Brookshire’s vs Aldi: Who is Cheaper?
Brookshire’s is a smaller grocery store chain with about 183 locations in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Aldi is very large discount grocery store chain with about 2,147 stores in 36 states.
We will take a grocery list of foods for full week’s menu plan and compare prices at Brookshire’s and Aldi to determine who is cheaper for groceries. Scroll to the end to see the final verdict!
Is Brookshire’s cheaper than Aldi?
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
- Ham and Mushroom Scrambled Eggs
- Biscuits with Sausage Gravy
- Vanilla Yogurt with Blueberries
- Cinnamon Toast with Strawberries
- Cheese Toast
Lunches
- Salad with Ham and Hard Boiled Eggs
- Baked Potato with Sour Cream
- Egg Salad with Saltines
- Grilled Cheese with Corn Chips
- Dinner Leftovers
Dinners
- Scalloped Potatoes with Ham and Cheddar Cheese
- Ground Beef and Mushroom Stroganoff (beef broth, green bell pepper, egg noodles, cream of mushroom soup, and sour cream)
- Ground Beef Chili over Brown Rice (canned tomatoes, kidney beans, chili powder, green bell pepper) with Canned Corn
- Grilled Chicken with Brown Rice and Peas
- Leftover Grilled Chicken with Cream Cheese Topping (ranch powder, fresh tomatoes, and cheddar cheese) and Butter Noodles
- Ham, Cheese, and Broccoli Stromboli
Snacks
- Celery sticks with ranch dressing
- Popcorn
- Corn Chips
Sweet Treat
- Saltine “Crack” Brittle
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Dallas, 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 for Family of 4 on a Budget #6.”
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Brookshire’s Price | Aldi Price |
| Mushrooms | 8oz pack= $2.79 | 8oz pack= $1.39 |
| Blueberries | 11oz pack= $1.97 *on sale* | 6oz pack= $3.65 |
| Strawberries | 16oz pack= $3.99 | 16oz pack= $3.85 |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of Russets= $2.69 | 5lb bag of red potatoes= $3.29 |
| Lettuce | 1 head of iceberg= $1.49 | 1 head of iceberg= $1.65 |
| Tomato x2 | Red Ripe= $1.99 (1 lb) | Beefsteak= $2.09 (1 lb) |
| Cucumber | English= $1.99 | English= $1.35 |
| Green Bell Pepper | $0.79 each | 3ct= $1.99 |
| Celery | 1 bunch= $1.79 | 1 bunch= $0.95 |
| Total: (9 items) | $19.49 | $20.21 |
In the produce section, Brookshire’s came out cheaper with a total of $19.49. THis was $0.72 cheaper than Aldi’s total of $20.21.
It is worth noting that we could not buy just one green bell pepper we had to buy 3 in a pack, so we did get more produce at Aldi. This would be great if we use all 3 or freeze them for later.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Brookshire’s Price | Aldi Price |
| Diced Ham | Hormel 8oz pack= $3.49 *on sale* | Appleton Farms 12oz Ham Slices= $3.65 |
| 1lb ground beef | 73/27 1lb fresh= $4.99 | 85% 1lb roll= $4.29 |
| Chicken Breasts (4-6) | Brookshire’s $4.29 a lb (4lbs)= $17.16 | Kirkwood $2.49 a lb (4.11lbs)= $10.23 |
| Total: (3 items) | $25.64 | $18.17 |
In the meat section, Aldi came out cheaper with a total of $18.17. This was $7.47 cheaper than Brookshire’s total of $25.64.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Brookshire’s Price | Aldi Price |
| Sausage Gravy Mix | Pioneer 2.75 pack= $0.99 *on sale* | *substitution* Stonehill Brown Gravy mix 0.87oz pack= $0.45 |
| Sandwich bread | That’s Smart 16oz white bread= $0.99 | L’oven 20oz white bread= $1.05 |
| Saltines | Brookshire’s 16oz box= $3.49 *on sale* | Savoritz 16oz box= $1.25 |
| Corn Chips | Brookshire’s 9.25oz bag= $2.49 | Clancy’s 9.25oz bag= $1.65 |
| Beef Broth | Campbell’s 10.5oz can= $1.99 | Chef’s Cupboard 32oz box= $1.45 |
| Egg Noodles | No Yolks 12oz bag= $2.29 | Reggano 16oz bag= $1.59 |
| Cream of Mushroom Soup | Brookshire’s 10.5oz can= $1.59 *on sale* | Chef’s Cupboard 10.5oz can = $0.49 |
