I am the first to admit that shopping at Whole Foods (a.k.a. "Whole Paycheck") is a luxury. I've become and turned Little Man into a food snob.
True story, we've been shopping at Whole Foods for a couple of years now making weekly grocery trips every Sunday. One weekend I was too exhausted to do much of anything and decided to run to our local grocery store, Kroger, to pick up items for Little Man's lunch. Every day that week he came home with food left in his lunch saying that it "just didn't taste right." He was with his dad the following weekend I went shopping and had no idea where the food came from. That week it was back to Whole Foods and his lunchbox returned home every day empty.
It always surprises me too when our produce stays fresh for a couple weeks versus a couple of days. That to me is worth it and knowing that my son is getting good nutrition as well as avoiding pesticides and added hormones/antibiotics.
I'm drawn in by the store's cozy farmer's market feel and friendliness of the staff who eagerly help.
We spend a butt-ton of money on groceries, however, with little waste. Side note, I have a spreadsheet broke out into columns (veggies, fruits, protein, dairy, carbs, fats, spices, and beverages) and have all the items in the fridge, freezer, and pantry listed with expiration dates. If an item is set to go bad this month I highlight it so I can plan my meals around that item. That helps, but why not save more? Even if it's a buck or two that's still another buck or two I get to keep.
Here's where couponing comes in because now I believe that you can shop at Whole Foods affordably with a little bit of work, awareness, and know-how. This added work has not been a burden and grocery shopping is the one chore I absolutely love and look forward to.
("Loyal to my coupons not a brand.")
#1 ) Locate coupons:
No, you won't find coupons for probiotic raw coconut juice and other random shit but you will be able to locate coupons in your weekly circular for brands like Silk and Kashi. Whole Foods also lists their coupons on their website too and they FINALLY!! have an app for download.
#2) Take to Facebook:
"Like" the pages of brands you buy regularly. Periodically they post coupons and other offers. If you have time you can even drop an email requesting coupons. Not all will help out but some like to reward their consumers.
#3) Double up:
If you have a manufacturer's coupon and a store coupon use them together to save the most amount of money. You need to present coupons with the item rather than at the end.
#4) Bring your own bags:
Whole Foods will give you $0.05 per bag that you bring back to the store with you and you're helping to save the environment with less waste.
#5) Join their email club:
You will get a weekly newsletter with special offers, recipes, and events in your local area.
#6) Make a list and try to stick to it. Go meatless a couple times a week.
#7) Don't forget Kid's Club:
If you have a little one in tow make sure you stop by their Kid's Club located by the entrance/exit where your child is allowed to grab one snack (usually a pick of fruit and a juice box or water). Little Man loves it and knows that he'll be rewarded with a "treat" for good behavior. He also likes that he gets to throw the peel of his banana or apple core in the compost bin.
Here are some other resources for couponing at Whole Foods and the legwork is done for you:
- The Krazy Coupon Lady for deals and how to stack coupons.
- Whole Foods Sales and Coupons directly from their website per store location.
- Living Rich With Coupons for weekly deals.
- Southern Savers for weekly deals.
- Hip2Save for weekly deals.
- Couponaholic for coupons.
- All Natural Savings for coupons.
(Grocery haul... there are items hidden)
I attempted the "$125- 14 Meals Whole Foods Challenge" which is intended to feed a family of four. I created a meal plan with intent of sticking to my Whole30 diet. The total spent on my grocery haul was $10 over budget and after the fact I realized that some of my "out of convenience" purchases could have been exchanged for the whole produce and do the cutting myself. However, I went to the store late in the evening and was not in the mood at that time to think about chopping produce at a later date.
Here's how my Whole Foods Challenge went and I only recorded the cost of what I spent to feed one person... a grown adult female.
Scroll to the bottom to see how I did. I broke out the cost of each meal/snack too.
Day 1:
Breakfast: Two eggs over easy with a chicken spinach sausage = $1.74
Snack: Fruit salad with strawberries, grapes, pineapple, raspberries, blueberries, clementine, and a banana = $6.14
Dinner: Tilapia Fish Taco Bowl (4 oz tilapia, red onion, 1/2 red bell pepper, 1/2 avocado, grape tomatoes, sautéed cabbage, and lime wedge) = $7.02
Day 1 Total = $14.90
Day 2:
Breakfast: Two egg scramble with two slices of bacon, sweet potato, and spinach = $2.54
Snack: Celery with 2 tbsp peanut butter (not pictured, lighting was terrible) = $1.44
Lunch: Spinach salad with grape tomatoes, red onion, zucchini, and Tessamae's ranch dressing = $2.49
Dinner: Leftover Tilapia Fish Taco Bowl (4 oz tilapia, red onion, 1/2 red bell pepper, 1/2 avocado, grape tomatoes, sautéed cabbage, and lime wedge) = $7.02
Day 2 Total = $13.49
Day 3:
Breakfast: Two hard boiled eggs with two slices of bacon, mashed sweet potato and side of strawberries = $3.63
Lunch: Our company is currently in the process of expanding our building to accommodate for growth and the general contractor surprised us with a Thanksgiving feast from Cracker Barrel. I stuck to my Whole30 diet and ended up not eating the sweet potatoes because they were disgusting, too sweet and definitely not diet compliant.
