Whole Foods (If I had the money)

[*lifeoftheparty*]

...

 

Edited December 18, 2016 by *lifeoftheparty*

[TammyinTN]

If I had the money, shopping would happen about every 6-7 days at Whole Foods where I would load my cart with lots of organic veggies.  If money REALLY wasn't an issue I would load it with those pre-washed, already portioned tubs of veggies.  Fresh fruits and the meats looks amazing too.  Seriously and for real, this is where my money would go :lol:

About how much money do you suppose a family of 6 with teenagers would need to spend to live this way (haha) 

 

Really I'm just dreaming.  That's all.

 

We have Wegman's here which is like Whole Foods and I absolutely love the place.   I can easily spend $1000 a month for 

4 adults and 1 toddler...good food and we feel so much better eating whole food vs. processed.

 

I sure hope our new location has something like this or an amazing farmers market which I use in the summer months. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Oh they definitely make money, lots of money- but- they don't make as much as say, Wal-Mart, because they don't make their profits by using slave labor and greatly underpaying their employees, or using other underhanded methods of cutting corners and cheating people out of compensation.

 

I talk to Whole Food employees frequently, the ones I talk to are very happy with their jobs. They make better money than working at Wal-mart, etc. and they get a 20% discount on groceries, plus decent health insurance. Our store is always clean, the restrooms are spotless, and I see the same guys stocking the fruit and vegetables and they take pride in their work and are always helpful when I have a question or are looking for something.

 

There was a story in the local paper here about a Syrian refugee that came here, and he got a job at my local Whole Foods, and he talked about how grateful he was because they treat him well and he has found friends among the other employees there, and stuff. It made me even happier to shop there.

 

And I pay $3.99 for a dozen extra large eggs at WF. There are more expensive ones, but I get the 365 brand. Most of their 365 brand products are same price or cheaper than a normal grocery store... even better when on sale...

 

I have seen very few items that are 2-3 times what they would be anywhere else. The cost difference is usually within 50 cents to $2.00, depending on item. But again, I am comparing to other grocery stores, not Wal-Mart, because I won't step foot in one.

 

Nothing special about the food prices at Walmart here.  I'd say their prices are average overall. 

 

[*lifeoftheparty*]

...

 

Edited December 18, 2016 by *lifeoftheparty*

[StaceyinLA]

The only Whole Foods I've ever shopped in that seemed really out there price-wise was in Hawaii, and everything else was much more expensive there as well, so it balanced out.

 

We do most of our shopping between Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and the farmer's market. I will shop Target on occasion for grass-fed beef markdowns (I get ground beef and occasionally a side of beef from my sister who raises black angus cows, but for the times when I don't have that, I get the grass-fed cuts like filets and stew meat, from Target when they mark it down - I just buy all they have and throw it in the freezer).

 

Our grocery bill runs between 600 and 700 a month (that includes toiletries, which I do get from Target as well). It's dh and I with 23yodd at home, but we also have grandkids here a good bit (so I buy and keep healthy snacks for them), and cook for the family a few times a month.

 

I tend to shop sales at Whole Foods and I don't find the prices to be that bad. Trader Joe's is downright cheap, but I'm not usually AS pleased with their produce, and I hate going in there because I want to buy ALL the prepared foods; they all look amazing when I'm hungry! They have a grass-fed beef I'll buy when I don't have beef from my sister. I like their organic chicken and find the prices on it pretty good (I mostly buy the dark meat just to keep the cost down a bit). Their salsas are to die for and one of my kitchen cabinets looks like a TJ's shelf because of all the salsas we keep (we eat a LOT of Mexican-inspired dishes around here). I get all my raw nuts from TJs as well because I find the prices pretty unbeatable.

 

My dream is certainly to be able to go into WF and just get whatever I want without thinking about the price at all, but I don't know if I'd ever do that no matter how much money I had.

