Does Walmart really save you more? The Comparison.

(side note - Blogger is formatting this post really wacky.  I can't make my totals lien up straight. Sorry!)

So...for all the doubters out there who wonder if the coupons are REALLY worth the effort, here are some hard numbers.
These are 10 items from my own grocery list this week.  I compared the prices at Homeland to those at Walmart.   Not everyone has a Homeland, but you can assume that their prices are similar to your local, non-discount grocer.  Homeland doubles coupons up to $1, so remember that in the total below.

I also included Walmart generic brand price when available.  I have heard many people say, "It's just cheaper to buy generic than to use coupons."  Well let's see....


Shopping list:


Gold Medal Flour



Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Pasta


Bush's Best Beans


8th Continent Soy Milk


Bananas - 2 lbs.


Fresh white button mushrooms


Captain Crunch


Petite Sirloin - 1lb.


Lean Cuisine Market Creations


Green bell pepper

Walmart Total                                                            $20.93
Walmart Total Substituting 4 Generic items            $18.70
Walmart Total with Coupons                                     $17.06
Homeland Total Regular Price                                 $27.01
Homeland Total with Sale Prices (no coupons)        $18.54
Homeland  Total with Sale and Coupons Doubled   $11.55  

I saved 45% by shopping at Homeland over Walmart regular prices!

A Few Notes and Disclaimers:

• Totals are pretax, but I shopped at 2 stores that have the same tax rate.
• Walmart store pricing varies greatly by region, these were what I found at my local store.
• My beef coupon was not valid at Walmart, only Homeland.

So....What can we learn from this?

• Even if you don't use coupons, you can still save more money shopping hot sales at your retail grocer than at Walmart.
• If something isn't on sale and you don't have a coupon, better head to Walmart or other discount grocer if you really need it right now.
• It PAYS to use coupons!!!!

Please share this data with others!  I would be happy to share my spreadsheet with you if you would like to see individual item pricing.  Just ask!