Tips for Saving Money at Whole Foods
About a month or so ago, I received an email from Whole Foods asking me about partnering together to create a one-week meal plan for me and Ryan that included two meals each day for the two of us for $125. (Full disclosure: I was provided a $125 gift card.) Since getting a little creative in the kitchen is one of my favorite things, I was more than game and immediately started brainstorming ideas for a healthy and delicious meal plan.
The first step in my meal plan journey involved attending a value tour at my local Whole Foods led by Jennifer, the regional marketing specialist at Whole Foods in Charlotte. Jennifer and I walked around the store and chatted for about an hour while she pointed out lots of money-saving tips and tricks.
Some key takeaways:
- Check the bimonthly Whole Deal brochure which features more than $45 of savings per issue on average (you can also find these coupons at www.wholefoodsmarket.com/coupons) and check out weekly sales fliers, One Day Sales and sale items throughout the store.
- Sign up for your local store’s newsletter and follow them on Facebook and Twitter to receive bonus coupons, budget-friendly recipes, and notices of sales and more.
- Shop seasonally.
- Cut costs, literally. If you need only half a cabbage, sandwich, chunk of cheese, fish fillet, loaf of fresh bread, etc., simply ask a team member to help you get (and pay for) only the amount you need.
- Utilize the bulk bins to buy as much or as little as you need.
- Check out the 365 Everyday Value line for hundreds of affordable organics, including peanut butter, organic frozen veggies, pasta, sauce, canned tomatoes, soups and more.
- Consider purchasing Value Packs to help you get fish and meat at a better price, and allow you to use only what you need.
- Look for budget-friendly pricing on lesser-known cuts such as boneless sirloin, flat iron steak or skirt steak.
- Receive discounted pricing on most items when you buy a full case.
- Make the most of your leftovers with the Whole Foods Market recipes app, which allows you to save recipes, create meal plans and shopping lists, view sales items at your local store and more.
When it was time for me to create my two-meals-a-day meal plan, I opted for breakfast and dinner since breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and dinner is often the meal that requires the most planning in our house. When I set out to do shopping for our meals, there were a few hiccups in my plan. My father-in-law was in town, so our dinners needed to be able to feed three people and I knew we’d likely be going out to dinner once or twice. Whole Foods wanted the meal plan to include two meals each day, but food I bought did cover breakfast, lunch and dinner for me and breakfast and dinner for Ryan. (Ryan actually did bring his lunch to work using food from our grocery haul a couple of times, but he also ate at his workplace cafeteria or out with coworkers during the week as well, so I’m not counting his lunchtime meals.)
And a few important notes: We went out to dinner twice during the week because we wanted to take my father-in-law out to some of our favorite local hotspots, so we did not consume two of the planned dinners on the “correct” days (Tuesday and Friday) but we ate the “dinners” for lunch for two of the days during the week. I hope this makes sense! The meal plan is just a guideline for our breakfasts and dinners, but I wanted to be sure to actually make and eat everything, too, which we did!
As I shopped for our food, I did a lot of price comparisons (buying in bulk ended up being the cheapest every time!) and clipped coupons to save money, like I usually do each week.
I was truly surprised when I went through the checkout line and only spent $69.76! I ended up going through the line again and picking up more food to use to get closer to the $125 total.
Our total for the week ended up being $115.20, but it did not include the jar of peanut butter I also used in the meal plan that we already had at home. (I figured being $10 under budget made up for the peanut butter since that would be an easy purchase within the budget.)
Here is what our one-week meal plan looked like:
- Breakfast: Tortilla topped with banana, peanut butter and cinnamon
- Dinner: Fish tacos with (frozen) mahi mahi, black beans, chopped romaine lettuce and pico de gallo
- Breakfast: Overnight oats made with oatmeal, Greek yogurt, honey and raw almonds
- Dinner: Turkey and ham rollups with romaine, tomatoes and pumpkin seeds, served with apple slices
- Breakfast: Cottage cheese topped with a sliced apple, cinnamon, almonds and pumpkin seeds
- Dinner: 365 Everyday Value whole wheat linguine with steamed spinach and 365 Everyday Value marinara, served with roasted broccoli
- Breakfast: Two waffles topped with a dippy egg and tomato slices, served with a plum on the side
- Dinner: Chopped salad with romaine, ham, tomatoes, black beans, edamame, wheat berries and pumpkin seeds
- Breakfast: Two waffles served with a cup of Greek yogurt
- Dinner: Baked chicken breasts with sweet potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts
- Breakfast: Three-minute egg white oatmeal, topped with chopped almonds
- Dinner: Crockpot lentil wheat berry soup <—We loved this soup!!!
Crockpot Lentil Wheat Berry Soup
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups dry lentils
- 3/4 wheat berries
- 6 cups reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 sweet onion, roughly chopped
- 2 cups chopped carrots
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper (depending on taste)
- 1/2 – 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (depending on taste)
Directions
- Combine all ingredients and cook on low for 8 hours. Serve and enjoy!
- Breakfast: Strawberry, mango and spinach smoothie
- Dinner: Leftover lentil and wheat berry soup
Giveaway
Now Whole Foods Market wants to give you guys a chance to shop at their store and create some healthy budget-friendly recipes.
FIVE readers will win a $25 gift card to Whole Foods!
To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post, telling me about some of your favorite Whole Foods finds!
I will randomly select five winners on Friday.
Good luck!
