Hy-Vee vs Woodman’s: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?
Shopping at smaller chain stores can sometimes save you a lot of money. Today we will check out Hy-Vee which has about 280 stores in 7 states. We will be comparing to Woodman’s Food Market that has about 19 stores in Illinois and Wisconsin.
We will make a weeklong meal plan for a family of 4, and then price compare the grocery list at HyVee and Woodman’s to find out who has cheaper prices. Scroll to the end to see the final verdict!
Is Woodmans cheaper than Hy Vee?
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
- Scrambled Eggs with Homestyle Potatoes (chunky hash browns using leftover baked potatoes)
- French Toast with Pancake Syrup
- Apple Pie Overnight Oats (sauteed apples, cinnamon, brown sugar, pancake syrup, and quick oats)
Lunches
- Baked Potato with leftover taco seasoned ground turkey
- Grilled Cheese with Carrot Sticks & Tortilla Chips
- White Bean Hummus with Carrots
- Salads with Tomato, Cucumber, and Cheese
- Dinner Leftovers
Dinners
- Teriyaki Chicken with broccoli and rice (sauce made with brown sugar and soy sauce)
- Creamy Spinach Chicken and Pasta (leftover chicken, creamed spinach, tomatoes, and pasta) served with side salad
- Chicken and Rice Soup (leftover chicken, rice, chicken bouillon, and mixed vegetables) with Toasted Butter Bread
- Turkey Hamburgers with Homemade Potato Wedges
- Cheesy Tuna Melts on Hamburger Buns (tuna, ranch dressing, and cheese) with side salads and sauteed apples
- Taco Pasta (ground turkey, black beans, canned rotel style tomatoes, taco seasoning, and tortilla chips)
Snacks
- Apples
- Carrot sticks with ranch dressing
- Tortilla Chips
Sweet Treat
- Vanilla Ice Cream with Pancake Syrup
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in North Aurora, Illinois. 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 #5“
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Hy-Vee Price | Woodman’s Prices |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of Russets = $2.88 *on sale* | 3lb bag of Russets = $1.49 |
| Apples | 3lb bag of Gala Apples = $4.99 | 3lb bag of Honeycrisp Apples= $3.49 |
| Carrots | $0.99 a lb = $0.99 | 1lb bag = $1.29 |
| Lettuce | 1 head green leaf= $2.99 | 3ct romaine hearts = $2.99 |
| Tomato | $2.99 a lb = $1.64 | $1.80 a lb = $0.90 |
| Cucumber | $0.99 each | $0.79 each |
| Total: (6 items) | $14.48 | $10.95 |
In the produce section, Woodman’s came out cheaper with a total of $10.95. This was $3.53 cheaper than Hy-Vee’s total of $14.48.
It is worth noting that we only got a 3lb bag of potatoes at Woodman’s compared to 5lb at Hy-Vee. I still think Woodman’s was a better value for produce.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Hy-Vee Price | Woodman’s Prices |
| Chicken Breasts (4-6 needed) | $5.29 a lb (3lbs) = $15.87 | $3.99 a lb (3lbs) = $11.97 |
| 2lbs ground turkey | Honeysuckle 1lb roll $3.99 x2= $7.98 | Festive 1lb roll $2.39 x 2= $4.78 |
| Total: (2 items) | $23.85 | $16.75 |
In the meat section, Woodman’s easily came in cheaper with a total of $16.75. That was $7.10 cheaper than Hy-Vee’s total of $23.85.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Hy-Vee Price | Woodman’s Prices |
| Loaf of Bread | Hy-Vee 20oz white bread= $1.48 *on sale* | Family Choice 20oz white bread= $1.99 |
| Pancake Syrup | That’s Smart 24oz bottle = $1.89 | Hungry Jack 27.6 oz bottle = $2.19 |
| Quick Oats | Mom’s Best Oats 16oz container= $1.99 | Mom’s best Oats 16oz container= $2.19 |
| Tortilla Chips | Calidad 12oz bag = $2.00 *on sale* | Pajeda’s 7oz bag = $1.09 |
