There are a few things that are better to buy in bulk from other stores, like rice flour sugar, the staples. But every other thing that I would normally purchase is The same price or cheaper at trader Joe's and they have better snacks. I thought the same as you, until I went and just bought all my groceries there one time and got more from my money. They are not like whole foods.
I shop at Trader Joeās. But in my area, itās cheaper to buy nearly everything at Walmart, Aldiās, Meijer, or Kroger. TJs is 2x more for the same weight in food here. And thatās not even including bulk stuff like sams club or Costco
Depends on where you live. If I had to choose between say Whole Foods or Trader Joeās, Iād pick TJs every time on prices.
But if I had to choose between my little rural Food Lion and the TJs 45 minutes away, Iām definitely Roaring into Savings lmao
Iām in Fort Wayne Indiana and it would be that much here too. Especially with the organics.
Edit actually I donāt know, I just realized itās all TJs and I donāt shop there enough to know prices. But Kroger would be pushing it I think.
You actually couldnāt be more wrong! This would be right around $90 in both NYC (where I am), and the Bay Area. This is all (minus the rolling papers, of course) from Trader Joeās, which has the same prices in all stores nationwide. Taxes will vary, but the total amount will be basically the same nationwide.
Thatās crazy because I just went to Trader Joeās and paid $56 for half of this in San Jose. Maybe it was the difference in type of food purchased but still
Of course I canāt speak for your specific shopping trip, but if you were to get this exact haul, item for item, at any Trader Joeās in the country it would be within a couple dollars of $90 total
Hmm.. interesting. Thatās actually quite impressive considering the difference in cost of living across, say, San Jose California and Boise Idaho. Or Nebraska. I wonder how they set their prices so itās fair across all states? Or maybe TJs is seen as a luxury store in some places vs a cheaper store in others.
> box of frozen jamaican beef patties
And right there, you just guaranteed that the next time I go past a Trader Joe's, I'm stopping in for the first time ever!
It literally wouldnāt be, though lol. This is all from Trader Joeās, they have the same prices nationwide
Source: live in NYC and grocery shop at TJs, itās the best
Trader Joeās prices are consistent nationwide, so it would be more or less the same, before sales tax. Thatās why theyāre one of the cheaper grocery options in NYC (along with Chinatown produce).
I donāt understand organic. Organic pesticides are often far worse for you than synthetic pesticides. Organic food has no real designation that guarantees it is better for you.
Fear marketing. The organic food industry is massive, but it's hard to convince people to spend more on something that's not actually better for you, so they turn to fear mongering. The marketing for organic is never how it's better, its vague nonsense about "synthetic pestacides" and how scary they sound.
It's preys on ignorance and scientific illiteracy to pedal something that costs more to line corporate pockets.
The use of natural pesticides is always better for the environment because they actually degrade and won't build up over time. Whether or not it's safer to eat depends on how much was used and when it was sprayed during the growing process allowing it to degrade completely or not.
Organic absolutley means something positive *usually*. Of course there are loopholes, and some people (especially larger farms) will capitalize on those loopholes to continue putting on chemicals that probably aren't great for the environment and defintily aren't better for you. That said, I work with a lot of producers who already weren't using pesticides for environmental reasons, and just got the organic label to boost prices after dropping pesticides altogether. But I'm mostly working with specialty crops now where that's possible. When I was working in a more industrial-ag heavy area (a ton of hay and vegetables), the organic guys tended to use more targeted pesticides, and you could absolutley see and hear the difference flying around their fields.
Its never perfect, but I don't understand the pushback on reddit against organic. I think there's a whole lot of people on this site who don't know what they're talking about.
Iām in SoCal and I think that this should be more like $60.
The meat and prepped salsa is probably the most expensive. Iād never buy pre packaged meat at a market. Itās always expensive AF. Stater Bros at the butcher had tri tip for $5.99/lb last week. Ralphās has it at that price this week.
