Albertsons vs Target: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?
With the rising cost of groceries, everyone is trying to save as much as they can on their food budget. Today we will put Albertsons and Target to the test to find out who is cheaper on an average week.
Typically, meal planning should include looking at the weekly sales flyer and focusing what is on sale, but we will do this meal plan not based on sales. We will see what the cost on an average week is for this grocery list for a family of four!
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Is Albertsons cheaper than Target?
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
- Bagels & Cream Cheese with Bananas
- Breakfast Casserole with sausage, hashbrowns, and cheddar cheese
- Hard Boiled Egg, Toast, and Orange Slices
- Scrambled Egg and Veggies (peppers, tomato, and mushrooms) Tortillas and Cinnamon Apples
Lunches
- Rice & Bean Burritos & Apple Slices
- Buffalo Chicken Dip (made with leftover chicken from leg quarters) with Carrots and Celery
- Leftover Pasta Bake & Salad
- Leftover Soup with Bread
- Homemade Hummus and Saltines
Dinners
- Fajita Chicken Breasts with Tortillas, Yellow Rice, & Refried Beans
- Pineapple Brown Sugar Pork Chops with Roasted Potatoes and Broccoli
- Cheesy Ground Turkey Potato Boats with Sauteed Cabbage
- Roasted Chicken Quarters with Mushroom Pasta and Green Beans
- Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Pasta Bake with Side Salad with Chickpeas & Tomato
- Ground Turkey & Vegetable Soup with Grilled Cheese
Snacks
- Carrots and Celery
- Orange Slices
- Hummus & Crackers
- Pineapple Chunks
- Apples
Sweet Treat
- Cinnamon Sugar Donut Holes
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Mesquite, 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 #10 (Kid-Friendly, Healthy, & on a Budget)“
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Albertsons Price | Target Price |
| Bananas x5 | $0.25 each= $1.25 | $0.25 each= $1.25 |
| Onions x2 | Yellow $0.79 each=$1.58 | Yellow $0.95 each=$1.90 |
| Oranges | Valencia $0.99 a lb (3 lbs)= $2.97 | Naval 4lb bag= $4.99 |
| Bell Peppers x2 | Green $0.99 each= $1.98 | Green $0.79 each= $1.58 |
| Mushrooms | Whole 8oz pack= $2.29 | Whole 8oz= $1.49 |
| Apples | Granny Smith 3lb bags= $4.99 | Red Delicious 3lb bag= $4.69 |
| Carrots | 1lb baby carrots= $1.29 | 1lb baby carrots= $1.29 |
| Celery | 1 bunch= $1.99 | 1 bunch= $1.79 |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of Russets= $3.49 | 5lb bag of Russets= $2.99 |
| Cabbage | 1 head= $1.58 | 1 head= $1.79 |
| Lettuce | Iceberg Head= $1.79 | Green Leaf Head= $2.19 |
| Tomato | Hothouse= $1.79 *on sale* | Beefsteak 2pack= $2.99 |
| Total: (12 items) | $26.99 | $28.94 |
In the produce section, Albertsons came out cheaper with a total of $26.99. This was $1.95 cheaper than Target’s total of $28.94.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Albertsons Price | Target Price |
| Breakfast Sausage | Banquet 6.4oz links= $1.99 | Good & Gather turkey sausage 1lb roll= $3.59 |
| Chicken Breasts (4-5 needed) | Signature Farms 40oz frozen bag= $6.99 *on sale* | Good & Gather 40oz frozen bag= $8.39 |
| Chicken Quarters (need 2-3) | $1.69 a lb (3lbs)= $5.07 | Bone in Thighs, $1.99 a lb (2.6lbs)= $5.35 |
| Pork Chops (need 4) | Sirloin Chops $2.47 a lb (3lbs)= $7.41 | Boneless 4ct= $6.38 |
| Ground Turkey | Jennie-O 1lb roll 85%= $4.49 *on sale* | Honeysuckle 1lb fresh 93%= $3.99 |
| Total: (5 items) | $25.95 | $27.70 |
In the meat section, Albertsons came out cheaper with a total of $25.95. This was $1.75 cheaper than Target’s total of $27.70.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Albertsons Price | Target Price |
| Bagels | Thomas’ 6ct= $4.99 | Lender’s 6ct= $2.89 |
| Baking Mix | Hungry Jack 32oz box= $3.79 *on sale* | Pearl Milling 32oz box= $2.39 |
