Where you shop could cut your grocery bill by 33%

How residents can navigate grocery shopping amid high inflation

With inflation top of voters’ minds on Election Day, some recent price comparisons reveal which grocery stores can save you the most money.

HOUSTON - With inflation driving up food prices by 10% this year, some recent price comparisons reveal which grocery stores could save you money.

CNET just compared prices at different grocery stores and found some could save you up to 33%.

Most shoppers know buying in bulk at wholesale clubs can help you bulk up on savings. But how much?

Thanksgiving dinner could possibly be more expensive due to inflation

The federal reserve is widely expected to raise interest rates again this week to try taming the kind of inflation that will make your Thanksgiving dinner considerably more expensive this year.

Writer Pamela Vachon at CNET made a shopping list of 25 staple foods, including eggs, milk, Cheerios, and ground beef, and compared prices for a year's worth at Costco and Stop & Shop, choosing the cheaper store brands whenever possible. The result? She says Costco saved her $1000 a year.

"It was about a grand in savings over the course of the year, or about 33% of the entire list of items I was looking at," said Vachon.

Vachon says she quickly earned the $60 annual Costco membership back in savings. She says she did have pay for a larger food purchase at check out but shopped less often. The biggest savings, she says, is buying meat in bulk. But you've got to have the storage.

"Over the course of the year, you can really save a tremendous amount of money, if you have the resources to store things in you freezer, your fridge, or additional dry storage," she explained.

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Other wholesale clubs that offer discounted bulk prices include Sam's Club and BJ's Wholesale.

Not a bulk shopper? Not a problem.

High inflation has US consumers falling behind on their bills

Inflation reached another 40-year high, up 8.2% over a year ago.

Vachon also compared fifty foods from all departments at Trader Joe's and Stop & Shop, again choosing store brands. She says her Stop & Shop total was $227.45, Trader Joe's was $150.32. That's also a 33% savings.

"Trader Joe's works with directly with manufacturers and producers, rather than distributors and brokers, so it takes out the middleman and that’s what allows them keep them low," said Vachon.

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If you don’t have a Trader Joe's near you, she points out Aldi and Lidl offer similar savings because they use similar business models.

Sullivan's Smart Sense Consumer News Houston