You don’t have to be a health junkie to appreciate the great shopping available at Whole Foods. But I’ve heard far too many people call it “Whole Paycheck.” This may be true if you go to Whole Foods and start randomly hucking things into your cart, but if you shop carefully, you can actually get out of there and not spend too much more than you would at your neighborhood grocery store. How? Here are some tips for successful frugal shopping at Whole Foods.

1. The most important strategy for shopping at Whole Foods is to enter the store with an open mind, rather than shopping for a pre-planned menu. If you approach the store in this way, you can find the best deals and not get yourself boxed into buying things you can’t afford.

2. Start in the produce section. While there, check out their weekly specials and pick local, seasonal produce that you can include in breakfasts, lunches and healthy suppers.

3. Check out their canned goods for specials on organic pasta sauces and rice dishes. You can always use these as a side dish or base a main dish around them.

4. Visit the meat counter and see what is on sale. If you buy pieces of meat from the case, you can save money buy only asking for exactly what you need for your meal. Sometimes you can get by with 3/4 of a pound of meat instead of the standard 1 pound that you get in pre-packaged meats.

5. Peruse the frozen section for specials on organic frozen pizzas and entrees for lunches and easy dinners. Make sure to avoid anything not on special because this is the section where you can accidentally spend a bundle.

6. If you’re there for lunch, visit the soup station. You can get a pint of wholesome, healthy soup for about six dollars. That is a bargain lunch or accompaniment to a soup and salad dinner.

Happy Marketing!

Darcy Ratner and Julie Arnheim
Founders, Rubbingnickels.com

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