[ScoutTN]

We have Wegman's here which is like Whole Foods and I absolutely love the place.   I can easily spend $1000 a month for 

4 adults and 1 toddler...good food and we feel so much better eating whole food vs. processed.

 

I sure hope our new location has something like this or an amazing farmers market which I use in the summer months. 

 

 

If you are headed to Ft. Campbell, you shouldn't have any problem finding local farmer's markets, CSAs, or local farmers who sell meat, eggs and milk. Our CSA farmer is near Scottsville, KY.  

[ScoutTN]

I shop sales at WF and buy a few things that I can't get other places. Their prices are definitely high and I can purchase many items at other stores for much less. That said, the quality of their things is generally very high, the service is excellent, they stock some local and regional items (though not from small farmers like I buy from at the farmers' market) and yes, the cheese counter is amazing!

[cjzimmer1]

And I pay $3.99 for a dozen extra large eggs at WF. There are more expensive ones, but I get the 365 brand. Most of their 365 brand products are same price or cheaper than a normal grocery store... even better when on sale...

 

I have seen very few items that are 2-3 times what they would be anywhere else. The cost difference is usually within 50 cents to $2.00, depending on item. But again, I am comparing to other grocery stores, not Wal-Mart, because I won't step foot in one.

 

You know I love reading when other people post prices of things in their area.  I find it fascinating what a huge variance there is.  I haven't been to Whole Foods in a few years so I have no idea what current prices are but when I did go there it was when I was looking for specific allergen free products that I couldn't find elsewhere. 

 

I kind of blanched at those egg prices.  We'd be rationing eggs if I had to pay that much.  Today x-large eggs were 99 cents for the 18 count container. 

 

Our favorite grocery store is a small chain ( they have 10-20 stores) but the stores are the largest grocery stores in our area and have a fabulous selection of products.  Their produce isn't as good as at the pricier stores but since things don't last more than a day or two in my house, I'm okay that they have a short shelf life.  I just plan that in when selecting my produce.  But I find it very interesting about people who find Trader Joes and Whole Foods to be close in price to their regular stores.  In our area, they are just leagues apart.  Aldi's is the hands down cheapest.  The one in my town is a bit iffy so I don't shop there much but the Aldi's in the next town over (which is actually closer to my house), is beautiful.  Then my favorite local store.  Trader Joes is about double the regular grocery store and Whole Foods is so far out there, that I can't even give you a comparison.  We don't have SuperCenter Walmarts so the grocery stock in pretty small around here but when I've stopped in other town's an hour or so away, I find them to be more expensive than our local store too.

[*lifeoftheparty*]

...

 

Edited December 18, 2016 by *lifeoftheparty*

[purplejackmama]

$1000/month at least for grocery budget, if you kept to real food and not processed junky shortcut foods.

 

I would rather join a produce co-op and find a local-ish farmer/rancher willing to sell me grass-fed meat by the side or whole animal.

I would say double this!

[bethben]

$1000/month at least for grocery budget, if you kept to real food and not processed junky shortcut foods.

 

I would rather join a produce co-op and find a local-ish farmer/rancher willing to sell me grass-fed meat by the side or whole animal.

 

I could easily spend $1000/month with our family of 6 (two teen boys) and not shop at Whole Foods.  For us to shop there and not get anything processed, but buy grass fed beef and chicken and good produce, we'd be looking at $1500 a month starting.  No way I'm going to spend more on groceries than my mortgage, property taxes, and utilities combined!

[Ms Brooks]

Whole Paycheck  Ooops! I  mean Whole Foods is like any other large chain supermarket. It is corporate organic, monoculture heavy, too much packaging shopping. I hate going into my local WF and spending $70.00 for less than half a bag of groceries. What did I buy? Nuts, dry fruit, seeds, coffee, eggs, yogurt, and dish soap. And not everything I bought was organic! I stopped buying produce because it looks so bad at our local WF. We are a slim family that doesn't eat much, but we eat well.

[*lifeoftheparty*]

....

 

Edited December 18, 2016 by *lifeoftheparty*