Grocery Price Showdown: Festival Foods vs Target
Our second stop in Wausau Wisconsin, will be Festival Foods which is a family-owned IGA type of store and Target a large retailer. It’s always interesting to me to see how these types of grocery stores compare when it comes to overall total.
We don’t like to compare just one item to one item. We think it is much more helpful to compare a real grocery list from a real family meal plan. This is because sometimes grocery stores excel in one area and are really expensive in other areas.
Key Takeaways
- Target came out cheaper, but they were still higher than expected. They had a very limited selection of bone-in chicken.
- Festival Foods did have a lot of sale items, but not every sale price was cheaper than the everyday price at Target.
- Both stores were definitely on the high end this week for overall total grocery prices.
Meal Plan and Grocery List
This week we have a $100 meal plan for all meals for a Family of 4! This includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and a sweet treat.
Here is our strategic grocery list that we will be using for our price comparisons:
This grocery list came out to $91.17 at the local Walmart in Wausau, Wisconsin, so let’s see how our stores compare to that!
Will both stores stay under our $100 grocery budget?
Is Target cheaper than Festival Foods?
Target can be really hit or miss on their prices, so I am not really sure who would come out cheaper here. I guess Target but not by much!
| Ingredient | Festival Foods Price | Target Price |
| Bananas (x6) | $2.94 | $1.74 |
| Mushrooms (8oz) | $2.99 | $1.99 |
| Onion (x2) | $1.98 *on sale* | $2.38 |
| Potatoes (5lb) | $2.99 *on sale* | $3.29 |
| Lettuce | $2.49 | $1.99 |
| Tomato (x1) | $2.49 | $3.19 |
| Cabbage | $3.57 | $1.99 |
| Carrots (1lb) | $1.19 | $1.29 |
| Celery | $2.29 | $3.19 |
| Oranges (4lb) | $5.99 (3lb) | $4.99 |
| Bell Peppers (x2) | $2.50 *on sale* | $2.99 (3ct) |
| Chicken Leg Quarters (10lb) | $16.90 | $22.90 (substitute drumsticks) |
| Breakfast Sausage (1lb) | $3.99 (12oz) *on sale* | $4.79 |
| Pork Chops (4ct) | $12.38 | $6.99 |
| Ground Turkey (1lb) | $4.99 | $3.99 |
| Bagels (6ct) | $1.79 (5ct) *on sale* | $2.29 (5ct) |
| Pasta (1lb) | $1.39 *on sale* | $0.99 |
| Green Beans (14.5oz can) | $0.99 *on sale* | $0.69 |
| Baking Mix | $3.79 | $2.99 |
| Ranch Dressing | $2.49 *on sale* | $1.99 |
| Hot Sauce | $2.19 | $1.99 |
| Pineapple (20oz can) | $1.79 *on sale* | $1.39 |
| Brown Sugar | $2.69 *on sale* | $2.49 |
| Yellow Rice (16oz) | $3.58 | $2.78 |
| Taco Seasoning | $0.99 *on sale* | $0.85 |
| Tortillas (20ct) | $1.66 *on sale* | $2.69 |
| Refried Beans (16oz can) | $1.79 *on sale* | $0.99 |
| Flour | $2.49 *on sale* | $2.59 |
| Cinnamon | $1.79 *on sale* | $1.19 |
| Sandwich Bread | $2.29 *on sale* | $1.49 |
| Crackers | $3.49 *on sale* | $1.99 |
| Hashbrowns | $2.99 *on sale* | $2.99 |
| Frozen Broccoli (12oz) | $1.66 *on sale* | $1.29 |
| Cream Cheese (16oz) | $3.98 *on sale* | $3.98 |
| Eggs (18ct) | $3.69 | $2.79 |
| Butter (1lb) | $2.99 *on sale* | $3.79 |
| American Cheese | $2.49 *on sale* | $4.49 |
| Milk (gallon) | $3.49 | $2.99 |
| Cheddar Cheese (16oz) | $3.33 *on sale* | $3.49 |
| Total: | $129.50 | $122.90 |
Target did come out cheaper with a total of $122.90. This was $6.60 or about 5% less than Festival Foods.
Unfortunately, neither store was able to come in under our $100 grocery budget goal!
Food for Thought
Since neither store came under $100, let’s see if shopping both stores could save us even more money.
By only buying what was cheaper at each grocery store, our total would have been $108.62. That is an additional savings of $14.28 which is about 11%.
To me, saving $14.28 would probably be worth the time! That would definitely add up each week. After only a month that would be another $60 for my groceries!
