Tom Thumb vs Albertsons: Who is Cheaper?
In today’s world, where every penny counts, finding the best deals on groceries has become an essential part of budgeting. With multiple grocery stores to choose from, comparing prices can be a daunting task.
So today we will do a side-by-side comparison of Tom Thumb and Albertsons to see who has the cheapest groceries. We will also see if it is worth going to both stores to save even more money on our grocery budget. Let’s take a look!
Is Tom Thumb cheaper than Albertsons?
For this price comparison, I have made a meal plan for a family of 4 using “25 Cheap food that fills you up when you are broke!” as a guide. Our plan is to get groceries for a week that are healthy and cheap!
Here is our meal plan:
Breakfasts
- Egg & Bacon Breakfast Burritos with Orange Slices
- Muffins, Yogurt, & Diced Pears
- Banana Smoothies and Scrambled Eggs
- Banana Raisin Pancakes with Pancake Syrup and Diced Pears
Lunches
- Sloppy Joe & Cheese Taquitos with sour cream
- BLT wraps
- Leftovers from Dinners
Dinners
- Sloppy Joes with Carrot Salad and Homemade Potato Wedges
- Tuna Casserole with Green Peas
- Ground Beef Burrito Bowls with Rice, served with (lettuce, tomato, black beans, sour cream, & cheddar cheese)
- Smoke Sausage Foil Packs with carrots, potatoes, & onion
- Mississippi Chicken in the Crockpot served over white rice with Brussell Sprouts
- One Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta with Garlic Bread & Green Beans
Snacks
- Orange Slices
- Popcorn
- Yogurt
- Diced Pears
Sweet Treat
- Easy Maple Cookies (uses pancake syrup)
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Fort Worth, Texas. I will be selecting items for our meal plan that are the absolute cheapest.
This means mostly generic store brand options and the smallest size needed. This may not be the best value, but we are going for the cheapest option.
We are assuming that we already have kitchen basics like cooking oil, seasonings, salt/pepper, and baking powder at home. Everything else needed for the meal plan will need to be purchased.
For a more in depth break down on how I would make this meal plan work, check out “Healthy Grocery List Week #12.”
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Tom Thumb Price | Albertsons Price |
| Bananas x8 | $0.25 each= $2.00 | $0.25 each= $2.00 |
| Oranges | 4lb bag of Naval Oranges= $5.00 | 4lb bag of Naval Oranges= $5.00 |
| Lettuce | 1 head iceberg= $1.99 | 1 head iceberg= $1.99 |
| Tomato x2 | Vine Ripe $1.00 each= $2.00 | Vine Ripe $1.00 each= $2.00 |
| Onion x2 | Yellow Onions $0.97 each= $1.94 | Yellow Onions $0.97 each= $1.94 |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of Russets= $3.49 | 5lb bag of Russets= $3.49 |
| Carrots | 1lb bag of baby carrots= $1.29 | 1lb bag of baby carrots= $1.29 |
| Total: (7 items) | $17.71 | $17.71 |
In the produce section, Tom Thumb and Albertsons came out the same with a total of $17.71.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Tom Thumb Price | Albertsons Price |
| Bacon | Oscar Meyer 16oz pack= $3.99 *on sale* | Oscar Meyer 16oz pack= $3.99 *on sale* |
| Ground Beef | Signature Farms 73/27 1lb roll= $4.99 | Signature Farms 73/27 1lb roll= $4.99 |
| Smoked Sausage (kielbasa, etc) | Johnsonville 13.5oz pack= $3.00 *on sale* | Johnsonville 13.5oz pack= $3.00 *on sale* |
| Chicken Breasts (need 4-5) | $1.77 a lb (3lbs)= $5.31 *on sale* | $1.77 a lb (3lbs)= $5.31 *on sale* |
| Total: (4 items) | $17.29 | $17.29 |
In the meat section, Tom Thumb and Albertsons came out the same with a total of $17.29.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Tom Thumb Price | Albertsons Price |
| Flour Tortillas | Mission 12ct= $1.99 *on sale* | Mission 12ct= $1.99 *on sale* |
| Muffin Mix | Martha White blueberry 7oz bag= $1.69 | Jiffy blueberry 7oz box= $0.79 |
| Pancake Syrup | Mrs. Butterworth’s 24oz bottle= $4.29 | Mrs. Butterworth’s 24oz bottle= $4.29 |
| Ketchup | Signature Select 20oz bottle= $1.49 *on sale* | Signature Select 20oz bottle= $1.49 *on sale* |
| Brown Sugar | Domino 16oz box=$1.69 | Domino 16oz box=$1.69 |
| Worcestershire Sauce | Signature Select 10oz bottle= $1.99 | Signature Select 10oz bottle= $1.99 |
| Hamburger Buns (8ct) | Signature Select 8ct= $1.88 *on sale* | Signature Select 8ct= $1.88 *on sale* |
| Raisins | O Organics 6oz mini boxes= $2.99 | O Organics 6oz mini boxes= $2.99 |
| Diced Pears (canned) | Signature Select 15oz can= $1.59 | Signature Select 15oz can= $1.59 |