| White Beans (canned) | Hy-Vee great northern beans 15oz can = $0.99 | S&W navy Beans 15oz can = $1.19 |
| Canned Tuna | Starkist 5oz can = $1.08 | Bumblebee 5oz can = $1.39 |
| White Rice | Water Maid 1lb bag= $1.88 | Food Club 1lb bag =$0.99 |
| Soy Sauce | Hy-Vee 10oz bottle = $2.29 | La Choy 5oz bottle = $1.49 |
| Brown Sugar | That’s Smart 2lb bag= $1.99 | Food Club 2lb bag = $1.89 |
| Ranch Dressing | Hy-Vee 16oz bottle = $1.50 *on sale* | Wishbone 8oz bottle = $1.89 |
| Chicken Boullion | Knorr 2.5oz box = $1.59 | Knorr 2.5oz box = $1.49 |
| Pasta | That’s Smart 16oz elbow macaroni= $1.25 | Palermo 16oz elbow pasta = $0.99 |
| Hamburger Buns | That’s Smart 8ct = $1.18 | Family Choice 8ct= $1.98 |
| Black beans (canned) | Hy-Vee 15oz can = $0.99 | Food Club 15.5oz can= $0.89 |
| Taco seasoning | Hy-Vee 1.25oz pack = $0.99 | La Preferida 1.25oz pack = $0.55 *on sale* |
| Canned tomatoes (rotel style with chiles or peppers) | Hy-Vee 14.5 oz can = $1.12 | Food Club 14.5 oz can = $0.99 |
| Total: (16 items) | $24.21 | $23.19 |
In the dry goods section, Woodman’s came out cheaper with a total of $23.19. This was $1.02 cheaper than Hy-vee’s total of $24.21.
It is worth noting that we did get bigger bottles at Hy-Vee for the ranch dressing, soy sauce, and a bigger bag of chips. So, Hy-Vee was actually the better value.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Hy-Vee Price | Woodman’s Prices |
| Frozen Broccoli | That’s Smart 12oz bag = $1.29 *on sale* | TJ Farms 16oz bag = $1.19 |
| Creamed Spinach | Bird’s Eye 10.8 oz bag = $2.50 * on sale* | Green Giant 10oz box = $1.79 |
| Frozen Mixed vegetables | Hy-Vee 12oz bag = $1.29 *on sale* | TJ Farms 14oz bag = $1.25 *on sale* |
| Vanilla Ice Cream | Blue Ribbon 48oz container = $2.99 | Dean’s 56oz container = $3.49 |
| Total: (4 items) | $8.07 | $7.72 |
In the frozen section, Woodman’s came out a little cheaper with a total of $7.72. That is $0.35 cheaper than Hy-Vee total of $8.07.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Hy-Vee Price | Woodman’s Prices |
| Eggs | That’s Smart 12ct large white = $2.99 | S&R medium white eggs 12ct =$2.49 |
| 2% milk | That’s Smart gallon= $3.99 | Prairie Farms gallon = $4.09 |
| Cheddar Cheese Slices | Hy-Vee 8oz/10ct= $2.89 | Bordon 6oz/10ct= $2.39 *on sale* |
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese | Hy-Vee 8oz bag = $2.99 | Borden 8oz bag = $2.39 *on sale* |
| Shredded Mozzarella Cheese | Hy-Vee 8oz bag = $2.99 | Borden 8oz bag = $2.39 *on sale* |
| Total: (5 items) | $15.85 | $13.75 |
In the dairy section, Woodman’s came out cheaper again with a total of $13.75. This was $2.10 cheaper than Hy-Vee with a total of $15.85.
Is Hy-Vee more expensive than Woodsman?
Woodman’s was cheaper in every section, so let’s look at the overall totals to see the savings difference.
| Section | Hy-Vee Price | Woodman’s Prices |
| Produce | $14.48 | $10.95 |
| Deli/Meats | $23.85 | $16.75 |
| Dry Goods | $24.21 | $23.19 |
| Frozen Foods | $8.07 | $7.72 |
| Dairy | $15.85 | $13.75 |
| Overall Total: (32 items) | $84.86 | $72.36 |
Overall, Woodman’s Food Market came out cheaper with a total of $72.36. This was $14.10 (about 16%) cheaper than Hy-Vee with a total of $84.86.
By switching to shop at Woodman’s you could potentially lower your grocery bill about 16% which is pretty significant. If you also study their sales flyer every week and focus on what is on sale, you could save even more!
For more grocery store comparisons, check out “Ingles vs Kroger: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?” and “Albertsons vs Stater Bros: Cheaper Groceries?“