| Canned Tomatoes | Brookshire’s 14.5oz can= $1.09 *on sale* | Happy Harvest 14.5oz can= $0.89 |
| Chili Powder | That’s Smart 2oz jar= $1.00 | Stonemill 2.5oz jar= $1.09 |
| Kidney Beans | Food Club 16oz can= $0.99 | Dakota’s Pride 15.5oz can= $0.85 |
| Brown Rice | Mahatma 1lb bag= $1.79 | Earthly Grains 28oz box of instant brown rice= $3.45 |
| Ranch Seasoning | Hidden Valey 1oz pack= $1.99 *on sale* | Tuscan Garden 1oz pack= $0.55 |
| Ranch Dressing | That’s Smart 16oz bottle= $1.99 | Tuscan Garden 16oz bottle= $1.49 |
| Microwave Popcorn | Act II 3ct bags= $2.00 *on sale* | Clancy’s 12ct bag= $4.95 |
| Brown Sugar | Imperial 1lb box= $1.29 | Baker’s Corner 2lb bag= $1.65 |
| Cinnamon | That’s Smart 2oz jar= $1.00 | Stonemill 2.37oz jar= $1.09 |
| Chocolate Chips | Brookshire’s 2oz bag= $2.79 *on sale* | Baker’s Corner 2oz bag= $2.19 |
| Canned Corn | Brookshire’s 15.25oz can= $0.79 | Happy Harvest 14.5oz can= $0.65 |
| Total: (18 items) | $30.55 | $26.78 |
In the dry goods section, Aldi came out cheaper with a total of $26.78. This was $3.77 cheaper than Brookshire’s total of $30.55.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Brookshire’s Price | Aldi Price |
| Frozen Peas | That’s Smart 12oz bag= $0.89 | Season’s Choice 12oz bag= $0.89 |
| Frozen Broccoli | Brookshire’s 2oz bag= $1.39 | Season’s Choice 12oz bag= $1.05 |
| Total: (2 items) | $2.28 | $1.94 |
In the frozen section, Aldi came out cheaper with a total of $1.94. This was $0.34 cheaper than Brookshire’s total of $2.28.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Brookshire’s Price | Aldi Price |
| Eggs | Eggland’s 12ct white eggs= $4.69 | Goldhen 12ct white eggs= $3.95 |
| 2% milk | Brookshire’s gallon= $3.79 | Friendly Farms gallon= $4.55 |
| American Cheese | Borden 16ct= $2.50 *on sale* | Happy Farms 16ct= $2.09 |
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese | Velveeta Shreds 8oz bag= $3.69 *on sale* | Happy Farms 16oz bag= $2.99 |
| Vanilla Yogurt | Yoplait 32oz container= $3.79 | Friendly Farms 32oz container= $2.19 |
| Sour Cream | Brookshire’s 8oz container= $1.49 *on sale* | Friendly Farms 16oz container= $1.99 |
| Cream Cheese Block | That’s Smart 8oz block= $1.69 *on sale* | Happy Farms 8oz block= $1.75 |
| Biscuits | Brookshire’s 10ct= $1.25 *on sale* | Bake House Creations 8ct= $1.65 |
| Total: (7 items) | $22.89 | $21.16 |
In the dairy section, Aldi came out cheaper with a total of $21.16. This was $1.73 cheaper than Brookshire’s total of $22.89.
It is worth noting that we actually got twice as much shredded cheese and sour cream at Aldi. This was due to the limited size selections available at Aldi, but in this case, it came out to a better value as well.
Is Aldi more expensive than Brookshire’s?
Aldi came in cheaper in most sections except for produce. Let’s look at the overall totals.
| Section | Brookshire’s Price | Aldi Price |
| Produce | $19.49 | $20.21 |
| Deli/Meats | $25.64 | $18.17 |
| Dry Goods | $30.55 | $26.78 |
| Frozen Foods | $2.28 | $1.94 |
| Dairy | $22.89 | $21.16 |
| Overall Total: (40 items) | $100.85 | $88.26 |
Overall, Aldi was cheaper than Brookshire’s with a total of $88.26. This was $12.59 (about 12%) cheaper than Brookshire’s total of $100.85.
Now even though Aldi came out with the lesser total, there were a few items that I would go ahead and pick up at Brookshire’s in order to save even more money.
For instance, some of the produce like strawberries and blueberries, brown rice, microwave popcorn, brown sugar, spices (cinnamon & chili powder), gallons of milk, and biscuits.
By stopping at both places to pick up our grocery items, we could potentially stretch our monthly grocery budget even further. Our total could have been closer to $75 if we shopped both locations!
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Hy-Vee vs Target: Who is Cheaper?” and “Food Depot vs Kroger: Who is Cheaper?“
