Grocery Price Showdown: Aldi vs Save A Lot
All I ever hear online is how much cheaper Aldi and Save A Lot are, so today we will put them to the test! We will shop the same list at both stores and see which one comes out cheaper.
Comparing grocery store prices is an easy way to save time and money, by knowing exactly how much items cost at different stores. This can help you lower your grocery budget by strategically picking your stores.
Key Takeaways
- Both stores used Instacart for online shopping, so their prices may slightly differ to in store prices.
- Aldi came out the winner but was still $10.04 (about 9.8%) higher than Walmart.
- Both stores did not carry one item: dill. It was not available as fresh or dried.
Meal Plan and Grocery List
This is one of our weekly meal plans that covers breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and a sweet treat for a family of four. We priced this out at the Walmart Supercenter in Hartford, CT and the total came out to $92.64.
If you want the full meal plan, including recipes and the free printable PDF with grocery list, go check it out here!
Is Aldi Cheaper than Save A Lot?
First stop is Aldi and we will be choosing the cheapest options available to complete our list. If we have to make any substitutions or changes, you will see that information between the brackets <>.
| Ingredient | Aldi Price |
| Spinach (10oz bag) <8oz bag> | $ 1.65 |
| Carrots (2lb bag) | $ 1.55 |
| Strawberries (1lb) | $ 2.19 |
| Bananas (x 4) | $ 0.76 |
| Blueberries (18oz) <1 pint/12oz> | $ 3.65 |
| Broccoli (1 head) | $ 1.65 |
| Roma Tomato (x 5) | $ 1.10 |
| cucumber (x1) | $ 0.85 |
| Onion (x2) <3lb bag> | $ 2.99 |
| garlic (1 head) <3 ct bag/3 heads> | $ 1.89 |
| limes (x2) <1lb bag> | $ 2.75 |
| Potatoes (5lbs) | $ 4.19 |
| Ground turkey (1lb) | $ 3.05 |
| Bacon (16 oz) | $ 4.69 |
| Chicken Breasts (5lbs) | $ 12.45 |
| Imitation Crab Meat (1lb) | $ 4.95 |
| French Bread Loaf | $ 1.75 |
| Toasted Oat Cereal (12oz) | $ 1.85 |
| Pancake Syrup (24oz) | $ 2.55 |
| Pancake Mix (32oz) | $ 2.15 |
| Chicken Breast (5oz can) <12.5ox can> | $ 3.05 |
| Chick Peas (15.5oz can) | $ 0.89 |
| Sweet Peas (15oz can) | $ 0.75 |
| Black Beans (15oz can) | $ 0.89 |
| Corn (15oz can) | $ 0.69 |
| Garden Rotini Pasta (16oz) | $ 1.09 |
| Mayonnaise (15oz) <30oz jar> | $ 3.65 |
| Sandwich Bread (20oz) | $ 1.45 |
| Dry Dill (spice) <did not carry this item> | $ x.xx |
| Rice (1lb bag) <28oz box of instant white rice> | $ 2.75 |
| Italian Dressing (8oz) | $ 2.15 |
| Chicken Broth (14.5oz can) <32oz carton> | $ 1.49 |
| Saltine Crackers (16oz) | $ 1.65 |
| Taco Seasoning (1 pack) | $ 0.55 |
| Vanilla Greek Yogurt (32oz) | $ 3.85 |
| Eggs (18 ct) <12ct, did not have 18ct in stock> | $ 3.05 |
| milk (gallon) | $ 3.25 |
| Butter (1lb) | $ 4.09 |
| Parmesan Cheese (6oz) <5oz tub> | $ 2.75 |
| Sour Cream (16oz) | $ 1.89 |
| Cheddar Cheese (16oz) | $ 4.09 |
| Total: | $102.68 |
The Aldi total came out to $102.68 which was pretty close to our goal of $100. One of the reasons Aldi came out so much higher than our Walmart trip is because we were not able to buy just what we needed.
Aldi sells some of their produce loose and you can pick how many you want, but in the case of the garlic, onions, and limes we had to buy a whole bag. This could be nice, but it can also lead to food waste if we don’t use it all up.
