Fry’s vs Bashas’: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?
Hey, you know why it’s awesome to lower our grocery bill? It means we can save some serious cash and use it for other important stuff or save up for something cool. Plus, when we’re conscious about spending less on groceries, it actually helps us make smarter choices about what we eat and how we manage our money. Win-win, right?
Today we will do a side-by-side price comparison of Fry’s and Bashas’ to determine who is cheaper for groceries. We will also see if just going to one store has the most savings, or if going to broth stores will save us even more!
Is Fry’s cheaper than Bashas?
For this test, I have prepared a meal plan for one week that consists of breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and dinners for a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 young kids). I am using the “25 Cheap food that fills you up when you are broke!” as my guide to pick not only healthy foods but also ones that should be fairly cheap.
Here is the meal plan for this grocery trip:
Breakfasts
- Peanut Butter Toast with Bananas x2
- Overnight Oats with Apples and Raisins x3
- Scrambled Eggs with Cheese on top and Toast x2
Lunches
- Tuna Salad Sandwiches x 2
- Veggie & Pepperoni Pasta Salad with Zesty Italian Dressing
- Salad Wraps with tomato, cucumber, and cheese
- Leftovers
Snacks
- Carrots
- Apples
- Popcorn
Dinners
- Baked Whole Chicken with rice and sautéed carrots
- Leftover Chicken in a Pasta with Alfredo Sauce, Broccoli, and side salad
- Ground Turkey Tacos with Corn and Refried Beans
- Leftover Taco Meat in a Mexican Baked Potato Bar with Side Salads
- Pork Loin with Mashed Potatoes and Corn
- Hawaiin Pizza with Leftover Pork, Pepperoni, and Pineapple (using a little Alfredo Sauce as the Base)
Sweet Treat
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
For this meal plan, I am going to shop at both stores and look for the best deals on price. We will be using prices in Queens Creek, Arizona for this store comparison.
Most items will be the generic store brand, and I will be aiming to get my groceries needed for the cheapest price available.
Even though my pantry is very well stocked, for this experiment I will shop as if I only have the bare basics at home like seasonings, salt, sugar, and cooking oil. For a full breakdown of this meal plan, and how I would make it work, check out “Healthy Meal Plan on a Budget Week #1.”
Produce
These are the fresh vegetables and fruits needed in the produce section for my meal plan this week.
| Items | Fry’s Price | Bashas’ Price |
| 8 Bananas | $0.21 each= $1.68 | $0.34 each= $2.72 |
| Apples | 4lb bag of Fuji apples= $4.99 *on sale* | 2lb bag of Opal Apples x2= $3.38 |
| Lettuce | 1 head Iceberg= $1.99 | 1 head Romaine= $1.19 *on sale* |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of Idaho potatoes= $3.89 | 5lb bag of Idaho potatoes= $3.69 |
| Tomatoes x3 | On the Vine bunch= $2.67 | Red on the Vine $0.34 each= $1.02 *on sale* |
| Cucumber | $0.50 each | $0.69 each |
| Carrots | 1lb bag= $0.99 | 1lb bag= $1.19 |
| Totals: 7 Items | $16.71 | $13.88 |
In the produce section, Bashas’ came out cheaper with a total of $13.88. This was $2.83 cheaper than Fry’s total of $16.71.
Deli/Meats
Here are the items I will need from the deli and meat section of the stores.
| Items | Fry’s Price | Bashas’ Price |
| Pepperoni | Kroger 6oz pack= $2.99 | Armour 5oz pack= $3.99 *on sale* |
| Whole Chicken | Foster Farms $0.99 a lb (5.25lbs)= $5.20 *on sale* | Bashas’ $2.59 a lb (5lbs)= $12.95 |
| Ground Turkey | Shady Brook 1lb fresh= $2.99 *on sale* | Jennie-O 1lb roll= $4.49 |
| Pork Loin | Smithfield 23oz pack= $7.99 *on sale* | AdapTable 22oz pack= $7.89 *on sale* |
| Totals: 4 Items | $19.17 | $29.32 |
In the meat section, Fry’s came out cheaper with a total of $19.17. This was $10.15 cheaper than Bashas’ total of $29.32.
