Guest Post: Whole Foods and Trader Joe's Money-Saving Tips

About once a month my husband and I do a huge grocery shopping trip to both Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. On this trip we buy all of our staple foods (and lots of little extras!) without breaking the bank. Here are our tips for how to buy healthy foods on a budget:


Trader Joe’s

1) Frozen food! From entire meals, veggies, desserts, and specialty items, the frozen section at Trader Joe’s has it all---for incredible prices. The majority of food we buy at Trader Joe’s is frozen and easy to prepare, which is perfect for our busy schedules. Added bonus: in the winter when fresh produce is scarce, frozen veggies and fruit are a very healthy and wallet-friendly alternative!

Some of our favorites:
*Thai gyoza (pot stickers!)
*Burritos! My husband pretty much lives on these
*Frozen veggie mix with edamame (tastes so good and fresh!)

2) Skip the produce section. You may luck out and get some good fruit, but in general the produce here is overripe, wilted, or even moldy—save your time and skip it.

3) Staple foods. Trader Joe’s is famous for its specialty foods (think chili spiced dried mango) which you can get at great prices, however they also have lots of staples such as “Joe’s O’s” which is their much more budget-friendly version of Cheerios. You can also find other low-priced staples such as canola oil, vinegar, ketchup, jelly, coffee, tea, and “British” muffins.

Whole Foods

1) Coupons. Unlike Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods does offer coupons (which you can find here http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/coupons/), however if you weren’t planning to buy the item anyway the coupon probably doesn’t make it worth buying, so beware!

2) Buy in bulk! The money saving jewel of Whole Foods is the bulk section, which features bin after bin of (mostly) low cost foods that are often organic and always fresh. Don't overpay for pre-packaged flour, sugar, lentils, rice, nuts, dried fruit, popcorn, oatmeal, spices, etc---save money by buying these items in bulk (in any amount that you need). Make sure to weigh everything, though, so you aren’t surprised by a $30 bag of almonds at the register!

3) Produce. The fruits and veggies at Whole Foods are fresh, bountiful, and beautiful. Save money by only buying organic when it makes the most sense (http://robin.hubpages.com/hub/organic) and be careful when buying out of season or specialty produce. I remember being surprised at the register by a $20 bag of heirloom tomatoes (oh but they were so delicious!). Your best bet to get great produce at a good price is to take advantage of your local farmer’s markets whenever you can (check here to find your local markets) and green thumb types should definitely try growing their own!

Emily W. owns and operates Mothra Sue & Co., unique items for you and your home! Be sure to stop by and say hi!