Life Lesson: New Grocery Perspective

As of today, I'm rethinking how I do grocery shopping. I can almost hear the shouts of joy from my Bible study moms. Until today, I was a shopping snob as I would only go to the stores I like and, while I shop sales and use coupons, I learned today that I've been paying too much.

My friends tried to convince me that shopping at Walmart would save me big bucks. I balked. You see, I'm a Target girl. I view Target as hip, cool, and fun. I'll buy my groceries, staples, paper products, home goods and even clothing at Target. Not so much with Walmart.

I think a lot of that goes back to the days when Mr. C was a baby and we used to go to W to buy his soy formula. It was tons cheaper than anywhere else. However, W wasn't in the best location in town, was decades old and had a "smell" to it so I always felt grossed out when I left.

Now, years later there is a shiny and pretty W right across the street from my Target, but I never really went there except to buy Boy Scout camping supplies since they don't really have those things at Target. Until today. I was challenged to do my grocery shopping at W and then take my receipt to my favorite grocery store and see if I could tell a difference.

As much as I hate to admit it, they were right. Now, I'll confess I only purchased staple items and canned items at Walmart and then bought my produce and meat at my favorite grocery store. Part of that was because I'm still not comfortable with Walmart and I view my stores' selection and freshness to be much better. Plus, it looks prettier. Habits die hard!

Here's the details:

Kellogg's special K red berries(family size) $3.44 vs $4.30
dill relish $1.18 vs $2.29
Kosher Dill Slices $1.98 vs $3.65
pepper rings: $1.98 vs $2.15
Pad Thai $1.98 vs $2.79
Bagels: $2.38 vs $3.49
blueberry pancake syrup: $2.14 vs $2.69
cream cheese: $2.18 vs $2.14(sale price)
Whole Wheat HB buns: $2.97 vs. $3.97

Now a few disclaimers: there were some brands that I normally buy generic at my grocery store that might have been a little better comparison to the Walmart price, but I was doing item for item. A few things that I had on my list they did not carry at all at Walmart or did at least I could not find.

In the end though, it was cheaper. They were right. I'm sure Walmart not only beat my grocery store, but they would beat my Target. I think I'll be rethinking my grocery purchases. To save a few dollars, I'll go to Walmart and stock up on the pantry items I need. I'll still buy the fresh stuff at the grocery store and Target will still be where I'll go for fun home stuff, birthday presents for parties, and cute cheap flats.

I might be a snob, but I know a good thing when I see it. A few extra dollars each month is worth it. As my friend K told me today, it might just pay for high school!