TJs is pretty much the ONLY grocery store I go to... and I can get two bags full of stuff (STUFFED) for about $40!
They have AMAZING stuff... just explore the aisles!
Two of my favorite "convenience" things are:
Garlic Spread (GREAT for sandwiches!)
Roasted Red Peppers (in a jar.. also great for sandwiches!)
I like their "popped" bbq potato chips too -- the whole bag is about 300 calories (So I don't feel TOO guilty if I end up eating the whole bag... haaa)
They also have low-fat brie -- which is FABULOUS for a treat...
SOOO many great things... really. I could go on and on... but you'll discover for yourself
I find my grocery bill went down when I started shopping at Whole Foods more. I've priced compare between TJs and Whole Foods and TJs is generally more expensive UNLESS I buy something with a name brand.
I think it depends a lot on what you're buying. Meat at TJ's is REALLY expensive (I have a different supplier for that...), but nuts, eggs, and dairy tend to be much cheaper. I get good deals on cereal, but coffee is cheaper at Costco...you get the idea. The bulk stuff at WF is cheaper by the lb than TJs, but we have a grocery co-op here with a larger selection of bulk foods (100 teas!) for even less.
So YMMV, depending what you buy and what other stores you have around you.
Photo - maybe your prices in grocery stores are cheaper down there? My grocery bill is an average of $15-20 cheaper when I shop at TJs vs. a grocery store here...
ITA! My cereal is over $1.50 cheaper at TJ's. Same with the almond milk.
I can get a small package of smoked salmon for about $3.
I'm going to have to look for those salad dressings.
One thing about WF is they don't have their own brand of almond milk, someday I hope They did have a 64oz container of almond milk on sale for $3 though. I've been buying their rice and soy milk which are $1.49 container. I also don't have other stores near me that sell bulk foods so WF is the only place. I also don't buy any meat so can't compare that.
I find bulk nuts at WF are decently priced but nothing really beats Costco for nuts.
Yes, it depends on what you buy. I get things there that I can't get at my local grocery store. I have to travel 90-100 miles to TJs. We don't have a Whole Foods within 200 miles. I've been to WF, but really don't know it well enough to comment.
I concur that TJ's has become a "yuppie" grocery store. Sometimes annoyingly so. Many, many, rude, entitled folks on cell phones. It used to be more of a "hippie" grocery store where the yuppie or preppy (as they used to be known) wouldn't have been caught dead. My dh comes from a very non-entitled background and really hates TJs because of the customers. He admits, and I agree, that their staff is wonderful.
concur that TJ's has become a "yuppie" grocery store. Sometimes annoyingly so. Many, many, rude, entitled folks on cell phones. It used to be more of a "hippie" grocery store where the yuppie or preppy (as they used to be known) wouldn't have been caught dead
I have to admit, I have similar mixed feelings about Whole Foods. I went to school in Austin, TX, which is where Whole Foods started and I remember when it really was just a little organic co-op down on Guadalupe by the University.
I'm thrilled that it's grown so much and done so well since I was a student, but I have to admit that the one near my house now in Georgia is in one of the more affluent areas and there's a lot of "yuppification" going on.
I love my Whole Foods and the prices are quite good, but every now and then I get a little nostalgic for my hippy-dippy co-op from Austin.
I’m probably going to repeat a bunch of folks, but here are my Trader Joe’s favorites:
• Greek yogurt (I love the non fat with honey)
• Grape tomatoes (my grocery store always has the GROSSEST tomatoes, Trader Joe’s are good and cheap)
• Berries (almost always cheaper than the regular grocery store)
• Natural peanut butter (cheap and good)
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Fat free feta cheese
• Shredded purple cabbage (love this stuff and my grocery store doesn’t carry it)
• Cheap bagged salad greens
• Cheaper cereal – I love Nature’s Path organic pumpkin flax and it’s at least a dollar cheaper at Trader Joe’s
• Cheaper bread – I love Milton’s and it’s a dollar cheaper at Trader Joe’s
• Super lean hamburger patties (in a 4 pack)
• A nice selection of chicken sausage
• Frozen “just chicken” breast strips (I use them in my salad almost every day for lunch)
• A good selection of frozen fish
• Frozen fruit, frozen roasted corn (love this stuff), frozen shelled edamame
• Fun salad stuff – refrigerated beets, for example
• Spicy Asian Peanut Vinaigrette – love this stuff (in the refrigerated aisle, not the salad dressing aisle)
• Maple syrup
• Cheap organic ketchup
• Pumpkin butter
• Microwaveable brown rice (A LIFESAVER)
• Whole wheat lavash, pita bread and tortillas
• Great selection of hummus and spreads
• Cheap kalamata olives (so much cheaper than my regular grocery store)
• And just FUN stuff, Trader Joe’s is so much fun. Try to limit yourself to ONE fun thing a trip or you’ll end up spending 100 bucks! It's not really a HEALTH food store, it's a YUMMY FOOD AND SNACK STORE - so be warned.
