I love Aldi's. I live within walking distance of a Trader Joe's and Whole Foods but still have to make my trip to Aldi's each month. There have been several instances where I have found the same exact item that Trader Joe's carries at Aldi with a different label, most recently the curry and tikka masala sauces. I stocked up!
I shop Henry's Farmers Market for my fresh produce and meats. I hit the regular grocer for things that are too expensive at Henry's, like diapers and such.
Yeah, I could definitely spend a lot of money at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, but one area where I find the best deal at Whole Foods is the bulk foods, you can go whole grains crazy without spending too much.
Oh man, I miss Whole Foods. I shopped there exclusively this summer, and it got expensive bc I got lazy, but you can absolutely get out of there spending less than this. My advice is to ONLY get their generic brand, 365 organics, if you can help it. Almost all of their items have a 365 equivalent, the only one I wouldn't recommend are the corn tortillas, which were terrible.
Their produce is great, but pricey.. check out when they put things on sale. If your local store has a Twitter account, follow them to stay on top of the sales.
Trader Joe's is cheaper for things like coffee, olive oil, and nicer items like peanut butter and meat. But you can get out of WF without being robbed, it just takes time!
I love Whole Foods. I shop there and Trader Joes pretty exclusively. I used to go with a list but have found now that if I take my time and make decisions based on what looks good and what is on sale I am able to save even more money.
I do 90% of my shopping at Aldi, sometimes more, and I supplement with Meijer. I just discovered Whole Foods yesterday!! It's a bit of a distance. I went there on a search for bread, and I found it. But I think I could stop in at Panera and do just as well without the temptation of everything else.
I did not linger over the meats because I was in a hurry, I had my son with me and I was trying to just go in for what I needed. But I was extremely impressed with my quick once over. I definitely want to go back and have a look at the meat section.
We ended up walking with dinner: Ready cooked salmon, adorable "real" carrots with their tops intact, Jewish Rye bread and honey crisp apples. My nine year old picked everything out for the dinner. He and I ended up with stuffed crabs too. All very good!
Love Whole Foods! I worked there for a while and I honestly loved it. I do think it is worth the price because everything tastes so much better (produce, even packaged items). It also makes eating healthy fun. Not everything you buy there is going to waistline friendly, but with a little common sense and some guidance it makes eating better easier.
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.
Sounds good even if it is pricey. With that said I cannot wait until Whole foods comes to my area. The closest ones to me are in Toronto or Oakville and I would have to get my son to drive me to either.
I am also trying to eat non-processed foods with no dairy, no glutens and less meat or fish. I also want to get into green juicing (check out "Dave the raw food trucker" videos on Youtube).
I also just found out that the Whole Foods website has a forum.
Last edited by canadianwoman; 11-10-2010 at 06:42 PM.
There is a chain in North Carolina called Earth Fare which is a competitor to Whole Foods. I used to shop there, it's actually is the closest store to me. But then I realized that the regular grocers, and even Wal*Mart sell some of the same items. (Amy's dinners, almond milk, whole grain breads, imported dark chocolate.)
I still stop in sometimes, for their hot buffet on the weekend, which is more one-of-a-kind.
I have a great Whole foods in the area, but it is fairly pricey. Luckily, for a lot of my produce, meat, and breads, there are small ethnic stores literally right around the corner. I don't think the produce is organic, but they are not treated either. They WILL go bad in a week if you leave them.
I can buy chicken pretty inexpensively, as well as flatbread. All within a block walk. Of course, also, I have 2 bakeries, 2 pizzerias, and an ethnic coffee shop as well.
I buy several things at Whole Foods because they are better quality and the price is lower than at Publix. I do buy my meat at Sams because of price.
These items we always get at Whole Foods, they are all the store brand:
1. Cat Food ($2.49 for their dry store brand, my cats love it)
2. Organic butter
3. Organic fat free refried beans (we love the lime and green chile version and the black bean version, easy protein and fiber - only $1.25 a can)
4. Reduced sodium chicken broth (better quality than swanson and cheaper too)
5. Multivitamins and supplements
6. Parmesan cheese
