Thursday, February 23, 2012

Whole Paycheck? Whole-heartedly!

Whole Foods@Cupertino
Photo of my local Whole Foods courtesy of: ayustety

You've heard it before. Whole Wallet. Whole Paycheck. The various nicknames for Whole Foods Market. I used to be on that bandwagon too until I really gave it a chance. There isn't one near my home so I would only go on occasion to the one near my work. The parking lot was always crowded and somehow I always seemed to spend too much money. The store is stocked with healthy organic produce which I love, as well as a lot of options for meatless and vegan meals, but didn't think I could afford to shop there for all of my groceries.
I guess you could say I'm a convert!
 Several months ago our office moved so that we are right.next.door. to Whole Foods. So, the appeal to me now is that I don't have to drive there or deal with their clusterf--- parking lot. I can just walk there! And the variety of things I can have for lunch is endless. Not to mention, I typically run out at lunch time to pick up groceries  here and there for home, and now I don't have to make a separate trip for groceries AND lunch. NICE.

Green goodness
The groceries there didn't get any cheaper, but I am looking at the big picture here. I am not using gas to get there, and I am not spending money on going out for lunch. At least not technically. What I have been doing is going there and buying the makings for my healthy organic lunches (typically salads) and assembling my meals at work. I realize this may not be easy/convenient for everyone to do, but it totally works for me. I have picked up lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, avocados, shelled sunflower seeds, packets of tuna or canned chicken and salad dressing and other items like yogurt and raw almonds from the bulk bins for snacks. And on days when I need some variety I have either picked out items from their salad bar, or from the various hot meal choices in their buffet area. Overall, I am still saving money at Whole Foods. Who woulda thunk it?

I'm always open to new ideas to make incorporating fresh and organic foods into my life easier. How do you do it? Go green and have a great day!

13 comments:

  1. This was my favorite store when I was in the US! I so much preferred to eat healthy and make cuts in other areas of my life, like eating out which added up to much more than my grocery bill! ;)

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    1. Isn't it just the best? I could go there every day just to walk the aisles. I love food. :)

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  2. I wish there was something so healthy near me where I am in TX right now. I am used to living in England with a grocery store over the road, packed full of fresh fruit and vegis. I do still cook fresh but I have to be way more organised and have my week's meals planned out before driving to the store.
    btw I'm a new follower. if you want to check out my blog it's www.shushkat.blogspot.com , take a look and follow if you like it :)

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    1. Thanks for following! Following you as well. Can't wait to read more of your blog and learn more about you. Your dailymile is in kilometers, something different for me!

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  3. So funny...I wrote about Whole Foods today, too! I just LOOOVE it!

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  4. Huh I guess if you do it right it wouldn't be too costly. I don't have one anywhere near me. I have similar stores though so that's not really an excuse. I was getting into cooking for a while there, but lately I've really slacked off. Need to stop!

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    1. I make 95% of my meals. I never used to be like that but I have realized that I just like being in control of what I'm eating. I feel so much better. Plus, cooking can really be fun!

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  5. I love it too, especially the bulk bins-- that's where I get oats and other grains, flours, nuts, dried fruit, and nutritional yeast. Some of their brand products are very reasonably priced, too. But I still supplement with the other big grocery store for basic items to keep cost lower.

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    1. Yeah I have been wanting to try to bring in my own containers for some of the bulk stuff, like that woman from the Zero Waste Family. It really is such a great idea.

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  6. I find the grocery stores like Safeway and Lucky to be way more expensive for the items I would buy at Whole Foods, like canned organic crushed tomatoes for example. In fact I'm pretty sure that Safeway's products, which in my mind are laden with pesticides and additives when they aren't organic, are just as expensive as certified organic ones at WF, so it's a no-brainer option to pay for the healthier product (and help the environment (the soil and air) and the farm workers (from their exposure to pesticides). It's when you buy the processed or prepared items at WF that it becomes very expensive. If you stick to the organic veggie specials, the bulk bins, and avoid all the cool packaging in every other isle, you'll spend less than you would at a conventional grocery store; and it's a much more aesthetic experience as well.

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    1. You are so right! We keep our shopping pretty simple now. I will do the WF runs and my hubby does Costco. We are surprisingly able to somehow keep our costs down and still enjoy shopping for food!

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  7. Definitely heard the Whole Pocket joke, but really, I often save money at Whole Foods. Since I'm there to buy GFCF foods (as well as soy/preservative/dye free, low sugar, and as organic as we can), those are often the prices I'm comparing. And their prices are usually lower than Raley's (which has a gluten free section in their store) and Safeway for the same item. Organic produce is also often cheaper than Safeway. There are often coupons in their in store flyer/booklet that are for products that I regularly buy, so I take advantage of that (I saved $8 with their own coupons on this last shopping trip!). And, if you shop at Whole Foods on Fridays, their Friday Specials are usually great prices. They will even put up large signage when they are going to get something in that will be a better than usual Friday Special price reduction weeks in advance. Yes, there is a ton of stuff there that you can spend a ton of money on, but if you're price aware and take advantage of their sales, you can do quite well! I have to drive a couple towns away to get to the nearest one, so I need to make it worth it. You're lucky that one is right next door! Enjoy! :>

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