Are You Paying Too Much for Groceries?

Awhile back I told you I was working on doing a price comparison chart for a bunch of different grocery stores in the Twin Cities area. I wanted to make sure I wasn't paying too much for groceries. I had an idea in my head on what the results would be, but I was shocked on certain things! While I wasn't able to price out every item at every store, I think I got enough information to make an informed consumer decision on where I'll shop from now on! When reading this information, keep in mind that these prices can change from week to week (all prices shown were seen within a week or two of each other) and from location to location. Please let me know if you have any questions! Happy Grocery Shopping! (P.S. Another store you can price out is Whole Foods, but there isn't one close to us, or at least not in an area that we go to very often.) Lastly, sorry for the formatting...I can't figure out how to get the gridlines to show up in the Numbers program on my Mac. :( Hopefully, you can still all read this ok.

	Costco	Cub Foods	Trader Joe’s	Fresh & Natural	Kowalski’s
UNREFINED OILS
Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Unfiltered, 1 Ltr	5.50 (cold-pressed, not organic)		5.49 (not Organic)
Organic Flaxseed Oil
Organic Macadamia Nut Oil
Organic Pumpkin Seed Oil
Organic Toasted Sesame Oil
Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, 14 oz				10.55
Organic Walnut Oil
VINEGARS
Organic Balsamic Vinegar
Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
Organic Red Wine Vinegar
Organic Seasoned Brown Rice Vinegar
Organic White Wine Vinegar
Sherry Vinegar
Ume Plum Vinegar
SALT & SALT SEASONINGS
Herbamare
Unrefined Sea Salt (Redmond’s RealSalt)
CONDIMENTS
Organic Dijon Mustard	4.59/60 oz (not organic or dijon)
Organic Ketchup, agave nectar sweetened			n/a	n/a
Wasabi
NATURAL SWEETENERS
Agave Nectar
Medjool Dates
Stevia, dry			6.99/9.73 oz	73.79/lb
Stevia, liquid			n/a	4.59-8.55
Unsweetened Apple Juice (NOT from concentrate)
HERBS & SPICES
Bay Leaves
Black Peppercorns, whole	4.49/6.3 oz
Cardamom, whole
Cayenne Pepper
Chili Powder
Chives, fresh		4.08 freeze-dried, glass btl)
Cilantro, fresh
Cinnamon, ground	2.69 (10.7 oz)
Coriander, ground
Cumin, ground
Cumin, whole
Curry Powder
Garam Masala
Garlic, powder
Ginger, powder
Italian Seasoning
Mexican Seasoning
Mint, fresh			1.79
Oregano, dried, 2.5 oz	3.69 (organic)
Paprika, glass container		5.99		4.29	5.19
Parsley, fresh	3.59 (dried, 2 oz)
Rosemary, dried
Thyme, dried
Tumeric
RAW NUTS & SEEDS
Almonds, lb	3.26			4.99
Brazil Nuts
Cashews, 16 oz	5.60 (salted)		5.99
Cashews, roasted, unsalted, lb			5.99
Flax Seeds	6.99/40 oz (fine milled)
Hazelnuts
Macadamia
Mixed Nuts	6.00 (salted)
Peanuts
Pecans, lb	7.50		9.98
Pepitas/Pumpkin Seeds			5.49
Pine Nuts	15.33
Pistachio, lb	9.85 (salted)
Sesame Seeds
Sunflower Seeds
Walnuts, lb	4.53
NUT & SEED BUTTERS
Almond Butter	5.79/26 oz
Apricot Jam, fruit juice sweetened??? (Bionaturae)
Cashew Butter
Peanut Butter, unsalted	5.49/54 oz (salted)		1.79 (salted)	4.45 (salted)
Sesame Tahini
Sunflower Seed Butter			3.99	6.85
WHOLE GRAINS
Amaranth
Basmati Rice, brown	0.75
Brown Rice, short grained	1.08 (organic)
Brown Rice Pasta Fusilli, 16 oz			1.99
Brown Rice Pasta Spaghetti, 16 oz			1.99
Buckwheat Groats, lb				1.79
Buckwheat, noodles
Jasmine Rice, brown
Millet, lb				0.99 (organic)
Quinoa, lb	2.25 (organic)			3.59 (organic)
Quinoa, noodles
Rolled Oats, thick	6.89/10 lbs (instant)	0.99		1.49
Sprouted Grains
Sweet Brown Rice	0.80
Teff (White, Red, Brown)
Wild Rice	2.96
WHOLE GRAIN FLOURS
Amaranth Flour
Barley Flour, lb				1.29
Brown Rice Flour, 2 lbs				3.95
Buckwheat Flour, 22 oz					4.69
Millet Flour, 20 oz				4.95
Quinoa Flour
Spelt Flour
Tapioca Flour???, 20 oz				3.85
Teff Flour
BEANS
Garbanzo Beans, dried
Garbanzo Beans, canned			1.19 (organic)
Kidney Beans, dried
Kidney Beans, canned			1.19 (organic)