| Sandwich Bread | Value Corner 20oz white bread= $1.79 | Market Pantry 20oz white bread= $1.39 |
| Cinnamon | Fiesta 2oz jar= $2.99 | Good & Gather 2.37oz jar= $1.19 |
| White Sugar | Signature Select 32oz box= $1.69 | Good & Gather 4lb bag= $2.99 |
| Tortillas | Mission 12ct= $1.99 *on sale* | Tortillas Mexico 12ct= $1.89 |
| Yellow Rice | Vigo 8oz bag= $1.29 | Iberia 10oz bag= $1.49 |
| Refried Beans | Signature Select 16oz can= $1.19 | Good & Gather 16oz can= $0.99 |
| Hot Sauce | Louisiana Hot 6oz bottle= $1.29 | Texas Pete 2oz bottle= $1.99 |
| Ranch Dressing | Signature Select 16oz bottle= $2.29 | Market Pantry 16oz bottle= $1.99 |
| Canned Chickpeas | Signature Select 15oz can= $1.39 | Good & Gather 15.5oz can= $0.85 |
| Saltine Crackers | Signature Select 16oz box= $2.49 | Market Pantry 16oz box= $1.49 |
| Canned Pineapple | Signature Select 20oz can= $1.79 | Market Pantry 20oz can= $1.39 |
| Brown Sugar | Signature Select 16oz bag= $1.29 | Good & Gather 2lb bag= $1.99 |
| Dry Pasta (Penne) | Signature Select 16oz rotini= $1.49 | Good & Gather 16oz rotini= $0.99 |
| Canned Green Beans | Signature Select 14.5oz can= $0.99 | Good & Gather 14.5oz can $0.55 |
| Total: (16 items) | $32.74 | $26.46 |
In the dry goods section, Target came out cheaper with a total of $26.46. This was $6.28 cheaper than Albertson’s total of $32.74.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Albertsons Price | Target Price |
| Frozen Hash Browns | Signature Select 32oz bag= $3.29 | Simply Potatoes 20oz bag= $2.99 |
| Frozen Broccoli | Signature Select 16oz bag= $2.29 | Good & Gather 12oz bag= $1.99 |
| Total: (2 items) | $5.58 | $4.98 |
In the frozen section, Target came out cheaper with a total of $4.98. This was $0.60 cheaper than Albertson’s total of $5.58.
It is worth noting that even though Target was cheaper the better value was actually at Albertsons because for $0.60 more we got 12oz more hashbrowns and 4 oz more broccoli.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Albertsons Price | Target Price |
| Cream Cheese (two 8oz blocks) | Lucerne 2-pack=$3.99 | Good & Gather 1 pack= $3.39 |
| Cheddar Cheese (16oz) | Lucerne 16oz block= $4.49 | Good & Gather 16oz shred= $4.39 |
| Eggs | Lucerne 12ct white= $3.99 | Good & Gather 12ct white= $3.39 |
| Milk | Lucerne gallon= $3.59 | Good & Gather gallon= $2.99 |
| Sliced Cheese | Lucerne Cheddar 10ct= $2.49 | Good & Gather cheddar 12ct= $2.29 |
| Total: (5 items) | $18.55 | $16.45 |
In the dairy section, Target came out cheaper with a total of $16.45. This was $2.10 cheaper than Albertson’s total of $18.55.
Is Target more expensive than Albertsons?
Albertsons was doing well in the produce and meat sections, and then Target took over for the most part. Let’s look at the overall totals.
| Section | Albertsons Price | Target Price |
| Produce | $26.99 | $28.94 |
| Deli/Meats | $25.95 | $27.70 |
| Dry Goods | $32.74 | $26.46 |
| Frozen Foods | $5.58 | $4.98 |
| Dairy | $18.55 | $16.45 |
| Overall Total: (40 items) | $109.81 | $104.53 |
Overall, Target came out cheaper than Albertsons with a total of $104.53. This was $5.28 (about 5%) cheaper than Albertson’s total of $109.81.
I always like it when my total comes out close to $100, so both stores did really well. If we had focused what was on sale this week when we made our meal plan, we could have taken advantage of some extra savings and possibly been under $100 for a week of groceries.
This healthy and quick meal plan could work any time of year and whether anything was on sale or not.
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Albertsons vs Target” and “Kroger vs SaveALot.”
If you love Target, consider joining their rewards program “Target Circle” or sign up for a Red Card. Both of these offer cashback and discounts.
For more grocery store comparisons, check out “Albertsons vs Ralph’s” and “Fred Meyer vs Target.”
