It can take a lot of groceries to fill your kids' lunch boxes everyday, so News 8 set out to see where you can save the most money on lunchtime staples.
In one day, we visited six stores -- a Walmart, Fareway, and Hy-Vee -- in both Iowa and Illinois. We then purchased the same items at each place, including a loaf of Sara Lee wheat bread, a jar of Skippy peanut butter, a jar of Smuckers jelly, a six-pack of Motts applesauce cups, a 10-ounce bag of Doritos, Oreos, and a box containing 10 Capri Sun juice pouches.
Among the items, we found some fairly significant differences in price.
The Smuckers jelly ranged the most in price, from $1.68 at Walmart to $3.84 at Hy-Vee.
The Capri Sun pouches, however, were pretty consistent, with only a 10 cent difference between stores.
Overall, the cheapest store we found was the Walmart on Elmore Avenue in Davenport, where the items totaled $15.44.
The second-best option was the Walmart in Moline, where the total came to $15.59. The items actually cost the same at the two Walmarts, but Illinois taxes food, while Iowa does not.
The items purchased at Fareway cost roughly two dollars more -- $17.55 in Moline and $17.67 in Bettendorf.
At Hy-Vee, the items cost $19.70 in Bettendorf, and $19.91 in Moline.
Based on our experience, there isn't a significant price difference between Iowa and Illinois. However, choosing a certain grocery chain may save you a few dollars.