Lentils (Red, Green & French), dried
Lentils (Red, Green & French), canned
Pink Beans, dried
Pink Beans, canned
Pinto Beans, dried
Pinto Beans, canned
Split Peas (Yellow & Green)
White Beans, dried
White Beans, canned			0.89
ORGANIC CANNED TOMATO PRODUCTS
Crushed Tomatoes
Crushed Tomatoes, fire roasted
Diced Tomatoes, 14.5 oz can	0.97
Diced Tomatoes, fire roasted
Tomato Paste
Tomato Sauce, 15 oz can	0.58
FRESH/FROZEN FRUITS & VEGETABLES
Artichoke			1.99 (can hearts)
Arugula, organic
Apples, organics, 3 lbs		4.99		4.99
Apples, organic, 2 lbs			2.49
Apricots, organic
Asparagus
Avocado, each				2.69 (organic)
Baby Carrots, organic, lb	0.91	1.99	1.69	1.99
Bananas, each			0.19
Beets
Bell Peppers, organic, 2		6.99	3.79 (not organic, 3)	3.59/lb
Blackberries, organic
Blueberries, organic, fresh, 6 oz		2.99	3.49	5.69
Blueberries, organic, frozen, 12 oz			3.99	2.79 (All-Natural, 10 oz)
Bok Choy, organic
Broccoli, head		3.99 (organic)	2.99 (organic)
Brussel Sprouts
Cabbage
Cantaloupe
Carrots, organic, lb			0.89
Cauliflower, head			2.29
Cauliflower, Frozen				2.39
Celery, organic		2.29			4.99
Chard, organic
Cherries, organic			2.99 (not organic, frozen, 16 oz)
Coconut
Cranberries
Cucumbers, 2		3.99 (organic)	2.99 (organic)
Eggplant
Fennel
Figs, fresh
Garlic, cloves			1.49 (organic)
Ginger, fresh
Grapes, organic
Honeydew
Jicama
Kale, organic, 10 oz			2.29 (not organic)
Kiwi
Kohlrabi
Leek
Lemon (organic, if using zest), lb			1.99 (organic)
Lime (organic, if using zest)
Mango
Mushrooms, organic		3.99	n/a	4.59	4.49
Nectarines, organic
Okra
Onion, each			0.69
Oranges, organic, 4 lbs			3.99
Parsnip
Peaches, organic
Pears, organic 3 lbs		4.99	.79 (each)
Peas
Pineapple
Plums
Potatoes, organic, 5 lbs		5.99	3.99	4.39
Pumpkin				3.15 (can, organic)	3.49 (can, organic)
Raddichio
Radish
Raspberries, organic		4.99
Romaine, organic, head	3.79/6 heads		2.69/3, organic	4.99
Rutabega
Scallion		1.99 (organic)	n/a
Shallots			0.99
Spaghetti Squash
Spinach, organic	3.99/lb		6.64/lb
Spring Mix, organic	4.49/lb		6.64/lb
Strawberries, organic, lb	2.50	5.99	2.99
String Beans	$5.99 (organic, frzn, 5 lbs)
Sweet Potatoes, 3 lbs			3.99 (organic)
Tangerines, organic
Turnip
Yam
Yellow Squash
Watermelon
Winter Squash
Zucchini, organic, lb		3.99	2.99	1.39	2.49
MILKS/DAIRY
Almond Milk, unsweetened, 1/2 gallon		3.19	2.99 (TJ’s)	4.49	3.89
Butter, organic	6.89 (salted, 2 lbs)
Cheese, grated, parmesan	7.39/24 oz
Cheese, organic, block		5.09
Cheese, organic, shredded, 6 oz				5.29	4.39
Cheese, organic, string, per oz	0.18 (not organic)		0.55
Coconut Milk (regular), canned
Cottage Cheese, whole milk, organic, lb		4.84	n/a	5.75
Cream (regular or half&half), organic, 32 oz	2.99		2.79		4.49
Eggs, organic, dozen	2.86	4.49	3.99		4.59
Feta Crumbles, organic			2.49 (not organic)	3.49 (not organic)
Goat Cheese		4.79	2.49
Hemp Milk
Kefir	9.99 (12/8 oz btls)
Rice Milk
Whole Milk, organic, gallon	7.13	5.59	5.99	6.99	5.99
Yogurt, organic	3.99/4 lbs
Yogurt, plain, Greek, 32 oz (Chobani)	10.18 (12/6 oz cups)		n/a		5.99
Yogurt, plain, Greek, lb	2.90			6.09
ORGANIC DRIED-FRUIT
Apples	12.99/20 pk (freeze-dried)
Apricots
Cherries, unsweetened
Cranberries, fruit juice sweetened
Figs
Goji Berries
Pears
Prunes/Plums
Raisins, sun-dried	7.29/72 oz (not sun-dried)
SPECIALTY ITEMS
Capers
Sun-Dried Tomatoes, sulfur dioxide free (Mediterranean Organic)	7.99 (not organic)/32 oz
OTHER ITEMS
Almond Extract, non-alcoholic/glycerine
Arrowroot, 2.5 oz, glass container???				6.59/lb	7.29
Carob Powder, raw
Cocoa Powder, organic, raw???
Guar Gum, 8 oz				4.75
Kudzu Powder
Lemon Flavoring (Simply Organic)
Vanilla Extract, organic, non-alcoholic/glycerine
Whey Protein
Yeast	3.99 (32 oz)
HORMONE-FREE, GRASS-FED MEATS
Bacon, organic			n/a	4.69 (turkey)
Beef, ground, lb	4.33 (not grass-fed)		5.99	6.99 (not grass-fed)	4.99
Beef, steak, lb			n/a	9.99	9.99
Chicken, breasts, lb	6.49	n/a	6.99 (not grass-fed)	5.49	5.99
Ham
Pork Chop
Turkey