I think Whole Foods would be cheaper for me...

[Ann.without.an.e]

So we spend like a trillion dollars a month on groceries. I know that I can't cut that back like some families because of who we are 🤣  

1) we have food allergies/sensitivities that cost us a ton right out the gate

2) we like good quality food

3) we like healthy food and care about where our food is sourced

4) we do not live in an area where most people care so we aren't catered to in availability or pricing

Ways I save money already...

I shop a lot of stores to get the best prices (but I feel this needs to change, which I will explain below).  

I use S&S for things that are cheaper there (tricky because so many things aren't cheaper through amazon)

I use Sam's for TP, Paper towels, etc.

I have price compared for Walmart and considered grocery pick-up BUT so many things are more $$ there.

Maybe Aldi is good where you are but the quality here is terrible.  I just can't.

Because I have to go into so many stores to pull together what we want/need I feel like I shop all the time.  A trip here, a trip there.  I always plan it on the way to or from somewhere so this isn't a gas issue as much as time.  I'm just always "running into the store" because I can't get what I need at one store. Vegan yogurt is at one store, vegan cream cheese at another, natural chicken at a good price is at another, gluten free bread is better at another. Part of this is because I don't live in an area where these things are popular. I have tried to put in product requests at a local store but it has never worked. I live about 40 minutes from Trader Joe's/Whole Foods. WF is the only place where I can get all of our products in one place.  Trader Joe's isn't far from the WF though and the produce is a bit cheaper there.  Other than subscribe and save stuff and Sam's club once a month, I have seriously considered only shopping every 2 weeks and just getting everything from TJ's & WF.  I think it would save money in the long run.  WF is cheaper for most of what I buy (weirdly enough), especially if I shop prime sales and use my prime card for 5% back.  Shopping every two weeks instead of running into the store several times a week would surely save money right?  

Am I crazy?  What am I missing?

** Just an added thought.  I homeschool, run a household, work two part time jobs, and teach classes.  I am way too busy for anyone to suggest that I save money buy making odd little obscure stuff.  Almond milk is $6 a gallon, but no I am not making my own 🤣  We eat almost every meal at home.  I cook dinners from scratch. 

 

Edited June 20, 2019 by Attolia

[Tanaqui]

Fresh produce doesn't often keep for two weeks. You may need to make a second "produce only" trip if you expect to eat a lot of that.

[ktgrok]

So with you right now. With the Celiac kid who also has food refusal due to PANDAS and OCD my grocery budget is through the roof. And I'm ALWAYS shopping because one place has the gluten free waffles, another the gluten free corn dogs, another the whole milk yogurt, another the produce, etc. It is maddening. 

My solution I think is going to be to get another refrigerator/freezer for the garage so I can stock up more. Much of what DS eats comes frozen, like the corn dogs, waffles, pizzas, bread, cupcakes,  etc so I could actually store all that, plus a bunch of meat for the rest of us. And the extra fridge could hold stuff too, as I am always running out of room for milk, etc. 

If I do that I can probably hit one store per week, and stock up on the things from that store. Most yogurt have a pretty decent expiration, as does the special high protein milk we buy, etc. So then I just need produce each week, which could be one trip just to get produce which at least is all in one spot. 

First need to clean out the garage though, to make room for it. 

[catz]

I have access to everything here.  And I do hit a lot of different options.  I will say if you want natural/less processed/low ingredient count food, if you shop carefully at WF that kind of thing can be a better deal there.  Especially if you are a prime member.  We use prime and then we have a prime credit card we use just on Amazon and for WF and you get 5% back.  You just need to be careful in the deli/take out area.  That's our downfall.  LOL. 

Could you do the longer trip every 2 weeks, and do a produce run locally in between?

 

 

[rjand6more]

So, we do not deal with allergies/sensitivities like you do. So YMMV.

DS has a dairy allergy.  He just skips cheese/milk.  No expensive substitutions.  If we had gluten issues, we would just not buy bread(or rarely).  I would structure purchases to what we need.  That would be a HUGE change and a painful one, indeed, but our grocery budget can't take that kind of hit.

