Garden Salad bags for only $1.99 (!) for a couple of months now...
still having technical difficulties. grrrrrr...
Trader joes used to my secret store for deals on all kind of products food and non-food items. unfortanetly prices are rising fast just like everywhere. They raised the price of their gyoz's by 50 cents and their mochi is more expensive. still worth it. thanks for you helpful tidbits?
Another good way to save money is to shop stores like Sunland Produce in Sun Valley or A1 produce in Reseda and Simi Valley.
Today at Sunland produce I got a liter of italian olive oil for 4.99
Apples - 69 cents a pound
Squash 89 Cents a pound
Cucumbers 3 for a dollar. bag of pita 55 cents.
They also have lots of international foods
Vallarta Markets are a good place to save a lot of money as well
Eggs are up to $1.49 for a dozen Large eggs at Trader Joes...
You didn't do a good job shopping at Costco. Of the 11 items you don't list prices for I regularly buy 4 and have seen them all there. Some veggies I buy at Smart & Final because smaller sizes are available. My Executive Card and Costco/AMEX rebates totaled over $620 which I used to purchase a patio set, saving over $200 from the "outdoor/patio" store comparables. On average I shop Costco every 2 weeks spending about 45 minutes from the time I pull into the parking lot to when I pull out; at the right time the lines are consistantly shorter than those at Ralphs and Albertsons.
Julia, that's an interesting list. The prices at Trader Joe's have been rising, ever so steadily, over the past year. I imagine that's true everywhere, with the rising prices of commodities as well as fuel.
My wife says to me a couple of days ago, "The price of walnuts at Trader Joe's is outrageous." Yeah, they're now charging something like $12 a pound. I think that's a recent increase. The prices are different for halves, pieces, roasted, not roasted, etc ... but the upshot is that some things are going through the roof.
As vegetarians and quasi-vegans, we eat a lot of nuts, and this kind of thing hurts. On the other hand, I'm not cool with buying 3 lbs. at a time -- those puppies go rancid!
Ralphs is a total disappointment now that they have discontinued doubling coupons over 50 cents. I had a 75 cent coupon today and it was "doubled" with an increase of 25 cents to a toal of $1.00 !!! Also their 99 cent strawberries today were totally disgusting with most in each carton having weird black spots. How sad - indeed Trader Joe's is my favorite place for shopping with Vallerta for produce that is very fresh and fair priced.
Have you thought of including the 99c stores for comparrison? I just bought a 5 lb. bag of russet potatoes at my local market and saw their ad for a 5 lb. bag for 99c.
I also bought a seedless watermellon at 19 cents a pound equalling about $2.50. Again, 99 cents only if I had gone to the 99cent store first.
I just signed up today, July 3rd, but have enjoyed your site. My son turned me on to it.
Sincerely, Jolly
For those of you in Simi Valley I highly recommend Fresh and Easy. It is a mix of Trader Joes and Vons... great prices and good produce.
Yesterday (and several months back too) large eggs at Trader Joe (in Northridge, on San Fernando Mission Blvd) were $1.49. Where did you find the extra large for $1.19? I havent seen that price at Trader Joes in MONTHS! But even at $1.49 for the large, that is good compared with most other stores ...
Because gas is so high, it doesn't pay to shop at too many stores, just to save a few cents. I've always been a shopper and coupon user. However, most of the products that have coupons I don't use anymore.