Alright, so I’m a little late on this one, but we had a holiday to contend with. The week before Thanksgiving I experimented with my grocery shopping a bit, and even though I’m late, I wanted to make sure to share my experiments with you.
What was this experiment? Buying more responsibly produced food items.
Wait, what?
When I started Budget Bytes my only concern day in and day out was survival. Making sure I had a roof over my head and at least some food in my belly. Over the past six-plus years my financial situation has changed and my priorities have changed along with it. Now that having a roof over my head isn’t as much of a daily worry, I’m trying to put more efforts into making smart consumer choices. For me, that means food that is responsibly produced and buying from companies that conduct business in an ethical manner. So, now that finding the absolute cheapest ingredients isn’t my number one concern, you may see my ingredient costs go up just a little. Am I still going to shop and cook on a budget? ABSOLUTELY. But if your priorities aren’t the same as mine, you may very well be able to make my recipes for a little less than me. ;)
Anyway, I’m easing myself into this new system and I decided to go to Whole Foods Market to check out the prices and see how I can start to integrate some different products while staying on budget. To my surprise, much of their produce was not only better quality than my local grocery store, but it was CHEAPER. What?! I was so stoked. I was also able to get a lot of WFM generic items for close to the same price as the generic items at my local grocery store. So, it definitely pays to shop around and I admit I haven’t done that lately.
Oh, I also have to mention that one of the only reasons splitting my shopping between two stores works for me is because Whole Foods Market and my local grocery store are only about a mile apart, so I can hit one store then stop at the second on the way home. That makes life pretty easy.
What Did I Buy?
Heheh, I have a new system for making sure I got everything on my list. 👍
I stopped at Whole Foods first and found some local satsumas (listed as tangerine on the receipt) for only $1.69/lb. OMG they were so good! I also bought the most perfect looking carrots for only $0.79/lb. (normally I pay $0.99 or a little more for a one pound bag). They were picture perfect, organic, and sold loose, so I could get exactly the number I needed. Love it! Pomegranates were on sale for $1.50, so I grabbed another one of those, and I picked up milk because it was the exact same price as it is at my local store. Eggs were only about $0.20 more (and better quality), as was the pasta, so I also bought both at WFM. Ground beef was more expensive, even on sale, but that’s one of the products that I’m probably going to be pickiest about, so I splurged. And because WFM specializes in natural-type products, tofu was less expensive than at the regular grocery store.
Next I stopped by Rouse’s (my local grocery) and picked up the remaining few items. Pasta sauce was quite a bit cheaper here, so I waited on that item, as were the zucchini, mushrooms, and tortillas. I thought rice vinegar was going to be cheaper at Rouse’s, but it’s gone up since the last time I bought it (it lasts me for-ev-er). It was actually about the same price as WFM. There was a HUGE sale on shredded cheese again, so I also grabbed an extra bag of that (YAY!).
Here’s what the week’s groceries looked like:
That little package of 1/2 lb. beef looked so small, but once I got it in the skillet, it really didn’t seem so skimpy. Again, I loved that I could go up to the counter and ask for the exact amount of ground beef that I needed, instead of having to get the pre-packed beef and freeze half of it for later (and potentially forget about it).
I was pretty pleased with how I split my groceries and I know that once I become more familiar with the price points at WFM it will be easier to know where I should buy certain ingredients. Both stores certainly have their advantages and disadvantages.
What Did I Eat?
I didn’t really cook a lot this week because I knew Thanksgiving was coming up so I took it kind of easy.
My main meal this week was spaghetti with this amazing Vegetable and Meat Sauce. I love cutting the meat in half and replacing it with vegetables. There’s more flavor, texture, color, nutrition, and less cost. I only wish that I had added a second jar of sauce so that I could have spread it out over more than 4-5 servings of pasta. I wanted to eat this every day (sometimes twice!), but I needed to spread it out throughout the week.
My secondary meal was this colorful Hot & Sour Vegetable Soup with Tofu. I wanted something lighter to balance the belly filling pasta, so I went with a vegetable filled soup. I originally was going to put noodles in this, too, but decided that was just tooooo many noodles in one week. :D It turns out it didn’t need them. It was filling, but not the type of filling that makes you feel sick and heavy. YUM <3 This is one of the very few times I’ve experimented with tofu, which I now know is super cheap, and it turned out well. Probably because I didn’t have to do anything to it except drop it in the broth. :P
I also snacked a lot on stove top popcorn this week, because it’s my FAV-OR-ITE. Super fast, easy, and cheap. It has so much more “corn” flavor than microwave popcorn, and a much better texture (IMHO). Microwave popcorn feels like dry styrofoam to me, but stove top has more bite and doesn’t seem as dry.