So DS can't have milk, so no almond milk(SO EXPENSIVE and not really that healthy.)  No cereal.  He gave it up.  He eats oatmeal sometimes or eggs or fruit for breakfast. 

I'm sorry to hear about your Aldi.  It's where I get so much organic stuff that costs $$$$$ at other stores.

Do you have Country Life Natural Food co op delivery location near?https://www.clnf.org/

[MEmama]

I drive half an hour or so to WF and TJs pretty much every week to stock up, and still run to the neighbourhood grocery every day or two. I don't understand at all how people shop less frequently, but power to you if you can make it work! 

FWIW our diet isn't as complicated as yours and I still find WF to be cheaper (and much better quality) on many items  than my local shops. However, I don't find the produce from my TJs to last more than a couple days, so I try not to buy much there unless I know I'll use it that night.

[JustEm]

My sil shops at Trader Joe's every 2 weeks and uses a few online places to get certain staples delivered. It seems to work really well for them so I don't think it is crazy at all

[Matryoshka]

16 minutes ago, Attolia said:

So we spend like a trillion dollars a month on groceries. I know that I can't cut that back like some families because of who we are 🤣  

1) we have food allergies/sensitivities that cost us a ton right out the gate

2) we like good quality food

3) we like healthy food and care about where our food is sourced

4) we do not live in an area where most people care so we aren't catered to in availability or pricing

Ways I save money already...

I shop a lot of stores to get the best prices (but I feel this needs to change, which I will explain below).  

I use S&S for things that are cheaper there (tricky because so many things aren't cheaper through amazon)

I use Sam's for TP, Paper towels, etc.

I have price compared for Walmart and considered grocery pick-up BUT so many things are more $$ there.

Maybe Aldi is good where you are but the quality here is terrible.  I just can't.

Because I have to go into so many stores to pull together what we want/need I feel like I shop all the time.  A trip here, a trip there.  I always plan it on the way to or from somewhere so this isn't a gas issue as much as time.  I'm just always "running into the store" because I can't get what I need at one store. Vegan yogurt is at one store, vegan cream cheese at another, natural chicken at a good price is at another, gluten free bread is better at another. Part of this is because I don't live in an area where these things are popular. I have tried to put in product requests at a local store but it has never worked. I live about 40 minutes from Trader Joe's/Whole Foods. WF is the only place where I can get all of our products in one place.  Trader Joe's isn't far from the WF though and the produce is a bit cheaper there.  Other than subscribe and save stuff and Sam's club once a month, I have seriously considered only shopping every 2 weeks and just getting everything from TJ's & WF.  I think it would save money in the long run.  WF is cheaper for most of what I buy (weirdly enough), especially if I shop prime sales and use my prime card for 5% back.  Shopping every two weeks instead of running into the store several times a week would surely save money right?  

Am I crazy?  What am I missing?

** Just an added thought.  I homeschool, run a household, work two part time jobs, and teach classes.  I am way too busy for anyone to suggest that I save money buy making odd little obscure stuff.  Almond milk is $6 a gallon, but no I am not making my own 🤣  We eat almost every meal at home.  I cook dinners from scratch. 

For natural stuff, WF is often cheaper than a regular supermarket because of economies of scale.  

I buy everything I can at TJ's, because they're usually cheaper than WF, but they don't have a full selection of stuff, obviously.  I shop the sales at WF - their meat and produce is generally much nicer than TJ's but $$.  When meat is on sale, I buy it in 1lb. packages and freeze it, and I just don't buy what isn't on sale.  I stock up on other non-perishables with sales too.  But I mostly buy fresh produce, meat, and odd items I can't get at TJ's.

My kids' whole childhoods all the WFs were annoyingly at least 30 min from me.  I'd make a trip once a week, with a freezer bag.  Weekly is easier because you get all the sales and as someone else said, fresh produce doesn't last two weeks.  Going a bit farther once a week was still much less disruptive to my schedule than shopping multiple stores.

We have a few staples we buy at the local grocery that we know are cheaper there - Greek yogurt, orange juice, protein bars, peanut butter, etc.   Dh often picks those up on the way home.  But yeah, I've pretty much been doing your plan for years, so it makes sense to me! 😀

[Ann.without.an.e]

42 minutes ago, Tanaqui said:

Fresh produce doesn't often keep for two weeks. You may need to make a second "produce only" trip if you expect to eat a lot of that.