(Turkey, ham, and cranberry sauce were the best!!)
Snack: Fruit salad with strawberries, grapes, pineapple, raspberries, blueberries, clementine, and a banana = $6.14
Snack: Strawberry Banana Smoothie = $2.64
Dinner: Surprised with Five Guys after an exhausting day and no desire to cook or dirty anymore dishes. I had the Little Bacon Burger on a lettuce bun with onions, tomatoes, and pickle with a handful of fries. Annihilated this meal before getting a picture.
Day 3 Total = $12.41 (helps that two meals were provided today)
Day 4:
Breakfast: Frittata with chicken spinach sausage, bacon, spinach, and grape tomatoes with a Fuji apple on the side = $3.91
Lunch: Invited to a friend's house for Thanksgiving so I picked up a Venti Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks and enjoyed a plate of traditional Thanksgiving day eats... and no, my plate was not diet compliant.
Day 4 Total = $3.91 (A major holiday helps!!)
Day 5:
Breakfast: Two egg scramble with two slices of bacon, sweet potato, grape tomatoes, and spinach. = $3.36
Snack: An apple with peanut butter = $1.76
Snack: A cup of red grapes with 1/4 cup raw almonds = $2.36
Dinner: Movie and Pizza Hut night. The food was disappointing and not worth breaking my diet for.
Day 5 Total = $7.48
Day 6:
Breakfast: Hard boiled egg with a sweet potato and a cup of grapes = $2.13
Snack: Almonds = $1.12
Lunch: Chicken thigh with sautéed zucchini and yellow squash = $2.20
Dinner: Cocktails and dinner at Tommy Bahama's Restaurant in The Woodlands, Texas. Our best guy friend joined us and treated us to all the food and drinks we wanted. To drink I tried their Crazy Cuban (must get!) and next time would get the Key Lime Martini after trying a sip of my bestie's. For dinner we shared a bowl of Crab Bisque and Coconut Crusted Shrimp for an appetizer and to eat I had the Crab and Avocado Salad with a side of Plantain Chips with Black Bean and Corn Salsa. So good!
Day 6 Total = $5.45
Day 7:
Woke up and was not hungry until after noon so I had a couple of snacks during the football games before getting up to make some chicken soup for dinner.
Snacks: Almonds, banana smeared with peanut butter, and a cup of grapes. = $3.78
Dinner: Chicken soup with the leftover chicken thighs, diced tomatoes, celery, seasonings, and low-sodium chicken broth = $1.56 per cup
Day 7 Total = $5.34
Day 8:
Made an orange infused water = $0.42
My boss gave me the day off for picking up a shift over the weekend so eating a non-breakfast item at home is completely okay in book. In the office I try to be "normal". Haha!!
Breakfast: Leftover Italian chicken soup adding sautéed zucchini and yellow squash = $2.72
Snack: A serving of green olives = $0.69
Lunch: Smoothie with 1/2 cup almond milk, a banana, 1 cup blueberries, 1 tbsp peanut butter, 1 tbsp chia seeds, and 1 scoop vanilla protein powder with a clementine and almonds on the side = $6.11
Snack: Almonds = $1.12
Day 8 Total = $11.06
8 Day Total = $74.04
RESULTS:
The Whole Foods Challenge was to spend $125 on groceries for the week to feed a family of four with intent of making 14 meals.
$125 on groceries
14 meals
4 people
= $2.23/meal
I was only doing this challenge for myself since Little Man was away with his dad over the Thanksgiving break.
$74.04 on groceries (spent $135 but only used the equivalent of $74.04)
23 meals (see note below about how I could have gone a day or two longer)
1 person
= $3.21/meal
I could have gone longer than the 8 days noted but life got in the way and I ended up letting my meal planning fall by the wayside and dug into other foods in the house outside of what I had purchased for this challenge. Had I continued tracking my meals I think I would have beat this challenge. I'll need to give this another try and see how I do.
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