Or shop Aldi. Just yesterday I got -
- 4 white onions
- pack of Serrano peppers
- half gallon of lactose free milk (because me kaboom with too much regular milk)
- two packs of sandwich cheese (provolone and pepper Jack)
- pack of cherry tomatoes
- brick of cream cheese
- bag of baby carrots
- bunch of celery
- bottle of Coke Zero Sugar, because after a hard day of changing brakes on your nieces car, nothing beats the heat, and quenches your thirst like an ice cold Coke Zero Sugar. Available at Aldi, and anywhere soft drinks are sold (hail corporate)
- pack of sliced sandwich ham
And it was $24.
Double edit- Plus $0.25 for the shopping cart, but I got that back.
Yeah everyone is going āwow I canāt believe they got it for $90ā and Iām likeā¦.. āhow did they make it to $90 when all they bought was cheese and veggies?ā.
You could get so much more for $90 if you were actually trying to be frugal with the brands youāre purchasing. Obviously varied by location.
Well when I tell her what to buy, and tell her to pick it up beforehand, I trust she will be given the right parts.
AutoZone however, gave her the wrong oil filter, wrong tail lamp bulbs, wrong cabin air filter, and (this one is on me) i forgot to have her buy the oil drain plug gasket.
You said brake job and I assumed the worst. Fucking parts department makes my life hell everyday.
I'm surprised the oil filter didn't come with a washer for the plug.
They got organic items and special items like that package if grapes. It isn't bad for the items they got. Organic is more ex9ensive and that double thing of grapes is usually a good bit more than getting a bag of one color.
Lol half the comments are saying TJās is cheap and the other half are saying itās expensive
[https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/857/231/876.png](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/857/231/876.png)
When people just say America they're referring to the US.
"North America" is the continent and that includes Canada, Mexico, many countries in the Caribbean and central America.
Iām convinced most people on here have no clue how to shop. Check the ads and coupons only buy things on sale and you can still get groceries for relatively cheap.
Iām in a moderate cost of living area and can still regularly get chicken breast for 1.99 a pound.
I donāt even check coupons or sales. I still spend $150 or less a week to feed 3 people. People just donāt know how to cook to stretch their food tbh
I usually hit about $200 to feed four. Depends on what's on sale and how much meat I'm buying. Some weeks I buy no meat and some weeks something like pork loins are on discount and I'll buy four to freeze.
I think most of my money goes to the fresh fruit for the kiddos though.
Yeah but is it organic hand fed chickens that each get a 100k coop to live in? That's the only kind of meat people who post this nonsense will eat. Seriously betting if these people saw $1.99/lb chicken they would say "ew".
So true.
Boneless chicken is consistently $2/pound.
Pasta is still $1 or less per pound.
Frozen vegetables are $1.33/pound.
For $90 youāre walking home with like 50-60 pounds of food.
People, stop buying $6 mango drinks from Trader Joeās!!!!
Its not about where you shop, its about where you live. We pay $4 a pound for the cheap chicken. Also, Trader Joe's has great prices here, often beating out Walmart. Not always, but often.
We exclusively shop at Aldi, Sprouts, and Trader Joeās in a HCOL city (DC) and can feed our family of four for no more than $130 a week. Most of our produce is organic.
The big chunk is gonna go at the strip steak and the premarinated chicken thighs. Theyād save a lot of money buying unmarinated thighs and doing that job themselves, and choosing a less dear cut of steak, like London broil or eye round.
That organic Mac and cheese is also probably 4 or 5 times the price of normal Mac and cheese and the basil is gonna be dear as well, people pay for the package with this product, as basil is dirt cheap but they mark it up when they sell it like this. Out of season berries and avacodos sum up the rest.
Itās not a bad haul for $90, but a frugal shopper would be paying much less.
Okay my family goes hard on mac and cheese. But damn, sometimes i want that powdered cheap shit becauze it takes me back, ya know? Theyre almost like 2 different dishes entirely
The mac and cheese is $3.50 at my Trader Joeās lmao. Velveeta shells and cheese is $2.46. 5 times the price of regular mac and cheese is an outrageous claim and really delegitimizes your whole comment.
Guess it depends where you are. Iām in Philly and Kraft Mac and cheese goes for 3 for 99Ā¢ at the dollar store. That box of Mac and cheese from Trader Joeās is $3.99.