 

36 minutes ago, Ktgrok said:

So with you right now. With the Celiac kid who also has food refusal due to PANDAS and OCD my grocery budget is through the roof. And I'm ALWAYS shopping because one place has the gluten free waffles, another the gluten free corn dogs, another the whole milk yogurt, another the produce, etc. It is maddening. 

My solution I think is going to be to get another refrigerator/freezer for the garage so I can stock up more. Much of what DS eats comes frozen, like the corn dogs, waffles, pizzas, bread, cupcakes,  etc so I could actually store all that, plus a bunch of meat for the rest of us. And the extra fridge could hold stuff too, as I am always running out of room for milk, etc. 

If I do that I can probably hit one store per week, and stock up on the things from that store. Most yogurt have a pretty decent expiration, as does the special high protein milk we buy, etc. So then I just need produce each week, which could be one trip just to get produce which at least is all in one spot. 

First need to clean out the garage though, to make room for it. 

 

34 minutes ago, FuzzyCatz said:

I have access to everything here.  And I do hit a lot of different options.  I will say if you want natural/less processed/low ingredient count food, if you shop carefully at WF that kind of thing can be a better deal there.  Especially if you are a prime member.  We use prime and then we have a prime credit card we use just on Amazon and for WF and you get 5% back.  You just need to be careful in the deli/take out area.  That's our downfall.  LOL. 

Could you do the longer trip every 2 weeks, and do a produce run locally in between?

 

 

 

34 minutes ago, rjand6more said:

So, we do not deal with allergies/sensitivities like you do. So YMMV.

DS has a dairy allergy.  He just skips cheese/milk.  No expensive substitutions.  If we had gluten issues, we would just not buy bread(or rarely).  I would structure purchases to what we need.  That would be a HUGE change and a painful one, indeed, but our grocery budget can't take that kind of hit.

So DS can't have milk, so no almond milk(SO EXPENSIVE and not really that healthy.)  No cereal.  He gave it up.  He eats oatmeal sometimes or eggs or fruit for breakfast. 

I'm sorry to hear about your Aldi.  It's where I get so much organic stuff that costs $$$$$ at other stores.

Do you have Country Life Natural Food co op delivery location near?https://www.clnf.org/

 

31 minutes ago, MEmama said:

I drive half an hour or so to WF and TJs pretty much every week to stock up, and still run to the neighbourhood grocery every day or two. I don't understand at all how people shop less frequently, but power to you if you can make it work! 

FWIW our diet isn't as complicated as yours and I still find WF to be cheaper (and much better quality) on many items  than my local shops. However, I don't find the produce from my TJs to last more than a couple days, so I try not to buy much there unless I know I'll use it that night.

 

28 minutes ago, happysmileylady said:

I do shop multiple stores, but I ONLY shop on one day.  Usually it's Saturday.  I get my list together by Friday night.  My list is divided out by store, and further grouped by how I shop the store.  Meaning, Produce is always in front at Kroger, so I mark down all the produce there first, then there's bread, then meat, by that time I am at the back of the store for milk etc etc.  This cuts down on the time I am in the store.  Then, I get up early in the morning, hit a drive through for breakfast, then go to Fresh Thyme.  I usually have between 5 and 10 items to get there.  Then I hit Kroger, which is just across the street from Fresh Thyme.  Again, usually have about 5 to 10 items to get there.  Then I go out to Meijer, which is the most out of the way and the bulk of the shopping is usually done there.  

Some other things though...

I don't go to the store mid week unless I have to.  And have to means that I am out of Goodnights for DS6.  If we run out of milk though, we drink water and don't eat cereal in the mornings.  If we run out of chicken nuggets I make bread and we eat grilled cheese for lunch the rest of the week.  And I don't go to a separate store for just one thing.  I need the savings provided by that store to be worth the extra effort to get to the store, and saving 15 cents on a dozen eggs doesn't make it worth it.  Now, if it's saving $7 on a bottle of vitamins, that might make it worth it.  But if for example, I have 3 things at XYZ store, they will save me a total of a dollar, and it takes 20 minutes to get to that store just for those things, no, that's not worth it for me to drive to that store.

