Grocery Budget

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Family of 3 with a 16 month old. We also only buy organic produce, meat and dairy. We spend about $500 a month on groceries and probably eat out about 4 times per month (usually a quick breakfast or lunch as a family on the weekend)

PP here - OP, if you're only shopping at Whole Foods, there's your problem. Our Giant has a ton of organic produce and meat. As does the Harris Teeter nearby. I rarely go to WF for anything.

When I was on maternity leave, I stopped shopping at WF and started going to the Safeway and Harris Teeter by us almost exclusively, buying almost entirely the same stuff. Our grocery bills nearly doubled. WF is the same price or cheaper for many organic products, particularly meat, dairy, and produce and most especially frozen vegetables, when you can opt for the 365 brand.

I agree that a lot of the food at WF is actually cheaper than elsewhere. One thing to watch out for though, with the frozen veggies, is that a lot of the 365 organic frozen veggies are actually from China (just read the label), and given the lack of regulations there, there is really no way to know whether the veggies are actually organic--or what the quality in general is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Family of 3 with a 16 month old. We also only buy organic produce, meat and dairy. We spend about $500 a month on groceries and probably eat out about 4 times per month (usually a quick breakfast or lunch as a family on the weekend)

PP here - OP, if you're only shopping at Whole Foods, there's your problem. Our Giant has a ton of organic produce and meat. As does the Harris Teeter nearby. I rarely go to WF for anything.

When I was on maternity leave, I stopped shopping at WF and started going to the Safeway and Harris Teeter by us almost exclusively, buying almost entirely the same stuff. Our grocery bills nearly doubled. WF is the same price or cheaper for many organic products, particularly meat, dairy, and produce and most especially frozen vegetables, when you can opt for the 365 brand.

I agree that a lot of the food at WF is actually cheaper than elsewhere. One thing to watch out for though, with the frozen veggies, is that a lot of the 365 organic frozen veggies are actually from China (just read the label), and given the lack of regulations there, there is really no way to know whether the veggies are actually organic--or what the quality in general is.

You don't shop at Safeway or HT for organics. That is grocery shopping 101.