Show Us Your Grocery Receipts, Part One: Whole Foods, Sprouts, Real Canadian Superstore, and Trader Joe’s
Last week I put out the call to send me your grocery receipts, so let’s start looking at what Team Billfold is buying at the grocery store.
For me, the most interesting takeaway from these four receipts is that three out of the four contributors elected to buy non-dairy milk, and the fourth one bought no milk at all. (I also prefer coconut or almond milk to dairy milk.)
Take a look at the receipts and let us know how they compare to your own shopping:
Receipt #1: Whole Foods in Seattle
This receipt came from an anonymous Billfolder in Seattle, who provided the following summary:
I went in at opening and a new cashier was being trained. She did not give me my usual 10 cent bag credit for brining my own bag.
It’s my first day back from vacation and I needed some items for my work week. I “need” the Detox tea after two weeks in Europe.
I failed to notice the Love Beets had an expiration date of 2/1/16. I’m eating them anyway.
Does it seem like Whole Foods cashiers are trained to comment on one of your purchases? Today the training cashier said he loved snacking on the beets I bought.
(The last time I was in a Whole Foods the cashier did comment on my purchases. Do they comment on yours too? Of course, they also comment on my purchases at the Safeway.)
Receipt #2: Sprouts in Kansas City
This receipt came from Born Secular, and it came with this analysis:
I live in Kansas City, Missouri, and this grocery trip was unusual for me. My husband and I decided to start the Whole30 diet on Feb. 1, so this was a stock up trip after cleaning out my non-compliant fridge & pantry. So there are “frivolous” purchases on there I won’t usually make, such as the single serving packets of nut butter ($1.69 for less than 2 oz?!?). On the other hand, I usually religiously shop the local circulars for the cheapest meat & produce, so I didn’t have to buy hardly any of that on this trip because my freezer is well stocked.
So I guess all that is to say, I have to admit this is pretty typical for me (typical amount, typical balance of ‘need’ vs. ‘want’ products). Also, we tend to go to the grocery store at least twice a week and never buy toiletries/paper products there.
Receipt #3: Real Canadian Superstore in Western Canada
This receipt is from an anonymous reader in western Canada. I’ve added USD prices to the summary to accompany the Canadian dollar references:
This is for me and my husband, we both work full time at desk jobs.
Groceries were purchased at Real Canadian Superstore (Loblaws in other parts of Canada).
I often spend in the $150 [$108 USD] range for a weekly grocery shop but we have a freezer full of chicken at home as well as sandwich supplies for my husband’s lunch (I eat the Lean Cuisines).
Chicken strips were the biggest splurge — I don’t have kids but sometimes I like to eat like one.
I was really tempted to buy a $16 [$12 USD] shirt from Joe Fresh during this grocery shop but resisted — I might go back for it in the future.
I bought fewer non grocery items (deodorant, lip stain, Tylenol) than what is typical for me. I buy pretty much everything at Superstore — it’s meant to be a one stop shop that sells furniture, linens, make up, clothing, toys, books, electronics, etc.
I don’t bother to look at produce prices when I shop but three peppers for $8 [$6 USD] seems like a lot — I’ll be interested to see what other people pay for fruits and vegetables.
Lactose milk is a lot more than regular milk but totally worth it.
Receipt #4: Trader Joe’s in Portland
Our last receipt in this round-up (don’t worry, there are more round-ups to come) is from Billfold writer Meryl Williams:
It’s possible I picked my apartment because of its proximity to a Trader Joe’s. I was obsessed when I lived in Chicago, and I wanted to know one would be close once I was in Portland. Now, because it’s only a few blocks away, I shop there almost exclusively. I go there every two or three days. I didn’t on this trip, but I’ll usually get a pre-made salad there because I’ll actually eat those, as opposed to whatever salad I’d buy all the ingredients for (but rarely end up making and eating). Pre-made salads are lazier and cost more, but I’ve accepted this because I don’t waste them (and they keep me from going out to eat instead). Sadly, tonight I passed on salad and opted for not one, but two, flatbreads for my freezer… It’s been a weird winter.
P.S. I get almond milk not because of any dietary restrictions but simply because it takes much longer to go bad than traditional milk.
Me too, Meryl. Plus it just tastes better.
I’ll be sharing more of these receipts in the future, so if you’d like to send yours in, email me at nicole@thebillfold.com.
