Whole foods on a budget About This Page:

[KimmyAnn1147]

Hi y'all!

I'm working on tightening my belt money-wise and the only real place I can see saving a bunch of money is on my food and entertainment (read "booze") budget. I can pretty easily cut out most dining out and other outside entertainment, but I like to cook and am health conscious.

I do pretty much everything from scratch except breakfast cereals. I buy from bulk bins at a local cheaper grocery store. I'm experienced with alternative proteins like beans, tempeh, etc. I get some free beef from family, and some free artisan bread from a friend who is a baker for a local bakery. I grow my own kale/collards year-round as well as tomatoes and basil this time of year.

With all the perks and my lifestyle, I should be able to get our family of 3 along in under 400 per month. At least, that's my hope! I started a challenge on the Office threads.



Any tips for whole-foods shopping/planning/cooking while keeping the bottom line in check? Anyone want to join me in limiting grocery budgets?

[CinderAbby]

I have no clue - I can't afford to shop at Whole Foods - but I do want to wish you luck. Here the groceries keep going up but thanks to insurance my pay keeps going down (28 cents an hour raise, 24 hours a week, $50/month raise in insurance) so I'm lucky to afford Market Basket some weeks now.

[Huntermom]

I shop almost exclusively at Whole Foods. I find that they have much better quality than the local grocery stores for produce, seafood and meats and are no more expensive, sometimes less expensive. Their bulk foods are very reasonable. Milk is actually cheaper. Yogurt the same as other places.

I buy very few processed foods (I get no salt canned beans and tomatoes at Whole Foods much cheaper than the local grocery stores -Marketbasket, Hannaford and Shaws.). I will agree prepared foods at Whole Foods can be pricey but basic foods are not.

I do not buy lots of prepared anything mostly fresh fruits and vegetable, canned beans and tomatoes, an occasional bag of frozen veggies. I love that I can buy just one chicken breast at Whole Foods (I don't eat meat, DD does on occasion) and not have to buy more than I need.

To me, the secret to cutting grocery bills is to never buy anything in cardboard or cellophane. I would guess it costs me well under $2.00 to make 4 black bean burgers from scratch-and they taste better.

I will sometimes hit the salad bar to save time but only buy veggies that are cut, not cooked or prepared.

How many meals a day do you want to cook for $400,/month? Do you have orchards nearby? They are a good source for very fresh fruits and if your son is not fussy (or you cook them) apples off the ground are good and cheap. Do you have room in your yard for a fruit tree? Grape vine?

[KimmyAnn1147]

Originally Posted by CinderAbby

I have no clue - I can't afford to shop at Whole Foods - but I do want to wish you luck. Here the groceries keep going up but thanks to insurance my pay keeps going down (28 cents an hour raise, 24 hours a week, $50/month raise in insurance) so I'm lucky to afford Market Basket some weeks now.

Ummmm, I was worried this would happen. I'm talking about whole foods, not Whole Foods! As in whole grains, minimally processed foods, fairly healthy stuff. Not much junk. Not Whole Foods the chain. We actually don't have on in my town (yet).

Our groceries have really gone up in recent years too. And I haven't paid too much attention until now, when I realize I suspect we are averaging 600 per month in grocery bills. That's not right. I know I can do better than that!

We actually don't have Market Basket here either, but I'm guessing it's a discount grocery chain.

Sorry you got "hosed" on your pay/insurance deal. That stinks. I support my family as an RN at 24 hrs a week. They pay is good for the hours, and I don't want to work more, but it means I pay a chunk of my insurance as well, and we have to keep overhead LOW. I'm super-budget concious by ideology, but things have started to slip.

[KimmyAnn1147]

Originally Posted by Huntermom

To me, the secret to cutting grocery bills is to never buy anything in cardboard or cellophane. I would guess it costs me well under $2.00 to make 4 black bean burgers from scratch-and they taste better.

How many meals a day do you want to cook for $400,/month? Do you have orchards nearby? They are a good source for very fresh fruits and if your son is not fussy (or you cook them) apples off the ground are good and cheap. Do you have room in your yard for a fruit tree? Grape vine?

Sooo, yes! Minimal prepared foods. I'm already on this bandwagon.

Those we do buy are cans of fish (sardines, mackerel) and macaroni and cheese (Kraft) to feed DH, who lives on this stuff. He also buys some cheep-o national brand bratwursts and summer sausage, and we buy cheese at Costco.

I want to have each of us eat about 3 meals a day for our family of 3. DH and DS do a lot of grazing without proper meals when I'm at work, though. I think the key for me to shave even more off our budget is to eat more beans from dried beans. I made my first batch of decent hummus earlier this week, so it appears I can again afford that favorite food (though the tahini and olive oil are pricey.)