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I love this post! I recently went on a shopping spree at Whole Foods for my Paleo + Gluten-Free Chicken “Tacos” recipe. Super easy and delicious! 🙂 Definitely going to have to try out your tips and tricks for saving next time I’m there…thanks for sharing!
http://www.findcloudnine.com/2014/10/gluten-free-paleo-chicken-tacos/
We actually just recently got a whole foods and haven’t has the chance to go! But we definitely would love to!
Gotta love their bulk bins and wine selection!!
I have a gluten sensitivity (which is just no fun!)…Whole Foods is a wonderful place to buy my staples as well as discover new foods that are gluten-friendly.
I love the bulk bins!
I hope I’m not too late for this! WF recently opened a store a couple blocks from my office and I was introduced to the deliciousness of hot/cold deli bar selections for lunch. YUM!!!
Their organic produce can’t be beat! It’s hard to find high quality organic produce at normal grocery stores! I also love their organic dark chocolate selection! :p
I love their granola and candy bar selection! I also enjoy looking through their bakery items!!
I love their fresh grind almond butter! And now that its getting cold, I’m loving their soups. SO GOOD.
I mostly visit WF for the hot bar! Yum!
They sell this harissa near the hummus… yum! And a seasoning mix over by the fish display. Yum again!
I love the whole foods bakery! I can be confident that their muffins and scones don’t contain any bad ingredients
Love their kombucha selection and their nuts/seed bin selection!
My favorite find at whole foods is their salad bar… I am not sure if this constitutes as a “find” but it is amazing.
I love the selection of fresh juices at Whole Foods! They also carry brands that I am hard-pressed to find anywhere around town.
I love the bulk bins, and wide variety of produce and mushrooms.
I just went there today with my Dad! I love their fresh made foods. I went butternut squash and herb roasted turkey today with a cup of apple, sweet potato soup!
My favorite thing about whole foods is finding new stuff to try every time we go! Ive recently been obsessed with the Dang coconut chips to top oatmeal or yogurt and my husband is loving the Have’a corn chips for an afternoon snack! I love the hot bar and soup selection too for a quick lunch!
I love Chia Pods in vanilla bean from whole foods, they are great and so healthy for you!
Great post, Julie! My favorite Whole Foods finds were wheatberries (excited to try that soup recipe!) and coconut flour for baking.
I’m a big fan of Whole Foods hot bar, soups, sushi and grab and go items like pre-made salads. It’s nice to so have so many options when you are in a hurry and just need to get dinner quickly. They also have a really reasonable option where you can get a protein with two sides for a really reasonable amount. For those nights when you want a real meal, but don’t feel like cooking, going out to eat or getting take out, it’s the way to go!
I pretty much love everything at Whole Foods, but a recent favorite find was their cinnamon scented pine cones. Totally not food related but got me in the Fall spirit! LOVE THEM!
I love Whole Foods’ homemade blueberry granola and their great selection of non-whey protein powders.
I love the guacamole at whole foods! Also love the hot bar, great place to grab a quick and healthy meal.
I love shopping at Whole Foods! i love their sunshine burgers in the frozen food section.
I love whole foods! Everyone is so nice and helpful. Plus they always let you try things, when your not sure. My favorite thing is the shredded Coconut in the bulk bins. I tend to use it for baking, homemade milk, and breakfast.
I love their salad bar! I also love their cheese and all of their 365 organic products!
I’ve always been a fan of their hot/cold bars. I recently discovered Whole Foods cold brew coffee and now I’m hooked! It’s a steal at $6 a bottle.
Always buy my seafood at whole foods because it’s the freshest. And love the fresh ground nut butters and 365 frozen pizzas. Actually their 365 brand of almost everything rocks! Oh and the bulk bins. Love!
Love discovering new cheeses at Whole Foods – they have such a great department!
Love Whole Foods’ bulk bins (I’m gluten free, so I can stock up on all my grains!) and their produce can’t be beat!
I really enjoy their hot/cold bar for quick meals in NYC!
my favourite thing at whole foods is the prepared food section, especially the tuna salad.
Fresh juice is my favorite!
I absolutely love WF’s almond cheese and hot & salad bar. I could sleep next to that salad bar on the floor and live a happy existence for the next 20 years.
I love the bulk bins at WF for nuts, quinoa, and spices! While some things are expensive there, their sales are good and I try to take advantage of them! That soup sounds delish!
I love their 365 Jelly, tastes so fresh!
I love the bakery at Whole foods.
Bulk quinoa! Its where I started buying it when you couldn’t find it anywhere, but still do because its a deal!
I love their bulk bins and how they carry coconut aminos! The only other place I can find the coconut aminos is online!
I love trying something new each time I go. Love the foods they have without junky preservatives!
The produce and cheese departments are my favorite at whole foods! Plus they always have samples so you can try something new!
Bulk bin anything!! It really is always the cheapest option & saves me a ton of money in the long run. Whole Foods is also where I first discovered Kefir.
I love Whole Foods’ bulk bins (where I buy millet and wheatberries), super seedy bread, and house brand animal crackers. Plus, there are usually great sales on chips/pretzel snacks.
Love this! I feel like there are totally deals to be found at WF!!
I love the great deals that they have on pitted dates.
I love their bulk bins, their 365 day line of products & the customer service! The idea to literally cut costs is brilliant. I had no idea they did this.
Thanks to you & Whole Foods for the giveaway 🙂
Whole foods often has my favorite yogurt brand, Siggi’s, on sale!
Bulk foods!
I love Whole Foods peanut butter! Their milk is also the cheapest in town!
I just recently discovered Whole Foods! But I love that they carry Argo tea! Hard to find in MD!