A Spreadsheet-Based Grocery Store Price Comparison that will Have You Saving Money on Groceries
Whether you're hard pressed for cash or trying to justify an extravagant purchase by cutting costs elsewhere, you can benefit from comparing prices at your local grocery stores to discover which store offers the most savings. You might be surprised to hear that different stores offer better savings to different types of people. I will show you how to find which local grocery store offers the most savings for you. I will also give you an example of grocery store prices compared across Safeway, Trader Joe's, and Lucky's, as well as time and location that can give you a general idea of what your own price comparison will look like.
Why do it yourself?
You are probably well aware of the fact that there are many online sites that allow you to hunt for deals on groceries, as well as compare prices across stores. Why, then, should you bother with your own research? Here are some major benefits of doing your own grocery store price comparisons:
- Avoidance of data overload: Many price comparison websites offer so much information, it takes longer to find that which is relevant to you than it would to simply collect your own information
- Accuracy: Some prices on websites are outdated or not relevant to your particular location, as different grocery stores, even those that are part of the same chain, will run different promotions at different times, and may consistently price products differently, not to mention carry different brands
- Mindfulness: A large part of getting one's budget under control involves actually thinking about the cost of certain things and being truly aware of one's expenditures. Carefully looking at the cost of certain grocery purchases over time will help make you more aware of what is really putting a dent in your monthly food budget, and you might even find easy ways to cut extra expenses (e.g. "Wow - I was paying $20 a month on pre-cooked rice? I'll just make my own over the weekend in a big batch and package it into smaller portions for the week on my own")
How to determine which local grocery store offers you the most savings
- Start a spreadsheet with the following columns: food name, price, store, date, location (optional) and category. Feel free to add more categories if you like (e.g. Notes - should you want to make a note to never buy something again because it was super gross!)
- Do your grocery shopping at different local grocery stores; buy what you normally buy
- Record items in each grocery receipt in your spreadsheet until you have a decent collection of prices to compare
- Look over the date you've collected - sort through columns by store, food, or category to find which store offers the best price on your major staples
- If you find that one store in particular offers better prices for a lot of the things you buy, go with that one!
At the bottom of this page you will find an example of a grocery price comparison spreadsheet I added to on and off over several months. Play around with the sorting, and you'll see how you can easily evaluate and compare prices across stores, locations, dates, and categories.
Why does this work?
A local grocery store that may offer the most savings for one person may be more expensive for another. Why? Well, perhaps one person is a vegetarian and purchases a lot of organic produce - this person would save more by shopping mostly at a grocery store that has reasonably priced organic fruits and vegetables. Another person might be shopping for a large family and likes to buy a lot of pre-made meals - this person would save more money by shopping somewhere where such products are very competitively priced. Yet another person might be a big wine buff- this individual could save more by regularly shopping at a grocery store with great bargains on wine.