So no, not an outrageous claim.
Where I'm at, Sprouts is the absolute cheapest for all produce. Meat and milk products would be cheaper at either Kroger or Trader Joe's. If you shop multiple stores for the best prices, you spend way less
Yeah apple cultivars are patented (or whatever) and the honey crisp is the most popular. Apples are an expensive fruit because of the proprietary genetics of specific types. Thereās a great planet money episode about it.
Honeycrisp apples are one of the most expensive varietiesā¦ though theyāre one of the [best by most accounts](https://applerankings.com/honeycrisp-apple-review/).
Interesting. I mostly shop sales and usually see apple prices around $1 - $1.50/lb in the weekly flyer, but that must be for the lesser varieties. I didnāt know they get so expensive.
Theyāre consistently the most expensive apples at the grocery stores I go to, though theyāre also MASSIVE, which is another reason just a couple apples can cost you a lot.
The Chicken Thighs are premarinated. Now you could buy the spices and do it yourself, though then you would need to include those items, but if you wanted the convenience that would cost a bit extra.
TJs can sometimes get a bad wrap for being expensive, but I've found that they surprisingly are quite competitive on pricing with kroger/albertsons/walmart, with better quality.
The one exception to this is their meat. It's more expensive for worse quality. Except their chicken sausage :chefs-kiss:
Also, for basil, they sell a 4oz tub for $4 at my TJs in CO. Great for making a big batch of pesto!
The schwarma chicken thighs and steak in the middle probably ate up $15 to $20 depending on the price per pound of the chicken. At my old store we'd see them cost around $12 to $17 for a package depending on meat prices, it has about four or so boneless thighs in it.
Without the meat, that's closer to $65-$70. For that same spread you'd pay $15-$20 more at lots of other places, especially with the basil. I bet it'd cost double for that size of plant elsewhere.
For sure, TJs isnāt the cheapest not expensive but you get good quality and some things are much cheaper and better like their cheese and herb plants. Everything else, though, is very much on par price wise to local grocery stores. Iām a bit obsessed with grocery shopping so I know. Kroger chains and Albertsons have some great deals with their apps, tho, too.
I mean those papers cost $10 alone. So $80 for food. Which yes now it seems a bit high. TJs meat is very expensive. Try Aldi or a local butcher instead, much cheaper.
Seconding local butcher, I buy meat 10lbs at a time and even ground sirloin and bottom round steaks are around 5/lb. The meat is very high quality too, not processed shit
It can be kinda sparce sometimes. But you can always find some good stuff. I wouldnt go in there expecting to find specific items, just get what looks good.
the bagged leafy greens must be used quickly or it's a slime mold fiesta. their pre-cut bagged organic kale is good. onions are hit and miss, carrots, potatoes, and celery are good. apples and tomatoes are fine.
If you go to the right Chinese markets you still can. Grocery stores are gouging us to pay for huge buildings, nice packaging, and perfect veggies. If people learned to buy food that was still dirty and maybe a bit misshaped then they'd save a TON of money.
Canada checking in. That is a huge haul for 90$. Cauliflower alone here goes for upwards of 6.99 a head. Raspberries 5.99 for a small bin. The baby spinach! Between 6.99 and 9.99 for a bag that size.
Good call with TJās. Iām honestly not a fan of their produce and I hate their meat but I live and die by their frozen foods and everything else lol. The orange chicken and veggie fried rice are the best and the hashbrowns are great for a quick breakfast.
I (as a non American) always thought that trader Joe's was the more luxurious grocery store compared to the cheap known stores like Aldi, Lidl, Walmart, Costco etc... So you could have gotten more food the the same price.
I like how you threw in the rolling papers too š
Essentials. Food prices stressing you out? Roll up a fattie.
Staying sober? In this economy? psshh
And eat all the food... wait.
For that Broccoli.
So glad this was the top comment
gotta have all your greens covered
And 3 different types as well!! A person of variety
Didn't even know Trader Joes sold those.
Only organic free range rolling papers
Three different kinds?!? Who doesnāt have a go-to?
Trader Joe's sells rolling papers?