 

 

28 minutes ago, hjffkj said:

My sil shops at Trader Joe's every 2 weeks and uses a few online places to get certain staples delivered. It seems to work really well for them so I don't think it is crazy at all

 

24 minutes ago, Matryoshka said:

For natural stuff, WF is often cheaper than a regular supermarket because of economies of scale.  

I buy everything I can at TJ's, because they're usually cheaper than WF, but they don't have a full selection of stuff, obviously.  I shop the sales at WF - their meat and produce is generally much nicer than TJ's but $$.  When meat is on sale, I buy it in 1lb. packages and freeze it, and I just don't buy what isn't on sale.  I stock up on other non-perishables with sales too.  But I mostly buy fresh produce, meat, and odd items I can't get at TJ's.

My kids' whole childhoods all the WFs were annoyingly at least 30 min from me.  I'd make a trip once a week, with a freezer bag.  Weekly is easier because you get all the sales and as someone else said, fresh produce doesn't last two weeks.  Going a bit farther once a week was still much less disruptive to my schedule than shopping multiple stores.

We have a few staples we buy at the local grocery that we know are cheaper there - Greek yogurt, orange juice, protein bars, peanut butter, etc.   Dh often picks those up on the way home.  But yeah, I've pretty much been doing your plan for years, so it makes sense to me! 😀

 

 

Gosh, ya'll are awesome....first for making me feel less insane.  I needed someone to tell me that I am not crazy, so thank y'all!  

I like the idea of either going once a week and just hitting those stores (maybe the drive is worth it and I would catch more sales). Or every other week with a local fresh produce run in between.  I think WF crosses their sales on Wednesday though so if I go every other Wednesday I would still catch all sales right?  Weekdays are so hard though. 

I saw a youtube mom post about how you can feed your family for $100/month per person and it made me feel crazy.  Then I watched her next video about her Walmart run.  *ALL* that food she got at Walmart for $200 was discounted bread and cheap junk.  She didn't even have any meat there (yet mentioned taco night with ground beef).  Anywhooo---NOT ok for us haha.

You have all had some great ideas.  I am thinking on this.  @happysmileylady  I like your Saturday morning idea.  Maybe I will adopt that 🙂 

Edited June 20, 2019 by Attolia

[happi duck]

I think tj and wf would be a great combo!

One holiday meal shopping trip I was at wf for the things only they carry.  I was going to shop somewhere else for the rest but decided to check prices and realized i wasn't going to save much switching stores.  By staying at wf I had the bonus of not battling another holiday crowd. 

[Pen]

We are rural, with nearest food store 30 minutes.  And it’s not much good.  Rarely I go there if already near it.

 But usually go infrequently to a farther store somewhat like WH, where I can mostly get all of what I need in one place.

 I get TP paper towels etc usually via Amazon delivery.   I used to not use paper towels for environment, but have recently Because I have a chronic illness and was having trouble keeping up on wash of all cloth items. 

I also (like a op) have gotten meat in large amount at once from a local farm (though we actually have to drive to a butchers in city to physically get it) but that requires sufficient freezer space  —  after the freezer cost— it’s less expensive, higher quality from health POV— though sometimes rather tough since the animals eat grass and run around— makes wonderful stew and soup though. 

 

Maybe your homeschooling could include homegrown sprouts growing to have some fresh food in the every other week.

and aside from salads, you could utilize freezing for vegetables and fruits to go into the week you don’t shop— like salads in week one, stir fried week two   And learn how to choose and store for longest lasting of the fresh stuff. 

Edited June 20, 2019 by Pen

[JustEm]

I will say.  There are 7 of us, our grocery budget is $600/month and I do most  of our shopping at Walmart.  We don't have any dietary issues so don't have that to deal with.  However, we do not buy junk food or bread from there.  Our diet is 90% whole foods with the small bit of processed treats here and there.  We are able to do it so cheaply by making a lot of stuff from scratch, having chicken, eggs and beans be our main proteins, making my own yogurt (which I believe you can make vegan yogurt) eating very little cheese,  not buying any paper products except toilet paper, and stocking up on things when they are at rock bottom prices. This year I changed it up and split a CSA share with my mom to get organic produce at an incredibly reasonable price and the budget still comes out the same but I think we're getting more veggies.

