Proving you can make a weekly menu plan of 3 meals a day for $25/person at Whole Foods Market. Plus, enter to win a $100 gift card to take the challenge yourself.
I have a friend who jokingly calls Whole Foods the “Whole Paycheck.” I often agreed with her, not because I felt the prices were outrageous, but because when I’m at Whole Foods I’m often also seeking out specialty items that I can’t find in other places, so they naturally are going to cost more. So when they challenged me to do a week’s worth of grocery shopping for just $25/person I never gave it a second thought as to whether it could be done or not. Of course you can eat organic on a budget, and while our approach is to mix and match across the market, warehouse stores, and grocery stores in order to do so, there’s nothing saying you couldn’t shop exclusively at Whole Foods and still make it happen.
When shopping at any grocery store it’s important to know how they work, and Whole Foods has built-in ways to save you money on foods you can trust. They provide multiple sales flyers and seasonal coupon booklets, as well as meal planning advice and recipes. I was excited to learn that you can get discounts by the case (it was all I could do not to grab a whole case of Lara Bars off the shelf at 10% off) and for buying meat in bulk. If you have a smaller household, freezing the meat for a later date let’s you still take advantage of the savings.
I could have gone cheap with my menu, planning meals that would be considered budget food (rice and beans, anyone?), but instead, I wanted it to feel like we were eating comfortably without making sacrifices to our daily meals. I even splurged on a large bag of shrimp.
Wanting to keep it as close to real life as possible, I purchased a few pantry items we needed like buckwheat flour, coconut oil, and a large bag of grits which will last beyond the week at hand, and I didn’t fret over everyday pantry items we have at home like flour, honey, and yeast.
Note: The Menu is Clickable!
The Preparation Shortcuts:
1. Bake a loaf of bread and two batches of naan to use throughout the week. Healthy Bread in 5 is a great way to get whole wheat sandwich bread, and their naan recipe from Artisan Pizza and Flatbreads in 5 Minutes a Day is also a favorite in our house. Then you can bake at will, too.
2. Slow cook the barbacoa early on. The tomato and pepper sauce that is left after the meat is done will become the base for the chili. Reserve a little to serve with the tacos, and then bulk of it gets an extra can of tomatoes, two cans of beans, and the leftover meat.
3. The bones from the chicken are made into stock for the gumbo. Extra rice from the gumbo is used for the fried rice in the lunches.
4. All leftover vegetables get added to pizzas for pizza night.
Our menu in hand, off we went to buy our food. Here’s the breakdown and the actual receipt proof that we came in under $150. Given that I planned to make my bread and you might not want to, I left you enough money to buy a loaf. We just used coupons that were available at the stand when you walk into the store, and outside of planning to buy beef because it was on sale last week, we didn’t plan specifically around any ongoing offers.
A few things worth mentioning. I opted for a few items that weren’t the cheapest available. I like cream line milk and yogurt, and so I purchased those because they are what we already buy. I also spent extra getting the glass bottles from a local dairy on the milk instead of the plastic bottles that are shipped in a bit further. A few times there were conventional items available that were cheaper, but I chose to stick with the organic options.
We usually don’t purchase meat in store. Our beef is purchased in bulk from a local farmer, and we buy free-range chicken and organic pork from a vendor at our local farmers market. This keeps our weekly costs down a bit, outside of seafood (though we do stock up on that as well when it’s in season). Because we save by buying in bulk, we have a bit of that money left to add splurge purchases to our grocery bill (like cases of date bars).
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The end result is that a little bit of planning goes a long way to making shopping and eating organic on a budget possible. Buying bulk items, staying away from processed foods and snacks, and sticking to a meal plan can do great things for your wallet.
A Giveaway!
I’m giving away a Whole Foods Market $100 Gift Card!
TO ENTER:
Leave me a comment! Any little comment. Tell me about your weekly shopping trips, how you plan your menus, what you did or did not eat this week, or just how the weather is.
For Bonus Entries:
Tweet or share the following on Facebook and leave a comment letting me know you did:
Enter to win a $100 @WholeFoods gift card via @FoodforMyFamily http://wp.me/puu57-3cw #giveaway
THE RULES:
This giveaway is provided by Whole Foods and will run until Monday, October 29th, 2012 at 11:59 pm CDT and is open to all U.S. residents 18 years of age and older. A winner will be chosen at random using Random.org from all eligible entries. Chosen winners must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize. Good luck!
More from Food for My Family
It’s good to know it’s possible to eat cheap at Whole Foods. I tend to avoid it because it seems too expensive. Thanks!
I really try to look to see what we have in our freezer and our garden before meal planning and grocery shopping. Soups are a great inexpensive meal as well.
[...] – Shaina Olmanson, Food For My Family [...]
i do batch cooking and bulk shopping. i purchase 3lbs of beans (black) cook them, freeze half, use the remainder in as soup, tacos, brownie recipe and burgers. i save time and money
I usually shop my farmers market and then to Trader Joes. I am trying to be better about meal planning because most of the time I go with some loose plan in my head and when I actually sit down to cook I don’t have the ingrediants I want. I don’t know if I could just spend $100 a week for my family of four. Love to see how other people do it. It would definately help my budget to slim down the grocery shopping a bit.