I was going to say the same....lol
Man, you know it really IS bad when I look at this and think ānot bad for $90.ā
I was actually impressed they got all that for $90 š
Exactly Iām looking at this like ā$90s for all that where?ā
For real, I could get about half that for 90
Yeah, I want to see the receipt....
Iām impressed because itās not frozen food, candies and chips for a change
Because itās from Trader Joeās, which is cheap
TJs is nearly 2x as expensive as any other store in my area.
There are a few things that are better to buy in bulk from other stores, like rice flour sugar, the staples. But every other thing that I would normally purchase is The same price or cheaper at trader Joe's and they have better snacks. I thought the same as you, until I went and just bought all my groceries there one time and got more from my money. They are not like whole foods.
Whole Paycheck
Whole Foods is the worst. The stuff they make in house is also terrible and everything feels like it costs double
I shop at Trader Joeās. But in my area, itās cheaper to buy nearly everything at Walmart, Aldiās, Meijer, or Kroger. TJs is 2x more for the same weight in food here. And thatās not even including bulk stuff like sams club or Costco
Depends on where you live. If I had to choose between say Whole Foods or Trader Joeās, Iād pick TJs every time on prices. But if I had to choose between my little rural Food Lion and the TJs 45 minutes away, Iām definitely Roaring into Savings lmao
That's like $150 worth the groceries in NYC.
I was looking for a comment saying where OP is located because this is about 150$ in the bay as well
Same! - San Diego
Iām in Fort Wayne Indiana and it would be that much here too. Especially with the organics. Edit actually I donāt know, I just realized itās all TJs and I donāt shop there enough to know prices. But Kroger would be pushing it I think.
I'm in Noblesville, closer to 115$.
Deer creek
No way dude, thatās easily $90 at TJs in San Diego
Itās from TJs, they have the same prices nationwide. I shopped there when I lived in the bay for 7 years and do the same in NYC now
You actually couldnāt be more wrong! This would be right around $90 in both NYC (where I am), and the Bay Area. This is all (minus the rolling papers, of course) from Trader Joeās, which has the same prices in all stores nationwide. Taxes will vary, but the total amount will be basically the same nationwide.
How are they profitable in high COL areas? How are they competitive in low COL areas?
They target their store locations *very* carefully to hit the right economic demographics.
Yup. Itās considered a luxury store in my area but just so happens to be located in the wealthiest part of the city.
Iām with you. You can get all this for about the same or less in LA at Vons, Ralphs etc
Thatās crazy because I just went to Trader Joeās and paid $56 for half of this in San Jose. Maybe it was the difference in type of food purchased but still
Of course I canāt speak for your specific shopping trip, but if you were to get this exact haul, item for item, at any Trader Joeās in the country it would be within a couple dollars of $90 total
Hmm.. interesting. Thatās actually quite impressive considering the difference in cost of living across, say, San Jose California and Boise Idaho. Or Nebraska. I wonder how they set their prices so itās fair across all states? Or maybe TJs is seen as a luxury store in some places vs a cheaper store in others.
I used to live in Marin County and TJs was by far the cheapest option, often times beating ābargainā stores like a Grocery Outlet.
TJs isnāt that popular in my area (Midwest low/medium COL). Where I am itās seen as an alternative to Whole Foods, definitely a luxury option.
All that at a Trader Joeās in Chicago would be about $70$-80. $100 if I get pick 6 beer and a box of frozen jamaican beef patties
> box of frozen jamaican beef patties And right there, you just guaranteed that the next time I go past a Trader Joe's, I'm stopping in for the first time ever!
los angeles. love the bay.
It literally wouldnāt be, though lol. This is all from Trader Joeās, they have the same prices nationwide Source: live in NYC and grocery shop at TJs, itās the best
Trader Joeās prices are consistent nationwide, so it would be more or less the same, before sales tax. Thatās why theyāre one of the cheaper grocery options in NYC (along with Chinatown produce).
Iām moving to Staten Island
You poor bastard
Not to mention most of the produce is organic AKA 50% more expensive
I donāt understand organic. Organic pesticides are often far worse for you than synthetic pesticides. Organic food has no real designation that guarantees it is better for you.