Because I didn’t cook a lot this week, I found myself falling back on my old standby–tortillas with cheese and an egg. I went through a whole bag of shredded cheddar that was in my freezer. Oops.
My boyfriend also brought home a rotisserie chicken one day, so I whipped up a quick pizza with the second half of the dough that I made for the Eggs Florentine Breakfast Pizza. I pretty much made the same pizza, but replaced the egg with chicken. It was good and prevented us from eating out. :D
I DID make an extra trip to the grocery store to pick up items for Thanksgiving. I didn’t host at my house (I don’t need that stress!), but we did bring two dishes to our host. I made this Apple & Cranberry Crisp from Martha Stewart (or is it Emeril’s?) because it’s easy and inexpensive. I also made some dates stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in prosciutto. That was totally NOT inexpensive, but I love them so much that I figure making it once every few years should be okay. ;)
Reflection
So there were a lot of extras this week that went outside of the usual budget (rotisserie chicken, Thanksgiving supplies), but I was still pleased that I was able to get my usual stuff for $30 despite buying half of it at “Whole Paycheck” as people call it. I also shared a lot of my food with my boyfriend this week because we’re both trying to stay on a low budget. As we eat more meals together, I think I may adjust the weekly budget and plan to accommodate our shared meals. I’m taking this post-Thanksgiving half week off and will pick up the weekly budgets and recaps probably starting on Tuesday. I’m going to try a $40 weekly budget and aim for 4 recipes to cover us both for the week. I’m looking forward to the challenge!
Till next time!
Thanks for posting, I’ve been following your blog for 2 years, I love the recipes! By diligent meal planning, shopping sales, couponing, and your blog I am able to feed my family of 4 on $100/week or less every week! in S Fl, where everything is crazily expensive. On this budget my fridge, freezer and pantry are pretty much always fully stocked and I can donate to food pantry regularly. Whole foods can be expensive–try not to take your bf there if he’s anything like my husband everything looks yummy to him and he buys it all–but I was so surprised when I saw the price of tofu. That’s my buy price and I can usually only get that price w/ coupons and a sale, so I’m definitely going to go see how much it is at my Whole Foods–thank you, your blog has inspired me to cook more economical & tasty meals for my family.
I am fairly new to your site and am so thrilled to find a site that has low cost recipes that are so delicious. Your posts are upbeat and I never feel a sense of deprivation when I read your blogs. I am on a serious austerity program to pay off debt and I love good food and your blog makes me feel happy and hopeful. Thanks so much!
I’ve made at least 15 recipes from your blog in the past 3 months, and every single one has been a winner. Our youngest and oldest sons are both vegetarian, and trying to find a veggie burger recipe that all 4 kids would tolerate has been a giant ass-ache, until I found your black bean slider recipe. Magic!
We do our grocery shopping almost exclusively at Whole Foods, and we do really well price wise! The freshness and variety of the produce alone would be enough to keep us coming back (our local Kroger locations can’t hold a candle to the produce quality of WF), but then you add the beauty of their 365 brand and, drumroll please, the affordability of their bulk section! Seriously, if you’re on a budget, their bulk section is the best. Not a week goes buy that we don’t get something from it. The weeks that more of our meals come from there, our grocery bill is so much lower, plus I love being able to get exactly the quantity I need. This is especially true if your location has a good bulk spice section, because spices in bulk are laughably cheap. We limit our meat consumption to one or two meals a week so we can afford the higher quality meat there, and feel really good about our decision..
Awesome! It sounds like you’re doing exactly what I plan to do! *high five*
So I’ve never cooked. Really. Never. I just figured I was spending the same amount on ingredients for one meal as I would spend on take out anyway, so I might as well save myself some time and order me some food. But then, a few weeks ago, I somehow (Devine intervention?) found your site. I can not freaking tell you how excited I was when I spent about $30, and actually had for for more then a week. Plus I made the food!!! And it tasted great!!!