| Mayonnaise | McCormick 7oz jar= $2.19 | McCormick 7oz jar= $2.19 |
| Egg Noodles | Signature Select 12oz bag= $1.69 | Signature Select 12oz bag= $1.69 |
| Tuna (canned) | El Dorado 5oz can= $0.79 | Signature Select 5oz can= $0.99 |
| Breadcrumbs | Signature Select 15oz container= $1.79 | Signature Select 15oz container= $1.79 |
| Taco Seasoning Pack | Signature Select 1oz pack= $0.79 | Signature Select 1oz pack= $0.79 |
| White Rice | Signature Select 2lb bag= $1.99 | Signature Select 2lb bag= $1.99 |
| Black Beans (canned) | Signature Select 15oz can= $0.79 *on sale* | Signature Select 15oz can= $0.79 *on sale* |
| Au Jus Seasoning Pack | Signature Select 1oz pack= $0.79 | Signature Select 1oz pack= $0.79 |
| Ranch Seasoning Pack | Hidden Valley 1oz pack= $1.99 | Hidden Valley 1oz pack= $1.99 |
| Pepperoncini | Mt Olive 12oz jar= $3.29 | Mt Olive 12oz jar= $3.29 |
| Tomato Sauce | Signature Select 15oz can= $0.79 | Signature Select 15oz can= $0.79 |
| Italian Seasoning | Signature Select 0.75oz jar= $3.49 | Signature Select 0.75oz jar= $3.49 |
| Green Beans | Signature Select 14.5oz can= $0.79 *on sale* | Signature Select 14.5oz can= $0.79 *on sale* |
| Microwave Popcorn | Jolly Time 3ct box= $2.79 *on sale* | Jolly Time 3ct box= $2.79 *on sale* |
| All Purpose Flour | Signature Select 5lb bag= $2.49 | Signature Select 5lb bag= $2.49 |
| Sugar | Signature Select 4lb bag= $3.49 | Signature Select 4lb bag= $3.49 |
| Baking Soda | Signature Select 16oz box= $0.79 | Signature Select 16oz box= $0.79 |
| Vanilla Extract | Value Corner Imitation Vanilla Flavor 8oz bottle= $2.49 | Value Corner Imitation Vanilla Flavor 8oz bottle= $2.49 |
| Total: (26 items) | $52.82 | $52.12 |
In the dry goods section, Albertsons came out cheaper with a total of $52.12. This was $0.70 cheaper than Tom Thumb’s total of $52.82.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Tom Thumb Price | Albertsons Price |
| Frozen Peas | Green Giant 8oz box= $1.99 | Green Giant 8oz box= $1.99 |
| Frozen Brussell Sprouts | Signature Select 12oz bag= $2.99 | Signature Select 12oz bag= $2.99 |
| Total: (2 items) | $4.98 | $4.98 |
In the frozen section, Tom Thumb and Albertsons came out the same with a total of $4.98.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Tom Thumb Price | Albertsons Price |
| Vanilla Yogurt | Lucerne 32oz container= $2.79 | Lucerne 32oz container= $2.79 |
| 1/2 gallon of Milk | Lucerne half gallon= $2.49 | Lucerne half gallon= $2.49 |
| Eggs | Lucerne 12ct large white eggs= $2.49 | Lucerne 12ct large white eggs= $2.49 |
| Cheddar Cheese (16oz) | Lucerne 16oz block= $4.49 | Lucerne 16oz block= $4.49 |
| Sour Cream | Lucerne 8oz container= $1.29 | Lucerne 8oz container= $1.29 |
| Butter | Lucerne 16oz sticks= $4.49 *on sale* | Lucerne 16oz sticks= $4.49 *on sale* |
| Mozzarella Cheese (8oz) | Lucerne 8oz shredded bag= $2.29 *on sale* | Lucerne 8oz shredded bag= $2.29 *on sale* |
| Total: (7 items) | $20.33 | $20.33 |
In the dairy section, Tom Thumb and Albertsons came out the same with a total of $20.33.
Is Tom Thumb more expensive than Albertsons?
Both stores had the exact same products, and only 2 items were not in stock at both locations. Let’s look at the overall totals.
| Section | Tom Thumb Price | Albertsons Price |
| Produce | $17.71 | $17.71 |
| Deli/Meats | $17.29 | $17.29 |
| Dry Goods | $52.82 | $52.12 |
| Frozen Foods | $4.98 | $4.98 |
| Dairy | $20.33 | $20.33 |
| Overall Total: (46 items) | $113.13 | $112.43 |
Overall, Tom Thumb and Albertsons came out to pretty close the same total of about $113.
This is because Tom Thumb was bought out by Albertsons, and they now stock the same products. These two stores in Ft. Worth only had a difference in price on the muffin mix and the canned tuna.
They both offered the same exact products, but one store showed that it was out of stock. That is what caused the $0.70 (less than 1%) difference in the totals.
In regard to determining which store to go to, I would have chosen Albertsons just because they had everything in stock this week. That may be different on other weeks.
I did not see the point in going to both stores to try to save money. Honestly it doesn’t matter which store you go to between Tom Thumb and Albertsons, so pick the one that is nearest to you and most convenient to go shopping at based on your location.
For more grocery store comparisons, check out “Albertsons vs Safeway” and “Target vs Albertsons.“
