Today we visited a little Amish country store about 14 miles from here. Amish/Mennonite stores can be great places to stock up on bulk spices, grains, etc. I was about out of yeast, so it was time to make a trip. Ironically enough, right afterwards we had to stop at Walmart to pick up something else, so I compared the prices of what we’d just bought to see what the savings were. Some of the amounts were different, so I converted into equal amounts. The largest yeast for sale at Walmart, for example, is a 4 oz jar for $3.56 – just 1/4th the size, but almost a dollar more! I also discovered that the tax was less at the Amish store, probably since it isn’t inside city limits.
Even if I add in the cost for my gas ($1.63 per gallon here today), the foods at the Amish store come out nearly $20 less than the equal amounts at Walmart would. I also bought a few items that I didn’t see at Walmart: ABC pasta (like in alphabet soup), couscous, and chicken noodle seasoning (a half pound bag for $1.39). Hopefully over the Thanksgiving weekend I can compare this Amish store to a Mennonite grocery a little further away that has a larger selection.
|
Amish store |
Price for equal amount at Walmart |
|
|
Instant dry yeast |
$2.75/1 lb |
$14.24/ 1 lb |
|
Italian seasoning |
$0.39 / 1 oz |
$0.57 / 1 oz |
|
Whole wheat flour |
$1.99 / 5 lbs |
$2.76 / 5 lbs |
|
Dill weed |
$0.49 / 1 oz |
$2.96 / 1 oz |
|
Dried onion flakes |
$0.89 / 4 oz |
$1.00 / 4 oz |
|
Instant pudding |
$1.19 / 1 lb |
$2.00 / 1 lb |
|
Bananas |
$0.89 / 2.7 lb |
$1.84 / 2.7 lb |
|
Apples, red delicious |
$1.84 / 4.7 lb |
$3.74 / 4.7 lb |
|
Tax |
$0.32 (3.1%) |
$1.41 (4.85%) |
|
Total |
$10.75 |
$30.52 |