So I was thrilled. THEN I realized that you lived in New Orleans. I live here, and o always thought food was more expensive them other places. I used that another excuse not to cook. But I can look right at your recipes (FROM MY GROCERY STORE!!! WHAT?!?!? ) and pick up exactly the right thing!!! And now you are adding ingredients from MY whole foods (sorry, I’m possessive), which is what I’ve been doing as I go through your grocery list. I hit wholefoods on broad first, followed by rouses, because I’m much more familiar with whole foods, and also because I really do try to ingest as few chemicals and artificial ingredients as possible. Plus I swear sometimes prices are better.
Anyway, I guess my point is, I’m stirring here eating a combination of your quick curried chickpeas (with corn!) and dal nirvana (with coconut!) happier and more financially responsible then I ever imagined I’d be. And that’s because of you. I can’t thank you enough. Through your well thought out lists, recipes, and site in general, you’ve truly changed my life. You showed me how to do a pile of things I didn’t think I could do. (Plus now you’re also going to whole foods?!? Yayyyyy!!!!) Thank you so much for this.
Sorry. I got really excited and didn’t bother to make sure I was typing the words I meant to type…
Awesome!! Yes, and the prices at WF are DEFINITELY better than at Rouse’s a lot of times! I would like to go to the WF on Vets because they have a much larger selection, but it’s such a pain to go way out there (and traffic, omg). I love the fact that WF and Rouse’s are so close to each other. :) I don’t even bother with Winn Dixie, though. I hate pricing with discount cards and the store reminds me of Walmart. :P
I just want to say I look forward to these weekly recaps! They are very well done and I love going through the struggles and wins you go through. I constantly struggle with my grocery budget and this inspires me to strive harder.
I can’t imagine this is easy for you to log and share with us every week, and kudos for continuing it as long as you have! Hopefully this will be a continuing thing, especially with the boyfriend factor since a few of us are in the same boat. Love your blog, long time fan, keep up the amazing work!!
I get my free range eggs and organic milk and butter (it lasts longer) at Whole Foods since I found their selection to be fresher and more available than at my local kroger which often had organic milk shortages. I also found their organic pasta reasonably priced and I could usually find some organic pasta sauce on special. Their organic white flour was also the cheapest out of any other groceries I’ve checked. Happy shopping!
Whole foods offers a ‘value tour’ that I would highly recommend that you take!
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/take-value-tour
My tour included where to look on the shelves for the best values, the sale and markdown schedule for meat, etc. I found that by only purchasing what I needed, I could afford to shop in the nicer stores.
I second the Fresh Market recommendation. I only buy the Tuesday specials (ground beef and chicken breast), or the incredible Saturday specials (usually seafood). In my area, they have amazing prices on eggs, too.
I think it’s great that you gave Whole Foods a shot. The last time I went there, I stuck to their bread counter. You can pick up a nice fresh loaf of whatever bread is on sale for around $2, and they’ll even slice it for you.
Love this! People don’t believe me when I say I shop cheaper at Whole Foods. I live alone, so it enables me to buy exactly how much I need of whatever. And the 365 brand is just as economical as anywhere else! Looking forward to seeing what you create from your trips there. :)
I’m going to have to check your WFM prices vs the WFM prices here. Our store opened the Thursday before Thanksgiving. I’ve shopped at WFM in another city, but not for everyday items. Looking forward to checking out the everyday items as I try to buy healthier food for my family.
I also pinned the Hot and Sour soup to try out. It looks delicious!
LOVE this post! Thank-you! I made the exact same Stewart/Emeril crisp for Thanksgiving and the family loved it.
Thanks for sharing your WFM experience. We have a new store near us, but I’ve been worried about prices. I’ve heard their 365 line is quite reasonable, and your purchases bear that out. I really admire you for walking into Whole Foods and only and only spending $20. Think we will need to get there soon.
Yes, it’s hard! Not because the whole store is expensive, but because it’s hard to bypass all the beautiful stuff in the bakery and prepared food department that look so delicious but are totally unnecessary! :) I COULD blow a lot of money there if I didn’t stick to my list. ;)
I’m looking forward to seeing how you accommodate your meals along with your boyfriend’s. Since my boyfriend and I moved in together, I’ve had to rethink budgeting. It’ll be good to see how you and others adjust the prices.
I’ve always found that it pays to shop around and to make at least part of my weeks menu around what’s on sale that week. I don’t have any good place for organic produce near me – the closest is Wegman’s and it’s a twenty minute drive each way.