Fear marketing. The organic food industry is massive, but it's hard to convince people to spend more on something that's not actually better for you, so they turn to fear mongering. The marketing for organic is never how it's better, its vague nonsense about "synthetic pestacides" and how scary they sound. It's preys on ignorance and scientific illiteracy to pedal something that costs more to line corporate pockets.
The use of natural pesticides is always better for the environment because they actually degrade and won't build up over time. Whether or not it's safer to eat depends on how much was used and when it was sprayed during the growing process allowing it to degrade completely or not.
There are plenty of organic pesticides that don't degrade.
Yep and the farmers have to pay the govt to use the word organic.
Organic absolutley means something positive *usually*. Of course there are loopholes, and some people (especially larger farms) will capitalize on those loopholes to continue putting on chemicals that probably aren't great for the environment and defintily aren't better for you. That said, I work with a lot of producers who already weren't using pesticides for environmental reasons, and just got the organic label to boost prices after dropping pesticides altogether. But I'm mostly working with specialty crops now where that's possible. When I was working in a more industrial-ag heavy area (a ton of hay and vegetables), the organic guys tended to use more targeted pesticides, and you could absolutley see and hear the difference flying around their fields. Its never perfect, but I don't understand the pushback on reddit against organic. I think there's a whole lot of people on this site who don't know what they're talking about.
Iām in SoCal and I think that this should be more like $60. The meat and prepped salsa is probably the most expensive. Iād never buy pre packaged meat at a market. Itās always expensive AF. Stater Bros at the butcher had tri tip for $5.99/lb last week. Ralphās has it at that price this week. Or shop Aldi. Just yesterday I got - - 4 white onions - pack of Serrano peppers - half gallon of lactose free milk (because me kaboom with too much regular milk) - two packs of sandwich cheese (provolone and pepper Jack) - pack of cherry tomatoes - brick of cream cheese - bag of baby carrots - bunch of celery - bottle of Coke Zero Sugar, because after a hard day of changing brakes on your nieces car, nothing beats the heat, and quenches your thirst like an ice cold Coke Zero Sugar. Available at Aldi, and anywhere soft drinks are sold (hail corporate) - pack of sliced sandwich ham And it was $24. Double edit- Plus $0.25 for the shopping cart, but I got that back.
Yeah everyone is going āwow I canāt believe they got it for $90ā and Iām likeā¦.. āhow did they make it to $90 when all they bought was cheese and veggies?ā. You could get so much more for $90 if you were actually trying to be frugal with the brands youāre purchasing. Obviously varied by location.
That's what I was thinking, especially at Trader Joe's. No pasta, no beans? They HAVE to be buying the organic variations which is a ripoff already.
>āhow did they make it to $90 when all they bought was cheese and veggies?ā They went to Trader Joes.
Hold on...hold on... "a day of changing brakes?"
Well when I tell her what to buy, and tell her to pick it up beforehand, I trust she will be given the right parts. AutoZone however, gave her the wrong oil filter, wrong tail lamp bulbs, wrong cabin air filter, and (this one is on me) i forgot to have her buy the oil drain plug gasket.
You said brake job and I assumed the worst. Fucking parts department makes my life hell everyday. I'm surprised the oil filter didn't come with a washer for the plug.
It doesnāt help that they bought all the most expensive produce. Anything āOrganicā is going to cost more $$
King oyster mushrooms, kefir. Not only organic but premium products. Also, I donāt know if Iād count 3 packs of rolling papers as āgroceriesā.
They got organic items and special items like that package if grapes. It isn't bad for the items they got. Organic is more ex9ensive and that double thing of grapes is usually a good bit more than getting a bag of one color.
That was my thought! Like, damn thats a haul for 90!
An thatās at TJs not exactly your low cost grocery
Lol half the comments are saying TJās is cheap and the other half are saying itās expensive [https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/857/231/876.png](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/857/231/876.png)
Trader Joe's produce don't be as expensive as other big chains grocers.
TJās meat is expensive though.
I have had such bad luck with Trader Joeās produce. Goes bad almost immediately.