I've watched so many youtube videos about how people have such small groceries budgets and their food choices are complete crap.  I've thought about starting my own videos to show how it is possible to eat well on less but I haven't bit the bullet and done it. Of course if we had dietary issues our budget would need to be larger but those videos don't do a could job of showing that healthy on less is possible.

[Carol in Cal.]

Let me just suggest a method, not a plan.

The method is to take your biggest expenses and figure out if there is an easy way to chop them.  That way you are focusing on the easiest and/or most effective ways to save money.  So, for instance, say you use a lot of fresh herbs, which cost a fortune.  One approach would be to switch to dried herbs bought in bulk bags. Another might be to figure out how to make the fresh ones last longer.  Another would be to grow some—they are easier to grow than most veggies, and lower maintenance; plus you don’t need a large bulk of them to get a meaningful amount.

 

[Lawyer&Mom]

We do 90% of our shopping at WF.  The meat is just so much better than our Safeway, they have all my GF items, and the store has a *much* nicer feel to it.  I’d love to get more from TJ, but it is located in a more urban neighborhood and the parking is just impossible.  My point is just that you make the decision that makes the most sense for your family.  If it works for you, it isn’t crazy.   

[JustEm]

16 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said:

Let me just suggest a method, not a plan.

The method is to take your biggest expenses and figure out if there is an easy way to chop them.  That way you are focusing on the easiest and/or most effective ways to save money.  So, for instance, say you use a lot of fresh herbs, which cost a fortune.  One approach would be to switch to dried herbs bought in bulk bags. Another might be to figure out how to make the fresh ones last longer.  Another would be to grow some—they are easier to grow than most veggies, and lower maintenance; plus you don’t need a large bulk of them to get a meaningful amount.

 

This is great advice.  Over the last few years we've done this with all of our most expensive things and it has really helped the food budget.  We grow our own herbs, make our own yogurt, stopped buying paper towels and napkins, started buying high quality meat in bulk to lower the price, stopped buying cleaning products and mostly stick to vinegar and baking soda, and other stuff.  The key to making this work well is to go really slow and make one thing a habit before trying something new.  This way it doesn't add a whole lot of extra time to our already busy lives.  

 

[KungFuPanda]

You should absolutely cut down on your trips.  Your time and energy are more valuable than saving 50 cents on a loaf of bread.  If you plan well, you can go every two weeks.  You can even forgo the fresh produce run in the middle. What fresh produce are you even buying that you can't live a week without?  I can't think of anything that perishes in a a few days that we can't skip for a week.  Stack the berries and salads into the first week and eat the things that keep better the second.  You can definitely simplify and not go broke or starve.  In my house, staying ahead of food waste is a challenge.  If running around less keeps you on top of that and you eat every morsel you purchase you will come out ahead.  I think it can also help to just find new recipes for the food you CAN eat and skip the weird substitutions for allergy foods.  It might take some effort to adjust palates, but it would pay off in the end. 

[KungFuPanda]

40 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said:

Let me just suggest a method, not a plan.

The method is to take your biggest expenses and figure out if there is an easy way to chop them.  That way you are focusing on the easiest and/or most effective ways to save money.  So, for instance, say you use a lot of fresh herbs, which cost a fortune.  One approach would be to switch to dried herbs bought in bulk bags. Another might be to figure out how to make the fresh ones last longer.  Another would be to grow some—they are easier to grow than most veggies, and lower maintenance; plus you don’t need a large bulk of them to get a meaningful amount.

 

This is good advice.  I enjoy gardening, but my herbs are the thing I use the most and the least amount of work.  I don't even have full sun and they thrive.  They can also be used right away and longer so you don't have to wait for a harvest like most veggies.  Also, you can grow some greens in a pot and only cut what you need for a meal without investing a ton of time or space into caring for a bigger garden.

[Carol in Cal.]

