Big Y vs Shaw’s: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?
People ask me all the time about eating well and healthy on a budget. They are shocked to learn that my secret is price comparing to find the best deals!
So today we will do a side-by-side price comparison of Big Y and Shaw’s to determine who is cheaper. We will also see if it is better to just shop one store, or if going to both stores can actually save us more money on our grocery budget.
Is Big Y cheaper than Shaws?
For this price comparison, I have made a meal plan for a family of 4 using “25 Cheap food 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, Cheese, and Bacon Burritos x2
- Toast with Peanut Butter and Bananas x2
- Baked Apple Oatmeal Bars x3
Lunches
- Spinach Salads with Hard Boiled Eggs and Leftover Ham & Ranch Dressing (and tomato & cucumber)
- Homemade Hummus with Carrots and Celery
- Egg Salad Sandwiches
- Leftovers
Dinners
- Meatloaf with Mashed potatoes and Sauteed Carrots
- Chicken Lo Mein with Broccoli (sauce is made with soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and sesame oil)
- Leftover Chicken and Dumplings using frozen mixed vegetables and 1 can of cream of chicken soup)
- Ham and Cheese Quiche with Homemade Rice a Roni
- 3 Meat Pizza using leftover Ham, leftover Bacon, and Pepperoni with a Spinach Side Salad
- Leftover Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas with Rice and Black Beans
Snacks
- Bananas
- Carrots & Celery with Ranch
- Peanut Butter and Apples
Sweet Treat
- Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Franklin, Massachusetts. 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 Meal Plan for Week #2.”
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Big Y Price | Shaw’s Price |
| 6 Bananas | $0.69 a lb =$1.65 | $0.28 each= $1.68 |
| Apples | 3lbs of Ginger Gold apples= $4.77 | 3lbs of Red Delicious apples= $5.07 |
| Spinach | Dole 8oz bag= $2.49 | Dole 8oz bag= $2.49 |
| Carrots | 1lb bag of baby carrots= $2.00 | 1lb bag of baby carrots= $1.99 |
| Celery | 1 bunch= $2.99 | 1 bunch= $2.99 |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of Russets= $4.99 | 5lb bag of Russets= $4.99 |
| Tomato | Hot House tomato= $1.14 *on sale* | On the Vine= $0.66 *on sale* |
| Cucumber | $0.99 each | $0.99 each |
| Total: (8 items) | $21.02 | $20.86 |
In the produce section, Shaw came out cheaper with a total of $20.86. This was $0.16 cheaper than Big Y’s total of $21.02.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Big Y Price | Shaw’s Price |
| Bacon | Oscar Meyer 16oz pack= $4.99 *on sale* | Jimmy Dean 12oz pack= $3.33 *on sale* |
| Ground Beef (1lb) | Big Y 80% 1 lb fresh= $5.49 | Open Nature 85% 1lb fresh= $4.89 |
| Chicken Breasts (4-6 needed) | $2.69 a lb (3 lbs)= $8.07 | Tyson 40oz frozen breasts= $5.99 *on sale* |
| Diced Ham | Hatfield 8oz pack= $3.00 *on sale* | Smithfield 8oz pack= $2.50 *on sale* |
| Pepperoni | Carando 6oz pack= $3.50 | Sugardale 8oz pack= $2.99 *on sale* |
| Total: (5 items) | $25.05 | $19.70 |
In the meat section, Shaw’s came out cheaper with a total of $19.70. This was $5.35 cheaper than Big Y’s total of $25.05.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Big Y Price | Shaw’s Price |
| Flour Tortillas | Big Y 10ct= $1.59 | Signature Select 10ct= $1.99 |
| Sandwich Bread | Big Y 16oz bread= $1.50 *on sale* | Signature Select 16oz bread= $1.29 |
| Peanut Butter | Skippy 16.3oz jar= $2.99 | Signature Select 16oz jar= $2.99 |
| Quick Oats | Food Club 18oz container= $4.19 | Malt O Meal 16oz container= $3.49 |
| Brown Sugar | Domino 1lb box= $1.89 | Signature Select 1lb bag= $2.29 |
