[chewy]

I did buy some prepared foods, and some Amys frozen foods. I also bought some produce and some figs and mangoes, all organic.

I bought some mini pita bread, regular pita bread and wrap bread and NO MEAT!!!

I was surprised the sales tax for all of that in CA was .70 cents!!

I am trying to eat non processed foods and to eat less dairy and no meat.

Oh but I did buy the 0 Greek Yogurt, I love that stuff.

The last diet I tried was a liquid one. I am going to buy a Blender tomorrow for green shakes.

[cheryl126]

That always happens when we go! I think that's why a lot of people call it "whole paycheck." I still go there regularly though because they have a lot of things that you can't find at the regular grocery store and they have the best produce around here. And similar to you, I'm trying to cut down on meat and dairy and eat non-processed food, so the more variety, the better.

I was there the other day and I got a bunch of organic kale for super cheap, which is awesome because ever since we got kale in our CSA box a few weeks ago, I'm hooked. I use it kind of like spinach and throw it in just about everything I cook...omlettes, curry, stirfry, pasta.

I love the 0% greek yogurt too! That stuff is amazing

[MeganTheMushroom]

I went for the first time today!!
We (well, my mom) paid about $85
I got 3 bell peppers, 1 yellow and green squash, nutritional yeast, barley malt, brown rice syrup, strawberries, coconut water, and more soy milk

I love it there, it's like a health foods store the size of walmart

[nelie]

I'm pretty frugal at Whole Foods although I have better options in my area, I usually spend about $30 there but I don't buy a lot of processed products.

[rdw1]

Im with you nelie- I don't buy many processed foods... I mainly go there for a few specifics... That usually cost me 30-50 a month there....but we have a trader joes, and our Publix and Krogers around here carry many of the specialty items I use and Publix has a great produce section!

Chewy- I would check around for the Amy's stuff... they are pretty much the only convenience food I can eat(well, a few of their meals) and they even sell them here in Walmart now...for about 3 bucks each. Our whole foods charges 5-6.

[RunnerChemist]

Around my house, we call Whole Foods "Whole Paycheck", and I go there for produce when I don't want to drive the 30 minutes for other options and when I want fast food - they have vegetarian sushi made with brown rice and a multigrain mix that is good when I don't want to cook or go shopping. Husband also likes the baked goods, but he doesn't need to count calories.

But it can be a costly place to shop when you do all your shopping there. Once you know the brands you want, your grocery store may have them in the "natural foods" section of the store.

[nelie]

Runner,

I know we live in a similar are but it is funny, I've found the regular grocery stores that do have 'natural foods' sections charge more than Whole Foods. Giant is one example where I've seen things there double the cost of Whole Foods for the same product.

[saef]

Okay, I want to make a joke about how you probably got home with just a free-range chicken, a bag of organic apples & a jar of almond butter, but personally, my research confirms what others are saying ... that Whole Foods prices are generally less than other, smaller mom & pop organic stores. (Except Trader Joe's, where the two seem to trade off on who's cheaper.)

These stores run my favorite salad bars EVER in the world. Very often, this is where I stop off for a quick lunch. Also, I get a lot of ideas for my own home food preparation from perusing the salad & soup bars.

[nelie]

Generally for Trader Joe's, it seems that Whole Foods will be cheaper for store brand stuff while Trader Joe's is generally cheaper for name brand stuff. It depends though because I've seen some name brand stuff cheaper at Whole Foods than TJs.

[RunnerChemist]

I will admit my sample size is small, in that I buy canned beans and soup from Whole Foods and they are more expensive than from my Giant or Costco for the same brand. But, the "Whole Paycheck" name comes from the time we accidentally bought oranges that were 4.50 a lb but mislabeled to less than half that price.

They were good oranges, and I prefer to have Whole Foods than not. I'm moving to a Walmart-only zone which luckily has a lot of farm stands in the summer. Winter might be rough, but I expect no less from rural Michigan.

[chewy]

My trip last week was spent on mostly prepared foods. Spinach and Quinoa cakes, veggie salads, some organic produce, organic chips and a bunch of pre made meals too.


Does anybody know the nutritional info for the spinach and quinoa cakes?

[Elijahs phoenix]

I don't have a whole foods near me but, I have been in one once and they seemed pretty pricey but they had a wonderful selection. My favorite health food store here is natural grocer's I love all there bulk grains, nuts, herbs section. I wish I could afford to go all organic but, I'm a SAHM so we have to make do with one income.

I about died when I saw a article written on how to eat healthy on a budget. it was written by a health food store. Its tag line was how to feed a family of four dinner for $20. It had a shopping list and recipes to go along with it. I calculated that up and that would $600 a month just for dinner. That is supposed to be cheap? I spend about 200-250 a month on food for hubby, me and a toddler.

[hlaoroo]

I have been shopping regularly at Whole Foods since February and have found if I go with a shopping list I generally do pretty well. Of course when you consider how much it costs to eat out the cost doesn't seem quite as high. Plus I have found that the times I do venture back into Walmart I am appalled by the quality of their meat and fish. It just doesn't look good and their produce is the pits in comparison.

[3FCer344892]

I wish we had a whole foods. We just have regular stores: Kroger, Food Lion, Walmart, Save-a-lot, and Aldies. Good luck finding organic for a good price there. kroger and food lion have a very small section of organic that are insanely priced (nearly 3 dollars for one onion!)

[Hap]

Don't knock Aldi's! They are owned by the same person who owns Trader Joe's so some of their food ends up at Aldi's but they relabel it first.