Meijer vs Woodman’s: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?
We are all trying to save at the grocery store and one of the easiest ways to do this is to start price comparing. Even without changing your eating habits, finding cheaper prices on groceries can save you a lot of money!
Today we are going to do a side-by-side price comparison of Meijer and Woodman’s to see who has the cheaper grocery prices. We will also determine if it is better to just go to one store for everything or if it is worth going to both stores to get our weekly food for our meal plan!
Is Meijer cheaper than Woodman’s?
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
- Bagels & Cream Cheese with Bananas
- Breakfast Casserole with sausage, hashbrowns, and cheddar cheese
- Hard Boiled Egg, Toast, and Orange Slices
- Scrambled Egg and Veggies (peppers, tomato, and mushrooms) Tortillas and Cinnamon Apples
Lunches
- Rice & Bean Burritos & Apple Slices
- Buffalo Chicken Dip (made with leftover chicken from leg quarters) with Carrots and Celery
- Leftover Pasta Bake & Salad
- Leftover Soup with Bread
- Homemade Hummus and Saltines
Dinners
- Fajita Chicken Breasts with Tortillas, Yellow Rice, & Refried Beans
- Pineapple Brown Sugar Pork Chops with Roasted Potatoes and Broccoli
- Cheesy Ground Turkey Potato Boats with Sauteed Cabbage
- Roasted Chicken Quarters with Mushroom Pasta and Green Beans
- Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Pasta Bake with Side Salad with Chickpeas & Tomato
- Ground Turkey & Vegetable Soup with Grilled Cheese
Snacks
- Carrots and Celery
- Orange Slices
- Hummus & Crackers
- Pineapple Chunks
- Apples
Sweet Treat
- Cinnamon Sugar Donut Holes
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. 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 Week #10 (Kid-Friendly, Healthy, & on a Budget)“
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Meijer Price | Woodman’s Price |
| Bananas x5 | $0.29 each= $1.45 | $0.79 a lb = $1.97 |
| Onions x2 | Sweet onion $0.88 each= $1.76 | 3ln bag of yellow onions= $1.69 |
| Oranges | 4lb bag of naval oranges= $2.99 *on sale* | 3lb bag of oranges= $3.49 |
| Bell Peppers x2 | Green $0.85 each= $1.70 | Green $0.69 each= $1.38 |
| Mushrooms | 8oz sliced organic= $2.49 *on sale* | 8 oz sliced= $2.19 |
| Apples | 2lb bag of envy apples= $2.99 *on sale* | 3lb bag of Pink Lady Apples = $3.00 *on sale* |
| Carrots | 1lb bag of baby carrots= $1.09 | 1lb bag= $1.19 |
| Celery | 1 bunch= $1.79 | 1 bunch= $1.59 |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of russets= $2.99 *on sale* | 8lb bag of russets= $1.99 |
| Cabbage | 1 head= $1.73 *on sale* | $0.69 a lb (2.5lbs)= $1.72 |
| Lettuce | 1 head iceberg= $1.99 | 1 head iceberg= $1.49 |
| Tomato | Greenhouse= $0.81 | Regular= $1.19 |
| Total: (12 items) | $23.78 | $22.89 |
In the produce section, Woodman’s came out cheaper with a total of $22.89. This was $0.89 cheaper than Meijer’s total of $23.78.
It is worth noting that not only was Woodman’s cheaper, but we also got 3lbs more of the potatoes! We could probably make these potatoes easily last the next 3 weeks.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Meijer Price | Woodman’s Price |
| Breakfast Sausage | Banquet 6.4oz links= $1.89 | Festive 1lb roll= $2.39 |
| Chicken Breasts (4-5 needed) | Katie’s Best $5.99 a lb (1.5lb fresh) = $7.49 *on sale* | Woodman’s frozen breasts $1.59 a lb (1.5lbs)= $2.38 *on sale* |
| Chicken Quarters (need 2-3) | Gold Leaf 10lb = $9.99 | Gold Leaf 10lb = $9.19 |
| Pork Chops (need 4) | Meijer $2.79 a lb (1.25lbs)= $3.49 | Woodman’s $3.49 a lb (1.25lbs)= $4.36 |
| Ground Turkey | Meijer 1lb roll frozen= $2.79 | Festive 1lb roll frozen= $2.39 |
| Total: (5 items) | $25.65 | $20.71 |
In the meat section, Woodman’s came out cheaper with a total of $20.71. This was $4.94 cheaper than Meijer’s total of $25.65.
It is worth noting that both stores only offered the chicken quarters in 10lb bags. This is more than we need for this meal plan, but this can help us on future weeks!