Also, to make less frequent shopping work for you, look into local CSA deliveries for your fresh produce.  That can improve your overall food quality with organic produce, increase the produce variety that you use, support a local farmer, and save you those intermediate trips to the store for fresh stuff.  Use the produce in most to least perishable order.

[Matryoshka]

Also, don't forget about the bulk bins at WF - even though they're called 'bulk', not only are things usually cheaper per pound, but I can save even more money by buying just the amount I need (so, sometimes a smaller amount than in the 'standard package'), especially if it's something I don't use all the time.

[Tanaqui]

Yes, bulk bins! SO LONG AS YOU CAN FREEZE EVERYTHING THREE DAYS.

Because pantry moths, ugh. Bulk bins in every store have that risk.

[Ann.without.an.e]

2 hours ago, hjffkj said:

I will say.  There are 7 of us, our grocery budget is $600/month and I do most  of our shopping at Walmart.  We don't have any dietary issues so don't have that to deal with.  However, we do not buy junk food or bread from there.  Our diet is 90% whole foods with the small bit of processed treats here and there.  We are able to do it so cheaply by making a lot of stuff from scratch, having chicken, eggs and beans be our main proteins, making my own yogurt (which I believe you can make vegan yogurt) eating very little cheese,  not buying any paper products except toilet paper, and stocking up on things when they are at rock bottom prices. This year I changed it up and split a CSA share with my mom to get organic produce at an incredibly reasonable price and the budget still comes out the same but I think we're getting more veggies.

I've watched so many youtube videos about how people have such small groceries budgets and their food choices are complete crap.  I've thought about starting my own videos to show how it is possible to eat well on less but I haven't bit the bullet and done it. Of course if we had dietary issues our budget would need to be larger but those videos don't do a could job of showing that healthy on less is possible.

 

 

Yes, I used to do more of this when I was home full-time.  It just isn't really an option with my limited time.  I know that it can be done if you need to do it.  The dietary issues do add more expense than one could imagine.  I spend a far cry more than $600/month but I know I could get it lower than I spend now if I made more things like vegan yogurt, etc.  

Edited June 20, 2019 by Attolia

[Ann.without.an.e]

2 hours ago, Carol in Cal. said:

Let me just suggest a method, not a plan.

The method is to take your biggest expenses and figure out if there is an easy way to chop them.  That way you are focusing on the easiest and/or most effective ways to save money.  So, for instance, say you use a lot of fresh herbs, which cost a fortune.  One approach would be to switch to dried herbs bought in bulk bags. Another might be to figure out how to make the fresh ones last longer.  Another would be to grow some—they are easier to grow than most veggies, and lower maintenance; plus you don’t need a large bulk of them to get a meaningful amount.

 

 

2 hours ago, hjffkj said:

This is great advice.  Over the last few years we've done this with all of our most expensive things and it has really helped the food budget.  We grow our own herbs, make our own yogurt, stopped buying paper towels and napkins, started buying high quality meat in bulk to lower the price, stopped buying cleaning products and mostly stick to vinegar and baking soda, and other stuff.  The key to making this work well is to go really slow and make one thing a habit before trying something new.  This way it doesn't add a whole lot of extra time to our already busy lives.  

 

 

How do you know what your biggest expenses are?  Are you just aware or do you break down your grocery purchases even more?

[Ann.without.an.e]

31 minutes ago, Tanaqui said:

Yes, bulk bins! SO LONG AS YOU CAN FREEZE EVERYTHING THREE DAYS.

Because pantry moths, ugh. Bulk bins in every store have that risk.

 

 

Good to know 😜

[Ann.without.an.e]

1 hour ago, mms said:

Is Sam's your only warehouse option?  I know in the past I have found Costco to have far better quality/selection for healthy stuff than Sam's.  We have no dietary restrictions but most people I know who do shop at Costco.

 

 

Costco is about 45 minutes away.  I used to shop there a good bit but it isn't in the same direction as WF or TJ's and it just gets complicated.  I could never tell if I was saving $$ or just spending more on crazy stuff 🤣

Edited June 20, 2019 by Attolia

[JustEm]

10 minutes ago, Attolia said:

 

 

How do you know what your biggest expenses are?  Are you just aware or do you break down your grocery purchases even more?

