Grocery shopping is becoming weirder and weirder as the weeks pass. With food prices wildly swinging all over the map (mainly up, way up, but with the occasional “super-bargain!” thrown in as grocery stores try desperately to keep customers happy), our buying habits have changed. And it’s maybe not what you’d think — truth be told, at this point, we’re buying MORE from Whole Foods and from local farmers and purveyors, less from the large-chain groceries. Why? Because if I’m going to be paying THAT MUCH for meats, dairy, and miscellaenous grocery items, I’d rather go whole hog and make sure I’m getting the kind of quality I want.
While the winter farmer’s markets are still in full swing, I have to confess that we have not been going. It’s a good 20-25 minute drive from our house, depending on which market we choose, and since they’re only open on Saturday mornings or on Wednesday nights right after work, it’s been relatively challenging to really find that extra time in our schedule to go regularly. Once we’d get up there, shop, and come home, we’re talking about a good 2 hours or more carved out of the time we’d rather be spending at the playground as the weather warms up; and I’m not missing playground time with my boys if I can help it. I’d love to be a full-on locavore, but frankly, I’ve got priorities. The summer market down the street opens in a month; when that comes back, we’ll go back to our local ways.
So every week, as J. heads out to the big chain grocery around the corner on Friday nights for our “staple” shopping trip, his list is becoming heavier and heavier on things like produce (our grocery has a pretty good line of affordable organic produce) and basics like flour. Where I used to write lists of meat and dairy, there’s virtually nothing; where once there were items like natural granola bars, there’s only raw oats and maybe peanut butter. We’re making so much of what we eat from scratch that packaged goods are nearly disappearing altogether from our shopping carts. And STILL he comes home having spent $120 or $150…on what, we can’t really say…with major items like meat still to be purchased for the week.
Today L. and I went on our almost-weekly outing to Whole Foods to pick up meat and some other things that J. hadn’t been able to find at the bigger chain grocery. We purchased things I’d never in my wildest dreams thought I’d be buying at Whole Foods — like bacon. Who buys bacon at Whole Foods? I had protested to J., but we needed it; the package he’d bought at the regular store was, like so many things now, mysteriously downsized from 16 oz. to 12. He hadn’t even noticed when he put it in the cart or shelled out the $6 they were asking for it.
The whole time L. and I cruised the aisles, I tried not to grimace as we picked up item after item. Onions — they hadn’t been fresh at the big grocery. Salmon — can’t get wild salmon anywhere else near our house. Meat — for obvious reasons; but I did buy 1/3 less than I ordinarily might have to keep the cost down, and we’ll just trim our portions. Frozen fruit, because P. practically subsists on it, and we enjoy smoothies for breakfast anyway. The list went on and on.
Guess what? When J. and I scrutinized the receipt at home, expecting to see a “Whole Paychecks” kind of result, we realized that most of the items L. and I had chosen were not only better quality, but of equal or LOWER price than the regular store.
I still can’t believe it, but the frozen fruit — which is organic, and a much wider selection than at the regular grocery — was the same price we’d pay for non-organics. The wild salmon was the same price our usually bargain fishmonger charges for farm-raised filets. And the BACON. We got organic, nitrate-free bacon — in the (sigh) 12-oz package which is now apparently de rigeur — for FOUR DOLLARS. Two dollars less than the national bargain brand at the regular grocery.
My response was utter shock. J.’s response was to snatch up a pen and a notepad and start a list entitled “Whole Foods Good Deals.” He matched the grocery receipts from the two stores and began writing down all the items that are a better value at Whole Foods than they are at the neighborhood grocery chain. And the whole time, I was realizing that the reason this worked out for us was because we’ve unconsciously adapted the way that we eat to tip the scales in our favor.
Of course high-quality dried fruit and frozen organics will be less expensive at WF — their clientele demands those products, and WF has enough acceptable brands to choose from that there’s natural competition built in. Of course they’ll have a sale brand of nitrate-free bacon to entice their customers, just as the other grocery will have sales on Oscar Mayer from time to time. And of course we made out like BANDITS on items like rice, because we’ve finally realized that shopping in the bulk bin section at WF is both healthful and economical, whereas the exotic wild rice blend L. chose for tonight’s dinner would be a “gourmet” or “specialty” product at the regular grocery and would be marked up to the nth degree, if we could even find anything similar to it at all.