By only focusing on the expenses that are relevant to you (e.g. only the things you buy), you'll be able to see which store offers the best prices on those things.
An Example of Personal Grocery Price Comparison
Object
| Price
| Store
| Date
| Location
| Category
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cocoa, dutched, 8 oz
| 3.99
| Lucky
| 9.5.10
| SF
| Baking
|
Cocoa, dutched, 8 oz
| 3.65
| Safeway
| 1.24.10
| DC
| Baking
|
Eggs, dozen, AA, cage free
| 2.49
| Trader Joe's
| 10.2.10
| SF
| Baking
|
Eggs, dozen, X large, brown, cage free
| 3.79
| Safeway
| 9.11.10
| SF
| Baking
|
Flour, all purpose
| 2.99
| Trader Joe's
| 11.13.10
| SF
| Baking
|
Molasses, Briar Rabbit
| 3.69
| Safeway
| 10.2.10
| SF
| Baking
|
Tahini
| 6.49
| Lucky
| 9.5.10
| SF
| Baking
|
Bread (1 ww loaf)
| 2
| Safeway
| 1.24.10
| DC
| Bread
|
Bread, lovesticks
| 2.99
| Trader Joe's
| 10.9.10
| SF
| Bread
|
Bread, Pita, Whole wheat apocryphal pita
| 1.29
| Trader Joe's
| 2.14.10
| DC
| Bread
|
Bread, whole wheat, soft
| 2.49
| Trader Joe's
| 2.7.10
| DC
| Bread
|
English muffins, whole wheat, 10
| 1.49
| Trader Joe's
| 2.7.10
| DC
| Bread
|
English muffins, whole wheat, 6
| 2
| Safeway
| 1.17.10
| DC
| Bread
|
Mini whole wheat bagels, 12
| 3.79
| Safeway
| 1.31.10
| DC
| Bread
|
Mini ww bagels (Peppridge)
| 3.79
| Safeway
| 1.10.10
| DC
| Bread
|
Oats, quick
| 3.99
| Safeway
| 2.21.10
| DC
| Bread
|
Tortillas, corn, small, 27
| 2.09
| Safeway
| 1.10.10
| DC
| Bread
|
Tortillas, mission, white, 30, 779 grams
| 1.89
| Safeway
| 11.6.10
| SF
| Bread
|
Tortillas, White Corn, Mission
| 1.99
| Lucky
| 9.5.10
| SF
| Bread
|
Hummus, the flat, good kind you mix
| 2.99
| Trader Joe's
| 10.9.10
| SF
| Condiments
|
Sauce, jalapeno, hot
| 1.99
| Trader Joe's
| 10.2.10
| SF
| Condiments
|
Butter, Lucerne, two sticks
| 1.99
| Safeway
| 10.2.10
| SF
| Dairy
|
Cheese, cottage, Lucerne
| 3.99
| Safeway
| 10.9.10
| SF
| Dairy
|
Cheese, cream, soft spreadable light
| 2.69
| Trader Joe's
| 10.9.10
| SF
| Dairy
|
Cheese, mozzarella, Lucerne
| 4.99
| Safeway
| 10.9.10
| SF
| Dairy
|
Cheese, parmesan (Safeway brand)
| 3.49
| Safeway
| 2.21.10
| DC
| Dairy
|
Cottage cheese
| 3.49
| Lucky
| 9.5.10
| SF
| Dairy
|
Cottage Cheese, Lucerne
| 3.99
| Safeway
| 9.11.10
| SF
| Dairy
|
Cream cheese, Lucerne
| 2.79
| Safeway
| 9.11.10
| SF
| Dairy
|
Cream Cheese, Philadelphia Light
| 1.99
| Safeway
| 2.21.10
| DC
| Dairy
|
Goat cheese, herbed, 5 oz
| 2.49
| Trader Joe's
| 11.6.10
| SF
| Dairy
|
Cream Cheese, Philadelphia Light
| 2.49
| Safeway
| 1.10.10
| DC
| Dairy
|
Milk, evaporated, skim, canned
| 1.09
| Safeway
| 11.13.10
| SF
| Dairy
|
Milk, nonfat, quart
| 1.29
| Safeway
| 10.9.10
| SF
| Dairy
|
Milk, nonfat, quart
| 1.29
| Trader Joe's
| 11.13.10
| SF
| Dairy
|
Yogurt, Lucerne
| 1.99
| Safeway
| 1.10.10
| DC
| Dairy
|
Yogurt, Mountain High, LARGE
| 4.98
| Lucky
| 9.5.10
| SF
| Dairy
|
Yogurt, nonfat, lucerne
| 2.69
| Safeway
| 10.9.10
| SF
| Dairy
|
Yogurt, organic (30oz)
| 2.99
| Trader Joe's
| 2.7.10
| DC
| Dairy
|
Eggs, dozen, organic, brown
| 3.49
| Safeway
| 1.10.10
| DC
| Eggs
|
Eggs, dozen, organic, cage free
| 2.69
| Trader Joe's
| 2.7.10
| DC
| Eggs
|
Apples, organic, gala, bag
| 4.99
| Safeway
| 10.9.10
| SF
| Fruit
|
Apples, small, organic, 6
| 2.49
| Trader Joe's
| 2.14.10
| DC
| Fruit
|
Bananas (10)
| 2.69
| Safeway
| 1.10.10
| DC
| Fruit
|
Bananas (10)
| 1.9
| Trader Joe's
| 2.14.10
| DC
| Fruit
|
Bananas, by pound
| 0.79