I just look at my receipts over an extended period of time.  For ex. canned coconut milk can vary in price so much and doesn't seem like a lot if I buy 2 cans a week.  But over time that adds up.  So, I started buying coconut milk in bulk either online or at the store when it was on sale.  Currently, we have 24 cans of coconut milk that I got at half the price of what I would normally spend if I was just to buy it at the not sale or bulk price.

Meat is a huge expense, especially for high quality, humanely raised meat.  I could never afford to eat beef regularly if I paid the prices in the grocery store.  Shoot, I think commercial beef is too expensive for me so I wouldn't buy it even if I wasn't opposed to it.  So,  some years we order a side of 100% grass fed beef from a local farm where we know their practices and some years we don't eat beef at all. Chicken is a harder one for me because I have yet to find a good source of reasonably priced high quality chicken.  So, for now we purchase 30 lbs of thighs a month of commercial poultry because that is what we can afford. This is our next food product to get at a better quality and price.  Our plan is to raise them ourselves for 8 weeks and then either slaughter them ourselves or pay our neighbor to do it.  In theory, this can be more cost effective than buying humanely sourced chickens but obviously not as cost effective as buying commercial.  Since we are trying to get away from commercial meat it is a step towards that. Obviously, not everyone can do stuff like this.  But I have a friend who has become well acquainted with people in the meat department of her natural food store and has learned the best times to come in for when they mark stuff down in price to move it before it expires. 

Butter is another one.  Buying it every week, whatever amount we generally need, adds up.  But I have found that if I buy it in bulk at The Restaurant Depot I can save a significant amount of money.

 

[moonflower]

We do 90% of grocery shopping at Natural Grocers (like Whole Foods but much cheaper ime) - do you have a Natural Grocers in your area?  the remaining 10% is at Walmart, where I buy some staples (flour, sugar, pasta, corn chips, all organic and much cheaper than anywhere else being Wal-Mart).

We used to do 90% of grocery shopping at Whole Foods when it was the nearest health food store and our grocery spending was easily twice what it is now.

Part of that is just that convenience foods at WF are more plentiful and super expensive for a big family like ours, but part of it is also produce prices - produce at WF is insane comapred to Natural Grocers anywhere I've lived that has both.  Like, apples will be $3/lb at WF and $1.70/lb at NG.  That's a big difference, and it's pretty steady across all produce.  Much less variety at NG, though.

[Ann.without.an.e]

3 minutes ago, moonflower said:

We do 90% of grocery shopping at Natural Grocers (like Whole Foods but much cheaper ime) - do you have a Natural Grocers in your area?  the remaining 10% is at Walmart, where I buy some staples (flour, sugar, pasta, corn chips, all organic and much cheaper than anywhere else being Wal-Mart).

We used to do 90% of grocery shopping at Whole Foods when it was the nearest health food store and our grocery spending was easily twice what it is now.

Part of that is just that convenience foods at WF are more plentiful and super expensive for a big family like ours, but part of it is also produce prices - produce at WF is insane comapred to Natural Grocers anywhere I've lived that has both.  Like, apples will be $3/lb at WF and $1.70/lb at NG.  That's a big difference, and it's pretty steady across all produce.  Much less variety at NG, though.

 

We do not have a NG.  Produce is where I think WF is def more expensive unless there is a sale.  They have some pretty good produce sales.  That is what keeps me tied to the idea of hitting TJ;s in the same run.  Their produce is more reasonable.   

Thanks for the thoughts ❤️ 

[BarbecueMom]

Bulk bins are not always a great option with food allergies and Celiac.  One of our nearby stores has them, and it's a cross-contamination nightmare. The whole wheat flour scoop gets around.  Also, the bulk bin price at that store for 1lb. of rice or beans is greater than the 1lb. bag price on the shelves.

Food allergies/Celiac here too.  Portion control and reduction of food waste are often overlooked factors in keeping the budget down, especially when you are stuck with certain brands/sources, even when something should be GF (like lentils!).  Since DS11 is the only person in this house that consistently eats normal-sized portions, we usually have a LOT of leftovers to cover lunch and some dinners.  Making sure those get used/frozen instead of thrown out has a big impact.  I always try to make my last couple planned meals of the week easy to carry over into the next one (frozen or shelf-stable ingredients), just in case we have too many leftovers to get through.