| Garbanzo beans (canned) | Food Club 15.5oz can= $1.00 *on sale* | Signature Select 15oz can= $1.29 |
| Mayonnaise | Hellman’s 8oz jar= $3.59 | Signature Select 15oz jar= $3.79 *on sale* |
| Soy Sauce | Food Club 10oz bottle= $1.99 | Signature Select 10oz bottle= $2.49 |
| Hoisin Sauce | Full Circle 12oz bottle= $4.19 | Sun Luck 8oz jar= $4.49 |
| Sesame Oil | Sushi Chef 5oz bottle= $3.69 | Signature Select 5oz bottle= $3.99 |
| Spaghetti Noodles | Food Club 16oz box= $0.99 *on sale* | Signature Select 16oz box= $1.49 |
| All Purpose Flour | Pillsbury 2lb bag= $2.89 | Signature Select 2lb bag= $2.99 |
| Cream of Chicken Soup | Food Club 10.5oz can= $1.33 *on sale* | Signature Select 10.5oz can= $1.49 |
| Chicken Bouillon Cubes | Goya 2.82oz= $1.19 *on sale* | Maggi 2.43oz = $1.29 |
| Dry Active Yeast (need 2) | Fleishmann’s 3 pack= $2.39 | Signature Select 3 pack= $1.69 |
| White Rice | Food Club 1lb bag= $0.99 *on sale* | Carolina 1lb bag= $2.49 *on sale* |
| Black Beans (canned) | Food Club 15.5oz can= $1.00 *on sale* | Signature Select 15oz can= $1.29 |
| Powdered Sugar | Domino 1lb box= $1.89 | Signature Select 1lb bag= $2.29 |
| Total: (19 items) | $39.29 | $43.12 |
In the dry goods section, Big Y came out cheaper with a total of $39.29. This was $3.83 cheaper than Shaw’s total of $43.12.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Big Y Price | Shaw’s Price |
| Frozen Broccoli | Bird’s Eye 10.8oz bag= $1.25 *on sale* | Signature Select 12oz bag= $1.79 |
| Frozen Mixed Vegetables | Bird’s Eye 10oz bag= $1.25 *on sale* | Signature Select 12oz bag= $1.79 |
| Pie Crust | Food Club 2 pack= $3.99 | Signature Select 2 pack= $3.99 |
| Total: (3 items) | $6.49 | $7.57 |
In the frozen section, Big Y came out cheaper with a total of $6.49. This was $1.08 cheaper than Shaw’s total of $7.57.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Big Y Price | Shaw’s Price |
| Eggs | Big Y 12ct large white eggs= $3.69 *on sale* | Hillandale 12ct large brown eggs= $2.99 |
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese | Food Club 8oz bag= $2.99 | Lucerne 8oz bag= $1.99 *on sale* |
| Shredded Mozzarella Cheese | Food Club 8oz bag= $2.99 | Lucerne 8oz bag= $1.99 *on sale* |
| Milk | Big Y gallon= $3.99 | Lucerne gallon= $3.49 |
| Total: (4 items) | $13.66 | $10.46 |
In the dairy section, Shaw’s came out cheaper with a total of $10.46. This was $3.20 cheaper than Big Y’s total of $13.66.
Is Shaws more expensive than Big Y?
Both stores came in cheaper for some sections, so let’s look at overall totals.
| Section | Big Y Price | Shaw’s Price |
| Produce | $21.02 | $20.86 |
| Deli/Meats | $25.05 | $19.70 |
| Dry Goods | $39.29 | $43.12 |
| Frozen Foods | $6.49 | $7.57 |
| Dairy | $13.66 | $10.46 |
| Overall Total: (38 items) | $105.51 | $101.71 |
Overall, Shaw’s was cheaper than Big Y with a total of $101.71. This was $3.80 (about 4%) cheaper than Big Y’s total of $105.51.
My goal is to always try to come out under $100 and Shaw’s got close but not quite there. If I had to only pick one store, I would think I would go with Shaw’s.
If I had the time to go to both stores or to place pick up orders, and only bought what was cheapest at each store, my total would have been $94.86. That is an additional savings of $6.85 (about 7%).
$6.85 may not seem like much of a savings, but it would actually give us $5.14 leftover in our $100 grocery budget to stock up on good deals or put it towards savings. Every dollar adds up and if we can save $5.14 every week that can really help for emergencies, debt repayment, or sinking funds.