We do have fruit trees on our property, with produce shared among all residents (22 units), so that canbe a windfall. Unfortunately, it's hard to lay much up as it comes on just as I'm hitting my busiest time of year (work in a high school). I did manage to put up a bit of plum/apple sauce and some fruit leather. DH froze some fish he caught, but not much.

Biggest splurges for us are olive oil (I'm thinking about buying the 2.5 gallons next time from the wholesale buying co-op), canned black and green olives, and I have a terrible (finacially terrible) indian salty pickle habit.

I also go through periods where I make cocktails nightly, and when I don't do that I drink at least one beer. If I have cheep beer, I will drink it, but if I have pricey beer, I will drink that. DH and I figured out that we're spending about 30 cents on a Ham's; 75 cents on a 1.5 oz shot of liquor (standard cocktail), and about 90 cents on a Henry Weinhards beer. We don't buy true craft beers unless we are out on the town, which we will limit significantly over the next few months.

I don't like to be in a significant hard liquor habit (I think it's possibly self-destructive ) So I only do 2 big purchases a year, one for the summer party and one for the Christmas party. Right now, I'm just mopping up the dregs from the awesome Tiki party we had 2 weeks ago. So soon, it will be Hamsville. With bottled lime, it tastes just like a Corona!

Thanks for posting, and sorry for the whole foods vs Whole Foods confusion. It's good to hear that WF doesn't gouge on the staples.

[Huntermom]

I buy my olive oil ayt While Foods-reasonably priced for a good quality. I am an olive oil fanactic so I have been given high grade olive oil as a gift (maybe a little non traditional but I love it). I am on a low sodium low carb diet for health reasons so olives are not in my diet any longer. Nor is dipping bread in olive oil.

Do you ever make your own bread. Not hard and it can save lots of money. I also make my own pizza crust (for health reasons)

When my kids were young they often snacked on peanut butter on veggies.

I also no longer drink juices-way too expensive both in terms of carbs and money. MY DD used to occasionally eat Annie's mac and cheese but my kids prefer pasta with butter and parmesan. I am not sure it is cheaper, but I know it tastes better.

I think it is hard to give up all your little pleasures but one of the things I have learned is once you have adjusted, it is easy. Good luck. You already do so many of my money (and health) saving things.

[Her Dotness]

Unless you use substantial amounts of olive oil, I'm not sure that buying the 2.5 gallon container is wise. Its quality does diminish markedly, I think, when kept for very long due to exposure to air from opening the container.

Then again, perhaps storing it carefully would reduce that concern. I'm not sure but have noticed that I likely should buy a smaller bottle than I have been as we don't use the size I currently buy as quickly as appears desirable.

I guess I'm a thorough food snob, but I agree with Huntermom that the quality and flavor of whole foods bought at Whole Foods, Lucky's (a Colorado chain we got here not long ago) and Trader Joe's seem much better to me and a far better use of our money than the same things from the regular grocers.

I buy organic when possible and really ought to get self going to a nearby farmers market early on Saturdays since some local organic farmers sell produce there. The ease and convenience of a store usually trumps that although I know that roadside stands and farmers markets often have far less expensive food.

It's a tossup sometimes as to what is truly a better deal, I think, when you weigh convenience against cost.

[KimmyAnn1147]

Originally Posted by Huntermom

....I am on a low sodium low carb diet for health reasons so olives are not in my diet any longer. Nor is dipping bread in olive oil.

Do you ever make your own bread. Not hard and it can save lots of money. I also make my own pizza crust (for health reasons)

When my kids were young they often snacked on peanut butter on veggies....

I think it is hard to give up all your little pleasures but one of the things I have learned is once you have adjusted, it is easy. Good luck. You already do so many of my money (and health) saving things.

Good for you for doing what you need to for your health. I cook a ton with olive oil, though I do love dipping as well. I try not to get into that habit much, as it can become my constant go-to snack...not good for the bottom or the bottom line!

It is hard to give up some of those little pleasures! I'm trying to take the "shop smarter" road right now rather than cut out all those little flavor bursts that I love so much.

I have made my own bread with reasonable success in the past. Between the "extra helping" program and a friend who just got a baker's job at a wonderful local bakery, I'm in bread for free all the time right now. Yay!!!

[KimmyAnn1147]

Originally Posted by Her Dotness

Unless you use substantial amounts of olive oil, I'm not sure that buying the 2.5 gallon container is wise. Its quality does diminish markedly, I think, when kept for very long due to exposure to air from opening the container.

Then again, perhaps storing it carefully would reduce that concern. I'm not sure but have noticed that I likely should buy a smaller bottle than I have been as we don't use the size I currently buy as quickly as appears desirable.