| Safeway
| 10.9.10
| SF
| Fruit
|
Cantaloupe
| 3.49
| Safeway
| 1.24.10
| DC
| Fruit
|
Cantaloupe
| 1.88
| Safeway
| 1.10.10
| DC
| Fruit
|
Cantaloupe
| 3
| Safeway
| 2.21.10
| DC
| Fruit
|
Cantaloupe, Melon (sale off 2.99)
| 1.99
| Safeway
| 9.11.10
| SF
| Fruit
|
Brita water filter
| 7.99
| Safeway
| 1.31.10
| DC
| Other
|
Chickenless patties, Morning Star (reg. 4.99)
| 3.99
| Safeway
| 11.13.10
| SF
| Prepared foods
|
Chickenless stuffed cutlet
| 4.99
| Trader Joe's
| 2.7.10
| DC
| Prepared foods
|
Madras Lentils
| 1.99
| Trader Joe's
| 2.7.10
| DC
| Prepared Foods
|
Vegetable broth, organic
| 1.99
| Trader Joe's
| 2.7.10
| DC
| Prepared foods
|
Apples, grannysmith, organic, per pound
| 2.49
| Safeway
| 11.13.10
| SF
| Produce
|
Apples, Organic, Granny smith, 1 pound
| 1.49
| Safeway
| 11.6.10
| SF
| Produce
|
Bananas (each)
| 0.19
| Trader Joe's
| 10.2.10
| SF
| Produce
|
Broccoli, crowns, per pound
| 1.99
| Safeway
| 11.6.10
| SF
| Produce
|
Broccoli, crowns, per pound
| 1.79
| Safeway
| 11.13.10
| SF
| Produce
|
Broccoli, small bunch
| 2.29
| Trader Joe's
| 2.7.10
| DC
| Produce
|
Carrots, organic
| 0.79
| Trader Joe's
| 10.2.10
| SF
| Produce
|
Carrots, organic (20oz)
| 0.89
| Trader Joe's
| 2.7.10
| DC
| Produce
|
Carrots, organic, whole, 450 grams
| 0.79
| Trader Joe's
| 10.9.10
| SF
| Produce
|
Cauliflower
| 2.99
| Safeway
| 1.24.10
| DC
| Produce
|
Cauliflower
| 2.99
| Lucky
| 9.5.10
| SF
| Produce
|
Cauliflower
| 1.79
| Trader Joe's
| 10.2.10
| SF
| Produce
|
Frozen Broccoli Florets
| 1.29
| Trader Joe's
| 2.7.10
| DC
| Produce
|
Frozen green beans
| 1.99
| Trader Joe's
| 2.7.10
| DC
| Produce
|
Frozen peas and carrots
| 2.5
| Safeway
| 2.21.10
| DC
| Produce
|
Frozen Peas, 20 oz
| 1.29
| Trader Joe's
| 2.7.10
| DC
| Produce
|
Green beans, 1 pound
| 1.99
| Safeway
| 11.6.10
| SF
| Produce
|
Green beans, tray
| 2.49
| Trader Joe's
| 10.9.10
| SF
| Produce
|
green beans, pre-trimmed
| 3.49
| Trader Joe's
| 2.7.10
| DC
| Produce
|
Green beans, tray
| 2.49
| Trader Joe's
| 10.2.10
| SF
| Produce
|
Onion, yellow sweet
| 1.27
| Safeway
| 2.21.10
| DC
| Produce
|
Potatoes, 1 pound, small
| 1.99
| Trader Joe's
| 2.7.10
| DC
| Produce
|
Pumpkin, sugar
| 1.99
| Trader Joe's
| 10.2.10
| SF
| Produce
|
Curry paste (Thai red)
| 4.99
| Lucky
| 9.5.10
| SF
| Sauces
|
Marinara, Tomato Basil
| 1.79
| Trader Joe's
| 11.13.10
| SF
| Sauces
|
Tomato sauce, Ragu
| 2
| Safeway
| 1.24.10
| DC
| Sauces
|
Tomato sauce, Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce
| 1.79
| Trader Joe's
| 10.9.10
| SF
| Sauces
|
Almond butter, roasted
| 4.99
| Trader Joe's
| 2.7.10
| DC
| Spreads
|
Hummus
| 4.99
| Safeway
| 1.17.10
| DC
| Spreads
|
Hummus (16 oz)
| 3.49
| Trader Joe's
| 2.7.10
| DC
| Spreads
|
Hummus
| 2.99
| Trader Joe's
| 11.6.10
| SF
| Spreads
|
Peanut butter, smucker's, crunchy
| 3.1
| Safeway
| 1.10.10
| DC
| Spreads
|
Pumpkin butter
| 2.99
| Trader Joe's
| 2.7.10
| DC
| Spreads
|
Strawberry Preserves
| 2.99
| Trader Joe's
| 2.7.10
| DC
| Spreads
|
Calcium citrate
| 3.99
| Trader Joe's
| 2.14.10
| DC
| Supplements
|
Chocolate Espresso Beans
| 3.99
| Trader Joe's
| 2.7.10
| DC
| Sweets
|
Cinnamon Graham Cookies
| 3.49
| Trader Joe's
| 2.7.10
| DC
| Sweets
|
Tofu, 19 oz
| 1.49
| Trader Joe's
| 10.2.10
| SF
| Tofu
|
Tofu, Azumaya
| 1.69
| Lucky
| 9.5.10
| SF
| Tofu
|
Tofu, Baked Teriyaki, Two servings
| 3.99
| Lucky
| 9.5.10
| SF
| Tofu
|
Tofu, firm, 14 ounces
| 1.99
| Safeway
| 1.24.10
| DC
| Tofu
|
Tofu, firm, Azumaya
| 1.99
| Safeway
| 1.31.10
| DC
| Tofu
|
Tofu, organic, 19 ounces
| 1.49
| Trader Joe's
| 10.9.10
| SF
| Tofu
|
Tofu, organic, 20 ounces
| 1.49
| Trader Joe's
| 2.7.10
| DC
| Tofu
|