Grocery shopping

[CivicFan]

In my monthly analysis of budget versus actual expenditures, I noticed that our family has steadily shifted away from shopping in large supermarkets to Trader Joes.

So out of curiosity, I started paying attention to what we buy and what the prices are. It turns out that prices are not that much higher than what you see in a large supermarket for well known brands. But they are much higher than the generic brands. Then I did some taste tests on it to measure the value proposition. I have to say, Trader Joes brands mostly taste better, have less salt content and will be less likely to have HFCS in them.

The surprising finding was that wines and beer cost less there than at places that offer similar choices (liquor stores and supermarkets).

Has anyone else done a similar analysis?

 

[daves87rs]

My shopping is mixed, so I'm going to have to really look that over.

I've come to find Aldi's seems to be a good way to save money...

 

[sciphi]

Shopping at Aldi for the canned stuff and boxed things like beans, rice mixes, etc. is cheaper than shopping at Wegmans. Wegmans meats and produce are head and shoulders above Aldi for freshness and selection. So we do a lot of shopping at both places. Fortunately the foods I like for breakfast are very cheap at Wegmans. 5 yogurts, a 20 oz. box of raisin bran and a gallon of 1% milk can be had for under $6.

 

[JustinH]

We have a ton of Aldi supermarkets that were built here. It's such a step down to shop in one of them when we have what is the best grocery store in the United States (Wegman's).

Honestly, if you shop the deals, and buy the wegman's store brand once in a while, you don't save that much at Aldi.

I'm the kind of person who hates shopping, and will just go to one store and call it done.

I have found most of the food at aldi to be "not bad", but rarely do I ever find anything that is good tasting.

Its a shame we do not have trader joe's around here. Their stuff seems to be of a better quality than aldi, and more variety/specialty items.

 

[Drew99GT]

Originally Posted By: JustinH

Its a shame we do not have trader joe's around here. Their stuff seems to be of a better quality than aldi, and more variety/specialty items.


+1 Each time I go to visit my cousin, we always go to Trader Joe's. They don't have everything for sure, but it's a great store. They have the some of the best whole wheat sourdough bread.

 

[HTSS_TR]

We bought most items on sale only. One week we bought 10-12 lbs Pork when it was on sale for more than 50-60% off, the other week we bought 4-5 whole chickens ... from Albertson, Ralph, Vons ...

We like Trader Joes too, their price on most items are reasonable.

 

[dparm]

Trader Joe's has some great deals. Their packaged stuff is fast and easy and priced well. Something for everyone.

 

[CROWNVIC4LIFE]

Originally Posted By: daves87rs


I've come to find Aldi's seems to be a good way to save money...


Aldi's is getting popular in my area but there is a problem..The few times I tried them out the milk would go sour within a couple of days of bringing it home..The expiration date still had 2 weeks to go..Same thing went for the eggs as they went bad just as fast..ALL fruit went bad very quickly.

So Aldi's is off the table..Back to Super Target or Publix.

 

[cutter]

Usually, a big time front page deal on the weekly circular will get me in the double doors of a supermarket for my bi-weekly grocery trip. Typically, it's Shoprite around these parts. So as I make my visit for $1.99/lb Eye round roasts or bogo one pound cans of crab meat, I make my other usual purchases of fresh fruits and vegetables and little else.

 

[CivicFan]

Aldi's is a good source for buying quirky food products imported from Germany, Austria or Hungary.

 

[cutter]

Originally Posted By: CivicFan
Aldi's is a good source for buying quirky food products imported from Germany, Austria or Hungary.


The chocolate is quite good at Aldi.

 

[CROWNVIC4LIFE]

Originally Posted By: cutter


The chocolate is quite good at Aldi.


I almost forgot..The Choceur Dark Chocolate is AWESOME..The Mama Cozzi Pizza is also awesome.

So it looks like I will stop by there once in awhile.

 

[GrtArtiste]

My only real choices are 2 Kroger stores--unless I want to travel 2 or 3 times as far. They send me a lot of useful coupons and sometimes I get good discounts on meat-shrimp. If I shop carefully the grocery bill doesn't hurt too bad. No complaints on food quality. I can usually spend $400 in a month which will result in a $.40 per gallon discount on a fillup for the Chrysler. Every little bit helps.

 

[mechanicx]

Originally Posted By: CivicFan
Aldi's is a good source for buying quirky food products imported from Germany, Austria or Hungary.


I've never shopped at Aldi's and assumed the food was low quality and bad tasting, but I'd be interested in checking out the German food.

 

[FloatingBrick]

We have been slowly transitioning to shopping more often and buying less. I would like to get to the point where we buy just what we need every day or two. Not the cleaning and paper staples, of course, but the food items.

As we make this transition, I notice that we spend less and consume less. Something about having full cabinets and refrigerator make me eat more.

Since we are buying more often (usually on the way home from work) we are visiting Walmart less and hitting the Piggly-Wiigly and local meat shop more. I find an added benefit in less stress from going to a crowded store on the weekend and fighting the masses.

 

[Mamala Bay]

No Trader Joe's here due to company's decision on shipping cost to
Hawaii. It's a business decision. I wish there was one here.

We have Down to Earth which I purchase some items supermarkets don't offer. Down to Earth is geared towards health conscience consumers.

I think the OP is trying to say Trader Joe is geared more towards health conscience products rather what most supermarkets has to offer.

 

[CivicFan]

Our veggies come from Whole Foods, everything else is either bought from online vendors (mostly vegan stuff) or Trader Joes.

 

[CROWNVIC4LIFE]

I really wish there was Trader Joe's near me..The closest one for me is about 2 hours away in Naples which is in Collier County.

Whole Foods near me is always busy..Fresh Market just opened recently in Miami Beach and is also packed all the time.