I guess I'm a thorough food snob, but I agree with Huntermom that the quality and flavor of whole foods bought at Whole Foods, Lucky's (a Colorado chain we got here not long ago) and Trader Joe's seem much better to me and a far better use of our money than the same things from the regular grocers.

I buy organic when possible and really ought to get self going to a nearby farmers market early on Saturdays since some local organic farmers sell produce there. The ease and convenience of a store usually trumps that although I know that roadside stands and farmers markets often have far less expensive food.

It's a tossup sometimes as to what is truly a better deal, I think, when you weigh convenience against cost.

I did not know that olive oil was so fragile. I buy whatever is cheapest but comes in glass. I think storing oil in plastic is unwise, just seems like the plastic would leach. Same with liquor. Glass only, please! I did notice that when I was cooking a lot, I went through a quart in about 2.5 weeks. Seems FAST to me.

Organic. I try to buy tropical products from organic. On my trip to Nicaragua, I saw a lot of pesticide use going on, clouds and clouds of it, and the workers were just swimming in the stuff, with no protection whatsoever. Here are the products I buy special.

Coffee...fair trade, shade grown, organic. I have a connection with a local roaster and pay 7 per lb for regular and 9 per lb for decaf.

Bananas...organic for reasons above. This used to be 10-20 cents more per lb, now it's about double price at the neighborhood grocery store. Ouch. I've been buying them less often, as the guys will eat 2-3 per day if allowed.

Eggs...Cage-free. Sometimes these are organic as well, just cause it's cheeper. Get it?

Pasta...I'm aiming for whole grain pasta. I recently got an extruder and am working on deciding if it's worth storing. I don't think home-extruded pasta is cheaper, and it's only minimally more tasty. Hand-rolled egg noodles are awesome, but I don't take the time to do that regularly.

Everything else I'm just going with the bargain pricing as much as possible. I keep going back to beans beans beans as the secret formula to spending less.

[Huntermom]

KImmyAnn,

I love black beans and eat them almost daily. I was listening to the author of Blue Zones and her said one consistent factor in long lived peoples is they eat beans regularly.

MY favorites are black bean burgers, spaghetti squash burritto bowls and of course, adding them to a salad for protein. I also eat pasta fagioli regularly. I buy whole wheat pasta at Whole Foods -$1.79 a box. And the box is 16 ounces, not 14 or 12. I would guess you can get it cheaper from a coop.

My son goes to Costco for organic produce. I alone don't eat enough to buy large quantities but his family of three (including one fruit crazed toddler) do.

Also does your son lime bananas with peanut butter. Adding in the PB makes them more filling and the fullness longer lasting,

[KimmyAnn1147]

You got me interested in Blue Zones, Huntermom. I hadn't heard of that group or book. I just pulled up a longevity article from Nat. Geo. that they link to. Wine and beans? That I can do....except, I'm trying to save $...so the wine will have to be more occasional.

About DH and DS's eating habits during the day...I don't get involved. I'm working, they have their own thing going. I just let them do it and influence what I can by what is in the fridge (to some extent).

[Huntermom]

I think Blue Zones are fascinating. I want to read the book soon but have 4 started books on my table right now. The other food approach my son has shared with me is Eat to Beat .org-they have some great recipes.

[Her Dotness]

I bought a spiral slicer several years ago and now actually prefer zucchini as my spaghetti. You do have to let the sliced zucchini sit for a few minutes and then drain off the liquid or you'll have marinara soup when adding sauce.

Regular pasta makes me feel stuffed and it's mostly carbs anyway. That's why I prefer spaghetti squash or spiraled zucchini. Light and very low-carb. You can make fettucine by slicing zucchini lengthwise with either a veggie peeler or sharp knife. Yummy!

[KimmyAnn1147]

Originally Posted by Her Dotness

I bought a spiral slicer several years ago and now actually prefer zucchini as my spaghetti. You do have to let the sliced zucchini sit for a few minutes and then drain off the liquid or you'll have marinara soup when adding sauce.

Regular pasta makes me feel stuffed and it's mostly carbs anyway. That's why I prefer spaghetti squash or spiraled zucchini. Light and very low-carb. You can make fettucine by slicing zucchini lengthwise with either a veggie peeler or sharp knife. Yummy!

I've read about these and even looked at them online. We have limited storage in our kitchen, so I didn't go for it. I made whole wheat spatzle last night. It was grainy but pretty good.

[KimmyAnn1147]

An update-I've been making tons of hummus for lunches and made baba ganouch once as well. Not low fat, but pretty darned wholesome. It has made lunches really easy.