17 Photos Of People's Grocery Carts That'll Either Make You Say "Yikes" Or "I Wish I Could Get All That For $50"

We all need to eat, but in recent years, it has sometimes felt like our grocery stores and food brands are actively working against us to keep us nourished.

A person pushes a shopping cart up a red arrow, over stacks of coins with dollar symbols, symbolizing rising costs
Simplehappyart / Getty Images/iStockphoto

And it's not just a feeling, but a fact — from 2019 to 2023, food prices rose by 25%, surpassing overall inflation of 19% during the same period. In one survey, consumers cited food prices as their primary economic concern.

Anecdotally speaking, I have found it is sometimes cheaper for me to order pre-made meal delivery rather than buying all the ingredients myself (it's also more convenient, but that's another story). Sometimes, I even find DoorDash is cheaper, which is willldddd.

A supermarket shelf is filled with various brands of instant noodles, rice sides, and soup stocks, with price tags visible on each item
Alana Valko

Curious about how groceries cost across the country, I fell into a rabbit hole on r/whatsinyourcart, a subreddit where people share their groceries, often alongside their bills and where they bought them.

I decided to round up all the best ~approximately~ $50 entries I could find from this year to see how far $50 can go depending on location, store, and what's in the cart. It might make you feel a little better (or worse) about your own grocery bill. Let's get into 'em:

1.Here's what $46.34 got this person from Ralph's in Los Angeles:

Groceries on a checkout counter, including oat milk, Silk maple brown sugar oat milk, bagels, Philadelphia cream cheese, strawberries, Häagen-Dazs ice cream bars, and pre-cut pineapple

2.To further prove my point that sometimes ingredients for one meal cost more than Doordash or meal delivery, this person's ingredients for their dinner cost them $47.72 in NYC:

A table displaying fresh beets, rigatoni pasta, wild arugula, goat cheese, bread, honey, and Greek cheese

3.Here's what $50.87 got this person at Whole Foods (location unspecified):

Boxes of Simple Mills crackers and bottles of Bolthouse Farms Tangerine and Organic Apple juice are on a table with four containers of Classic Hummus from Good & Gather

Yikes.

u/iamwatered / Via reddit.com

4.Another Whole Foods entry... $46 in Cincinnati:

Various grocery items including decaf coffee, pasta, champagne, broccoli, garlic spread, almond milk, cream cheese, and Violife cheese are placed on a kitchen counter

This one's a little better. *A little.*

u/worldwidewhimp / Via reddit.com

5.Ok, but it's not alllll terrible — here's what $51.08 got this person at an Aldi in Wisconsin:

A variety of grocery items are on a table, including vegetables, milk, sugar, crackers, juice, popcorn, butter, yogurt, and canned drinks

Notes: Move to Wisconsin ✅ Shop at Aldi ✅

u/EmuInner8774 / Via reddit.com

6.And here's $50 at Albertsons in Southern California, of which $20 was in maple syrup:

Grocery items on a kitchen counter include Goldfish crackers, Taylor Farms dill pickle chopped kit, maple syrup, De Cecco pasta, strawberries, and string cheese

7.Here's what $51.69 looked like for this person at Star Market in Boston ($41.73 after rewards card):

Various groceries on a counter, including Campbell's Chunky soup cans, bread, Hellmann's mayonnaise, Morton salt, spices, and a Power Crunch protein bar

Ooof...

u/moransnail / Via reddit.com

8.But here's $50 at a Walmart in Indiana... not bad (and they even have meat!):

Various groceries on a table include chicken breast, mozzarella cheese, yogurt, pineapple, kale, mango, ground beef, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, bell peppers, apples, and a bag of oranges

9.Also very impressed by this person's Aldi haul for $50.86 in Louisville, KY:

A kitchen counter with various grocery items displayed, including canned goods, vegetables, potato chips, drinks, and a large pizza. A red and white shopping bag is on the floor

10.Here's $51.90 at a Family Dollar in Chicago's south side:

Various groceries on a table, including soda bottles, hot dog buns, eggs, beef hot dogs, Pringles, Reese's snacks, guacamole, and pimento cheese

11.Here's a pretty solid "just under $60" haul from Walmart in Saratoga Springs, NY:

A kitchen counter with a variety of groceries including eggs, chicken, bananas, canned tuna, blueberries, grapes, vegetables, chopped onions, pork ribs, and spice mix

12.Not sure how to feel about this $45 vegan snack haul from a Target in Massachusetts:

Groceries on a stove: Wholly Veggie Macaroni, Oreo cookies, Doritos chips, Tofurky slices, Lightlife hot dogs, Pillsbury Crescents, Goodles pasta, hamburger buns, Field Roast Chao cheese, Thomas' bagels

$45/10 items = ~$4.5 per item. Vegan snacks ain't cheap.

u/Bulky_Ad_4390 / Via reddit.com

13.This is what $44 gets ya at Trader Joe's in NYC:

Fresh groceries on a kitchen counter include lettuce, tomatoes, assorted vegetables, pasta, and cheese

14.A hop, skip, and a ferry away, here's what $49.07 gets at an Aldi in New Jersey:

A variety of groceries placed on a stove and countertop, including fruits, vegetables, cereals, and meats, suggesting a recent shopping trip

Aldi FTW.

u/midwest-ginger / Via reddit.com

15.And here's a burrito-cereal haul for $47 at a grocery store in Pennsylvania:

Various family-size breakfast cereals, syrup, frozen turkey meals, and an assortment of burritos are displayed on a kitchen counter

Cereal has gotten so expensive!!!

u/AbleDragonfruit4767 / Via reddit.com

16.These people got a $51.10 produce-only haul from the "bargain bin" at a grocery store in the Bay area, California:

A variety of fresh vegetables and fruits on a table, including oranges, pineapple, apples, mushrooms, lettuce, kale, potatoes, and cabbage

17.Lastly, here's some bulk-buying for $48.52 at an H-E-B in Houston, TX:

Grocery items on a checkout conveyor belt, including Skittles, mayonnaise, mustard, shredded cheese, cucumber, lettuce, protein shakes, and instant noodle soup

Mayo and mustard allll summer long.

u/AndiNell / Via reddit.com

That's it! Was it what you expected? What does $50 get you at your local grocery store? What's outrageously expensive, and what's surprisingly cheap? Let me know in the comments!