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Meijer Price | Woodman’s Price |
| Bagels | Bubba’s 6ct= $2.99 | Bagels Forever 4ct= $1.69 |
| Baking Mix | CB Old Country Store 32oz box= $2.99 | Bisquick 20oz box= $3.39 |
| Sandwich Bread | Meijer 20oz bread= $1.95 | Family Choice 20oz= $2.39 |
| Cinnamon | Meijer 2.37 oz jar= $3.29 | Badia 2oz jar= $1.19 *on sale* |
| White Sugar | Meijer 4lb bag= $2.19 | Domino 1lb container= $2.29 |
| Tortillas | Meijer 8ct= $1.49 | La Banderita 10ct= $1.50 *on sale* |
| Yellow Rice | Zatarain’s 6.9oz box= $1.69 | Vigo 5oz bag= $1.09 |
| Refried Beans | Meijer 16oz can= $1.09 | Food Club 16oz can= $1.19 |
| Hot Sauce | Frank’s 5oz bottle= $1.75 | Food Club 6oz bottle= $0.79 |
| Ranch Dressing | Kraft 8oz bottle= $1.99 *on sale* | Food Club 16oz bottle= $2.39 |
| Canned Chickpeas | Meijer 15.5oz can= $0.85 | Goya 15.5oz can= $1.49 |
| Saltine Crackers | Meijer 16oz box= $2.49 | Crav’n Flavor 16oz box= $1.89 |
| Canned Pineapple | Meijer 20oz can= $1.45 | Dole 20oz can= $2.39 |
| Brown Sugar | Meijer 1lb bag= $1.79 | Domino 1lb box= $1.99 |
| Dry Pasta (Penne) | Meijer 16oz box= $0.99 | Creamette 16oz box= $1.25 |
| Canned Green Beans | Meijer 14.5oz can= $0.59 | Butter Kernal 14.5oz can= $0.99 |
| Total: (16 items) | $29.58 | $27.91 |
In the dry goods section, Woodman’s came out cheaper with a total of $27.91. This was $1.67 cheaper than Meijer’s total of $29.58.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Meijer Price | Woodman’s Price |
| Frozen Hash Browns | Simply Potatoes 20oz bag= $2.89 | McCain 20oz bag= $3.59 *on sale* |
| Frozen Broccoli | Meijer 12oz bag= $0.89 | Bird’s Eye 10.8oz bag= $1.49 |
| Total: (2 items) | $3.78 | $5.08 |
In the frozen section, Meijer came out cheaper with a total of $3.78. This was $1.30 cheaper than Woodman’s total of $5.08.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Meijer Price | Woodman’s Price |
| Cream Cheese (two 8oz blocks) | Meijer 8oz block $2.05 each= $4.10 | Crystal Farms 8oz block $2.79 each= $5.58 |
| Cheddar Cheese (16oz) | Meijer 1lb block= $3.89 | Weyauwega 1lb block= $2.89 |
| Eggs | Meijer 12ct large white= $2.59 | Phil’s 12ct XL white= $1.99 *on sale* |
| Milk | Meijer gallon= $3.09 | Prairie Farms gallon= $3.29 |
| Sliced Cheese | Meijer 10ct= $2.29 | Dutch Farms 16ct (American)= $1.99 |
| Total: (5 items) | $15.96 | $15.74 |
In the dairy section, Woodman’s came out cheaper with a total of $15.74. This was $0.22 cheaper than Meijer’s total of $15.96.
Is Woodman’s more expensive than Meijer?
Woodman’s came out cheaper in most sections, but let’s look at the overall totals.
| Section | Meijer Price | Woodman’s Price |
| Produce | $23.78 | $22.89 |
| Deli/Meats | $25.65 | $20.71 |
| Dry Goods | $29.58 | $27.91 |
| Frozen Foods | $3.78 | $5.08 |
| Dairy | $15.96 | $15.74 |
| Overall Total: (40 items) | $99.85 | $93.63 |
Overall, Woodman’s was cheaper than Meijer with a total of $93.63. This was $6.42 (about 6%) cheaper than Meijer’s total of $99.85.
I’m always happy when my total comes out under $100 for a week’s worth of food, so it is great that both stores could do this.
If I only wanted to make one trip this week, I would definitely choose to go to Woodman’s. (I would also use the extra $6.37 in my $100 budget to stock up on as much frozen chicken breasts as possible since they had a great price this week!)
If I wanted to make multiple trips and go to both stores, I would go to Meijer first, and get all the items on sale and at good prices. I would then pick everything else up at Woodman’s.
By breaking my list up for both stores, I could have potentially saved more money because my total would have only been $82.58!!! (This leaves me lots of room to stock up or to roll my leftover budget into next week.)
For more savings at both stores, I would check out their websites. Meijer offers digital coupons as well as mPerks which can give you cash back and special offers. Woodman’s does offer digital coupons, but they don’t have a rewards program as of now.
For more grocery store comparisons, check out “Meijer vs Family Fare” and “Woodman’s vs Hy-Vee.“