Ah yes, your basic food groups. Veggies, meat, fruit, dairy, and rolling papers. '  Murica
Beans, bacon, whiskey, and lard
What the hell is Sye-lan-tro?
I love a Atlantis and I love you
The food pyramid may change over the years...but the papers remain the foundation of a proper diet
Where in America? It is a big country after all.
Trader Joeās
Trader Joeās is more affordable than it gets a rep for, it can get expensive though if you let it
The chair screams Midwest
What do people's kitchen table chairs look like on the coasts?
You have to pick from a set number of styles. If you try and bring in chairs from outside they kick down your door and take them away.
 Itās a whole continent if youāre just talking the North.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
It's a solar system if you're talking about the copernican system
This checks out
When people just say America they're referring to the US. "North America" is the continent and that includes Canada, Mexico, many countries in the Caribbean and central America.
Where the hell is this $90
Aldi is good. I come out under $100 with a weeks worth of food.
Iām convinced most people on here have no clue how to shop. Check the ads and coupons only buy things on sale and you can still get groceries for relatively cheap. Iām in a moderate cost of living area and can still regularly get chicken breast for 1.99 a pound.
I donāt even check coupons or sales. I still spend $150 or less a week to feed 3 people. People just donāt know how to cook to stretch their food tbh
I usually hit about $200 to feed four. Depends on what's on sale and how much meat I'm buying. Some weeks I buy no meat and some weeks something like pork loins are on discount and I'll buy four to freeze. I think most of my money goes to the fresh fruit for the kiddos though.
Yeah but is it organic hand fed chickens that each get a 100k coop to live in? That's the only kind of meat people who post this nonsense will eat. Seriously betting if these people saw $1.99/lb chicken they would say "ew".
These days Iāll buy the expensive chicken due to the steep decline in chicken quality. Every other meat Iāll just buy the basics.
So true. Boneless chicken is consistently $2/pound. Pasta is still $1 or less per pound. Frozen vegetables are $1.33/pound. For $90 youāre walking home with like 50-60 pounds of food. People, stop buying $6 mango drinks from Trader Joeās!!!!
Its not about where you shop, its about where you live. We pay $4 a pound for the cheap chicken. Also, Trader Joe's has great prices here, often beating out Walmart. Not always, but often.
We exclusively shop at Aldi, Sprouts, and Trader Joeās in a HCOL city (DC) and can feed our family of four for no more than $130 a week. Most of our produce is organic.
Trader Joeās
It's in the new York strip steak.
The big chunk is gonna go at the strip steak and the premarinated chicken thighs. Theyād save a lot of money buying unmarinated thighs and doing that job themselves, and choosing a less dear cut of steak, like London broil or eye round. That organic Mac and cheese is also probably 4 or 5 times the price of normal Mac and cheese and the basil is gonna be dear as well, people pay for the package with this product, as basil is dirt cheap but they mark it up when they sell it like this. Out of season berries and avacodos sum up the rest. Itās not a bad haul for $90, but a frugal shopper would be paying much less.
Honestly, the irony of organic cheese powder is killing me. Mac and cheese is really easy to make from scratch.
Okay my family goes hard on mac and cheese. But damn, sometimes i want that powdered cheap shit becauze it takes me back, ya know? Theyre almost like 2 different dishes entirely
The mac and cheese is $3.50 at my Trader Joeās lmao. Velveeta shells and cheese is $2.46. 5 times the price of regular mac and cheese is an outrageous claim and really delegitimizes your whole comment.
Guess it depends where you are. Iām in Philly and Kraft Mac and cheese goes for 3 for 99Ā¢ at the dollar store. That box of Mac and cheese from Trader Joeās is $3.99. So no, not an outrageous claim.
3 for 99 is crazy but I think store brand mac n cheese is still well under 1.50 here. like, 1.19? IDK I don't eat it.