During the spring and summer I grow some of my own produce. I don’t have a lot of space but enough for a row of pots. This year I grew a few heads of romain, two types of peppers, bush green beans, Kirby cucumbers, and some herbs. That way I know I’m eating produce with no pesticides plus I still have green beans, peppers, and rosemary in the freezer that will last me for about two more months.
I couldn’t agree with you more. I am in upstate NY–we have Fresh Market here. We have pretty good sales, as long as you are flexible about what you want to eat that week! I get most of my dry goods at Target, and almost use coupons. I am pregnant, and have 2 little kids, so eating healthy is really important to me. I usually plan my week’s meals by perusing the weekly flyer from the grocery store and then typing sale ingredients (usually do protein because that tends to be the most expensive of course) into your search box to get a great recipe. This week, salmon is on sale for $6.99/pound, so going to try your teriyaki salmon! Thanks for all you do.
The best thing about stove top popcorn, for me, is that the kids hate it! Where’s the butter! lol
I love that you are looking at buying more consciously. I look forward to hearing more about it.
Hey Beth,
Thanks for sharing a little about your decision to choose more responsibly produced groceries. This is something that I think about a TON and am really conflicted about. I’ve gone back and forth about it many times. On the one hand, it seems like a no-brainer to buy items that are produced in a way that is kind to people, animals, and the environment. On the other hand, these items can (not always, but often) be a lot more expensive, and in some cases I think it’s hard to know exactly what practices were involved in the production. One item I’ve recently been shelling out for is pasture-raised eggs…But they can be WAY more expensive, like $6-8 a dozen… :O Which basically means I buy eggs a lot less often. Also, it’s really hard to know what these different terms really mean (pasture-raised vs organic vs free-range etc.).
So anyway, yeah, I’m definitely still figuring this out, and changing my mind a lot. I think it’s cool that you’re mentioning the issue to everyone here, and I’m interested to hear more of your thoughts on it.
Yep, I think it’s going to be something that is constantly changing and there will always be something new to learn. Even if you do your research, I think there’s always going to be an element of faith to it. Companies can say anything they want and you’ll never REALLY know what’s going on, but at least we can try, right? :)
Omg! So excited to see a post about shopping on a budget at whole foods. I love going there but really can only afford to go once a month or less, and then I hit up my other grocery store to get the other stuff after just like you did lol. Great post!
Here is something that might help. Do you have stores that double coupons? If so, buy items that are only on sale, have a coupon that can be doubled. There are websites that sell coupons 20 for one dollar, and match up coupons to store sales. We have been do it for years.
It’s always a pleasure to read your posts. They’re so informative and useful.
I hear you re-the boyfriend thing. The budget needs to be adjusted. I’ve been sharing most of my meals with mine for the past 6 months and I’m still trying to find the right budget. It’s give and take because I share my meals with him and he shares his with me but my buying habits have changed to accommodate his tastes as well as mine. Also, he eats about twice as much as I do, which sorts of adds up on the long term.
I live in Europe and when I only had to feed myself I had a 50€ budget every 2 weeks. It’s more in the 70-80€ now and I need to go a bit lower still.
I’m also following the same path as you regarding the quality of food. I buy more organic items now even if they’re more expensive. I’m also careful about the origin of the honey I buy etc… Small steps but it’s still a work in progress!
Just wanted to let you know (in case you don’t) that the Notes app you’re using allows you to change a note into a checklist format which gives you a little bubble to check off when you want to. I use that for my grocery list and it makes things so easy. Just hit the + in the bottom right corner and it gives you the option.
I love your blog and your recipes! Thanks for making me a better cook :D
Ah, thank you!! I heard that was an option in the update, but hadn’t found it yet. :D You’re the best!
Interesting stuff! I don’t have a Whole Foods too close to me but I do have Sprouts market (sort of similar). I’ve found it’s what you’ve pretty much always said, you just have to shop enough to catch the deals when they’re available and know what the normal price of things are. My husband and I have always tried to go as sustainable and ethical as possible and it just takes a little more time spent. It also means eating a mostly grain and vegetable diet for budget reasons!
Thanks for the Hot and Sour soup recipe. I’ve been so good not picking some up on the way home so this worked to satisfy the craving!
You sound like me with the stove top popcorn! I snack on that stuff like it’s going out of style. So easy to make and SO cheap!
Can’t wait to see your budgets/meal plans for 2. I cook for my husband and I and am always looking for food budgeting help! :)