Does Walmart Really Save You Money?

My honey and I have been shopping at Walmart for a little over a year now. In the last four months, we saved $300. I admit that there was a time when I would cringe at the thought of shopping at a low-end retailer. I don't even know why. I have to ask myself, what the heck is wrong with paying less. Hummmm.

It wasn't until we were forced to find ways to cut expenses that we discovered how much money we could save shopping at Walmart.
A few years ago we did all our grocery shopping at Central Market, a very high-end grocery store. Then Market Street opened up down the street. After some comparison testing, we decided to shop at Central Market for meat and Market Street for most everything else because it is much closer. For fresh produce, we love Whole Foods also not too far from home.

There was an Albertson's and a Tom Thumb in the neighborhood so that made it easy to pick up things in-between shopping trips. But Albertson's closed. My honey discovered a small Walmart grocery store in the neighborhood, so we started stopping there for pickups.

Exhausted one day after shopping at three different stores for food, we looked at each other and we knew what we were both thinking. Going to two and three different stores to do our weekly shopping was ridiculous. It was taking the better part of a day to shop, unload the groceries, shop more and unload the groceries again, come home and put bags of groceries away. Whew!

We were driving all over town buying groceries. We wanted to do fun stuff with our free time… not shop till we drop. Spending less time grocery shopping became a priority.

That was about the time our financial picture changed as the country entered one of the worst economic climates in 80 years. The recession wreaked havoc on our nest egg at the same time when my medical bills ballooned. We found ourselves in a place where we had to spend less, which on reflection is something we should have been doing all along.

We made what I thought was the hard choice. We decided to shop at the Walmart Supercenter that was a couple of miles from our home.

The first time we shopped there, my honey went alone with my grocery list. I couldn't do it. Silly, huh? Well, I came to my senses pretty quickly. But I wanted proof that it actually helped our budget.

I saved our grocery receipts. I can say without doubt that we've saved money shopping at Walmart Supercenter. In the first four months of 2012, after shopping at Walmart, our grocery receipts add up to $1979.84 or an average of $494.96 per month. Now, I don't have a strict comparison, because I didn't do an exact item purchase at a different grocery store. But I can say that before Walmart, we routinely spent between $200 and $300 a week for groceries. Even at $200 a week, that's $800 a month — $300 a month more than we now spend for groceries at the Walmart Supercenter.

I remember shopping at Central Market for a few pickup items, and walking out the door with one bag after paying $150. My honey was carrying one paper grocery bag. Geez. 

Another time, we stopped at Whole Foods and bought tomatoes, blackberries, strawberries, 2 limes and a couple of Granny Apples. The receipt I still have says $66.46. Gad! What were we thinking.

Now, I admit that we did shop at Sam's Club twice this year in those same four months. It was our first experience and I think we went a little crazy the first trip, especially saving on meat. When we add those two receipts, it brings our monthly average to $657.07 -- Still a hefty savings over what we used to spend, and there's a freezer full of meat in our kitchen.

With my new found quest for cooking healthier meals, I wanted to be sure the food we bought was fresh and good for our health. The dry goods, can goods and packaged goods we bought from the Walmart Supercenter have been good. No complaints. I wasn't always able to get the "brand" I favored, but my honey finally got me to try store brands. I discovered that the difference — if any was even noticeable — was so slight, the price saving completely overshadowed.

Hallelujah for Walmart meat! I can hardly believe what we used to pay for meat at Central Market.

At Walmart, we've brought home rib eye steaks, pork loin, big roasts for my slow cooker and other meats including plain old hamburger. I can say with a big smile that Walmart meat is excellent. Fantastic! Really good and less costly.

The bakery is likewise awesome. I made son Steven a sandwich the other day. I made it with Crusty Italian bread from the Walmart bakery and he loved it! He was surprised when I told him the price. We've turned into such shoppers.

Now, we come to the not so good part. The produce. We bring home some fresh vegetables and fruit from Walmart, but the selection is limited, and some goes bad in 2 days. We solved that by accepting what's available, and doing pickups for fresh items in-between shopping trips. Saving is important, and being flexible has saved us a ton of money.

Potatoes and onions are wonderful. Some of the fresh packaged vegetables are good buys as well as the dairy and specialty foods like fully cooked grilled chicken strips which I use for my honey's lunches.

Because of my health and my doctor-ordered meal planning, I have to be careful about what I buy, cook and eat. Fresh is important to me.

I found absolutely delicious strawberries, awesome apples and oranges. Some lemons and limes leave something to be desired. But eat em up as quickly as possible and they are fine. But this is true with fresh foods no matter where you buy them, right?

I think it's fair to say that we did do some adjusting in our food choices, partly because the "brands" I prefer were not always available at Walmart, and partly because I have learned to substitute when something's not available. Other than that, we have not changed our buying habits much... except for the choice of store.

We made the decision to make Walmart our primary stop for groceries, because we needed to be more thrifty. Cut expenses. Save money. But we have also purchased other things at Walmart like a TV, dog food, dog toys and clothes. In 2011, I bought all our Christmas gifts at Walmart. I've made several purchases from Walmart's website, too. But groceries top the list. I highly recommend shopping at the Walmart Supercenter.