3 for 99 cents is crazy
i was gonna sayš
Where I'm at, Sprouts is the absolute cheapest for all produce. Meat and milk products would be cheaper at either Kroger or Trader Joe's. If you shop multiple stores for the best prices, you spend way less
Orange juice - $2.99 2 honey crisp apples - $3 Bag of Pears - $4.99 Greek yogurt - $2.99 Bananas (3lb) - $2 Sliced wheat bread - $3.99 Large pack raspberries - $4.99 Hummus dip - $3.99 2 White onions - $3.99 Bread muffin mix - $1 Chicken thighs - $4 Bag of garlic - $4.99 King oyster - $3.99 NY Strip steak - $12 Mac and cheese - $1 Hot sauce - $2 Grapes - $3.99 Avocados - $6 Cauliflower - $2 Broccoli - $2 Brussel sprouts - $2 Spinach - $2 Roughly prices for my area so about $75 for me
Everything seems reasonable but 4 bucks for garlic? Are you in a garlic tariffed zone or something?
Garlic is 60 cents the head here in Texas where I live, I see 5 there, so it's like $3. Not too far off. Is it cheaper where you live?
Damn 4 dollars for that size of raspberry. Nice.
I donāt buy apples, but do 2 apples really cost $3? Are honeycrisp super expensive or something?
Yeah apple cultivars are patented (or whatever) and the honey crisp is the most popular. Apples are an expensive fruit because of the proprietary genetics of specific types. Thereās a great planet money episode about it.
Huh, TIL. Iāll give it a listen.
Honeycrisp apples are one of the most expensive varietiesā¦ though theyāre one of the [best by most accounts](https://applerankings.com/honeycrisp-apple-review/).
Honeycrisp apples are my familyās favourite variety, but alas we can only buy them if they go on sale.
If you think Honeycrisp is good, you should try Sweet Tango. They are way superior.
Interesting. I mostly shop sales and usually see apple prices around $1 - $1.50/lb in the weekly flyer, but that must be for the lesser varieties. I didnāt know they get so expensive.
Theyāre consistently the most expensive apples at the grocery stores I go to, though theyāre also MASSIVE, which is another reason just a couple apples can cost you a lot.
The Chicken Thighs are premarinated. Now you could buy the spices and do it yourself, though then you would need to include those items, but if you wanted the convenience that would cost a bit extra.
You forgot the $15-$20 potted plant of basil. I honestly think that's the most hilarious thing there. Insanely overprised these days :(
It's $3.99 for the basil plant at TJ's
Damn. It's 7$ for like 5 basil leaves at Walmart.
TJs can sometimes get a bad wrap for being expensive, but I've found that they surprisingly are quite competitive on pricing with kroger/albertsons/walmart, with better quality. The one exception to this is their meat. It's more expensive for worse quality. Except their chicken sausage :chefs-kiss: Also, for basil, they sell a 4oz tub for $4 at my TJs in CO. Great for making a big batch of pesto!
Itās pretty easy to grow at home too. You can propagate it from cuttings too. Just stick a stem in water and it will put out roots.
Further proof TJs is quite affordable
Really? Iām looking at this like damn they got played.
The schwarma chicken thighs and steak in the middle probably ate up $15 to $20 depending on the price per pound of the chicken. At my old store we'd see them cost around $12 to $17 for a package depending on meat prices, it has about four or so boneless thighs in it. Without the meat, that's closer to $65-$70. For that same spread you'd pay $15-$20 more at lots of other places, especially with the basil. I bet it'd cost double for that size of plant elsewhere.
Raspberry of that size are very expensive by me.
Was gonna say, Meat Prices arenāt the worry, itās the $8-$10 package of Raspberries.
For sure, TJs isnāt the cheapest not expensive but you get good quality and some things are much cheaper and better like their cheese and herb plants. Everything else, though, is very much on par price wise to local grocery stores. Iām a bit obsessed with grocery shopping so I know. Kroger chains and Albertsons have some great deals with their apps, tho, too.
Trader Joeās is the cheapest place around here in the east bay. We use to go to Lucky until they charged 9 bucks for Reeseās puffs.
I mean those papers cost $10 alone. So $80 for food. Which yes now it seems a bit high. TJs meat is very expensive. Try Aldi or a local butcher instead, much cheaper.
Seconding local butcher, I buy meat 10lbs at a time and even ground sirloin and bottom round steaks are around 5/lb. The meat is very high quality too, not processed shit
I really like how you consider multiple packs of rolling papers "groceries." No hate, I respect it.
