Grocery Price Showdown: Ingles vs Aldi
Our first grocery price battle will be between Ingles and Aldi. Ingles Market is a smaller regional chain while Aldi is a discounted retailer all over the US.
By doing this grocery price comparison, we can potentially save money on our weekly food trips. We like to use real shopping lists so this is a good representation of what a family would see.
Key Takeaways
- Ingles Market was much cheaper than I expected because they did have a good amount of sale items this week.
- Aldi meat prices were much better than Ingles.
- Both stores were more expensive than the local Walmart prices.
Meal Plan and Grocery List
This week’s meal plan was 6 Dinners for $60. This plan works well for a family of 4 with leftovers or for a larger family.
Here is our grocery shopping list for the meal plan.
Our total for this list came out to $58.36 at the Lenoir City, TN Super Walmart, so let’s see how Ingles and Aldi compare to that $60 goal.
Is Ingles Market Cheaper than Aldi?
I am predicting that Ingles will come out more expensive overall, but that they may have some cheaper prices than Aldi.
| Ingredient | Ingles Price | Aldi Price |
| Carrots (1lb) | $1.98 | $1.65 (2lb) |
| Yellow Squash (x1) | $0.62 | $1.81 (1.25lbs) |
| Zucchini (x1) | $0.62 | $2.18 (1.5lbs) |
| Avocado (x1) | $0.98 *on sale* | $0.85 |
| Potatoes (5lb) | $2.78 *on sale* | $3.85 |
| Bacon Pieces (2.5oz) | $2.88 | $2.15 |
| Turkey Sausage (13oz) | $2.98 *on sale* | $2.45 |
| Chicken Breasts (5lbs) | $14.98 (4lbs) | $10.95 |
| Beef Lunchmeat (6oz) | $6.58 (jar) | Did not carry item |
| Chicken Broth (14.5oz can) | $1.28 | $1.49 (32oz) |
| Green Beans (14.5oz can) | $0.98 *on sale* | $0.69 |
| White Rice (1lb) | $0.98 *on sale* | $2.95 (3lb) |
| Salsa Verde (16oz) | $2.50 *on sale* | $3.65 |
| Elbow Noodles (16oz) | $0.98 *on sale* | $1.09 |
| Breadcrumbs | $1.88 | $1.99 |
| Ranch Dressing | $2.28 | $2.09 |
| Flour (2lb) | $1.38 *on sale* | $2.59 (5lb) |
| French Bread | $1.68 | $1.65 |
| Frozen Cauliflower (12oz) | $2.50 | $1.25 (California blend) |
| Frozen Peas (12oz) | $2.38 | $1.05 |
| Frozen Corn on the Cobb (6ct) | $3.00 | $3.25 (4ct fresh) |
| Frozen Broccoli (12oz) | $1.68 | $2.05 |
| Cheddar Cheese (16oz) | $4.68 | $3.85 |
| Monterey Jack (8oz) | $2.58 | $1.95 |
| Sour Cream (8oz) | $1.28 | $1.89 (16oz) |
| Crescent Rolls | $2.18 *on sale* | $2.15 |
| Eggs (6ct) | $2.05 (12ct) | $2.29 (12ct) |
| Butter (16oz) | $4.28 *on sale* | $4.09 |
| Milk (half gallon) | $2.38 | $1.99 |
| Total: | $77.33 | $69.89 |
Overall, Aldi did come out cheaper than Ingles, but the difference was not as big as expected. There was only a difference of $7.44 (about 9%) and I honestly expected it to be much bigger.
It is worth noting that Aldi did not carry one item, so their total was not for every item on our list!
Food for Thought
I always like to see if shopping both locations can potentially get our total down even more. If we only shopped the cheapest priced items at each location, our total would have been $66.42.
That is only an additional savings of $3.47, but honestly if we shopped only Aldi we would still have to go elsewhere for the item they did not have.
I will say that $66.42 is pretty close to our $60 goal, so that is not bad at all!