It’s finally making sense to me. You can eat very, very well on a budget, if you understand how to shop where like-minded people shop; if you can purchase items where many others who eat like you do are purchasing them, then the prices will be competitive just as the prices on hot dogs and packaged cookies are competitive in most large grocery stores. In the average American grocery store, whole grains and nuts and dried fruits come pre-packaged at high prices because they’re not flying off the shelves the way the Lucky Charms and diet soda are; but in stores like Whole Foods, you can buy those things from the bulk aisle for next to nothing, because the WF customers are religiously filling their shopping carts with that stuff and have demanded that it be available in some format that’s not going to break the bank every time they want Irish oats or dried cranberries without added sugar.
Oh my gosh, that is too funny! I did the EXACT same thing a few weeks ago at Trader Joes. I was shocked at how much great stuff I got, I made a TJ’s shopping list with prices and everything. It’s a bit of a drive for me so I want it to be worth my while.
I know. It’s hard to justify going far afield to gather up food when you know you could just head to the store around the corner, but it can really be worth it. On the other hand, I have to confess that although there is a Trader Joe’s store about 20 minutes from my house, I never go. It’s on a crazy busy road, really a pain to get in and out, and it’s completely in the opposite direction of where we generally need to be going. Not great excuses, but it’s hard to do it all.
I think you’d be pleasantly surprised if you made the trip. They are hands down the best prices for all natural organic peanut butter and coffee and even cheese. They have raw milk cheddar that is great and a super price. Their produce leaves a bit to be desired but they normally have a couple great deals on bags of organic pears or peaches or plums.
Oh, I’m positive I would be! We have a list going of things we want to investigate at Trader Joe’s, in fact, but each time I think we’re going to figure out the time to go it ends up evaporating in front of my eyes. One of these days. One of these days.
So true! It’s a hike for me to go to Whole Foods, but definitely worth the trip for our budget and our bodies!
Side note–this weekend my husband and I made your recipe for salmon fingers with avocado sauce, and loved it! Made a small green salad and some roasted beets to go with it, which for some reason I always love beets with salmon. A while back I had come across this recipe and paired it with beets and now I can’t get enough of the beets/salmon combo:
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=recipe&dbid=88
Wow, I’m so glad you liked the recipe! We love beets with salmon, too. As a matter of fact, we had roasted beets with our salmon blt sandwiches tonight. Thanks for sharing this link — it looks good!
I haven’t been to Whole foods in a while since it’s a bit of a drive…but I think I should go this weekend…you make a great point about price competition.
It’s true. And while I don’t advocate going seriously long distances for your food, it’s hard to ignore the fact that they’re offering better quality for what amounts to comparable prices once you figure in all the ridiculous food price inflation on grocery brands!
Love your blog. My husband is starting to see “the light” but it has been a long haul. I’ve slowly been ridding our household of processed and prepackaged foods, but sometimes he simply needs to fall off the health wagon … just because. However, as much as he refuses to admit to me personally, I hear he spouts “healthful eating” when I’m out of ear-shot… In my area, there’s actually a local pharmacy that carries great organic selections at reasonable prices, so it simply is a matter of educating oneself for the healthiest and best deals.
Thanks! You know, it’s funny that you say your husband has to “fall off the health wagon” sometimes. I think we ALL need to from time to time! That’s why we embrace things like baking sweets with real butter and sugar, or keep our stash of tortilla chips in the pantry for the occasional chips-and-salsa splurge. It’s great to know that he’s embracing the change and talking about it with others, though. I think when people experience a less processed way of eating, they realize over time that 1) it’s not as hard as it may seem; and 2) they feel better, both physically and mentally. So it’s easy to convert them and have them enthusiastically trying to convert others.
[…] about how you can make a high-quality chicken dinner for 6 with a price tag of about $15, and how shopping wisely at Whole Foods actually came out to be cheaper for me and my family than shopping at the local supermarket, I got […]
[…] I got home and showed J. the receipt, he was as much in shock as I was. I’ve said before that we realized a while back that many items we tend to purchase ARE more affordable at Whole Foods […]