By Mike Thayer
Being a Wichita foodie isn’t just about knowing where the best restaurants are in the Wichita metro, it’s also about knowing where to get the best ingredients so you can make great eats at home, to include copycat dishes!
Here’s this week’s side-by-side comparison of grocery store prices for Aldi, Dillon’s, Walmart, along with Trader Joe’s, new to the review per reader request.
Covering the basics, this week’s list, dated January 16, 2023, includes a few new items, adding butter (also a reader request) and ketchup. The new total of essential items is now 23. There was also a change in the review of potatoes, now pricing a 5 pound bag instead of a 10 pound bag. Trader Joe’s doesn’t offer a 10 pound bag option and Aldi was out of stock in that size, driving the switch.
Last week’s list dated January 9, 2023 contained 21 essential items and it’s interesting to note that prices are down for the three stores evaluated in that review. For those same 21 items, Aldi dropped $5.09, Dillons total went down $2.27 and Walmart fell $2.92, respectively. Part of that drop was making the switch in potato bag size week-over-week, but that move didn’t account for the entire price drop, so it’s nice to see prices coming down.
Remember that items featured will be the store brand for each respective store, unless otherwise labeled. Prices are good as of this writing and could change by the time you make that grocery run.
Takeaways from this week’s price review:
- Aldi was the cheapest place to shop this week, for the second consecutive week. They take their position of being the overall lowest priced grocery option quite seriously. Items dropping in price were bacon, chicken broth, ground beef, tilapia, milk and roma tomatoes over the previous week.
- Dillon’s continues to be the most expensive place to grocery shop on a week-to-week basis even WITH the use of their loyalty card. Check out the related article link, “Mainstream Grocery vs. Discount Grocery: Dillon’s (Kroger) vs. Aldi. They currently have a buy one package of Tyson Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breast, get a second one free deal. Sounds good right? Not so much. That first package averages $9.10. It’s a game Dillons plays, they jack up the price of something to ‘convince’ you you’re getting a good deal with that ‘free’ second package. You’re not really getting a good deal, it’s expensive chicken, you end up paying $4.55 per pound. Only Trader Joe’s costs more per pound and it’s organic.
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Great price on eggs!
Trader Joe’s was the second-most expensive store to shop at of the four, but there are caveats. It’s not exactly an apples to apples comparison with them vs. the other stores. They feature private label and organic products and they screen ingredients, excluding products that use Genetically Modified Organisms (“GMO”) as ingredients as well as items with synthetic colors and artificial flavors. The argument can be made that product quality is higher at Trader Joe’s vs. the other stores. The way they sell bananas and tomatoes is a bit of a downer (price for each rather than by the pound which will end up costing you more if buying in family size amounts), but check out the price for eggs! I picked up two cartons of large organic brown eggs for $3.99 each (limit 2). That’s the best price of all the stores reviewed – and for organic, free range! The butter price was quite good too. Aldi beat them by only 1 penny.
- Walmart was the second lowest in overall price, but again, you have to like their Great Value brand to get the savings, I’m not a fan. Their every day low pricing is an attraction for many, no pricing games or loyalty card gimmicks like Dillons plays and the convenience of one-stop shopping for other than groceries is also a plus.
Don’t see some essential items that you think should be on the list? Send me an email.
This week’s copycat recipe: Red Robin Campfire Sauce
$pend Wisely My Friends…
Related: Grocery Stores in Wichita
Related: Mainstream Grocery vs. Discount Grocery: Dillon’s (Kroger) vs. Aldi
Related: Food Review: Great Value bacon not such a great value
Enjoy this post?
If you appreciate this cost comparison and want to support more great content on BachelorontheCheap.com, you can help keep this site going with a one-time or a monthly donation. Thank you so much for your support! ~ Mike
Grocery Store Prices – a side-by-side comparison: January 16, 2023 – Bachelor on the Cheap
By Mike Thayer
Being a Wichita foodie isn’t just about knowing where the best restaurants are in the Wichita metro, it’s also about knowing where to get the best ingredients so you can make great eats at home, to include copycat dishes!
Here’s this week’s side-by-side comparison of grocery store prices for Aldi, Dillon’s, Walmart, along with Trader Joe’s, new to the review per reader request.
Covering the basics, this week’s list, dated January 16, 2023, includes a few new items, adding butter (also a reader request) and ketchup. The new total of essential items is now 23. There was also a change in the review of potatoes, now pricing a 5 pound bag instead of a 10 pound bag. Trader Joe’s doesn’t offer a 10 pound bag option and Aldi was out of stock in that size, driving the switch.
Last week’s list dated January 9, 2023 contained 21 essential items and it’s interesting to note that prices are down for the three stores evaluated in that review. For those same 21 items, Aldi dropped $5.09, Dillons total went down $2.27 and Walmart fell $2.92, respectively. Part of that drop was making the switch in potato bag size week-over-week, but that move didn’t account for the entire price drop, so it’s nice to see prices coming down.
Remember that items featured will be the store brand for each respective store, unless otherwise labeled. Prices are good as of this writing and could change by the time you make that grocery run.
Takeaways from this week’s price review:
Great price on eggs!
Trader Joe’s was the second-most expensive store to shop at of the four, but there are caveats. It’s not exactly an apples to apples comparison with them vs. the other stores. They feature private label and organic products and they screen ingredients, excluding products that use Genetically Modified Organisms (“GMO”) as ingredients as well as items with synthetic colors and artificial flavors. The argument can be made that product quality is higher at Trader Joe’s vs. the other stores. The way they sell bananas and tomatoes is a bit of a downer (price for each rather than by the pound which will end up costing you more if buying in family size amounts), but check out the price for eggs! I picked up two cartons of large organic brown eggs for $3.99 each (limit 2). That’s the best price of all the stores reviewed – and for organic, free range! The butter price was quite good too. Aldi beat them by only 1 penny.
Don’t see some essential items that you think should be on the list? Send me an email.
This week’s copycat recipe: Red Robin Campfire Sauce
$pend Wisely My Friends…
Related: Grocery Stores in Wichita
Related: Mainstream Grocery vs. Discount Grocery: Dillon’s (Kroger) vs. Aldi
Related: Food Review: Great Value bacon not such a great value
Enjoy this post?
If you appreciate this cost comparison and want to support more great content on BachelorontheCheap.com, you can help keep this site going with a one-time or a monthly donation. Thank you so much for your support! ~ Mike