[Selkie]

37 minutes ago, moonflower said:

We do 90% of grocery shopping at Natural Grocers (like Whole Foods but much cheaper ime) - do you have a Natural Grocers in your area?  the remaining 10% is at Walmart, where I buy some staples (flour, sugar, pasta, corn chips, all organic and much cheaper than anywhere else being Wal-Mart).

We used to do 90% of grocery shopping at Whole Foods when it was the nearest health food store and our grocery spending was easily twice what it is now.

Part of that is just that convenience foods at WF are more plentiful and super expensive for a big family like ours, but part of it is also produce prices - produce at WF is insane comapred to Natural Grocers anywhere I've lived that has both.  Like, apples will be $3/lb at WF and $1.70/lb at NG.  That's a big difference, and it's pretty steady across all produce.  Much less variety at NG, though.

Same here - I buy almost everything at Natural Grocers. I really love that store. It’s got a much friendlier vibe than Whole Foods, imo. Maybe it’s just the Whole Foods near us, but I start getting tense the minute I pull in the parking lot because there are so many rude and grumpy people. 

[stephanier.1765]

I've found that having too many options makes grocery shopping more complicated. My area has suddenly grown into a grocery store mecca. With in a 5- 10 minute drive, there are 7 grocery stores and now I'm finding myself going shopping all the time vs just going to one store once a week. I do combine trips. For example, yesterday I went to Target to pick up a few items and then hit Aldi on my way home. Tomorrow I will go to Costco to pick up a few things and then cross the street and hit Walmart. Trader Joe's and WF are a combined trip. I never go to Winn Dixie though even though it's the closest because it's ridiculously expensive. But if I'm in the middle of cooking a meal and realize I don't have an ingredient, I'll rush to WD. It's become crazy. I'm actually missing the days when all I had was a Food Lions.

I forgot to mention we just got a Lucky's. If I ever limited myself to one store, it would be Lucky's. Love that  place!

 

Edited June 20, 2019 by stephanier.1765

[Carol in Cal.]

2 hours ago, Attolia said:

 

 

How do you know what your biggest expenses are?  Are you just aware or do you break down your grocery purchases even more?

I never got hardcore about this.  Hardcore is keeping a price book a la Tightwad Gazette, and scanning it from time to time to see what I was spending the most for.

But mostly I went with, what did I buy that I was aghast at the cost of, and how can I reduce that expense?  So, for me, this was good steak, and when I thought it through and realized that I like good hamburgers almost as much, I started to go after a variety of good hamburger recipes that are varied, so I wouldn't get sick of them.  And then I had burgers much more often, and hardly ever got my favorite steak (filet mignon.  yes, I do have good taste.)  Also I tried New York and sirloin steaks, and didn't like them nearly as much (tend to be tough although cheaper) but like tritip a lot and started to tilt toward that when I did get steak.  I stopped stir frying flank steak much, in favor of stir frying chicken which is cheaper.  It works like that for me.

Also, I went after staples.  I buy a lot of milk so I started buying it at Costco where two gallons cost about as much as a gallon elsewhere.  This worked for me because it use it up fast enough to consume that--it would be ineffective if I didn't.  For flour and sugars I bought 5 gallon buckets and those big Alpha seals, and started buying them in big sacks from Costco.  Same with basmati rice and pinto beans.  This worked great except the flour got weevils or something in it, and so I reverted to smaller quantities of flour.  Incidentally, the convenience of having these things around and not having to go to the store as often for little bags of them is even more valuable than the cost savings.

[moonflower]

There is this thing I've discovered recently called AzureStandard - I was looking for organic dried lima beans, which for whatever reason are impossible to find.  Anyway, Azure Standard has them.  This is how they work: you order it on their website and they ship it to a person/site in your area, and you meet them there once a month or so to pick up your stuff.  Shipping is minimal and prices are very good, but I wouldn't buy produce this way of course.