There were a few other substitutions that had to be made like a box of instant white rice instead of a plain bag of long grain rice. They also didn’t 18ct packages of eggs available so that was disappointing.
Is Save A Lot Cheaper than Aldi?
Save A Lot is another discount retailer, so let’s see how their prices compare. We will only be choosing the cheapest option available to meet our grocery list needs.
I am very curious to see how they stack up against Aldi because both stores carry a very small selection of most items!
| Ingredient | Save A Lot Price |
| Spinach (10oz bag) <8oz bag> | $ 3.29 |
| Carrots (2lb bag) | $ 2.55 |
| Strawberries (1lb) | $ 2.99 |
| Bananas (x 4) | $ 1.04 |
| Blueberries (18oz) <two-6oz containers> | $ 5.70 |
| Broccoli (1 head) | $ 2.75 |
| Roma Tomato (x 5) | $ 1.95 |
| cucumber (x1) | $ 1.09 |
| Onion (x2) | $ 0.84 |
| garlic (1 head) <bag of 4 heads> | $ 3.29 |
| limes (x2) | $ 1.30 |
| Potatoes (5lbs) | $ 4.39 |
| Ground turkey (1lb) | $ 5.49 |
| Bacon (16 oz) | $ 2.75 |
| Chicken Breasts (5lbs) | $ 16.45 |
| Imitation Crab Meat (1lb) <14oz pack> | $ 4.59 |
| French Bread Loaf <did not offer, had to use 6ct sub rolls> | $ 3.29 |
| Toasted Oat Cereal (12oz) <18oz box of Cheerios> | $ 6.59 |
| Pancake Syrup (24oz) | $ 2.99 |
| Pancake Mix (32oz) | $ 3.19 |
| Chicken Breast (5oz can) <12.5oz can> | $ 3.29 |
| Chick Peas (15.5oz can) | $ 1.09 |
| Sweet Peas (15oz can) | $ 0.89 |
| Black Beans (15oz can) | $ 1.09 |
| Corn (15oz can) | $ 0.89 |
| Garden Rotini Pasta (16oz) | $ 1.39 |
| Mayonnaise (15oz) <30oz jar> | $ 3.85 |
| Sandwich Bread (20oz) | $ 2.19 |
| Dry Dill (spice) <did not carry this item> | $ x.xx |
| Rice (1lb bag) <2lb bag> | $ 2.75 |
| Italian Dressing (8oz) | $ 2.19 |
| Chicken Broth (14.5oz can) | $ 1.55 |
| Saltine Crackers (16oz) | $ 1.99 |
| Taco Seasoning (1 pack) | $ 0.79 |
| Vanilla Greek Yogurt (32oz) <no Greek available, went with regular> | $ 4.09 |
| Eggs (18 ct) | $ 5.49 |
| milk (gallon) | $ 3.29 |
| Butter (1lb) | $ 4.39 |
| Parmesan Cheese (6oz) <8oz grated in a jar> | $ 3.95 |
| Sour Cream (16oz) | $ 2.19 |
| Cheddar Cheese (16oz) <two- 8oz blocks> | $ 5.50 |
| Total: | $129.37 |
Save A Lot came in with a total of $129.37 which was quite surprising to me. This is pretty far over our goal budget of $100.
We did have to similar issue in the produce department with the garlic, where we had to buy 4 pack of garlic heads instead of just the one we needed. We also had to make some substitutions like using grated powder parmesan cheese, regular vanilla yogurt, and sub rolls.
Food for Thought
Overall, I was honestly expecting better prices since I always hear about how much money people save at these stores! The total difference between Aldi and Save A Lot came down to $26.69.
That means shopping at Save A Lot potentially cost us an additional 20.6% which is a lot to me. Now I want to see if shopping at both stores would have saved us some big bucks!
If we only bought the items at the cheapest price at each store, our total would have come out to $96.78. This would have been an additional savings of just $5.90 (about 5.7%).
To me I am not sure that would have been enough savings to justify going to both places unless I was already going to be near each store.
To compare these grocery stores to other stores in the Hartford, CT area, check out the showdown between Stop & Shop and C-town Supermarket!
