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 enjoyed reading your article.
My 5 yr old daughter and I love to have salad bar lunch dates at WF!
My favorite thing about whole foods is that they make being healthy easy and delicious and that they support local producers and artisans. I am a working college student and whole foods is a great alternative to the dining hall some days! I love the salad and hot food bar! Everything is so delicious. Cooking is also one of my passions. I love making wonderful meals for my family when I am at home. Whole foods is always inspiring. From the amazing products to mouth-watering recipes, there is always some sort of inspiration. Whole foods is definitely my favorite store!
Love the 365 brand as well as the bulk bins. My kids go crazy for the chicken-fried tofu:).
I LOVE all of their random little finds… tea, chocolate, coconut milks, yogurt, nuts, bars and the bakery! I like to go in there to find NEW fun things! 🙂
I love the hot bar! We go there at least once a week for dinner.
I love Whole Foods! It’s so reassuring knowing that so many of their products are healthier and responsibly produced.
Some of my favorites from Whole Foods are their salmon cakes and cod cakes from the seafood section. I also love their frozen cooked shrimp – throw it in a quick stir fry for dinner or let it thaw and throw it in a salad for lunch. I am also pleased with their selection of organic peanut butters – it’s often difficult to find organic, no sugar, no salt PB.
It’s a treat to get to shop at Whole Foods!
Honey roasted PB and larabars!
I love Whole Foods!! It’s my favorite grocery store to shop! Their headquarters in Austin, TX is awesome! I love their juice bar, hot bar, bakery, and all of their fresh produce!
I love Whole Foods brown rice tortillas!!!
love whole foods salad bar!
I’m 25 and the urge to eat well, and be thrifty, don’t always coincide. Wandering around Whole Foods is a past time of mine. An hour can easily get away from me perusing the shelves for interesting selections I have never encountered before.
I hadn’t been aware of Whole Foods coupons, nor these other tips! They will help a great deal! *ba dum ch*
My Whole Foods find: Their cheese selection is always inspiring, as are their meats, and their beer, too! I took a new twist on the shrimp cocktail while I was living in Las Vegas thanks to WF. Scrambled eggs, shredded white cheddar, and ketchup in a wide coffee mug, with several strips of curled thick cut bacon around the rim. An oatmeal stout for lubrication. All from WF.
Interested to check out more of your blog/site now. Those meal plans looked remarkably healthy, quick, and delicious. Presentable, too!
Have a gluten intolerance is a breeze when I shop at Whole Foods. Thank goodness for that! My favorite product ever is the Amy’s brand gf mac & cheese, which is in the freezer section. This brand is sold everywhere, but Whole Foods has the best selection of gf items (I couldn’t find ANY of the gf items at Star Market!). I also really love the Udi’s brand blueberry muffins and breads. The Whole Foods bakery even makes a mean gluten-free bread that they sell in the freezer section. It’s robust and filling, so I love toasting it with some butter and jam once in a while. They also have really unique yogurts that are made in small batches from farms that seem a lot better than the typical industrial farms I always hear about. So I love trying different yogurts, feeling good that the cows there are being treated better than most. Yay!
Great post! 🙂
I’m absolutely hooked on the Wallaby yogurt. It’s so creamy and delicious! My favorite flavor is vanilla. I know it sounds simple, but it’s oh so full of flavor. Add some fruit, cinnamon, chia and it’s like heaven in a bowl. I’m guilty of sometimes eating this meal two times a day lol.
I love their salad bar and their balsamic salad dressing. So much good stuff there!
Love the bulk bins. Great for trying out things. My daughter was recently diagnosed with Celiac’s so I’ve been trying out all sorts of different things
There is a Whole Foods opening right near my house. Can’t wait. Looking forward to a great variety of fruits and vegetables!
I love their Oat milk and their selections of handmade breads! Whole Foods is one of my staple stores! I love eating there too utilizing their salad bar and sandwiches!
My favorite Whole Foods finds are generally flavored Nut Butters. The Whole Foods store near me carries a ton of locally made nut butters that are relatively cheap and delicious!
I love the 365 organic crunchy peanut butter
I LOVE the bulk bins at whole foods! from almonds to chia and flx seeds. I love finding healthy add is!
great tips! and i was quite shocked by your total spent as well!
I’m impressed you were able to stay under budget at whole foods! I always find myself purchasing items that I haven’t seen at other grocery stores and the total adds up. Some of my go to purchases are the pineapple mango salsa (best thing ever), 365 crunchy peanut butter and I used to get American flatbread pizza there but haven’t purchased it in awhile. I’m not sure if they still sell it!
I love so many things! Their take home pre-prepared pizzas are yummy and their hot bar is awesome!
I love the jalapeno hummus at Whole Foods!
I love the 365 line for “off-brand” shopping. Whole Foods is the only place that carries the WholeSoy & Co brand of soy yogurt that I love so much. At their salad bar, they offer a marinated tofu that I have only been able to catch on a couple of occasions. I am mostly dairy-free, due to gastro issues, and Whole Foods provides so many other sources of foods that are friendly for my digestive system.
I cannot wait to try this recipe for soup!
I’m still pinching myself that a whole foods market opened up near me! I was always into healthy foods, but figured I couldn’t afford WFM – wrong! So many items are cheaper than anywhere – I know b/c I google and amazon away! I love the raw cashews, dairy products, flash sales make my heart skip a beat! Items like peanut butter, and many, many of the organic produce and grains, and cheeses etc are cheaper and much better quality than what regular grocery stores carry. I can’t pick any one “find” as the magic of it is there are so many! I’m always excited when the new sales flyer is out on Wednesday, I have to see it online as soon as I can! I also like going to the classes and learning more about health foods, cheeses, ways to use ingredients!
the maple roasted cashews in the bulk bins are AMAZING. And the freshly ground peanut butter is also a great deal.
I love their dried apples. Just got a bunch on sale 2/$5.
My favorite deal was spinach pasta Neale for 2/4.00.
There was a coupon on the box forn1.00 off of 1 box!
What a deal!
I love the Whole Foods guacamole with organic tortilla chips! Yum!
We used to drive way out to the far suburbs to get to our region’s only Whole Foods 45 minutes away. Then they kept opening stores closer and closer until they finally came to us here in the city. They have made our quest of eating an anti-cancer, low-inflammation diet possible. And now that we have to be cautious of each ingredient, it is almost the only safe place to shop for our food. We find great values all the time, eat fruits in season, buy flash frozen to stock up, and love the new nutritionist on staff. Cannot wait til they open a new mega-store here, as well. That should broaden our culinary horizons even further.
I love that all heir organic 365 products are so affordable! Some examples are their almond milk and oatmeal.
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I love the Whole Foods burrito bowls! Their ready-made food is perfect when I’m on the go with my toddler!