Everyone has a favorite grocery store and a theory about which one is cheaper. @joelhustle decided to test the theory with a real shopping list. The creator took the exact same $50 list used at Aldi last month to Walmart, expecting a big gap. What came back was almost a tie.
@joelhustle
The setup
The creator says last month they recorded how much food $50 could buy for their family at Aldi. This time, the plan was to carry the very same list to Walmart and see which store is more affordable. They even brought $50 in cash for the trip.
The list is simple, family friendly staples. According to the creator, it included two loaves of white bread at $1.48 each, three cans of garbanzo beans at 86 cents each, and a 5 pound bag of white rice at $3.67 plus a 1 pound bag at 92 cents. It also had 42 ounces of oats for $4.18, two boxes of pasta at $1.24 each and two 8 ounce cans of tomato sauce at 52 cents each.
What was on the list
The rest of the list covered the fridge and the produce aisle. The creator mentions a gallon of milk, 12 eggs, about 4.57 pounds of chicken drumsticks and three 8 ounce blocks of cheese at $1.87 each. For fruit and vegetables, the list had a 3 pound bag of apples for $3.24, 2.5 pounds of bananas, 1.39 pounds of zucchini, a bag of carrots for $2.26, 4.48 pounds of cabbage and a bag of spinach for $1.97. Peanut butter, at $1.98, rounded it out.
Those are the creator’s figures, shared on social media, and prices vary by store and by region. Treat them as one family’s snapshot and not a promise about what you will pay.
The totals
Here is the headline. The creator says the exact total at Aldi was $50.85. At Walmart, buying the same things came to $50.58. That means Walmart was cheaper by about 27 cents, which the creator says you could call a tie.
The creator admits to being surprised. They expected Aldi to be quite a bit cheaper, and the result did not match that expectation. The closing question, which the creator posed to everyone: is Walmart actually cheaper than Aldi?
Why the results can differ
One test does not settle the debate, and there are good reasons why. Store prices change from week to week, and sales can swing a basket total quickly. Prices also vary by region, so a basket in one city may cost more or less than the same basket somewhere else.
The basket itself matters too. Aldi is known for a smaller selection and many store brand items, while a larger retailer carries more brands and sizes. A list built mostly around basics such as rice, oats, beans and pasta may favor one store, while a list heavy on specialty items might favor another. Even the weight of fresh items like chicken or cabbage can nudge a total by a few cents.
How to run your own price test
You do not need a fancy setup to do this at home. Here is a simple method.
Write a list with exact items, sizes and brands. The more specific it is, the fairer the comparison.
Check prices in each store’s app or website before you go, or compare receipts from two trips.
Use the unit price, which is the cost per ounce or per pound, for items sold in different sizes.
Account for substitutions. If a store is out of something, note what you swapped.
Repeat the test a few times across different weeks. One trip can be skewed by a sale or a temporary price change.
Stretching a fifty dollar budget
The creator’s list is a nice picture of how far $50 can go with staples. Rice, oats, beans, pasta, cabbage, carrots and chicken drumsticks are some of the most budget friendly foods around, and together they can make many meals. Cheaper cuts of meat, bulk grains and in season produce tend to stretch a budget the furthest.
A few more tips help. Buy store brands when quality is comparable. Choose whole produce over pre cut. Plan meals around what is on sale. Freeze extras like bread, cheese and chicken so nothing goes to waste. And make a list before you leave the house, because a list keeps impulse buys out of the cart.
Convenience and other factors
Price is only one piece of the puzzle. Distance, parking, store hours, selection, quality and how much time you have all matter. If two stores come within pennies of each other, as in this test, the better choice may simply be the one closer to home or the one that stocks everything you need in a single stop. Some families split their shopping, picking up basics in one place and specialty items in another.
Reading the result fairly
It is tempting to declare a winner from a single trip, but a 27 cent gap on a basket of about fifty dollars is tiny. That is roughly half of one percent. Receipts that close can flip the next week with one sale, one substitution or one price change on a heavy item like chicken. The creator themselves called it a tie, and that is a sensible way to see it. If you shop at either store, the better question is probably which one fits your routine, your list and your budget.
The takeaway
The most useful lesson from this test may be that you should not assume. The creator expected a landslide and got a 27 cent difference. Before you drive across town for a supposed bargain, compare a real list for yourself. You might save more by planning your meals and sticking to a list than by choosing one store over the other.