CentsPerServing
Blog series

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Stores, services, and meal kits compared on real per-serving numbers.

Every comparison here starts from the same place: the same recipe list, priced item by item against real products at real stores, then compared. No national averages, no manufacturer claims, no estimates from a spreadsheet. When we say one option costs more than another, it is because we put both baskets through the same pricing pipeline and read the totals.

That matters most where the marketing is loudest. Store brand against name brand, one location against another a few miles away, in-store pickup against delivery with its markup - the gaps are usually smaller or larger than people assume, and always specific to what you actually cook. Each post shows the line-level numbers so you can check the arithmetic against your own receipt.

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Does Where You Shop Matter? 727 Recipes Say: Sometimes

We ranked every store decision we have measured - location, banner, brand tier, fulfillment - and only two of them are worth real money.

August 23, 2026 · CentsPerServing Team
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Meal Kits vs Groceries: The Per-Serving Gap in 2026

Meal kits list $5.99 to $12.49 a serving in 2026 while our 712 priced dinner recipes have a $4.62 median, so the delivered premium runs 1.7x to 2.7x.

August 20, 2026 · CentsPerServing Team
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Is Buying in Bulk Worth It? 14 Package Pairs, Priced at Kroger

We priced 14 products sold in two package sizes at the same Kroger: the bigger pack won every time, but the median saving was only 12% - and the deepest discounts sat on the jars nobody finishes.

August 16, 2026 · CentsPerServing Team
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Pickup vs Delivery vs In-Store: What the Same Basket Really Costs

The same $24.85 dinner basket, priced three ways: in-store shelf price, pickup with its order minimum, and delivery with fees, memberships, and item markups.

August 13, 2026 · CentsPerServing Team
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Online Grocery Markups: What Delivery Really Adds to a $24.85 Basket

Delivery marketplaces mark items up and add per-order fees; we ran both models against 257 real Kroger dinner baskets with a $24.85 median.

August 6, 2026 · CentsPerServing Team
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Frozen vs Fresh: Which Is Actually Cheaper Per Serving in 2026?

Fresh and frozen versions of the same vegetables, priced at a real Kroger: frozen won five of seven matchups, but fresh carrots won by 49% and package waste decides the rest.

August 2, 2026 · CentsPerServing Team
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Store Brand vs Name Brand: Where the Savings Actually Are

We compared 163 matched store-brand and name-brand product pairs at a real Kroger: the house label won 91% of the time by a median of 32%, and the exceptions follow a clear pattern.

July 29, 2026 · CentsPerServing Team
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We Priced the Same 727 Recipes at Two Stores. Here Is the Gap

We priced 727 recipes at two Kroger stores in one metro: the median gap was just $0.15 a serving, but one recipe swung $6.03.

July 25, 2026 · CentsPerServing Team