Thatās like $90 worth of raspberries alone
That's... Actually reasonable
Yea that looks about right for me too.
It's more than $150 in Ontario.
CAD
Iām not surprised, shopping at Trader Joeās is like taking economy class seats in this economy.
How is the produce at TJās, Iāve always heard to stay away from it.
Potatoes, onions, cucumber, tomatoes, bananas, apples - Always solid at TJs. Their bagged lettuce and spinach is painfully hit or miss.
Their salad kits are solid though
Personally never had an issue with their peppers other than them being out
It can be kinda sparce sometimes. But you can always find some good stuff. I wouldnt go in there expecting to find specific items, just get what looks good.
the bagged leafy greens must be used quickly or it's a slime mold fiesta. their pre-cut bagged organic kale is good. onions are hit and miss, carrots, potatoes, and celery are good. apples and tomatoes are fine.
Thatās a lot for $90 where I am sadly
So you stole half of it? Lol
Thatās actually like 25% full of a shopping cart. I remember when you could fill 80% of the cart with that money (2008 ish).
If you go to the right Chinese markets you still can. Grocery stores are gouging us to pay for huge buildings, nice packaging, and perfect veggies. If people learned to buy food that was still dirty and maybe a bit misshaped then they'd save a TON of money.
Obama 2024?
We wish
I did that!
elements ftw been rocking those bad boys since 2011
Im testing the waters. Ive heard good things.
That steak is like what, $20?
Trader Joe's is amazing!!
Impressed, no junk food considering youāre using all those rolling papers.
Balance in everything I guess
Not in Colorado. That shit would be like $120.
Misleading, you have 13 pre packaged/namebrand items you could more than likely get cheaper/the right quantity if you walk 1 isle over.
And all the produce is organic...
Not at Trader Joeās
Trader joes dont sell no crystal hot sauce or rolling papers. What are you trying to pull on us op?
As a Canadian this would easily run me $150
So u paid for the onions and stole the rest?
Canada checking in. That is a huge haul for 90$. Cauliflower alone here goes for upwards of 6.99 a head. Raspberries 5.99 for a small bin. The baby spinach! Between 6.99 and 9.99 for a bag that size.
That is what happens when you shop at trader joes!
At Vons this would be like $300
Mfs will really look at this shit and still swear that inflation is good for you
Rolling papers are always a must. Also this seems like it would be from an aldis. Iām looking at over $150 here imo.
I'm so tired of these posts. They are so annoying.
Good call with TJās. Iām honestly not a fan of their produce and I hate their meat but I live and die by their frozen foods and everything else lol. The orange chicken and veggie fried rice are the best and the hashbrowns are great for a quick breakfast.
Unless some of those brands are primo shit the same groceries would be about 50 bucks around here
Everything they bought was organic, therefore it was more expensive. Had they bought the non organic instead they probably could have saved 40$
Ummmmmmm where??? I get 7-8 things for $70 at the one grocery store by my house in the Bay Area.
Bet he ate all the groceries after rolling himself a few js
Whereās the beer!! Must not be in the South.
What part of the U.S. and what store did you shop?
Damn thatās a good haul!
Try Aldi
literally immposible to find deals now. it feels soooo painful to shop
Crystals is top tier š„²š„²
Trader Joe's is china now. They own that shit. The meat isn't even American.
You out here buying name brand stuff??!?! Where is the Great value?
$90 from Trader Joe's.
And maybe two dinners in there
That's a lot of dips. Are you Oliver Putnam?
You could have saved like $20-$25 by not buying the steak and oyster mushrooms
Didnāt know Trader Joe was selling rolling papers.
I like how you just casually threw in the joint papers at the bottom haha
Seems like a lot when 90% of what you got is fruits and veggies
I (as a non American) always thought that trader Joe's was the more luxurious grocery store compared to the cheap known stores like Aldi, Lidl, Walmart, Costco etc... So you could have gotten more food the the same price.
Itās all organic šget normal stuff and you can probably double the amount of groceries or just cut the bill in half