My friends make fun of the structured way I plan, shop and eat. However, I would go crazy with out a plan and my budget would never be consistent. I make a menu for each day of the week (I do check to see what is on sale first and what I have leftover in the freezer and pantry). I make a list of items I need don’t already have. I add pantry items we are out of and then I shop. I shop generally Friday or Saturday and try to hit the farmers’ market. That way I can make ahead some meals for the week. It makes a much calmer week with 3 teenage boys and working full time.
Your menu looks delicious. My current “plan” is to freak out around 4:00 because I have no idea what to make for dinner.
I usually check the local store ads for the week and use my coupons and plan my purchases accordingly and make my dinners work around that.
Hello there
I tweeted about the contest here’s my link
https://twitter.com/Monnie311/status/262089465701490688
This is a great challenge! We are always trying to come in under $150 for the week but we rarely make it!
Megan´s last post ..Breastfeeding in Public: A Not-So-Handy How-To Guide that really won’t help you at all
The naan recipe looks great! I wonder if it’s easier or more difficult to stick to the $25/week budget with a family of 6 as opposed to my family of 2. Or maybe it would be the same.
The weather is finally clearing up here in south FL – thanks to our Trick or Treat visitor Sandy. Prayers to the Northeast next week. Thanks for the fun & healthy Whole Foods giveaway!
Love whole foods quality and selection…and love the coupons they have in store.
Next weekend I’ll be buying a pumpkin at Whole Foods. The goal is to bake it whole, stuffed with something vegetarian… hmm…
Thanks for the giveaway!
A Whole Foods just opened in my area, so your giveaway is coming at the perfect time.
The weather is a little scary out there!
tweet–https://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/262542856038793216
We’ve enjoyed a couple of pots of chili already this fall. Perfect fall food!
It is cold and rainy here….brr!!
tweeted
https://twitter.com/JenniferCNP/status/262585333768658944
Thanks for the tips! We love Whole Foods!
We love whole foods so much! Thanks for the giveaway!
wildorchid985 at gmail dot com
tweet–https://twitter.com/CrazyItalian0/status/262650212248584192
wildorchid985 at gmail dot com
Ooh I love whole foods! Just about to have a baby too, so it’s great to have these tips on how to get wholesome nourishment for a great price! Can’t wait to see who wins
I’ve been trying to eat less carbs lately…more protein.
Tweet!
https://twitter.com/tcrowley122/status/262774527166136320
I don’t plan meals to well, I just try to keep a stocked kitchen of the basics and buying those cheap, and then shopping for items I need for specific recipes the day of.
i love whole foods- so healthy!:) and yummy!
I do a generalized menu plan for the month, the each week I sit down and edit it to fit our week plans if they have changed and use it to make my grocery list for the week. I tend to shop on Saturday & Sunday, I prefer Sunday, but our Farmers Market and local health food store are open on Saturday, so it turns out to be both! Our budget doesn’t equal out to $100 a week for a family of 4. Someday it will though!
tweet
https://twitter.com/MeandBells/status/262933088655527940
With a lot of planning, catching managers special’s and willingness to go meatless for certain meals, we manage a whole food budget of $60 a week for two adults and one 5 year old.
This is great info. I call Whole Foods – whole paycheck too. I try and plan meals around weekly sales flyiers.
The weather is getting cold….YUCK!
family74014 at gmail dot com
I love this challenge. I try to keep costs down (who doesn’t?) while still buying organic, and it’s not easy. You’ve given me some good ideas!
We’ve been eating lots of lentil and chickpea burritos and bean casseroles. Cheers!
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The weather has been pretty darn gross and cold and rainy here–so we’ve been eating lots of soups, chili, and pot roasts!
tweeted https://twitter.com/pittsy82/status/263079432179302400
My husband and I love shopping at Whole Foods! We like to get their fresh produce and their salad bar is wonderful too! I like to plan out our menu’s on Sunday’s. I like to see what’s on sale and buy stuff for our weekly menu based off that.
Thanks for the opportunity!
Seasidesmitten@aol.com
Nicole-Lynn´s last post ..Homemade Dog Treats
I try to plan menus but end up taking shortcuts much of the time. I do enjoy cooking more in the winter so now that the weather is cooling I will start preparing more homemade meals instead of semi-homemade.
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Thanks for taking the challenge & offering tips, I need them with 6 mouths to feed.
I still don’t think people realize how far food and the money spent on it can go when you make it from whole ingredients and you are not pouring from a can, ripping open a bag, or opening a box. The investment is time but it’s value is so worthwhile. Good post here.
I ate weird things this week, like granola bars and cereal b/c I need to go to the grocery store for some real food
Your blog and this challenge are super inspiring! I am taking the challenge starting Dec. 2 and will use some of your recipes! Thanks!
I too am inspired, thank you! I am always figuring out the “day of” what to cook for dinner that night. I love to cook, I order in bulk, buy grass-fed beef, local chicken and raw milk, etc. I’m just terrible at planning!