Dry Goods
This is the center area of most grocery stores, and I call this area dry goods. It is all items that are considered shelf stable and are typically stored in a cabinet or on a pantry shelf.
| Items | Fry’s Price | Bashas’ Price |
| Sandwich Bread | Kroger 20oz bread= $1.99 *on sale* | Bashas’ 20z bread= $2.59 |
| Peanut Butter | Kroger 15oz jar= $2.29 | Food Club 16oz jar= $3.19 |
| Quick Oats | Mom’s Best 16oz container= $1.69 | Food Club 18oz container= $3.99 |
| Raisins | Kroger 6oz mini boxes= $2.39 | Food Club 6oz mini boxes= $2.69 |
| Canned Tuna Fish (2 cans) | Kroger 5oz can $0.99 each= $1.98 | Chicken of Sea 5oz can $1.19 each= $2.38 |
| Pasta | Kroger 16oz box= $1.25 *on sale* | Pagasa 16oz bag= $1.39 |
| Italian Dressing | Kroger 16oz bottle= $2.39 | Food Club 16oz bottle= $3.39 |
| Flour Tortillas | Kroger 10ct= $1.49 *on sale* | La Banderita 10ct= $2.29 |
| Microwave Popcorn | Cousin Willie’s 3ct box= $2.00 *on sale* | Schnuck’s 3ct box= $2.59 |
| White Rice | Kroger 32oz bag= $1.89 | Bashas’ 1lb bag= $1.49 |
| Alfredo Sauce | Kroger 16oz jar= $2.19 | Ragu 16oz jar= $3.39 |
| Canned Corn | Kroger 15.2oz can= $0.89 | Food Club 15.25oz can= $1.19 |
| Refried Beans | Kroger 16oz can= $1.19 | La Sierra 15.2oz pack= $1.49 *on sale* |
| Salsa | Kroger 16oz jar= $1.69 | Food Club 15.2oz jar= $3.09 |
| Canned Pineapple | Kroger 20oz can= $1.49 | Del Monte 20oz can= $2.59 *on sale* |
| All Purpose Flour | Kroger 5lb bag= $2.49 | Bashas’ 2lb bag= $2.29 |
| Dry Active Yeast | Fleishmann’s 3ct= $2.29 | Fleishmann’s 3ct= $2.29 *on sale* |
| Brown Sugar | Kroger 2lb bag= $2.19 | C & H 1lb box= $2.59 |
| Totals: 18 items | $33.78 | $44.91 |
In the dry goods section, Fry’s came out cheaper with a total of $33.78. This was $11.13 cheaper than Bashas’ total of $44.91.
Frozen Foods
This is the area in the store that typically has frozen meats, vegetables, fruits, and ice cream. We will mainly stick to the frozen veggie section.
| Items | Fry’s Price | Bashas’ Price |
| Frozen Mixed Vegetables | Kroger 12oz bag= $1.25 | Food Club 12oz bag= $2.49 |
| Frozen Broccoli | Kroger 12oz bag= $1.25 | Flav-R-Pac 12oz bag= $2.59 *on sale* |
| Totals: 2 items | $2.50 | $5.08 |
In the frozen foods section, Fry’s came out cheaper with a total of $2.50. This was $2.58 cheaper than Bashas’ total of $5.08.
Dairy
This is the final section of the store and will cover all dairy needs like cheeses and milk.
| Item: | Fry’s Price | Bashas’ Price |
| Eggs | Kroger 12ct large white eggs= $1.39 | Hickman’s 12ct medium white eggs= $2.59 |
| Milk (gallon) | Fry’s gallon= $2.99 | Bashas’ gallon= $4.29 |
| Cheddar cheese (16oz) | Kroger 16oz shredded bag= $4.29 | Food Club 16oz shredded bag= $6.19 |
| Mozzarella cheese (8oz) | Kroger 8oz shredded bag= $2.49 | Food Club 8oz shredded bag= $3.39 |
| Sour Cream | Kroger 8oz container= $1.25 | Daisy 8oz container= $2.49 |
| Totals: 5 items | $12.41 | $18.95 |
In the dairy section, Fry’s came out cheaper with a total of $12.41. This was $6.54 cheaper than Bashas’ total of $18.95.
Is Bashas’ more expensive than Fry’s?
For the most sections, Fry’s was cheaper but let’s look at the overall totals.
| Section | Fry’s Price | Bashas’ Price |
| Produce | $16.71 | $13.88 |
| Deli/Meats | $19.17 | $29.32 |
| Dry Goods | $33.78 | $44.91 |
| Frozen Foods | $2.50 | $5.08 |
| Dairy | $12.41 | $18.95 |
| Overall Total | $84.57 | $112.14 |
Overall, Fry’s was cheaper than Bashas’ with a total of $84.57. This was $27.57 (about 24%) cheaper than Bashas’ total of $112.14.
If I only have the time to go to one store, I will definitely pick Fry’s because their overall total was much lower.
If I had the time to go to both stores (or order pick-up) and I only shopped what was cheaper at each store, my total would have been $79.61. This would be an additional savings of $4.96 (about 5%).
I’m not sure the extra $5 would be worth my time, but if it was convenient and easy enough maybe it would be. That $5 could have picked up another pound of ground turkey at Fry’s and another bag of apples at Bashas’!
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out Fry’s vs Smart & Final and Fry’s vs Albertsons.
