Blog for all health-conscious: Quick and Easy Cheap and Healthy Whole Foods on a Budget: What it Looks Like

Sunday, 15 January 2012

Quick and Easy Cheap and Healthy Whole Foods on a Budget: What it Looks Like

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Whole Foods on a Budget: What it Looks Like

Posted: 14 Jan 2012 01:52 PM PST

Whew! I just finished up a round of OAMS: 7 stores, 2 days, $150. I am quite proud of myself that I stayed in budget this time, and managed to stock up on all the things that were getting low. Not only that, I was able to get the ingredients for some new recipes and other things I want to try. All in all, a great success!

I’m going to share with you here what I bought, just in case you’re curious about buying whole foods on a budget. I’m always wondering how other whole-foodies-on-a-budget feed their families wholesome foods without breaking the bank, and maybe you’re like me.

Note: while the vast majority of this list consists of “whole foods”, it does not necessarily consist of organic, grass-fed, pastured, local, etc. foods. I buy as much of that as I can afford, but for now, this is how I manage it. I am excited that I recently found a local farm that delivers, so hopefully in the next month or so, I’ll start getting some local grass-fed beef, milk and butter for the same price I’m paying for plain old store-bought. Super excited about that!

In the meantime, though, this is what I got (an asterisk by the price indicates a sale price or use of a coupon):

Produce:

2 lbs organic carrots ~ Trader Joe’s ~ $1.78

2 lbs organic apples ~ Trader Joe’s ~ $2.49

2 lbs clementines ~ Trader Joe’s ~ $3.29

2 bulbs organic garlic ~ Trader Joe’s ~ $1.49

8 bananas ~ Trader Joe’s ~ $1.52

1 mango ~ Shoppers ~ $1.00*

4 avocado ~ Shoppers ~ $2.76*

1 lb strawberries ~ Shoppers ~ $1.50

1 half-pint blueberries ~ Shoppers ~ $1.50

1 sweet potato ~ Walmart ~ $1.20

1 cantaloupe ~ Walmart ~ $1.98

10 lbs potatoes ~ Giant ~ $3.99

1 yellow onion ~ Giant ~ $0.71

Grains, Pasta, Beans:

2 boxes Barilla Whole Grain Spaghetti ~ Giant ~ $1.50*

1 lb Northern Beans ~ Walmart ~ $1.22

2 bags Arrowhead Mills Organic Puffed Cereal ~ MOM’s ~ $1.58*

22oz Bob’s Red Mill Sorghum Flour ~ MOM’s ~ $3.39

1 lb EnerG Tapioca Starch ~ MOM’s ~ $2.59

1 lb EnerG Potato Starch ~ MOM’s ~ $3.39

2 lbs Arrowhead Mills Organic Buckwheat Flour ~ MOM’s ~ $4.79

1/2 lb Organic Steel Cut Oats ~ MOM’s ~ $0.89

1/3 lb Organic Quinoa ~ MOM’s ~ $1.08

5 lbs White Whole Wheat Flour ~ Trader Joe’s ~ $2.99

1 lb Bob’s Red Mill Ground Flax Seed ~ Trader Joe’s ~ $2.69

1 lb Brown Rice Pasta ~ Trader Joe’s ~ $1.99

10 lbs Quaker Rolled Oats ~ Costco ~ $7.39

Meat

12oz Bacon, Uncured, No Antibiotics or Hormones ~ Trader Joe’s ~ $3.99

1 lb Bacon Bits and Pieces, Uncured ~ Trader Joe’s ~ $2.99

4.5 lbs chicken leg quarters ~ Shoppers ~ $3.55

1 lb Perdue Ground Turkey ~ Walmart ~ $1.78

2 pkgs Jones Dairy Farms Ham Slices ~ Safeway ~ $4.00*

2 pkgs Hormel Natural Choice Deli meat ~ Safeway ~ $4.00*

Dairy & Non-Dairy:

2 6pks Great Value Yogurt (for my DH who refuses to eat homemade yogurt) ~ Walmart ~ $3.76

2 quarts Silk Coconut Milk ~ Shoppers ~ $5.31*

1 dozen Pastured Eggs (from a local farm) ~ MOM’s ~ $4.59

1 gallon Organic Creamline Whole Milk ~ MOM’s ~ $5.69

32 oz Sunflower Milk ~ MOM’s ~ $2.59

32oz Monterey Jack Cheese ~ Costco ~ $5.29

48 oz Polly-O String Cheese (for my DH’s lunch) ~ Costco ~ $9.89

1 quart Soy Chocolate Milk (non-GMO, to test my Certain Little Someone’s allergy) ~ Trader Joe’s ~ $1.69

Miscellaneous:

1 ginormous container of bay leaves ~ Costco ~ $4.25

8oz dried cranberries ~ Trader Joe’s ~ $1.99

1 lb sunflower seed butter ~ Trader Joe’s ~ $4.99 (!!!!!)

24oz Clover Honey ~ Trader Joe’s ~ $4.99

4 14.5oz cans Hunt’s Petite Diced Tomatoes ~ Safeway ~ $1.56*

25.3oz Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil ~ Safeway ~ $4.00*

Compromises:

1 pkg hot dogs ~ Walmart ~ $1.00

32oz ketchup ~ Giant ~ $0.99

The hot dogs are a compromise for obvious reasons! The ketchup because I got the kind that has HFCS in it, which I never do. However, I’m almost completely out of ketchup, and I like to keep it on hand to make homemade barbecue sauce. I simply did not have anymore money left in my budget to get the “good” stuff, so the cheap unhealthy stuff it is. I’ll just have to wait until Hunt’s ketchup goes on sale!

How do you buy whole foods on a budget? Any tips to share with me?