Monday

How to Save at Whole Foods


Sometimes people wonder what the big deal is about organic food. I mean, after all, we haven't died yet from eating non-organic food. Well, probably because when you were growing up they didn't use nearly as many pesticides on your fruit, so you're right. It didn't kill you. But what about these days? There's way more "junk" out there than ever before.

Does buying organic mean it tastes better? Sometimes.  Other times you may not notice a difference. I don't care for broccoli so if you gave me a piece of organic broccoli to try and piece of non-organic I probably couldn't tell you which one I like better. :) 

The main reason I try to buy organic when possible is not because of what it has but because of what it doesn't have....like pestides, herbicides and waxes. Plus, I also know it's not going to have been genetically modified (GMO) which is a whole other topic. In that case, yes, the nutritional value will be less in a GMO food versus organic.  I'm not going to go nuts if I can't buy only organic food, but when I can buy it, I will.

This past Saturday I went to Whole Foods. I don't go too often mostly because it's not extremely close to where I live and it does tend to be more pricey than Kroger.

However, they had some coupons on their site that I was able to combine with manufacturer coupons so it was worth it to me to head out there.

For example, I was able to get a 32 oz Organic Valley Yogurt for only $1.39 (regularly $3.39). I had a $1 off coupon that I had gotten awhile back from www.organicvalley.com and I combined that with a Whole Foods coupon. I also used a Whole Foods coupon to get hormone and antibiotic free chicken which I don't normally have the luxury of doing.

Overall, I saved a little over $10 in coupons. That included the .10 credit per bag that they give you if you bring your own grocery bags.

So, every little bit helps, right? What do you do to save money on organic food?

5 comments:

Unknown said...

We try to eat lots of organics in our house too, especially when it comes to produce. However, I am ever the bargain hunter too so I am always looking for ways to save money when buying organics. So here's a few things that I do:

We get a weekly delivery from Door to Door Organics. You can get awesome fruit and veggies from them in varying quantities, delivered right to your door for (what I think) is a pretty reasonable price.

We belong to a co-op. Ordering flour, beans and other "staple" type items is way cheaper when you can buy it in bulk. I buy 50 pound bags of whole wheat flour, divide it up into ziploc gallon size bags and freeze it.

I shop "manager's specials" at Kroger and Meijer. Organic milk, eggs and yogurt often go on clearance so I stock up when they do. You can freeze milk and eggs and yogurt are often good beyond their marked expiration dates. I also shop at an Aunt Millie's bread outlet to get cheap organic bread.

Sometimes there are coupons in the Sunday paper for organic items so if it's for something my family uses a lot of, I will order 10-15 coupons from a coupon clipping service. Then I match that coupon with a sale at one of my stores (Kroger/VGs) that doubles up to a dollar coupons...and I've got a good deal.

Also it never hurts to email or call companies and ask them if they have coupons for their products. When I called Arrowhead Mills to tell them how much I liked their products, they sent me a coupon for one free item and then three additional dollar off coupons.

I would love to hear other peoples ideas on saving too!

Thanks for your blog! I enjoy reading! :)

becky@purposefulhomemaking.com said...

Wow, Melissa! You are a wealth of information! Thank you for taking the time to share your tips. The whole co-op idea has been in the back of my mind, but it's hard for me to take the initial plunge financially. Not sure if you live near me or not but curious as to what co-op you belong to. My friend belongs to one and gets a lot from there.
I also had no idea you could freeze eggs! Do you then just let them thaw in the fridge and do they have the same constitancy? Thankfully we're able to buy ours from a friend for $2/dozen which I'm thankful for.
Anyways, you shared some great tips! Thanks!
Have you seen my other posts about how to save on organic produce?

Unknown said...

Ha! Well, saving money is kind of my thing (my sisters and I actually have a FB page...The Smart Shoppers of Michigan...feel free to join!).
I live in Davison and belong to a co-op at Nature's Vitality. They actually have a store where they sell a little bit of everything (mostly all organic stuff) and then fresh produce too. They are high on some things but often I find good deals on things like salad mixes and some fruits. It's 17 dollars a year but when you buy things in the store, you get a 7 % discount and they often have $1.00 off a $10.00 purchase coupon available. So that really helps. My sister does a lot of organics too and she's not ready to join a co-op so we usually just split stuff or I order it for her.

I reread my eggs/yogurt/milk sentence and realized I should have put that into two sentences. You can freeze milk. And then eggs and yogurt are good beyond their exp. date. But I think that you can freeze eggs...just crack them, scramble them and freeze in portions you would use. I have never tried it, but maybe I should add that to the to do list! :)
I have not seen your other posts...do I just do a search?

becky@purposefulhomemaking.com said...

I will check out your FB page. Thanks!!
$17/yr isn't bad. I've heard some are $50! Maybe I'll check that one out. That wouldn't be too far for me I guess...

ha ha about the eggs! too funny. :)

as for the other posts if you look on the right hand side of my blog there are a bunch of topics I have covered. Click on the "healthy eating on a budget" but it sounds like you probably already know most of that stuff. :)

Are you the one that goes to my cousin Scott's church, btw? :) Scott is also a wealth of info when it comes to stuff to grow/raise yourself. :)

Unknown said...

Are you in the Oxford area? Did you know that there is an Amish/bulk foods store on M-24 in Metamora? I have never been but would like to check it out sometime. It's called Cass River Bulk Foods and is at 4053 S. Lapeer rd (M-24).

Yes, I go to Scott and Theresa's church. (Theresa Stothers referred your blog to me.) Yes, the Bills do know a lot about growing and raising your own. I do some gardening and canning and each year, I would love to do more so that, ulitimately, I'm buying less at the store!

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