We are always looking at ways to save money. Recently, WQAD News 8's Angie Sharp and Jonathan Ketz ventured out to compare grocery prices in the Iowa and Illinois Quad Cities.
Angie went to four grocery stores in Illinois: Hy-Vee, Wal-Mart, Fareway and Aldi. Jonathan went to the exact same stores in Iowa. Afterwards, they compared receipts and were surprised by some of the results.
At Hy-Vee in Illinois: Angie spent $13.92.
At Hy-Vee in Iowa: Jonathan spent $12.19.
The biggest difference between the two? Angie spent $4.49 on the milk. Jonathan spent $3.78. He also spent $0.50 on eggs, while Angie spent $1.49.
At Wal-Mart in Iowa: Jonathan surprisingly spent more, at $10.46.
The biggest difference was the white bread. Angie spent $1.08 in Illinois, while Jonathan spent $1.58.
At Fareway in Iowa: Jonathan again outspent her, spending just 20 cents more though, at $11.65.
Jonathan spent 41 cents more on a can of sweet corn in Iowa than she did in Illinois.
At Aldi in Iowa: Jonathan spent $7.53
The biggest difference here was the eggs once again. Jonathan spent just $0.40 on eggs. Angie spent $0.99.
After shopping for hours, they determined Aldi in Iowa is the grocer where you can save the most money. However, it does not have as many name-brand items as places like Hy-Vee, Wal-Mart, and Fareway. It also charges you to bag groceries.
The other benefit to shopping in Iowa? The state does not tax its food, while Illinois does adding $0.09 to $0.15 to every one of Angie's receipts.