Here’s How Far $20 Will Get You At Your Favorite Grocery Stores

We're always trying to figure out new ways to get creative at the grocery store. Whether we're capitalizing on pantry staples, following meal plans, or comparing the same meal at different stores. But when we're actually at the supermarket hustling through the Sunday rush attempting to figure out what to make and if we really need half of the things that we've placed in our carts, it's tough to stick to whatever guidelines we originally walked in the door with. According to a Retale study, 20 percent of Millennials pay 0-$49 per grocery trip, while 37 percent pay $50-99, 35 percent pay $100-200, and 9 percent go over the $200 mark. So, we decided to put our favorite grocery stores (and our general grocery shopping mindsets) to the test.

We sent five R29 staffers to five mainstream markets with a $20 bill. The rules? To buy as much food as they possibly could, and to interpret that directive however they saw fit. We ultimately wanted to find out which store seemed to result in the most bang for that 20 spot and to see if walking in the door with a specific amount changed the way our participants shopped. Ahead, see what they bought and how they felt about the overall experience.