Trader Joe’s doesn’t have everything, sadly. Luckily, my Trader Joe’s is in the same shopping center as my Ralph’s (CA grocery chain) so I usually end up hitting BOTH places.
I've only known the 'yuppie' Whole Foods store. There is another similar type store further away which is a bit more hippie than yuppie but still it attracts both
I like Trader Joe's, but I do think that it is overrated. The one in my area is rather pricey on most of their products - and manages to be full of people who clearly think that shopping at an organic store makes them saints. The staff is friendly, and they have some interesting things, but I only ever buy a couple of specialty products - if I shopped for everything there, my budget would be shot.
I love Trader Joe's. I absolutely do not think I could have managed this diet without them; I depend on them for a lot of products that I can't get elsewhere (TJ's is the closed thing we have to a specialty grocery store--no Whole Foods anywhere near me).
Here some of my favorite TJ staples:
Nonfat Greek yogurt (I seriously live on this stuff--the TJ's brand is significantly cheaper than other brands and I like it better, too)
High Fiber Cereal (yup, that's the name. Only 120 calories per cup)
FF chicken broth (only 5 calories per cup)
Marinated mushrooms (love these, so low in calories)
Roasted red peppers (way cheaper than what my Safeway sells them for)
FF Vinaigrette (one the best FF dressings I've tried)
Egg white salad (50 calories for a pretty generous serving--it makes a great snack and comes in two flavors, ranchero and chive)
Pre-cooked polenta and grits (in vacuum-sealed tubes)
97% lean ground beef (yes, it's more expensive than the ground beef sold by my Safeway but it is noticeably better in quality)
99% lean ground turkey
lean beef stew meat
turkey kielbasa
Gerhardt's chicken sausage (only 120-130 calories per link, a flavorful alternative to hot dogs)
Chicken Chile Verde (makes a great meal served over rice)
Eggplant hummus (the lowest calorie hummus around, 35 calories for 2 tbsp)
Bread: Fat-Free Multi-Grain or Alarado St. Bakery Flaxseed
Cats cookies (cat-shaped cookies in vanilla, ginger, or chocolate flavors--120 calories for 15 cookies, I smash up 1/2 serving and sprinkle them over low cal pudding)
Mini-meringues (like eating crunchy marshmallows and also very low cal for a cookie)
Soy Creamy mini chocolate ice cream sandwiches (90 calories each--I add sliced bananas to them)
Yeah, we got Trader Joe's last year and I gotta say, I don't really see the hype. Other than the Two-Buck-Chuck (which is about $3 here), there's not anything at TJs that I can't get cheaper at Whole Foods or even my local grocery store.
It's fun to browse some of the things, but in general (this is just my opinon, and I don't mean to offend anyone! ) it's just a yuppie grocery store.
.
I thought I was the only one! It seems very overpriced to me. I do most of my "fresh" shopping at Sprouts and then canned/frozen stuff at Costco. I've actually gone into Trader Joe's a couple times because I was in the neighborhood (it's right across the street from my Barnes & Noble) and ended up leaving empty handed.
I'm glad other people like it though. Maybe I just don't know what to look for. Maybe I'll go back and look specifically for the things people have listed.
STACY ~Angie and I do "date night's" sometimes at Barnes and Noble then run over to Trader Joe's. We feel the same way but Angie is finding some packaged lunches she really likes. Several of her teacher friends buy them and she is finding some that work for her. See you at Sprouts/Frazier Farms.
Now my daughter and son in law swear by Trader Joe's...saying how cheap it is. Guess it is on what each of us looks for.
PHOTOCHICK ~I remember when $2 Chuck first came out, Angie and I liked it so much I bought a case of EVERY flavor! We finally finished it....and gave a lot as gifts!
I don't really grocery shop at TJ, but there is one near work that I get lunch at occasionally. I love their black bean burger burrito. Very fiber and protein filled for only 340 calories.
The thing I can't stand about TJ and whole foods is that it is always so crowded. Maybe it's just the stores around Philly that are like this. Shopping in massive crowds and not being able to walk down aisles really annoys me. It reminds me of trying to shop at a mall on black friday, lol.
