• I’m a personal chef and buy all of my family’s weekly staples at Trader Joe’s for about $60.

• I took the same budget to Whole Foods to see how the grocer compared.

• I couldn’t get nearly as much at Whole Foods, so I stick with Trader Joe’s.

As a private chef, I often have Whole Foods deliver for my clients. However, since the total amount often seems too high, I refrained from shopping there for my family of three.

Plus, there’s a Trader Joe’s right around the corner from me and I can get all of our weekly staples for about $60.

However, after reading and hearing about the interesting, high-quality brands that Whole Foods carries, my curiosity got the better of me.

I decided to take my Trader Joe’s budget to Whole Foods. Here’s a dollar-by-dollar breakdown of my trip.

Milk: $4.39

I always get milk for the household, and no matter where I buy it, it has to be organic.

A half-gallon carton was $4.39 at Whole Foods, which isn’t too far off from the $4.29 I usually spend at Trader Joe’s.

Tangerines: $4.99

On every shopping trip, one type of fruit ends up in my shopping basket, and when the weather gets cooler, it’s usually citrus fruits.

A bag of tangerines cost a whopping $6.49 at Whole Foods, but luckily I got them on sale for $4.99.

Unfortunately, that’s still significantly more than the $3.49 bags I usually get at Trader Joe’s. The $3 difference from the regular priced oranges bothered me.

Avocados: $4.99

Avocados sell out quickly in my house, which is difficult because they can be expensive.

At Trader Joe’s, a bag of six organic avocados cost me $4.49, so about $0.75 each. However, at Whole Foods they were $4.99 for four people, or $1.25 each.

I can’t justify this price difference, especially considering that the fruit tends to spoil quickly, making it difficult to use it all up.

Seaweed Packs: $2.99

Seaweed packs are an essential part of our snack arsenal.

I get single packs for $0.99 at Trader Joe’s, so I was shocked to see that the same size packs were $2.99 ​​at Whole Foods.

Gluten-free pasta: $3.19

I like to buy 1 pound bags of organic brown rice and quinoa fusilli at Trader Joe’s for $3.49. They’re a great gluten-free starch option for any week.

The only gluten-free pasta option I found at Whole Foods was a half-pound box of organic chickpea shells for $3.19. That’s almost double the price I pay at Trader Joe’s.

Truffle Cheese: $8.51

I love bringing a block of cheese to snack on, grilled cheese sandwiches, and eggs for the week.

My block of choice is Trader Joe’s store brand truffle cheese. It comes from Italy, isn’t too truffley, and costs $13.99 a pound.

I found a similar store brand truffle option at Whole Foods. Although the block I purchased was similar in price to the ones I normally get at Trader Joe’s, this one was $22.99 per pound, so it was quite a bit smaller than what I’m used to.

I also like the taste of the Trader Joe’s brand better.

Tofu: $2.29

I make fried tofu at least once a week. It’s a reliable source of protein that I know the whole family will eat.

A block of organic tofu from Whole Foods cost me $2.29 — a jump from the $1.99 package I usually get at Trader Joe’s.

Chicken Tenders: $11.99

I buy breaded chicken cutlets when I don’t have time to make them at home. It’s easy to crisp them up in my air fryer for lunch boxes and salads, so I’m happy to spend $8.99 for almost 2 pounds of frozen tenders at Trader Joe’s.

At Whole Foods I could only find a bag weighing less than 1 pound for $11.99.

It was a branded cauliflower covered product, so I’m not surprised it was more expensive than a standard store brand option. I also liked that it was gluten free and the meat was a little juicier than my usual Trader Joe’s bag.

Still, I’m not sure I would spend that much again.

Chickpeas: $1.39

Chickpeas are another trusted source of protein in my house – my daughter will eat them fresh from the can. I also like to crisp them up in a pan with spices and a little oil.

The $1.39 can of organic chickpeas at Whole Foods was more expensive than I expected, especially since I can get the same thing for $1.09 at Trader Joe’s.

Tortillas: $4.59

I like to have tortillas on hand so I can quickly make cheese quesadillas or breakfast tacos.

Trader Joe’s sells a pack of eight of its store brand tortillas for $1.99, or $0.24 per tortilla.

The Vista Hermosa brand 10-pack that I found at Whole Foods was staggeringly more expensive at $4.59, or about $2 each. But the quality of the branded bag was noticeably better and I would buy it again if I had a little more money.

Butter: $7.39

I stock up on butter every week because I love baking it and spreading it on toast.

A pound of unsalted organic produce cost $6.29 at Trader Joe’s and $7.39 at Whole Foods. I found they tasted virtually the same, so the $1.10 difference isn’t worth it to me.

Cucumbers: $2.99

Mini cucumbers are another must-have in our fridge. My daughter loves eating them and I like them as a side dish with every meal.

A pack normally costs $2.49 at Trader Joe’s, and the same pack size at Whole Foods was $2.99.

The $0.50 jump isn’t that much, but again, Whole Foods’ consistently higher prices add up.

I stick to Trader Joe’s when shopping.

I couldn’t help but laugh as I left Whole Foods with my $60 loot – the price difference was staggering.

The same grocery list would only cost me $48 at Trader Joe’s, and I could have picked up the frozen dumplings and chocolate-covered pretzels I like without breaking my budget (these items at Whole Foods were too expensive when that I could include them). on this trip).

Plus, this price difference doesn’t even take value into account. I got significantly less groceries at Whole Foods, mostly because many of my items cost more and cost significantly less produce.

To be fair, some basic items were pretty similar in price, and in the end it was just comparing a list on a particular shopping trip. The things you buy every week can be a different story.

There are even a few higher quality items that I would go to Whole Foods for every now and then. However, for a casual grocery run, Trader Joe’s is still much cheaper for my family.

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